Land Trust, Audubon Society to Host Woodcock Walk

OAKSVILLE—The Otsego Land Trust and Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society invite bird-lovers to observe the spring mating ritual of the American woodcock at 6:45 p.m. on April 13 at the Parslow Road Conservation Area. The woodcock is a small, plump bird in the sandpiper family that probes for insects and earthworms on the forest floor. They migrate from the Gulf Coast to the Northeast U.S. and eastern Canada each spring to breed; their return is widely welcomed as a harbinger of spring.

Male American woodcocks perform mating displays in scrublands and forest clearings at dusk and dawn throughout the spring. Males make several short, buzzing ground calls, then launch into an erratic, spiraling flight that ends in a steep dive. The display flight produces a unique, melodious sound as air rushes across the male’s wing feathers. If a female comes to observe the display, the male will strut and bob across the forest floor. Mating displays may continue for up to four months.

The Parslow Road Conservation Area, just off state Route 28/80 in Cattown, has many ideal sites for woodcock mating displays. Audubon Society educators Charlie Scheim and Sandy Bright will lead a walk beginning at 7 p.m. in the parking lot at 127 Parslow Road. Waterproof footwear, a headlamp or flashlight, and binoculars are strongly recommended. Register at https://otsegolandtrust.org/events/woodcockwalk