I'd like to introduce you to a bird I'd already told you about as one of my favorite woodland birds.

Its incredible mimicry doesn't make it easy to observe. Here's the queen of the woods, sometimes a dancer, sometimes a singer on her return from migration.

The American woodcock arrives in Quebec in late winter. When the snow still covers the interior of the woods, they can be found on slopes cleared of snow by the first rays of sunshine.

Then comes courtship time, at dusk, when the male utters nasal, sonorous calls to draw the lady closer. He also performs an aerial display that I haven't "yet" managed to film.

This year, I was extremely lucky to find an individual hatching at the end of April. The female sets up her nest near the courtship areas and usually lays 4 eggs.

After many, many hours of stalking, I was able to film and photograph the first steps of the chicks as they left the nest a few hours after birth.

I found them again for a few days, not regularly, and lost them completely after their 6th day of life. Their weight doubled in the first few days.

Let's wish them luck...