FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
BOB ROTATORI - 216-635-3263 - or -
ERIC BARNETT - 216-635-7014
There's a lot of singing and dancing going on in Cleveland
Metroparks this spring. But, not by humans - by birds, the American
woodcocks!
Everyone is invited to witness the elaborate song and dance of
American woodcocks, and learn more about their lifestyles and
mating rituals by attending the following free programs in
March:
" font-size: small; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Woodcock
Watch
" font-size: small; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Wednesday,
March 28 � 7:30 - 8:30 p.m.
" font-size: small; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">CanalWay
Center � Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation
Each spring the male woodcock returns to northern Ohio and
begins a nightly performance of calls and aerial dances to attract
a mate. Search for this common, but elusive bird and watch his
�skydance.� Wear hiking footwear and dress for the weather.
CanalWay Center is located on Whittlesey Way, off the East
49th Street entrance of Ohio & Erie Canal
Reservation, between Grant Avenue and Canal Road in Cuyahoga
Heights. For more information, call 216-206-1000.
The Sky Dance of the Woodcock
Thursday, March 29 � 7:45 - 8:45 p.m.
Main Street Ballfield � Big Creek Reservation
Some people call it a bogsucker or timberdoodle, but most know
it as the woodcock. This intriguing bird is making its annual
mating flight, and this is one �must see� for the bucket list! Main
Street Ballfield is located off Main Street in Big Creek
Reservation, north of Pearl Road/Route 42 in Strongsville. For more
information, call 440-734-6660.
A rotund little bird with a long beak that is used to pull
earthworms out of the mud, the American woodcock lives in forests.
The male woos his mate with an elaborate song and dance ritual that
is one of spring's birding delights. Woodcocks can be heard in the
eastern United States and Canada in March, and can continue to be
heard in some northern sites in May. These spectacular sky dances
only take place around dusk, so most predators can't easily see
them. In addition, owls, prime nocturnal predators, are not
attracted by the low-frequency �peents� and the higher pitched wing
and warbling sounds that are made, because the bird is too high in
the air for owls to catch.
Watch and listen this spring for woodcocks singing and dancing
in Cleveland Metroparks - part of your life,
naturally.
