Weekend Showcase: Tracking the Timberdoodle at Eastman Nature Center

Nature lovers are heading to Eastman Nature Center in Maple Grove to take a look at a particular mating ritual involving a chook you could not have heard of: the “timberdoodle.”

On a cold spring night time this week, dozens braved the components to trace the elusive timberdoodle, extra formally often called the American woodcock. The creatures migrate to Minnesota in the spring and primarily nest on the floor, hidden amongst vegetation.

“They’ll fly to migrate to get to the food source. Otherwise, again, they’ll fly from where they spend the day, walking around in wet areas,” defined Elaine Tucker, interpretive naturalist with the Three Rivers Park District.

This is a particular time of yr when the male woodcock reveals off a so-called sky dance to draw a feminine.

“He soars up into the air, and sometimes you see him silhouetted against the sky, and then he spirals, and that’s the dance,” stated Tucker.

The male birds will discover an open clearing to draw a feminine for mating, however this ritual often solely occurs shortly after sundown. Once the male chook lands, he repeats a nasal name to draw the feminine. Each spherical can final a couple of minutes. If a feminine in the space is impressed, she’ll be a part of him to breed.

The bird-watching expertise is so common that the Three Rivers Park District added extra employees.

Also See: Three Rivers Hosts ‘Nature on Tap’: Part Happy Hour, Part Buckthorn Buster

Maple Grove

Weekend Showcase