A last mad dash in the dying day

When the migrants arrive to boost our homegrown birds, woodcock abound in Galloway and are ripe for the taking in the ‘blue dark’

- PATRICK LAURIE

It’s said that a million woodcock come to Britain each winter. Mustering an extraordinary level of ambition and resilience, the little birds dash over the North Sea from their summer homes in Scandinavia and Russia. This represents a staggering influx of migrants. If you were to add their combined mass together in a single lump, Britain receives more than 300 tonnes of woodcock during October and November.

Their arrival is a natural landmark for the changing seasons, but it frequently goes unnoticed by all but a few of the keenest observers.

Torrent

As the woodcock arrive, individual birds often find their way into back gardens and onto football pitches, sometimes in the centre of major cities. Social media lights up with photographs of woodcock in funny places, but it’s worth noting that many of these pictures are posted alongside the question: “What kind of bird is this?” Despite the annual torrent of woodcock that sweeps into this country, most people have never even seen one.

That air of mystery has its root in two main factors: woodcock are immaculately camouflaged and they show a marked preference for darkness. It is desperately easy to overlook these birds, even when they lie right beneath our feet.