timberdoodle
I’ve wanted to see one of these for so long… and yesterday I saw one! Not only one, but a hen with five or so chicks.
They were crossing the road. My friend was driving and stopped for them. It took a moment to register that they were not quail, but had long beaks, even the babies. It took another few moments to remember they were “woodcocks” (not “woodsnipe” as I originally wanted to call them). I didn’t have the presence of mind to take a photo or video so this photo from Wikipedia will have to do.
A few of their many folk names:
- timberdoodle, mudbat, bogsucker
- night partridge, Labrador twister
- brush snipe, hokumpoke, becasse
The chicks were little balls of fluff, with a long pointy beak sticking out. The last one hesitated crossing the double yellow line. I don’t know what he was waiting for. Maybe he was afraid or rebellious. He demonstrated a little of the rocking motion these birds are known for.
Example of their dance from YouTube: Woodcock and chicks
Seeing these birds strengthened my heart. I’m ready to get over some problems that have been really bothering me for awhile and this felt like a turning point.
Out of curiosity, I searched “meaning of woodcock” in Google and found this website: spiritualityanimals.com
I can’t know whether the author of the site knows anything at all. The photo they display of a woodcock doesn’t look like a woodcock, for example. (Although it is in the sandpiper family.) But this description held my interest:
The primary spiritual meaning of the woodcock centers on the power of grounded intuition and the wisdom of stillness. This unique bird, with its deep connection to the earth, reminds us to trust our inner senses and to find profound insights in quiet observation.
The woodcock’s distinctive behavior of probing the soil with its long bill symbolizes the need to look beneath the surface of things to find true nourishment, both physically and spiritually.
Its famous “sky dance,” a mesmerizing aerial courtship display, represents the harmonious connection between the earthly and the divine, urging a balance between our practical lives and our spiritual aspirations.
Ultimately, the woodcock serves as a powerful emblem of patience, trusting the unseen, and understanding that true awareness often comes not from frantic searching, but from a state of quiet receptivity.
https://spiritualityanimals.com/animals/spiritual-meaning-of-woodcock
Now I want to see one doing the sky dance!