At the Echollective Farm, I don't have to go far to enjoy the performance of the American Woodcock. After work, I walk out past the greenhouses and cover-cropped fields, towards the sunset and the silhouetted trees. A straw bale pile covered in tarps makes a modest grandstand, where I sit quietly with my eyes and hears focused towards a nook, a small convolution, in the otherwise perfect horseshoe our treeline resembles. Barking dogs bay, startled deer scoff and run, coyotes howl with wild glee, and fast wheels over gravel all cloud the subtle sounds I try to discern. But finally, in a brief pocket of peace, when not even a passerine is stirring, the "peeent" begins to take shape in my ears. This is the second year I have been monitoring it, and am so delighted it has chosen to perform on the farm once again. Promoting and practicing a sustainable land ethic, one of the best rewards for our efforts is the joy of biodiversity, and the unique spectacles of each.
Good Birding, Randall Scheiner Echollective Farm Mechanicsville, IA --- Please contribute your sightings to our list; it is only as good as members make it! --- Birding channel recommendation for FRS/GMRS radio use: Primary selection; channel 5/0 , alternate selection; channel 6/0 --- This mailing list is sponsored by the Iowa Ornithologists' Union. Membership available on-line at http://www.iowabirds.org/iou/PayDues.aspx. ----- You are currently subscribed to ia-bird as: [email protected]
