The Mating Dance Of The American Woodcock

SOUTHBURY — Interested participants will have an opportunity to witness the amazing courtship dance of the American Woodcock at the Audubon Center at the Bent of the River on five occasions this spring — Sundays, March 14, 21 and 28, beginning at 6 pm, and Sundays, April 4 and 11, at 7 pm.

Many woodcocks make their home at the Bent, so the chances of observing the spectacular displays are high.

Also known as “timberdoodle,” the male woodcock flies to his singing grounds at sunset and gives a short, high-pitched insect-like single note call, which he may repeat as many as 200 times in five minutes.

Then he flies in a low circle about 200 feet in diameter, then climbs higher and higher, the diameter of the circle decreasing, until he is 200 to 300 feet in the air. His rapid wing beats create a musical sound as he climbs. At the apex of his flight he sings a variable series of liquid notes.

Woodcocks are an important bird species at the Bent, making their homes in scrub land, which abounds at the Bent. They are shorebirds with a very long (two or three inches) bill ideally suited for probing the soil in search of earthworms, which are their favorite food.

Their eyes are set far back on their large heads, and they appear to have no necks. Woodcocks’ plumage forms a natural camouflage, they are very hard to spot on the dun-colored earth or among dead leaves.

The woodcock walk on April 4 will be followed by a moonlight walk through the Bent’s meadows, which will demonstrate the beauty and the mystery of the landscape. Anyone who has never witnessed the sky dance is in for  rare treat.

Participants are asked to meet at the kiosk near the visitors parking area. Suggested donation is $5.

Bent of the River, a 650-acre wildlife sanctuary and nature education center owned and managed by the National Audubon Society, is located on East Flat Hill Road in South Britain, about a half mile from Connecticut Route 72.

The center’s grounds and trails are open to visitors daily during daylight hours. The historic barn is open Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm. For more information call 264-5098 during business hours.

The entrance to the Audubon Center is at 185 East Flat Hill Road, off Route 172 and about one mile from I-84 exit 14.