At 08:55 PM 4/3/2005, you wrote:
>Marty,
> Did you, by any chance, record the woodcock display (audio)?
>I have been trying to find a good recording, with no luck.
>
>Enjoy!
>
>J. Young
I have recording of woodcock displays going back to 1956, none very good
technically because I could never afford really good equipment. This
display we go and witness in the evening every year, in Hollis, sort of as=
a family spring rite. The lone bird by my woods was just sucking up
earthworms during the daylight hours. They need large fields for their
displays. Many of these disappear each year to houses and malls, but the
town has been buying up open space at a fairly good rate the last several
years.
Just at sunset, while the sky is still very bright, walk into a large
orchard or field until you hear the "peent". Hunker down until the sound
is replaced by the in-flight wing whistling. Then run over to near where
you think the first sound came from. I wear clothes about the same tone as=
the field background. Then crouch under, or in, some local cover, a bush
or next to a tree-trunk and wait until the whistling becomes
super-wild. You'll know it when you hear it. Hold very still. The bird
will cease and come rapidly down and possibly alight very near you, and
then resume the "peent" phase, to repeat the flight song a few times before=
utterly dark.
Once, just once, while demonstrating for my high-school biology field trip=
on Nantucket in 1972, I did a three -"peent" playback. We had the bird
bothering us in our tents half the night as a result! They are highly
responsive at this phase, embarrassingly so - like taking candy from a
baby. I do NOT recommend it but it sure served to get the HS Students'
attentions.
NOTE:
I have been out of commission for the last week, dealing with SPYware which=
hijacked one of our dial-up modems in complete stealth, dialed a "900"
number in England and ran up an AT&T bill of over $ 2400 in less than one
day. Our first notice was the bill last week.
I was about to post the grisly details here, with the moderator's
permission to you all, because the precautions and remedies are NOT obvious=
and experts are hard to find - other than keep your Windows computers OFF
and unplugged from the phone lines. Every time I think I have a handle on=
the subject, I learn another day's worth more . . . It is ugly ugly
ugly. AT&T only capitulated and let us off their considerable hook with
MUCH effort and threats on our parts. I hope to get a case package off
today to the NH Attorney General . . . ugly ugly ugly! We have now
installed Microsoft's anti-spyware, SpyBot and Ad-aware and still are not
sure it won't happen again . . .
-- best regards, Marty Michener
MIST Software Assoc. Inc., P. O. Box 269, Hollis, NH 03049
http://www.enjoybirds.com/
Don't blame me, I vote in New Hampshire!
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