423 - A Shorebird in the Forest
From Natural Connections by Emily Stone
April 23, 2026 · 7 min · Season 1 · Episode 423
About this episode
The episode discusses the surprising prevalence of woodcocks, a type of sandpiper, in North America despite their preference for forested areas over beaches.
Just having returned from a week of birdwatching on the Atlantic coast, the plump-bodied, long-billed silhouette of this "hokumpoke" reminded us of the sanderlings, dunlins, and willets we'd watched scurry ahead of the waves. It's a strange fact that despite their preference for damp thickets instead of beaches, woodcocks are the most numerous sandpiper in North America.
People in this episode
Host: Emily Stone
Topics covered
- birdwatching
- shorebirds
- woodcocks
- sanderlings
- dunlins
- willets
Keywords
- woodcocks
- shorebirds
- birdwatching
- sanderlings
- dunlins
- willets
- Atlantic coast
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: hokumpoke, sanderlings, dunlins, willets
Places: Atlantic coast, North America
More episodes of Natural Connections
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- 424 - A Torrent of Mis-Named Birds · April 30, 2026 · 7 min
- 422 - The Heron's Plan · April 16, 2026 · 6 min
- 421 - Sunrise Dancers · April 9, 2026 · 6 min
- 420 - Spring Cleaning with Turkey Vultures · April 2, 2026 · 6 min
- 419 - Thrasher Concert · March 26, 2026 · 6 min
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