Winter Woodcock . . .

The chase was on - for the last two days Phil and I have attempted to track down and photograph one of Britain's most iconic bird species in Suffolk - the Woodcock! We searched for Woodcock in open areas of sparse broad-leaved woodland, with the sudden snow fall on Saturday night Woodcock were tamer than usual and not hard to find. Once we found some (8+ in total) it was a case of getting into various freezing cold positions (hoping they didn't fly off as we approached - 70% did) and then waiting silently as they fed and came closer. Of course 75% of shots were of unfavourable light direction, obligatory twigs between me and the bird etc etc the usual stuff, but we were pretty pleased with the 25% achieved - a small selection of which is here. We also scraped areas, removing the snow so the Woodcock could feed more easily, which they did. They consumed large quantities of earthworms and it was a real insight into their feeding behaviour and movements! I've never seen Woodcock so well and indeed it is a dream bird for me and one i've always wanted to photograph so it really was a red letter day!