by Marion Sprague
On Saturday, March 27, we had our largest group turnout since COVD-19 began! 13 young birders (and a few parents) joined MYBC in the search for returning American Woodcocks. We met at the Kennebunkport Conservation Trust to walk some of the trails leading up to dusk when the woodcock flight displays begin.
The group walked set out to walk the Loop Trail on the Emmons Preserve, but before we could leave the parking area we spotted a Red-bellied Woodpecker and a Golden-crowned Kinglet (at eye leve!), along with some very fresh Pileated Woodpecker markings on a sprue tree.
Once on the trail we had a pair of Eastern Bluebirds and the Pileated Woodpecker flew over head. We had the usual over-wintering birds—Black-capped Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, and both White and Red-breasted Nuthatches. As we made the turn to head back to the KCT Headquarters we sotted a Merlin way up in the tree tops!
Before heading back to assemble on he lawn behind the KCT Headquarters, we followed the trail to the stream and found a pair of courting Tufted Titmice, and an Eastern Phoebe (a Fist of Year for many!) While not bird related, we did find a sleeping den of a porcupine filled with scat—they are known for this behavior. As an added bonus, there were some quills scattered around that we got to observe—very carefully.
As we waited for dusk to fall and listened for the tell-tale “peenting” of the American Woodcock, we heard the tell-tale “Who, Who, Who Cooks for Youuuuu” of a Barred Owl, and the yipping of a pack of coyotes in the distance. The rising full moon was so bright it was casting shadows of the group!
The field at Kennebunkport Conservation Trust is situated ideally facing the western sky. This is great for watching woodcocks in flights as the light of the setting sun gives perfect backlighting to watch their elaborate sky dance. We started to hear the peenting of a few woodcocks. We never got good looks at their courtship flight before it got too dark to see, but we did see at least 3 fly overhead moving from one field to another. We hypothesized that the large influx of bird may not have arrived yet, as reports had been pretty sparse on eBird leading up to our walk.
In the end, while we did not get great looks at the American Woodcocks present, we heard at least 4 woodcocks and heard the twittering of wings at the apex of their courtship flight a number of times. You can see our full eBird checklist here: https://ebird.org/me/checklist/S84233764
We will post details about the April outing to Florida Lake Park shortly. Stay tuned. Until then, happy birding!
