What’s the Peent? I had a rare and wonderful experience as I was
walking through the Garden at dusk one night last week, just
about 6 p.m. I was strolling through Cherry Esplanade when I
thought I heard the “peent” call of an American woodcock coming
from the Cranford Rose Garden. Suspecting this to be the product
of an overactive imagination induced by my late-winter lust for
spring, I nevertheless walked hopefully toward the sound to
investigate. As I stood outside the white lattice fence
surrounding the Rose Garden, I could clearly hear the loud,
buzzy peents repeated at regular intervals of about three to
five seconds. Just a minute or so later, I heard the bird burst
into flight and immediately saw his unmistakable silhouette as
he popped up over the white fence right above my head. Tubby
round body, big head, no neck, and an outlandishly long bill…the
woodcock sighting was confirmed! I stood in the gathering
darkness, listening to the live soundtrack of this amazing bird
as he conducted his flight displ