On 3 November 1998, Patten, McCaskie, and Daniel S. Cooper discovered an American Woodcock (Scolopax minor)at the Iron Mountain Pumping Plant in southeastern San Bernardino County, California. Patten first noted the bird at about 07:15 PST as it stood in a yard beneath a large planted elm.
The observers subsequently studied the bird through binoculars for 15 minutes at close range (5–10 meters) as it waddled around on a lawn and hid in an adjacent flower bed. It also flew on two occasions. Viewing conditions were excellent (clear skies, 55–60°F, with a stiff Beaufort 3–4 northerly wind).