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woodcock, winter wren and Hurricane Fran



My body is still on daylight savings time, so I'm up early enough to get in
a short woods walk before work. This morning I scared up a woodcock. Lovely!
Had 'em last year at this time also, but not for 10 or so years before that.
After hearing John Connors talk about woodcocks last year at the Chapel Hill
Bird Club, I realized that Hurricane Fran probably set up the early
successional conditions that woodcocks love. At my place Fran blew down a
long swath of trees along a branch that drains a low area. So the storm let
the sun in, and now the area is full of stump sprouts, vines, herbaceous
plants and some shrubby things -- and is wet enough for woodcocks. Thank
you, Fran! I knew you would bring some good.

The dawn chorus is just a voice or two. Today's was a lone white-throated
sparrow singing a real raggedy, bad-sounding song. (A youngster?)
Yesterday's was a winter wren singing cascades of notes. The winter wrens
stake out my garden when they first arrive, but after killing frosts and
leaf-drop, they retreat into the woods. Since they seem to love upturned
rootwads and jumbles, Hurricane Fran was good to them too.

Ginger_Travis@unc.edu
Chapel Hill, NC