Woodcock are back

[fishhawk]

Got the dog out for a run this morning, and to my surprise she found and pointed a woodcock. I wounder what they are going to feed on with the ground still frozen?

[northernympher]

Alrighty then! Thanks for the heads up.

[huntervinni]

And so the cycle begins once again! Stay safe my little feathered friends and breed well.

[yellow dog]

Got the dog out for a run this morning, and to my surprise she found and pointed a woodcock. I wounder what they are going to feed on with the ground still frozen?

Seeds ?

[GrouseGuy]

Woodcock cannot digest seeds and really any other plant material. Their main diet is worms and possibly some other soft-bodied invertebrates. For these early migrants this may become an issue with the extreme winter we have had that appears to be holding on for a long time. Woodcock have good fat reserves built up through the winter in their southern climates, but this will only last so long.
Right now their main drive is to go north and a colder weather will not reverse that. In fact despite quite wintry weather much of the migration in birds is determined by photo period, an increase in the length of daylight. It looks like it will take a while yet before the ground thaws and their food source becomes available. So we can only hope they can hang on until that happens. Maybe the good thing is that these first arrivals are usually males and the females will arrive at a time when they will be at a lower risk.

[welsh]

They also eat insects, which will become available as soon as things warm up a little.

[mark_t1012001]

The birdies are coming....the birdies are coming....the birdies are coming.....hurray!!!!!!!


Sorry...just little cabin fever sitting here looking at all the f*@#$%g snow.....

[Cass]

I saw a robin 2 days ago on my front lawn! Been excited for woodcock ever since!

[tessari7]

I was out for a walk at our usual place and my pointers lock up on a woodcock

[ninepointer]

It will take a little more time before we start seeing this in my area...


"Spring Woodcock" by Tom Goldsmith