While wondering if this winter will ever end, I thought I’d post something on
the lighter side.
We all have our unusual and bird-related incidents and encounters
that sometimes cause us to shake our heads in amusement—here’s my latest.
Earlier this week I thought I’d follow up on Bill Hohenstein’s reports of
woodcock in the fields along the
Huntley Meadows “hike/bike”trail. On Tuesday evening, I settled in along the
trail adjacent
to the so-called “first woodcock field” and waited for dusk. After 20 minutes
or so,
several woodcock began their signature “peenting” and aerial displays. Two
birds even landed on the trail nearby
and gave me great looks at these whimsical long-billed birds. Everything was
going as planned until a woodcock suddenly flushed from the side of
the trail and flew directly toward me at eye level. I immediately backed up and
quickly ducked as
I felt the bird fly just over my head—and I fell squarely on my keister and
into the brush on the opposite side of the trail.
After composing myself and making sure no one was around to witness my mishap,
I walked slowly back to my car.
As a pair of barred owls called back and forth and the evening sky turned deep
purple, I pondered
my fate had the bird not veered at the last moment or I had been late in
ducking. Impaled by a timberdoodle’s long beak
would have made for an embarrassing emergency room visit to say the least!
Ron Vogel
Annandale
