Natural selection has a funny way of influencing nature. American Woodcocks (Scolopax minor) are a fantastic example of this. Often referred to as Timberdoodles, the woodcock is one of those strange creatures bopping around our world as a result of evolution.

I can recall my first experience observing American Woodcocks. I was an undergrad studying wildlife ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison enrolled in a field ornithology course. My class took a morning birding trip out to the local arboretum and it just so happened to coincide with the woodcock’s breeding season.

Read more at projectupland.com.