MCR Monthly Newsletter
What’s Hatchn’ing at Merrill Creek Reservoir with Ranger Rich
About the Author: Richard Dansen Sr.
Rich has a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science with a concentration in zoology and wildlife management. Rich has been with Merrill Creek Reservoir since 1995 where he teaches environmental education.
You can find Rich each weekend at the MCR visitors center talking about the wonderful wildlife and habitats of MCR. Stop by to say hi!
“In writing this monthly newsletter, I hope to inform and educate readers about some of the wonderful and fascinating events going on in nature at Merrill Creek Reservoir each month. Enjoy!”
– Ranger Rich
March
TIMBERDOODLE TIME!
American Woodcock at MCR
As the days grow longer, and the winter snow steadily disappears; some of the birds that migrated south last fall begin to return to the northeast to breed.
One such animal is an odd little bird known as the Woodcock. This little migrant spends its winter along the Gulf coast from Florida to Louisiana coming north as far as the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec Canada to breed.
Once they reach a suitable breeding ground, the male sets up a territory. In this territory the male performs a unique mating ritual to attract the female. First the male struts around bobbing its tail and calls, then leaps and spirals into the air 200 to 250 feet while producing musical twittering and gurgling sounds. Then it then dives and flutters back to the ground and begins strutting again and repeats to impress the female.
The female makes a nest by simply scraping a spot in the leaves relying on her brown color pattern to blend unseen on the forest floor. The chicks, usually 4, hatch at almost the same time and are pre-precocial (born in an advanced stage of development), and able to find food and follow mom almost immediately. They will stay near the female for only about a month.
Woodcock are extremely well camouflaged to blend in perfectly with leaf litter and thickets along wet swampy areas. Strangely, its eyes are placed far back on each side of its head allowing it to see nearly 360 degrees around and
behind to avoid predators like the Great-horned owl. Since its eyes located so far to the rear of its head its ear openings are actually located in front of the eyes behind the beak. Woodcock has a conspicuous 2 ½ to 3-inch beak it uses like forceps to probe the wet soil for earthworms (its primary food) along with assorted insects and spiders. Its nostrils are located at the very base of its beak (far from the tip) so it may breathe while probing through mud and water with its long vert sensitive beak.
Sadly, years ago Woodcock were almost wiped out by overhunting hunting and DDT. Now their biggest threat is habitat loss. They need young forest habitat, scrub-shrublands, and wet meadows.
At Merrill Creek Reservoir, we are implementing ecological forest management to help create such habitat that will benefit Woodcock and other declining young forest dependent species.
Eco-Vocabulary Time!
Precocial…. An animal hatched or born ready to survive, not needing extreme parental care (like a duck, chicken or turtle).
Altricial… born almost helpless, immature requiring a lot of parental care to survive (like a baby robin or a human baby).
Get out and enjoy nature!
Ranger Rich
