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Is this a Woodcock?

simbad

By simbad

12 comments


Bit of excitement here today, eldest daughter shouts there’s a weird bird on the patio with a really long beak!!!!
I rushed through and at first couldn’t spot what she’d seen as by now it’d run under the rose bushes and was very well camouflaged, we managed to get a couple of sorry not very clear photos, after googling I found Snipe which didn’t really fit as we don’t have any marshes or water nearby, well except our pond, then I found a close relative the Woodcock which is more likely as hubby as been chopping a dead tree in our little wood today and probably disturbed it, after about half an hour it ran, very fast, back down the garden into the wood stopping a couple of times to poke around in the grass,it was about the size of a dove, so what do you think is this a Woodcock?

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Comments

 

Hello :-) :-) Never seen one of these in my garden. Weird a wading bird would be around, nice to see though, lucky you.

26 Feb, 2014

 

yes think you are right there. they are normally quite shy birds. the dark stripe along its wings is key i think. always thought it was a nocturnal bird spendng most of the day in cover

26 Feb, 2014

 

yes i looked too on google but on images and it looks to be a
Woodcock...

26 Feb, 2014

 

Lovely suprise for you Simbad

26 Feb, 2014

 

What a treat. Isn't it nice when we get a new visitor in the garden.

26 Feb, 2014

 

Wow!! no wonder she was excited, anyone would be, well done on getting the photo's Simbad and thankyou for sharing with us...........

26 Feb, 2014

 

Thanks everyone nice to know I'm not going mad :-) I've never seen one in my life either and must admit to being very excited.
Think OH disturbed it from its sleep Maisiesdad he chopped a tree and cleared quite a lot of ivy from a rough area we rarely use in the wood so I can plant more snowdrops, sometimes it doesn't pay to be too tidy does it, hopefully its still in there somewhere.

27 Feb, 2014

 

What a lovely visitor to your garden...

27 Feb, 2014

amy
Amy
 

I've never seen one Kathy ,how exciting for you and lucky you had your camera on hand , thanks for showing if I ever see one I shall know what it is , do people eat Woodcocks or am I getting muddled with something else ?

27 Feb, 2014

 

Yes, that is a woodcock, simbad. never seen one in a garden, though but I can always hope.

27 Feb, 2014

 

Thanks Holly, Amy and Bulbaholic :-).
Yes it is woodcocks that you can eat Amy although looking at the size of them doesn't seem worth it, think I've seen them in those 3 bird roasts you get at Christmas.
We live in the middle of quite a busy little town Bulbaholic but the wildlife we get here is amazing, much more than we ever had when we lived in the country,we even had a deer once, our little wood is at the side of the main road into town.

28 Feb, 2014

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