ML457319061

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Tags

Habitat

Observation details

The bird was doing the typical male woodcock display. I first heard the twittering of its song flight as the bird ascended. It immediately brought to mind the woodcocks I would hear from my front yard in northern Ontario, but knowing their rarity in Alberta, I was incredulous. As the bird ascended, the sound grew faint, and I couldn't hear it for several seconds. (I wonder if it flew particularly high since it was at the bottom of a valley.) When I heard the qualitatively different descending twitter, all doubts were assuaged and I was filled with glee—woodcocks are among my favourite birds, and I knew Alberta had only one previous record. After another song flight, I had drawn close enough to its position on the ground to hear its wonderful peent call, which it gave several times between song flights. I likely heard the song flight ten or a dozen times before I left the area. After a few song flights, I was close enough to the bird to find it in the beam of my flashlight. It was sitting on the ground, trusting its camouflage, though it started shuffling away when I drew quite close for a cell phone photo. The bird flushed, and I decided to leave it to its (very likely vain) attempt to attract a mate. Photos and recordings taken. Report submitted to the Alberta Bird Record Committee.

Technical information

Model

SM-G991W

Dimensions

1622 pixels x 1216 pixels

Original file size

1.17 MB