Woodcock Mating Rituals (1 Viewer)

A

affe22

Well-known member

• Mar 25, 2004

• #1

Yesterday I got to see male woodcocks do their mating display. It was really neat. If you've never seen it, they fly pretty high up into the air and flap their wings extremely quickly. This creates a very high pitched whistling sound. Then, they just kind of stop flapping and fall out of the sky back to where they took off from. I wanted to get some pictures, but they do it right before dark and through the night.

 

scampo

Steve Campsall

• Mar 25, 2004

• #2

Marvellous, isn't it? We call it "roding" over here - the male flies in a large circle calling. We'll not get it just yet, but soon, I should think.

 

D

Dave B Smith

Well-known member

• Mar 25, 2004

• #3

Affe,
Sounds real interesting. Why not use a flash (it will help keep the picture from blurring also)? Hope to see some photos if you get any.
Dave

 

scampo

Steve Campsall

• Mar 25, 2004

• #4

I think that most flash guns give out at about 30 feet so you'd be lucky to find it works well!

 

Andrew Whitehouse

Professor of Listening

Supporter

• Mar 25, 2004

• #5

I remember reading they evocative account of the 'sky dance' of American Woodcock in Aldo Leopold's 'A Sand County Almanac' so thanks to Affe for reminding me of this. The European Woodcock makes some of the strangest sounds I've ever heard from a bird during its roding display - an almost impossibly shrill whistle followed by a low gurgling 'rrgg-rrgg-rrgg'. As the nights grow warmer I would urge anyone to visit their local forest at dawn or dusk to enjoy this strange ritual.

 

S

StevieEvans

Well-known member

• Mar 25, 2004

• #6

An exciting bird.
It sounds like your American bird has a more dramatic flying display than 'ours'.
We see them here fly over a circuit often at height, uttering strange amphibian type croaks.

Scampo. They've been roding for weeks now! I'd of thought you'd be out making the most of you 82mm' objective lense at the appropriate time.

Stevie

 

Michael Frankis

conehead

• Mar 26, 2004

• #7

Hi Affe,

Welcome to BirdForum!

Nice one on your American Woodcocks - it's one I missed out on, on my visit to MO, despite trying. Listened to a recording of one, it's a very different sound to what our Eurasian Woodcock makes

Michael

 

A

AnnieW

Well-known member

• Mar 26, 2004

• #8

Are American Woodcocks referred to in some locales as Timberdoodles ?? I remember reading something years ago (might have been in a National Geographic) about the dance of the Timberdoodles and it sounds similar to what was described above .... it only sticks in my memory because Timberdoodle is such a great name !! I'm now off to Google for Timberdoodle .....

Annie

 

Andrew Whitehouse

Professor of Listening

Supporter

• Mar 26, 2004

• #9

Hi Annie,

I just googled it too and it looks like you're right. Apparently also known as a 'bog sucker'. Ewww

 

A

AnnieW

Well-known member

• Mar 26, 2004

• #10

Fifebirder said:

Hi Annie,

I just googled it too and it looks like you're right. Apparently also known as a 'bog sucker'. Ewww

Click to expand...

Charming .... I think I much prefer Timberdoodle (which based on googling looks fairly common). One to add to the nickname thread.

 

A

AnnieW

Well-known member

• Mar 26, 2004

• #11

AnnieW said:

Charming .... I think I much prefer Timberdoodle (which based on googling looks fairly common). One to add to the nickname thread.

Click to expand...

Replying to myself ..... just realised that it had already been added yesterday !