Field Trip Report: Woodcock Walks
Words and photos by Tarik Shahzad, field trip leader. Additional trips led by Edward Warden, COS president.
March 18–27, 2024
American Woodcock, Timberdoodle, and Bogsucker are all names for the enigmatic shorebird species that marks the shift from winter to spring in Chicago. Birders fawn over this species for its antics. They rock back and forth when probing for bugs, they let out a "peent" when signaling their interest in mating, and they ascend high in the sky to impress their lovers at sunset. The arrival of woodcocks are also a signal of the changing of seasons; when woodcocks are peenting, the snow is finally melting and the flowers are emerging from the frosted soil.
When it comes to experiencing birds, folks find that two qualities in particular raise the interest in certain species over others: appearance and rarity. Woodcocks are simply absurd-looking creatures; their eyes are slotted far enough back in their heads to provide nearly 360 degree vision of their surroundings, their wings twitter in flight due to the air passing through uniquely evolved feathers, and their bodies are intricately patterned like leaf litter and mud. Their rarity is more subjective than objective, though. Woodcocks are not an uncommon species in Chicago. Yet, their secretive, skulking daytime nature followed by their boisterous nighttime displays have birders yearning for woodcock outings, such as the seven Chicago Ornithological Walks we had this March!
American Woodcock.
On March 18 and March 27, participants joined us on two American Woodcock outings at Kent Fuller Air Station Prairie in Glenview, IL. The site is a 32-acre remnant of tall grass prairie, a habitat-type which used to span across Illinois and through the continent. This site is now one of the few remaining habitats in Cook County for imperiled grassland flora and fauna.
On both trips, we circled up about 20 minutes before sunset and headed inside the site for the thrills of woodcock mating displays. Before the sun had fully set and the woodcocks began their rituals, both groups enjoyed looks at Northern Shovelers in the ponds, Killdeer chirping along the path, and male Red-winged Blackbirds declaring their territories with pride. We also promised to show folks a cousin of the American Woodcock, known as the Wilson's Snipe; like woodcocks, snipe are a medium-sized shorebird species with long bills and pudgy bodies. The main distinction is clear through their behavior: when we walked around prior to sunset, the snipes, unlike woodcocks, would squeak and fly away when we were more than 30 feet away! The woodcocks, however, stayed put in the grasses because their shows were about to begin.
Around fifteen minutes after sunset on both trips, our groups experienced the magical woodcock mating rituals. First, we heard the classic "peent" calls from various locations across the prairie, indicating the presence of multiple woodcocks. After minutes of intermittent “peents,” we watched faint silhouettes of woodcocks ascend into the dark sky with their wings producing twittering and chirping sounds. Lastly, the birds descended in a twirl back to the grassy stages from which they began. On one of the tours, we even managed to get participants a look at a woodcock on the ground! All in all, we had magical nights with these wonderful and silly birds. Thank you to all of the participants for your warmth, community, and joy you brought to these special nights. We can all see why this bird is featured on the logo for the Chicago Ornithological Society.