“Stop! Back up the car a few feet. Look to the right, at three o’clock.
A few feet in front of that maple sapling, on the ground. There’s a small mass of brown color. See it?”
Yes, I saw it. I pulled out my binoculars to take a closer look. And there they were!
A family of American Woodcocks sat in the grass, not more than 10 feet from the car as we drove into Oakwoods Metropark, near Flat Rock, Michigan.
Why Finding an American Woodcock is Special
Now, my husband and I have seen plenty of American Woodcocks over the years when we’ve gone birdwatching.
But we’ve never found them on our own.
Someone else has pointed them out to us when we’re birdwatching. (They’re not easy to find, explained further below.)
This time we did! And a family to boot! Amazing.
At 10-12 inches, American Woodcocks are a little bit bigger than the American Robin. They are shorebirds of the eastern woodlands of the United States and the southeastern part of Canada.
American Woodcocks have large heads, long beak, short necks, and a plump body. They walk slowly on the forest floor and fields. The birds have amazing acrobatic mating flights, with beautiful sounds (which I haven’t seen nor heard).
But because their light tan, buff, and brown colors match the color of fallen leaves, woodcocks are well camouflaged in the forest.
Usually someone finds one because they see movement in dead leaves on the ground. You have to look closely to find their eyes, or long beak.
I remember spending over 10 minutes searching for details in a mass of leaves at Magee Marsh last month, looking for the woodcock.
Which was why it was even more incredible to find this family of woodcocks in mid-morning, in the bright sunshine in the grass.
American Woodcock and Habitat Conservation
My friend Sarah Bourne reminded me that the American Woodcock is known as the timberdoodle, first time I had heard that term. I did some research, and discovered a cooperative effort began in 2001 to restore and expand habitat for the woodcock.
And it’s working! According to the Timberdoodle website, in the past 10-12 years, there’s been no decline in numbers of woodcocks.
If you’re interested, check out their website to learn more about the woodcock, its behavior, migration, habitat, research, and how you can help.
