Spring Woodcock

     Spring is a great time of the year. The days get warmer and longer, the snow melts away, the trout start rising, and the woodcock move north again. Woodcock make great training birds. They tend not to run too far, hold tight, and flush nicely. They are also quite fun to watch. We've got a few spots nearby where we know we can find woodcock each spring, and frequently take Ginger for "woodcock  walks". Today we flushed 7 birds, 5 off of Ginger's nose, and 2 kicked up by my wife as she walked the trail. Later, at sunset we returned to watch the woodcock do their sky dance, something neither my wife nor I had seen before. If you've never seen the woodcock's spring aerobatic ritual you're missing out.

Screen capture of the woodcock in the above video.

Photos and video by JNR.