Woodcock

Woodcock (scoplopax rusticola) it is widely widespread on the territory of a wood zone of Eurasia, in except its northern part. In Belarus it meets everywhere where are mixed or deciduous woods. Unlike the majority of sandpipers, woodcock is a typically wood inhabitant. Because of the latent way of life and dwelling in deaf corners of a wood it’s difficult to count its population. The most typical habitats of woodcock are damp, sometimes even overdamp woods with prevalence of deciduous breeds. Transitive spaces between a wood and boggy meadow, a bog, places with developed underbrush and soft ground are especially preferable. In Polesye the bird occupies mainly hornbeam-oak forest, inundated oak groves and alder thickets. Being a flying kind of bird, woodcock appears in territory of Belarus in the end of March or the beginning of April, and in southern areas for 2-4 days earlier, than in northern. Its arrival usually coincides with the beginning of intensive melting and appearance of significant thawed patches in a wood. During flights woodcock meets not only in woods, but also in small coppices, thickets of bushes, sometimes even in gardens and city parks. Owing to rather high number and a wide circulation woodcock is a favorite and very popular object of spring hunting.