One of my main targets for mid March was American Woodcock. On Monday, I was in the park hoping for an early phoebe or the reclusive woodcock. After finding nothing at Turtle Pond, a good phoebe spot, I went to a part of Tupelo Meadow that has some habitat that is favorable for woodcocks, but even there, the odds of finding one are low. When I arrived there, I saw nothing. But as I got closer, a cinnamon Mourning Dove-sized bird shot out of the ground. A woodcock (#65)!
On Wednesday, the day after a snowstorm came through, reports of several woodcocks in the Ravine came in, unusual for this time of year. The reason for this seemed to be that the snow covering the ground concentrates the birds around small streams, the only source of open ground available. I decided to head up to the Ravine that afternoon in search for as many as I could find. I didn't even get past the Reservoir before I saw my first woodcock flying over. After that surprise, I decided to briefly head over to the Pool to check for ducks. I found a Wood Duck, and right next to it on the shore was another woodcock! I then run into another young birder named Kai, who told me about woodcocks he had seen, as well as a Rusty Blackbird, Brown Thrasher, and Winter Wren in the Ravine as well. And as if on cue, another woodcock flew in and landed right next to us on the ice! When I went to the Ravine, I found just two woodcocks, but I could see why. 3 or 4 Red-Tailed Hawks were patrolling the area, and may have flushed many of the birds. A nice consolation prize came in the form of three Rusty Blackbirds (#66).
The next day, reports of numbers of woodcocks continued. A similar number of reports also came from the Ramble and Triplet's Bridge, where a Wilson's Snipe was also reported, so that's where I went that afternoon. At Triplet's Bridge, the snipe (#67 and a state lifer!) was gave good looks, along with four woodcocks and a Rusty Blackbird. It was interesting to compare the two species, as they were literally right next to each other! I then went to the Oven, where there were four more woodcocks (another also flew by), bringing the day total up to 9! On Friday, woodcock numbers seemed to have dramatically dropped, with me seeing just two at the Oven, and there were few reports this weekend (which is also the usual amount!). I believe this crazy Woodcockalypse was caused a combination of the birds being more visible and a large influx of the species, but we'll never know the exact reasons as to why this happened.
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