Most of the time I spend pursuing wildlife photography in the fairly populated area of Northern Virginia is spent photographing the same species’, each time trying to create better photographs than I have before. But every once in a great while I stumble across something new, something I’ve never seen before and may never see again. And I absolutely love those times. There is a small amount of stress to them in that I want to try to create the best photos I can, knowing I may never see this species again. But for the most part I get lost in the moment and just react, working to reduce my shaking, which is a combination of essential tremors and excitement.
In the final week of March of 2022 I spent one late afternoon hiking Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, one of my go-to locations. I don’t often get the chance to visit in the afternoon during a weekday since I’m typically working and they close at 5 pm through the end of March, but I had the day off for other things so decided to spend the afternoon at the refuge.
This time of year we have nesting osprey and bald eagles and those are the species that often draw photographers. But there’s so much more to see, at least if you’re lucky. On this particular occasion I stumbled upon a family of American woodcock. And when I say stumble, that’s exactly what I mean.
First view of a group of three American woodcock chicks hiding right in plain view, beaks to the ground.
I was hiking down a long, mostly straight trail, which is actually a dirt road. I’d passed by the open water and marshy areas and was headed into the forested area. I try to keep my eyes peeled in all directions when walking alone, but of course, it’s never possible to see all directions, and apparently my blind spot at that moment was right in front of my feet. I looked down and noticed a group of birds right at my feet, literally a couple feet away, and I reacted by wavering in place, trying not to step down on them, stumbling back just a bit. And that movement was enough to scare the single adult American woodcock into the woods right at the edge of the trail. But the three small chicks stayed right where they were, sitting on the ground, beaks resting on the dirt, seemingly frozen in place.
Walking around the young woodcocks, trying to move slowly enough not to scare them away.
I took several slow steps backward to give them some space and released my camera from the tripod, kneeled down to the ground, then lay down on my stomach. They still didn’t move so I began photographing. I slowly moved around them, photographing from various angles, and the young chicks never moved, just watched me as I moved. They remained frozen even when I moved behind a couple of them such that they could no longer see me.
A ground-level view of the three American woodcock chicks, resting on the edge of the trail.
Finally, when I had a good view I lay on my stomach with my arms and the camera stretched out in front of me, camera resting on my hand and my hand on the ground. I kept my head lowered so the rim of my hat almost rested on the camera, trying to keep my profile as small as possible. I watched and waited and hoped the mother would return from the woods. I really wanted to photograph her with the chicks, and I so wish I’d seen them sooner so I could have photographed them all together.
A side and rear view of the young American woodcock chicks.
I could hear the mother occasionally in the brush, very close by, but she never returned. Instead, one by one the chicks stood up on wobbly legs. I don’t know if their legs were wobbly because they were weak, being so young, or if it were due to fear, or perhaps if that’s simply how they move. As they stood they bobbed up and down, then slowly moved one step at a time towards the trees, me snapping photographs the whole time. They were such beautiful little birds with those long beaks, the large expressive human-looking eyes, and the puffy feathers so common on young chicks.
Every so slowly and one by one the young American woodcock chicks stand up, very wobbly, bobbing up and down.
The American woodcock chicks begin walking into the green, towards the trees where their mother waits for them.
Some of their beaks had bits of dirt on them, and I later learned they often feed by sticking their long beaks into moist ground looking for worms, larvae and other invertebrates. They resemble many species of shorebirds but instead live in forests in the eastern parts of North America. They are rarely seen, spending most time on the forest floor or in fields or meadows, blending in almost perfectly with their surroundings. And, as I discovered, they are able to remain absolutely still until the last moment when they can dart away, or at least the adults do.
I was glad when they moved into the grass as I loved how the color change helped them stand out.
I like how in this photo we can see the small leg of the left-most American woodcock chick as it walks into the grass.
It seems I was extraordinarily fortunate to find an adult with chicks. The young woodcocks grow quickly and are only with their mother for several weeks after leaving the nest, which is usually hidden in leaves under brush or thickets. I happened to find them during this short time, and I can’t express just how happy I am that I did. This is certainly up there in my ranking of favorite wildlife moments, one I won’t soon forget. And though I don’t expect to see them again, I guarantee I’ll keep my eyes open each time I walk down that path, hoping against hope that just maybe they’ll still be around and will have the patience to let me photograph them again.
One final look at the last American woodcock chick to disappear into the brush. I won’t soon forget it.
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