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American Woodcock - southern Frederick County

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Jessica Bruland

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Mon, 9 Mar 2009 21:09:15 -0700

American Woodcock - new yard bird! Okay, I heard them on the adjacent property from our yard, but I think that counts.

When we purchased our house last year, I wondered if the adjacent large expanse of open fields and shrubby areas (across a neighbor's long driveway) might provide good woodcock habitat -- and apparently it does! Yesterday evening (3/9), just before dark, I heard two "peent" calls from the fields, and that was it. I thought maybe one of our resident mockingbirds (one of whom had just landed in a bush in the same direction) was playing tricks on me -- and it didn't dawn on me until later that night that the distant twittering chirping song that I couldn't quite place was a woodcock flight song.

This evening, again just before dusk, I listened to a single woodcock performing a flight song and then peenting for several minutes afterward. The peenting did seem to switch locations a bit, so there may have been more than one bird -- I'm not sure about that. From the edge of our property, through the sparse treeline, I couldn't find the displaying woodcock in flight or on the ground, and the slight elevation changes may have hidden the bird I was looking for.

Naturally I have a meeting tomorrow evening and class the following evening, so my next woodcock encounter will probably be Thursday. Hopefully they are regulars (I suspect they are)!

On that note, it appears that the same open expanse of fields/shrubs is currently up for sale as a sub-dividable property. If I can find out exactly who is selling the property and which local lot for sale it's a part of, I'm seriously considering contacting local land trusts, local Audubon Society chapters, and other groups (maybe the Frederick County Department of Parks and Recreation?) that may be able to purchase the property as a conservation easement. Based on the time we spent here last summer fixing up the house, I know that Field Sparrows and Indigo Buntings breed on or adjacent to the property, and our herd of 12+ deer use it daily.

If anyone has any advice on how to pursue potential funding and interest in purchasing the property for conservation purposes, I would greatly appreciate it! The woodcocks will appreciate it too.

Other recent yard birds as of last week and this weekend -- Fox Sparrow, Hairy Woodpecker, arriving Common Grackles and American Robins, Eastern Bluebirds, and a singing Field Sparrow. Also numerous scattered feathers and clumps of feathers in the yard that appear to be Red-Shouldered Hawk feathers, although I'll check on that -- perhaps one was harassed by crows and had some feathers plucked?

Jessica Bruland
Monrovia, MD
aderynyreira AT yahoo.com