Do you ever kick yourself, after the fact, when you have an encounter with an unfamiliar animal or plant, because you are so engrossed in the experience that you neglect to document it on camera? This is the second time now, and both occurences involve birds. I did not bring out the camera when a screech owl fell into our chimney two winters ago, and I made the same mistake last week when an American woodcock with two chicks in tow walked out of the woods into our yard. Although not an uncommon bird, they are rarely observed as they like to keep hidden away in the underbrush. I am not sure what caused this mother of two to go on a walkabout, but there they were trotting along ungainly through the leaf litter and stopping once in a while to peck with their long beaks at the ground, I presume for insects or worms. Was this a teaching expedition or were they disturbed by human activities, I will never know. But the bird and her chicks were not in a hurry, although that could easily be attributed to a body type that seems totally unsuited for the woodland environment. They almost looked uncomfortable and out of place, with their shorebird frame. I was lucky to even spot them, as they are perfectly camouflaged. Up close the adult displays an orange to light brown underbelly and the beak and big black eyes can’t be missed. The young chicks had the same distinctive beak and eyes although their furry plumage was speckled with black and white tones. They did not venture far from mom and followed her into the thickets of branches and leaves of a large rhododendron in my yard.
Picture by Laura Meyers, as displayed on Cornell Lab of Ornithology site. © Laura Meyers, NY, Jamaica Bay NWR, June 2011, http://www.flickr.com/photos/laurameyers/5855991189
Leave a Reply