Timberdoodles!

I had the very good fortune of observing a family of 4 Woodcocks on the forest floor. Males play no role in selecting a nest site, incubating eggs, or rearing young so I assume I had found a Mom with her 3 young. Cornell Lab, All About Birds  I believe the 3 youngsters are in the above photo. 

Because of where it lives, its oddball looks, and its various behaviors, the American Woodcock has earned a host of folk names including Timberdoodle, Night Partridge and Bogsucker. The most commonly used name, Woodcock, reflects the bird's preference for wooded areas. https://timberdoodle.org/biology

American Woodcocks spend most of their time hidden in fields and on the forest floor where they probe for earthworms and other invertebrates. They are plump, short-legged shorebirds with very long, straight bills. Cornell Lab, All About Birds 

Look carefully at the beak in the photo. Woodcocks are able to open the foremost third of their upper bill, while the bill is sunk into the ground! This helps them to grab worms and pull them from their burrows. Their long tongue and rough lower bill help in securing slippery prey! They will also eat ants, flies, beetles, crickets, grasshoppers, millipedes, centipedes and spiders! https://timberdoodle.org/biology

Their large eyes are positioned high and near the back of their skull. This arrangement lets them keep watch for danger in the sky while they have their heads down probing in the soil for food. Cornell Lab, All About Birds 

Look for American Woodcock in forests, forest edges, old fields, and wet meadows of eastern North America. Cornell Lab, All About Birds