{"id":10739,"date":"2018-03-27T08:57:25","date_gmt":"2018-03-27T12:57:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=10739"},"modified":"2018-04-03T10:38:59","modified_gmt":"2018-04-03T14:38:59","slug":"8-ways-to-watch-woodcocks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/8-ways-to-watch-woodcocks\/","title":{"rendered":"8\u00a0Ways\u00a0to Watch Woodcocks"},"content":{"rendered":"

American Woodcocks are back!\u00a0Even when spring arrives late<\/a>,\u00a0woodcocks still\u00a0perform\u00a0their remarkable sky dances.\u00a0In\u00a0March and early April, these fascinating, awkward-looking\u00a0birds\u00a0put on a\u00a0mating display at dusk.<\/p>\n

The best part: it\u2019s\u00a0easy to view\u00a0this display in any large brushy field,\u00a0including some city parks.<\/p>\n

\"\"

American Woodcock by Will Freedberg<\/p><\/div>\n

Keep an ear out for a\u00a0woodcock\u2019s\u00a0sharp, nasal\u00a0\u201cpeent!\u201d\u00a0from sunset to half an hour afterwards.\u00a0The woodcock\u00a0will take off after a few calls, wheeling and diving in the sky as their wings produce their signature twitter.\u00a0Then, the bird dives steeply,\u00a0its wings continuing to whistle as it\u00a0falls to the ground\u00a0to start over.<\/p>\n

To help you track down these enigmatic birds,\u00a0here\u2019s a list of\u00a0Mass Audubon\u2019s upcoming\u00a0guided woodcock walks,\u00a0plus\u00a0some\u00a0sites in greater Boston to\u00a0look for them\u00a0by yourself.<\/p>\n

Mass Audubon Woodcock Programs<\/h3>\n

Join a walk if you want some help finding woodcocks or just enjoy the company of a group of nature lovers. Experienced naturalists will make sure you don\u2019t miss a peent!<\/p>\n

1. In Greater Boston: March 30<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0April 6<\/a>\u00a0at Broadmoor (Natick);\u00a0March 31<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0April 14<\/a>\u00a0at the Blue Hills Trailside Museum (Milton);\u00a0April 3<\/a>\u00a0for adults and\u00a0April 7<\/a>\u00a0for teens at Drumlin Farm;\u00a0April 8<\/a>\u00a0at the Boston Nature Center (Mattapan).<\/p>\n

2. On the\u00a0South\u00a0Shore:\u00a0March 28<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0April 4\u00a0<\/a>at\u00a0Birchwold\u00a0Farm (Wrentham) with Stony Brook; April 7<\/a>\u00a0at North River (Marshfield).<\/p>\n

3. In\u00a0Central and Western Massachusetts:\u00a0April 4\u00a0<\/a>at Broad Meadow Brook (Worcester);\u00a0April 5<\/a>\u00a0at\u00a0Wachusett\u00a0Meadow for families (Princeton); April 7<\/a> at Arcadia (Easthampton\/Northampton);\u00a0April 11<\/a>\u00a0at Pleasant Valley (Lenox).<\/p>\n

4. On Cape Cod:\u00a0March 30<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0April 14<\/a>\u00a0at Long Pasture (Barnstable);\u00a0March 30<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0April 7<\/a>\u00a0at Wellfleet Bay (Wellfleet).<\/p>\n

See the entire list of woodcock programs<\/a>!<\/p>\n

4 Parks to Seek\u00a0Woodcocks\u00a0in Greater Boston on Your Own<\/h3>\n

5.\u00a0West Roxbury:\u00a0Millennium Park<\/a>
\nThis former landfill became a great birding site after it was covered with soil from the Big Dig and reclaimed by native grassland. Search for woodcocks along the northwest and southwest\u00a0edges\u00a0of the park\u00a0and by the canoe launch.<\/p>\n

6.\u00a0Boston:\u00a0Franklin Park<\/a>
\nPark off of Circuit Drive. The best area is through the open area towards a softball field.\u00a0 Sometimes, woodcocks display in the sports fields off of\u00a0Pierpoint\u00a0Drive to the north.<\/p>\n

7.\u00a0Cambridge:\u00a0Alewife Reservation<\/a>
\nMost woodcocks are found by walking\u00a0the path between\u00a0Bullfinch Parking Lot\u00a0(off of Acorn Park Drive)\u00a0and\u00a0the T station.<\/p>\n

8. Belmont:\u00a0Rock Meadow<\/a>
\nRock Meadow is best accessed from a small parking lot on the West side of Mill St. south of its intersection with Concord Ave. Walk the path into the adjacent field about 400 feet, passing the community gardens on your left.\u00a0The woodcocks will be displaying on your right, but can be found further into the meadows as well.<\/p>\n

Post by William Freedberg, Bird Conservation Associate<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

American Woodcocks are back!\u00a0Even when spring arrives late,\u00a0woodcocks still\u00a0perform\u00a0their remarkable sky dances.\u00a0In\u00a0March and early April, these fascinating, awkward-looking\u00a0birds\u00a0put on a\u00a0mating display at dusk. The best part: it\u2019s\u00a0easy to view\u00a0this display in any large brushy field,\u00a0including some city parks. Keep an ear out for a\u00a0woodcock\u2019s\u00a0sharp, nasal\u00a0\u201cpeent!\u201d\u00a0from sunset to half an hour afterwards.\u00a0The woodcock\u00a0will take off after […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10747,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11],"tags":[27,28,114],"class_list":["post-10739","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nature-notes","tag-birding","tag-birds","tag-woodcock"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/03\/WoodcockWilliamFreedberg600.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-2Nd","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1808,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/the-dance-of-the-woodcock\/","url_meta":{"origin":10739,"position":0},"title":"The Dance of the Woodcock","author":"Mass Audubon","date":"March 5, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"It's an annual rite of passage.\u00a0As the snow melts away and the first traces of greenery return to the woods of New England, our breeding birds begin the courtship process. 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Every spring, wet meadows and fields transform into a \"runway\" for their beautiful aerial courtship display. 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But how do we compare to our bird counterparts when it comes to courtship? Here are just a few of the more impressive romantics in Massachusetts. American Woodcock Come March and April, this reclusive forest dweller puts on quite a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"American Woodcock","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2013\/02\/americanwoodcock-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3374,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/can-these-animals-fool-you\/","url_meta":{"origin":10739,"position":3},"title":"Can These Animals Fool You?","author":"Rosemary","date":"March 31, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Many animals have particular patterns and colors that help them avoid predators. Some blend into the background or mimic an object like a leaf or twig, and some try to direct a predator\u2019s attention to a less vulnerable body part. Test your visual skills with these tricky creatures. 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