Heard the woodcock peenting the last few evenings. The elusive bird, if you don’t know already, has a rather unusual way of attracting a mate. He flies slowly upwards 300ft in a spiral then free falls to the ground producing a sound with his wings. They do this at dusk and it’s usually just light enough to watch. This usually happens in March around our neck of the woods.
We came across their eggs one year, a small clutch on the ground next to the area we call “the little woods” not far from the area where they are peenting now.
painting by Archibald Thorburn 1899.
