American Woodcocks
American woodcocks (Scolopax minor) are the hardest birds to find, even with directions. But they are right to be well hidden. They do not move all that quickly, they're big, and hawks would definitely like to eat them.
Bryant Park Timberdoodles
On March 4, 2022, I visited Bryant Park in Midtown Manhattan to watch five American woodcocks bob and bounce, resting and rooting for worms. Why these birds ended up in Bryant Park has many speculations, including window strikes and confusion from the lights as they are migrating in the evening. Whatever the reason, they apparently can find plenty of worms to fill up on, and are relatively easy to find and photograph.
One of five woodcocks in Bryant Park, March 4, 2022
In 2020, I was treated to a woodcock dancing across the Cunningham Road side of Cunningham Pond in Mount Loretto Unique Area on Staten Island.
American woodcock, Mount Loretto Unique Area, Staten Island, July 20, 2020
There is one Filming the Feathers video featuring the American Woodcocks.
On March 8, 2015, a woodcock was on a rock in the center of a very small stream. The bird was very quiet, and rightly so, because during the time we were watching, a red-tailed hawk took a perch over the stream. Had the woodcock moved, he probably would have been hawk food.
The hawk above the woodcock's head.
March 14, 2014
