The spring migration is a prime time for bird-watchers, including, of course, Sharon "Birdchick" Stiteler.
Lately, she's been excited to spot fox sparrows, eastern phoebes and especially the American woodcocks hanging around her apartment building.
Right now, the woodcocks, which she says resemble meatballs and have beaks as long as their bodies, are in the midst of their "display," or mating, season.
In general, the male birds are in their colorful breeding plumage, which makes them easier to identify, she said.
Shortly after sunset, one can venture into an open area and listen for their high-pitched nasally call. The birds go "peent," which sounds like a kazoo, she said.
They jump into the air, performing a sort of spiral maneuver with their wings. This is a courtship flight. "It looks like they've gone insane," Stiteler said.
Meanwhile, the female birds "come and watch in judgment. No one knows what they're watching for, but that's how they decide who they're going to mate with," she said.
The whole interaction is entertaining enough that Stiteler occasionally held "woodcock tailgating parties." Her husband, whom she refers to as Non Birding Bill, even gets pulled in, she said.
