TNC-PA: Observe The Courtship Flight Of The American Woodcock April 8

The PA Chapter of The Nature Conservancy is offering a public walk at our Hauser Nature Center in Long, Pond, Monroe County to celebrate spring and view the spectacular and elaborate mating courtship ritual of the male American Woodcock on April 8.

This family-friendly walk is free and open to the community, but space is limited, so reservations are required.

Each spring, male American Woodcocks establish their “singing grounds” and perform elaborate courtship displays involving spiraling bursts of flight up to 300 feet in the air - while singing a series of liquid notes - and then dramatically plummeting back to earth.

The American Woodcock is a fascinating bird that calls our Long Pond Preserve home during the spring. Superbly camouflaged against the leaf litter, the brown-mottled American Woodcock walks slowly along the forest floor, probing the soil with its long bill in search of earthworms.

Unlike its coastal relatives, this plump little shorebird lives in young forests and shrubby fields across eastern North America. Its cryptic plumage and low-profile behavior make it hard to find except in the springtime at dawn or dusk, when the males show off for females by giving loud, nasal peent calls and performing dazzling aerial displays.

Pre-registration is required. Call The Nature Conservancy’s Hauser Nature Center at 570-643-7922 or send email to: zgoodrich@tnc.org.