Timberdoodle Town!

     With still another bird walk planned for today, I went out this morning AND SO GLAD I DID. It was the best woodcock count I have ever had - 24 timberdoodles in Green-Wood Cemetery and all congregated in one area of the grounds.
     These are really rewarding birds to see, for me at least; reasons being their cryptic colors make them VERY hard to find, they colors are beautiful, they are so secretive- it's a privilege to observe them. It was hard to walk without flushing birds- being so hard to see, I often did not see the 4 of them somehow sitting less than 3 feet in front of me.
     I also had a nice observation of a sharp-shinned hawk thanks to some loud-mouth blue jays. a nice look at a late blue-headed vireo, and hermit thrushes by the bushel....

This sharpie found a roost in a large shrub. I think it seemed okay with my presence because I minded my distance and in being nearby, scared the jays away that led me to this bird.

While this bird looks big-- it honestly is just a tad bigger than the jays that were pestering it.

Very nice to see a bird in its gorgeous adult plumage-- carry on, little sharpie!

Then in looking up from the sharp-shinned I saw a Coop fly by and 2 red-tail hawks soaring overhead.

The dell water was active with small birds. While the temperatures have cooled- insects were active in sunny spots and the beehives are still in action. Some yellow-rumped warblers were cheating, nabbing bees.
I also spotted a blue-headed vireo, also be the bees- it's late for such a bird, but probably getting an advantage from having the bees to feed on.

By the Dell Water I also saw 3 winter wren. This one in particular was really fun as this ping-pong ball-sized bird smashed a caterpillar to death so it could consume it. Clearly, it is embracing its inner T-rex.

So vicious... but oh so adorable.

Their little stub of a tail is always held up so proudly. It's a funny little tail, but I suppose it does what it needs!

After one meal, it's on to find another. The maple leaves dwarf this bird!

Adorable, I love getting little intimate moments like these with little birds.

And then, the grand prize-- a few woodcocks that I was able to spot and not scare away (because I could actually see them and give them space!).

Seriously, evolution, you outdid yourself. And with the autumn leaves-- this is a real treat-- a challenging treat that makes this reward even sweeter.

Can you find??

With eyes placed high and toward the back of the head- this is the ultimate mom-- with eyes on the back of its head. But that placement isn't for misbehaving chicks-- but to have an eye out for danger as you rest, forage, and live on the ground. Danger comes from above and behind-- again, evolution, really-- this is all so impressive.

The one thing evolution did not prepare these birds for is the fact that humans built and light things unnaturally. Birds get confused, and woodcocks are notorious for building collisions that more often than not result in injury and death.

I walked over a hill and we both startled each other. Nothing I could do to not spook this bird further. So we stood and had a stare down -- the soil on its beak is evidence that this bird was foraging. On the hunt for earthworms and grubs below the surface. These are shorebirds that took to land and probe their long bills into soil instead of sand.

In attempting to back away this guy flew off, and I unintentionally flushed another that was unseen nearby. These birds may take flight tonight, as they are night time migrators, in their migration southward.