Week of March 11-15: Woodcock Watch - A Birder's Meet-up

American woodcock. Photo by Rick Wright.

Week of March 11-15, 2026 (specific date dependent upon the woodcock’s calendar). Meet at 6:15 p.m. Address provided upon registration. To register, email your contact information to MBCoutings@gmail.com. Attendance limited to 12 people.

Each spring, American woodcock males put on an amazing courtship display that we can witness here in NJ. At dawn and dusk, the males produce a loud peent call from the ground, then spring up into the air, flying in a wide spiral with their wings twittering. Once they reach 200-250 feet, they zig zag back to the ground, chirping as they go. 

Club member, Deb DeSalvo, has generously offered to host a meet-up to view the woodcock courtship dance at her Hunterdon County farm in Oldwick, NJ. Depending upon when the woodcocks begin to display, Deb will give us a heads-up and the meet-up will happen in the next day or two. Woodcock courtship usually happens sometime between March 11-15.  Once we arrive, we will walk around Deb’s property for a short time, birding as we go. At sunset, which is around 7 p.m., we will walk to a wetland area at the northern end of her property, where we are likely to hear and, with luck, see the birds.