Timberdoodle

[SwampDonkey]

I've seen goshawk take grouse on my woodlot , seen it happen. Then again seen where one caught one in the snow, from the tracks. Not much else would be here besides owls. But I have a resident goshawk I see often so he get's the blame. They use the scarified plantation rows as hunting corridors. Always called them chicken hawks around here. And yup, they'll take chickens. :D

[SwampDonkey]

I have seen 2 nests of woodcock eggs, 4 in each in the last few days. Each time I stepped within a foot of the hen before she flew. I mean I am tying ribbons on trees and they fly when I'm reaching to tie a ribbon. Also seen a nest of 4 eggs (wood thrush) in a spruce tree out by itself in a skidder trail. Blue with brown marbling. Again, another tree I was about to ribbon. :D

[WV Sawmiller]

i1,

    They are about the same size as a quail and decent eating. We used to kill a few duck hunting in N. Fla where I grew up. They are hard to hit with #4 duck shot but, when flushed, they will often fly a short distance then light giving you another shot at them. I saw what I assume was a mating flight one time at sunset. The bird just flew tighter and tighter circles while flying higher all the time.

    I studied Wildlife Biology at AU an eternity ago and we had a grad student there working to prove woodcock nest in Ala. Previously it was thought they all nested north of there but he found some there around Auburn. I remember his research was interrupted when someone stole his highly trained Brittany Spaniel. He had to have a good dog who would find the nests but not break the eggs or hurt the chicks.

[SwampDonkey]

My grandfather always hunted grouse and woodcock with English Cocker Spaniel. He raised them to sell to. He loved his 'bird dogs'.  Most of the pictures he took was of dogs and hunting. Except one, where he had the camera backwards and took a photo of his nose. :D