We’re passionate about birds and nature. That’s why we opened a Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Shop in our community.
Union Square Shopping Center,
478 Route 35
Red Bank (Middletown), NJ 07701
Phone: (732) 345-5070
Fax: (732) 345-5072
Email: Send Message
Store Hours:
Mon - Thurs: 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Fri: 10:00 am - 7:00 pm
Sat: 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
Sun: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Click here to learn about our upcoming, WBU-sponsored, bird walks
Nineteen of us went on a walk at Poricy Park in Middletown on the evening of Friday, March 20, 2009 (beginning around 6 PM) to observe the male American Wookcock's courtship dance that is used to attract a female.
We walked around the park for around a little over an an hour before the main event -- the woodcock courtship ritual -- began. While there weren't many Spring migrants in the park that day, we did get to see an Eastern Phoebe. We also saw (and heard) lots of American Robins, Song Sparrows, Red-winged Blackbirds, Cardinals, and Carolina Wrens.
The American Woodcock began displaying at 7:20 pm. There were at least 3 males in action; some people claimed 5.
It was a great show to watch and hear. This bird, while actually in the shorebird family, live in forests. They have a long bill that is used for probing in the ground for earthworms.
The male has an elaborate display to attract females. He gives repeated "peent" calls while he’s on the ground. He will then fly upward in a wide spiral, making a twittering sound as he gets higher. As he descends, the twittering becomes intermittent and he starts chirping. He comes down in a zigzag, diving fashion, and lands silently on the ground - hopefully near a female! This process is repeated over and over again.
It was a great show, and those people with good eyes got to see a number of birds in the air.
For more information about the American Woodcock, click here.
