What they like

Messy, damp woodland edges. Leaf litter, soft soil, ditches. Above all: peace and quiet. Leave a corner of your garden or park “not-raked.” Leaving leaves is not slovenliness to this bird, but a buffet. On farmsteads and in the countryside: keep hedgerows, shelterbelts and scrub strips wide and dark. Don’t drain wet spots straight away; a shallow pool or marshy ditch is pure gold.

Ecological importance

The woodcock probes the soil with its long bill for earthworms and insect larvae. In doing so it tidies up and shows that your soil is alive. It is eaten by birds of prey and mammals; it belongs in the food chain of a healthy, varied landscape.

When in the Netherlands

Year‑round. Many are winter visitors, and woodcocks also breed here. In the breeding season (spring) they are especially vulnerable to disturbance.

Status

Not a threatened species, but sensitive: less wet woodland, reduced quiet and drying out make life difficult for it.