By Tony Gazso, Interpretive Naturalist

The timberdoodle. The bogsucker. The hokumpoke. These are just a few of the many, many nicknames for one of Ohio’s earliest spring migrants: the American woodcock. Found throughout forests in the eastern U.S., this funny-looking little bird is actually a shorebird in the sandpiper family. These plump birds are built for camouflage. Mottled black, brown, and gray plumage allows them to virtually disappear into the leaf litter of the forest floor. They aren’t particularly fast-moving birds, so this camouflage helps keep them hidden from predators and the position of their eyes near the top of their heads enables them to keep watch, even while foraging. 
 
During the day, they spend their time probing the mud for worms and other invertebrates. Their long bill is actually flexible at the end, enabling them to better capture their food. They often walk with a strange sort of waddle. Though some incorrectly believe this to be some kind of mating display, scientists think that it may help them shift their weight in the mud to better detect worms crawling underground.

 
In early March, woodcocks make their way out of the forests and into open grassland and scrub fields for their famous mating display. Every evening throughout March and into early April, males begin calling. A buzzy preent or meep call begins to echo through the dusk landscape. Then just as it’s beginning to get too dark for us humans to see, they take flight in dazzling aerial displays. The males fly upward in a large spiral, reaching 200 to 300 feet. Then they descend very quickly, zig-zagging on the way down before landing quietly near females. This display is one of the bird world’s first true signs of spring in the northeast. The male woodcock gives no parental care and even after mating with numerous females will continue to display, sometimes continuing even after nesting season is over. Lake Erie Bluffs is an excellent park to go and watch the displays, which have already begun for the spring. Penitentiary Glen is another good place to see this marvel of nature. Get there right at dusk and listen for the calls. Then keep your eyes to the sky and listen for the chirping sound as they spiral high above you!