Crash! Bang! Woodcock?

We all know that birds and windows aren't a very good combination. Though here at The Lodge we've got stickers on our office windows to break up the reflections from outdoors, it's not uncommon for us to hear a thud as a bird - usually a chaffinch - crashes into a pane. Usually they fly away unharmed, I'm pleased to say.

But in the past few weeks, our Wildlife Enquiries team has been receiving lots of reports of things that have gone BANG in a big way. Some at night, others during the day. But what are the mysterious creatures which have been causing the loud noises?
 
Often they are woodcocks - enigmatic wading birds which are normally quite hard to see.
 
Why now?
 
At this time of year, as many as 800,000 woodcocks are migrating to the UK for winter, fleeing the bitter temperatures of eastern Europe and Russia. They make their long journeys under cover of darkness when there are fewer predators about.

As they fly through the night, our brightly-lit buildings (especially ones with lots of glass) disorientate the birds - sometimes with disastrous results. An average woodcock weighs about 280 g, which is roughly the same as 28 pound coins! So it's no surprise that when one of those whacks into a window, it makes a big noise.

Cryptic clues

During very cold weather, you might be lucky enough to see a woodcock feeding in your garden (this happened to quite a few people last winter). What would you see, and what would it tell you?

The first thing you'd notice would probably be the long, long beak. After that, you'd certainly gasp at the beautifully mottled brown feathers.
 
Woodcocks don't do much during the day. They lie low, resting up deep in woodland or scrub. So the gorgeous camouflage they wear means they can go undetected by predators. They prefer to sit tight on the ground and will only fly away at the last possible moment. If you stumble across one, a startled woodcock can make you jump with a sudden whirr of wings!

Boggly eyes, big beak - beautiful

Woodcocks have quite large eyes, set far back and high up on their heads. They look a little strange, but it means that the birds have great vision and can see any approaching threats. Large eyes are useful if you're a bird which is active at night, of course.

At night they leave cover for open fields and pastures to forage for earthworms and other bugs. So that's where the long, sensitive beak comes in handy.

The woodcock's nocturnal habits give it a mystique which other more regularly-seen birds just don't have. Though many of the woodcocks in the country now will be from Europe, the species does breed here, too.

In spring and early summer, try visiting a mature woodland at dusk to see and hear woodcocks 'roding'. This is their courtship display, when males fly with flickering wingbeats along woodland rides, making low grunting and then high-pitched squeaking sounds! It's really worth experiencing, and being out at night is always exciting - there's so much wildlife you wouldn't normally see or hear.

But for now, try going on a woodland walk. Enjoy the sunshine, the crunchy leaves and the fresh air - and keep your eyes and ears open for the unexpected.