After posting to the Mid Hudson Birds list this morning about hearing
woodcocks at 3:45 am on Easter, I received a reply from Al Brayton, whom I
guess many of you know. I don't think he'll mind if I quote part of what he
said:
* I don't know if you've read "A Sand County Almanac" by Aldo Leopold.
It's a great book for amateur naturalists (and professionals as well, I'd
say). He has a chapter on the Woodcock he used to have on his farm in
Wisconsin and how he used to watch them in the spring. He mentions that the
light has to be .05 foot candles to trigger the performance but the birds
will continue later or start earlier in the morning if moonlight duplicates
the light intensity of dusk or dawn.
I checked lunar cycle and it shows a moon just past full on the morning
of Easter this year. I don't know if it was clear but this probably
triggered an early performance for you. I noticed the same thing in
Saugerties*.
I find all of this fascinating! Al also mentioned that he had once flushed
a woodcock in the woods, almost stepping on her eggs. We had a similar
experience, flushing the mother and exposing her chick, We quickly took a
pic and then got out of there. I have posted the pic under photos on our
group yahoo site.
Anne in Gardiner
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