FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
BOB ROTATORI - 216-635-3263 - or -
ALYSSA COOK-ALEXANDER - 216-635-3274
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 watch, as the woodcocks set the stage for their elaborate song and dance, and learn more about their lifestyles and mating rituals by attending the following free programs in April:
Woodcock Watch
Saturday, April 6 � 8 - 9 p.m.
Buzzard Roost � Hinckley Reservation
Join Naturalist Jenny McClain to experience the spectacular spring performance of the male woodcock. Listen for the distinctive call, watch the sky dance and learn about their amazing adaptations for survival. Registration, beginning March 24, is required. Buzzard Roost is located at the corner of State Road and West Drive in Hinckley Reservation in Hinckley Township. For more information and to register, call 440-526-1012.
Woodcock Watch
Friday, April 12 � 8 - 9 p.m.
Royalview Picnic Area � Mill Stream Run Reservation
Join Naturalist John Miller to experience the spectacular flight of this woodland sandpiper and learn what he hopes to accomplish with his peenting, twittering and chirping. Royalview Picnic Area is located off Royalview Lane in Mill Stream Run Reservation, off Valley Parkway, just south of Royalton Road/Route 82 in Strongsville. For more information, call 440-526-1012.
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 April, 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.
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