Club members scanned the sky with their binoculars, occasionally catching glimpses of aviators off in the distance and identifying their species.
As the members awaited an encounter with the Timberdoodle, many took to flipping over logs and searching for amphibians and reptiles freshly awakened from the winter.
The Timberdoodle is famous for its aerial mating dance.
During mating season, the males will fly high up into the air with the wind rushing through their wings, zoology assistant professor Pamela Rasmussen said.
During their aviation they create a twittering sound, Rasmussen said.
They then spiral downward toward the ground. When on the ground, they create a loud “peent” noise to attract females.
As of press time, no Timberdoodles were spotted.
Club vice president and fisheries and wildlife senior Danielle Boston had seen the dance and heard the call once before.
She said although the Timberdoodle flies high up, it almost always lands from where it took off, making it easy for birders to encroach and get a fine view of it.
"(The mating display) is not something that you see every day, so it’s interesting to watch,” Boston said. “I’ve been within 10 feet from one of them and it’s really intense to see this bird up close.”
The MSU Birding Club hosted the Tuesday-night bird search, and the event was one of many.
Zoology senior Hayley Sisson said the club holds birding outings most every weekend.
Sometimes the club holds a search for a particular species, and other times it holds a general search.
“I just think it’s amazing how many birds you can see in a day, that you don’t realize are a different species,” Sisson said.
The MSU Birding Club was officially formed in fall 2013.
Anyone interested in attending birding events or receiving more information may contact club president and fisheries and wildlife senior Kaitlin Clark.
