Woodcock Family

An American Woodcock mother set up her nest close to a path on the Parker River NWR. It was set in a tangled mass of branches which helped keep her safe and it made for tough photographic conditions. But the many birdwatchers and photographers who stopped to observe her took care to avoid disturbing her while still enjoying the glimpses of her and her eventual brood of four chicks. Here are some photographs that I managed to get by using a long lens and taking many shots with manual focus to get through the branches. Their protective coloration and markings can make it hard to spot the birds but these are vital for their survival.

As a reminder, this is an American Woodcock. I photographed him/her earlier in the season.

And here is the mother sitting on her nest a couple of weeks ago.

The big day finally arrived…four empty Woodcock eggs.

Here’s mom with some of her brood as they look for food. Two chicks follow her while she snatches a worm in the first photo. All four gather near her in the second.

Three of the chicks walking through the leaf litter and branches. They are fed by the mother but are capable of grabbing a small morsal on their own. Woodcock chicks are precocial and can walk and eat right after being hatched.