Woodcock are one of the oddest birds in North America. They are a shorebird that got lost and ended up in the scrubby parts of the forest, and look like they were put together with the leftover parts of other birds. Oddities aside, each spring they rise to great beauty with their sky dance at dusk.
Greg Hoch combines natural history, land management, scientific knowledge, and personal observation to examine this little game bird. Woodcock have a complex life history and the management of their habitat is also complex. The health of this bird can be considered a key indicator of what good forests look like.
鈥Sky Dance of the Woodcock is a marvel to read. . . . blending science, history and folklore. Don鈥檛 get it if you want another how-to hunting 鈥渢imberdoodles鈥 or choosing a bird gun. Do get it if you want to learn about one of the most fascinating birds in North America. It鈥檚 fascinating and delightful, like the reclusive bird it describes.鈥濃Shooting Sportsman
鈥淭he American woodcock is the rare animal that both ignites the imagination and inspires rational study. 鈥榃ithout both, any story about this little bird would only be partially told,鈥 writes Greg Hoch. Seasoning the text with passion-fueled literary passages as well as scientific findings, Hoch masterfully delivers the complete story.鈥濃擳om Carney, author, Among the Aspens: Stolen Moments in Secret Coverts
鈥淲oodcocks are the masters of camouflage, but there is so much more to this curious bird, as the readers of this book will learn. Sky Dance of the Woodcock describes in fascinating detail the natural history of this 鈥榳oodland shorebird鈥 along with the challenges it faces in a world of diminishing wild places.鈥濃擬ark Madsen, former president, Bur Oak Land Trust
鈥淲hether you are a bird lover or an upland hunter, for anyone who is a devotee of the migratory American woodcock, as I have been for more than half a century, Greg Hoch鈥檚 thoughtful, informative book is an indispensable source on the history, science, ecology, and lore of this marvelous and mysterious bird. It is a delightful, must-read book that sums up the best that has been written on woodcock over the decades.鈥濃擱obert DeMott, coeditor, Afield: American Writers on Bird Dogs
鈥淎s a trained biologist, I thought I knew about the timberdoodle, but this book informed me that there is so much more to learn. From its in-depth description of woodcock natural history to management considerations, I really appreciated the historical context often contrasted with our current understanding of this bog-loving bird.鈥濃擝rian Winter, president, Minnesota Prairie Chicken Society
鈥淲hile much has been written about the American woodcock, both in the context of biology and romantically, the two sides of this equation rarely balance. . . . 鈥楳otive power plus mystery equals woodcock,鈥 is the last sentence in Sky Dance of the Woodcock. In my view, that sentence and this book balance the equation as well as it has ever been balanced.鈥濃Ruffed Grouse Society Magazine
