Timber Whoodle?

It's bound to come up eventually, so lets tackle the obvious question right off the bat...

"What the heck is a Timberdoodle?"

"Timberdoodle" is a colloquial term - a nickname if you will - for the American Woodcock.  This leads us to a GREAT followup question...

"What the heck is an American Woodcock?"

Here we go!

The American Woodcock is a species of woodland bird.  I became aware of it maybe 8 years ago when I first explored an interest in hunting.  On a seemingly ordinary day in October, a naive, young (twenty-something) former version of myself stepped into the woods with the experienced company of my father-in-law.  One might argue that a slow burn was sparked on that day, and that all other aspects of my previous life were soon consumed by the passion to pursue wild game ("one" in this case most aptly refers to my darling wife).  While the Michigan woods have proven to be a positive bounty of game for me (grouse, pheasant, deer, wild turkey, ducks, rabbits, etc.), the Timberdoodle holds a special place in my heart.

In addition to being the first game I ever hunted with success, an upland encounter with a doodle uniquely showcases the talents of a well-bred, well-trained pointing dog.  (Therein lies a major source of my passion for the outdoors:  sharing my home with a couple of pointy mutts, observing their instinct, training them, and journeying into the woods with man's best friend. That's a topic you're sure to see in future posts.)   Further, I can't help but respect the woodcock's unique physical characteristics, which make it remarkably well-suited to its forest habitat.

Folklore holds that the woodcock was stitched together with leftover parts when God was done creating the rest of the forest creatures.  Most notable is the bird's elongated, prehensile beak, which it uses to probe the earth and leaf-litter in search of worms, grubs, and other delicious invertebrates.  In both its daily habits and its annual migrations, the woodcock flies much more than it walks.  As a result, its legs are disproportionally small compared to the rest of its body.  This leads to a characteristic head-bobbing waddle when the bird is compelled to move across the ground in search of food or to evade predators.  Its cryptic plumage of spattered black, white, and gray on russet brown appears haphazard out of context, but perfectly conceals the bird on the forest floor.  Its eyes are place high up and far back on its head (think bullfrog), giving the bird nearly 360 degrees of vision.  In all, it's a freakish, funny-looking, fascinating creature.  Have a look:

Likewise, I expect this blog to be a conglomeration of odds and ends.  I'll write about the things I think about, so in all honesty it will probably be dominated by hunting reports, dog training progress, photos from the field (when I remember to take them!), and general reflections on outdoor events and experiences.  Maybe on occasion I'll dive into fun topics of family, religion, politics, etc, but for the most part I'll try to keep it light, informative and grounded in exploring the uplands.  I'd like to make it a place where comments are responded to and questions are answered, but for now I plan to sit back and see where it goes.  I hope someone will enjoy reading it, but if nothing else I'm sure I'll enjoy writing it.

One final question which frequently comes up...

"How does one get from 'Woodcock' to 'Timberdoodle?'" 

While the exact etymology of "Timberdoodle" is unknown, the logical origin is either a) New England/Puritan, or b) Up North/Smartalec.  "Timber" is synonymous with "wood."  I'll leave the second half of that word puzzle to your imagination!