Return Of The Timber Doodle

Hardly a day goes by without one or more species of migratory birds arriving or passing thru.  

Last evening I stepped out on the porch to ascertain the state of the night sky before bedtime and there it was - the the distinctive call of the American woodcock. All around me - from at least four different locations - the Timber Doodles were calling.  

According to our records woodcock show-up in Wisconsin around mid-March.  This year we were vacationing in Europe and there was 8-10 inches of snow on the ground so there was nobody to monitor their return.  Some of the birds may merely be migrants passing thru to their breeding grounds north of here.  Others may be arrivals who call this place home  Nevertheless, the peent call of American Woodcock is a sure sign of spring.  If you hear a bird in March it is best to monitor over the course of a week to ascertain if it is a resident or if it has moved on.  Peak display period is early April through mid-May.  What Aldo Leopold described in his essay called Sky Dance.