Today after work, I picked up my non-birding spouse and instead of going
straight home, we went for a ride that took us 25 miles WSW to the Humpback
Rock Visitor's Center on Blue Ridge near milepost 5.
A quick call to Allen Larner got us to the right location where we met up
with several individuals already in place along the small garden area
situated between two buildings. By 6:20 p.m. the unmistakable nasal
peenting from at least three Woodcock could be heard. Melissa Duff was the
first to spot one that had emerged from the densely covered forest floor
out into the open. Several others were advancing closer. Soon, the
peenting increased and then the timberdoodles began taking to the air.
What a fabulous show! We had at minimum 5-6 woodcocks, peenting and
zinging across the sky, some buzzing by really close. Some we were able to
observe, albeit very dark brown blobs in diminishing light, as they first
took off across the open area, making half turn before climbing and
circling until they were almost out-of-sight. The sound of the wind
through their wings as they took off across the sky was enough to draw the
attention of a bicyclist who walked over to see what was going on. I
watched him several times just standing and looking at the dark, bat-like
objects as they flew over his head.
Brenda Tekin
Charlottesville, VA
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