Weird & Wonderful Woodcock
Bird Watching|April 2017

They fly like bats, squeak like pigs, and behave like nothing else alive. But we may be about to lose them forever.

Ben Macdonald
Weird & Wonderful Woodcock

DUSK SETTLES OVER a forest clearing. A Nightjar churrs. Tawny Owls clamour from the heart of a plantation. Then strange croaks and ‘tiziks’ carry across the sharp outline of the fading pines. There follows an odd, bat-like apparition. The bird flies with a comical lack of urgency. It appears to go round in circles – repeatedly travelling the same prescribed highway in the evening sky. Observers often watch with a sense of bemusement. This is, we might think, a very strange bird. A woodland wader that flies around like a bat, squeaking like a pig. We puzzle, we shrug, and we move on with our daily lives. But in recent decades, breeding Woodcock in Britain have dramatically declined in numbers and range. Now is the time to understand their world.

Few actions are mysterious to those who perform them. Take the man who skips certain stones on a pavement. He does so for a reason. He may look bizarre to passers-by, but intent and purpose dictates his actions. Rarely, if ever, is human or animal action performed without reason. The same is true, of course, for birds. And the same is true for the Woodcock.

This bird may leave us in the dark, but they have a clear strategy for survival that leaves little to chance. Their secret life has as much purpose and order as our own. Woodcock obey the same fundamental ecological rules as any other species. The difficulty is, these rules are hard for humans to decipher. In this article, I will try to lay bare the Woodcock’s life – to show how it makes sense. Few naturalists have cracked the Woodcock.

This story is from the April 2017 edition of Bird Watching.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the April 2017 edition of Bird Watching.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM BIRD WATCHINGView All
Bird Watching

Weedon's World

Recent trips to a couple of his favourite local birding sites have resulted in encounters Mike would rather do without

time-read
3 mins  |
October 2017
Bird Watching

Bee-Eater Breeding

There was much speculation online about why a Bee-eater breeding effort in Nottingham had failed. Here, we attempt to get to the truth by speaking to those in the know… 

time-read
3 mins  |
October 2017
Bird Watching

Grumpy Old Birder

Bo reveals the pleasure he gets watching birds and wildlife enjoy an ‘all-you-can-eat buffet’ in his garden…

time-read
2 mins  |
October 2017
Bird Watching

#My 200 Bird Year 2018

If you’ve enjoyed trying to complete our #My200BirdYear challenge in 2017, or if you’ve been watching with interest but biding your time, or if you’re a complete newcomer to  Bird Watching magazine, then now’s the time to sign up for #My200BirdYear 2018 at birdwatching.co.uk/my200 

time-read
2 mins  |
November 2017
HOLME
Bird Watching

HOLME

Varied habitats and one of the UK’s top observatories

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2018
Backbury Hill
Bird Watching

Backbury Hill

A walk to a multi-vallate hillfort with birds on the way

time-read
1 min  |
March 2018
Castlemartin Corse
Bird Watching

Castlemartin Corse

A relic of a once-great wetland 

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2018
Lend A Helping Hand
Bird Watching

Lend A Helping Hand

Wildlife centres can often be the only venues for many to see birds close up. Here, one volunteer explains the important work they carry out.

time-read
5 mins  |
March 2017
Bringing Back The Tree Sparrow
Bird Watching

Bringing Back The Tree Sparrow

The story of how one man helped establish a Tree Sparrow colony around his Suffolk home.

time-read
6 mins  |
March 2017
The Urban Birder Visits Ushuaia, Argentina
Bird Watching

The Urban Birder Visits Ushuaia, Argentina

A wide variety of interesting birds can be seen in the world’s most southernmost city.

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2017