Sarah, our visitor experience intern writes:
"On Sunday at Frampton Marsh we received quite an unexpected visitor. A woodcock was found dazed after it crashed into a pane of glass, probably confused by the reflections. To give it a little time to recover we put it in the finest suite available. An empty Pipers crisps box (tastiest crisps in Lincolnshire!) in the storage cupboard. This gave it a few hours to recover before setting it free. As we set it down on the wet grassland it looked a bit bleary eyed (though you would too if you had spent a few hours in a crisps box!). We then gave it some space and when we checked back the next morning it had gone.
It was a wonderful chance to see one up close and personal, as with their camouflaged plumage and being nocturnal, they are often hard to spot. I feel very privileged to have the opportunity to see one of our wading birds so close, to see its expressive eyes with my own, not just through a set of binoculars. Also seeing the difference in colours and patterns between it and the Jack Snipe/Snipe in beautiful detail was a joy to see. Not to mention useful to a new birder such as myself. Hopefully it has settled back in, though it may be it has already set off to Russia or Scandinavia for the summer and breeding season.
Woodcocks are large bulky waders; they have short legs, a long pointed bill and large eyes. They have a highly patterned red brown upperparts and paler under parts with dark bands. The silver tips on their tails are displayed during courtship. The female will build a nest on the ground among bracken and brambles and incubation lasts about three weeks. Then the young leave the nest fairly quickly before flying at around 20 days old. The species has seen a decline over the years; this may be due to over-hunting and a decrease in areas of young conifers, where the woodcock likes to live."
Photo by C Andrews
Reedbed, freshwater scrapes, saltmarsh and wet meadow. Frampton Marsh has it all! Come and pay us a visit soon.