2023 02 20
Woodcocks at Bryant Park¶
2023-02-20
On this warm President's Day, my sister and I decided to go to Bryant Park in NYC in search of American Woodcocks, also known as timberdoodles. Last summer, we discovered Woodcocks and their hilarious bobbing behavior while watching funny YouTube videos, where one can see them bob to music . We immediately checked where Woodcocks could be found in our area and, to our surprise, discovered that they could be seen at Bryant Park in NYC. Apparently, birders know this park as "Doodletown" because the migratory bird arrives in large numbers starting in March. We decided that this warm winter day (~60 degrees) was the perfect time to visit. We also checked eBird the day before to confirm recent Woodcocks sightings at the park.
When we arrived at Bryant Park, we were surprised to see the Winter Shops and Ice Skating Rink were still set up from the holiday season. We were worried that the shops and rink would disrupt the Woodcocks since it covered a lot of the grass patches. We walked around the park inspecting each of the patches of grass and leaves between the paths and benches. After about 20 minutes, we were ready to give up but then my sister noticed people with large camera lenses staring at a bush (always a good sign for birding). When we approached them, they told us there was a Woodcock in the bush and guided us on spotting them.
Apparently, the Woodcock had been there since 8am (it was about noon at this point) and was only out of the bush for a short while. It was not hard to believe considering we watched the Woodcock for almost an hour and it just blinked and bobbed a bit in the same spot. Even when a noisy Gray Catbird landed near the Woodcock, it remained still. Luckily, the Woodcock was mostly visible from certain angles and I was able to get photos. We decided to get some Bao Buns from a stand at the Winter Shops before going to a nearby thrift store.
After the thrift store, we stopped by Bryant Park again to check on the Woodcock. To our surprise it did move, but no more than a few feet from its previous location. This new spot was lit nicely by the afternoon sun being reflected off a nearby skyscraper and I was able to get better photos. We were very grateful to have seen a Woodcock today and add a new bird to our list. We will definitely return to Bryant Park in the coming month to visit the Woodcocks again (and hopefully they will be more active).
Locations/Sightings¶
-> #location/BryantPark-NYC