Anecdotal: we had 3 males singing and dancing on April 9 around 45 minutes after sunset right at the entrance of Hallowell's recreation area; we were scouting for a full moon walk scheduled for the 11th. A female (presumably) flew in while we were standing still, and sat quietly in the snow near us while the males whizzed around
On April 11 we heard at least one male in the same place, but human activity interfered with the patient listening we were able to do two nights before.
I am not sharing this for statistical purposes, but we were happy to hear and see at least 3 males were still dancing after that March snow!
I have always wondered if the loud soundscape we have created interferes with their courting. A pasture edge I watched 25 years ago with consistent courting behavior is so loud with the thruway now that I can't hear the birds, if they are there...of course my hearing isn't what it used to be either, but I do wonder...
On Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at 3:02:20 PM UTC-4, BAB wrote:
-- On April 11 we heard at least one male in the same place, but human activity interfered with the patient listening we were able to do two nights before.
I am not sharing this for statistical purposes, but we were happy to hear and see at least 3 males were still dancing after that March snow!
I have always wondered if the loud soundscape we have created interferes with their courting. A pasture edge I watched 25 years ago with consistent courting behavior is so loud with the thruway now that I can't hear the birds, if they are there...of course my hearing isn't what it used to be either, but I do wonder...
On Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at 3:02:20 PM UTC-4, BAB wrote:
What would concern me most from Scott and Jeff's input is that the major wintering area of the woodcock is the Gulf coast. Having lived in Louisiana in the late '70s, early '80s I can verify that the countryside is still being "reclaimed" for agriculture and development. Even in the short time I was there I saw potholes drained, streams channeled, and field hedgerows disappear as the demand for wall to wall cotton and soybean fields increased. I can "re-engineer" my woodland edge to be early successional vegetation (I'm currently doing just that) but that won't help if there are fewer birds returning. It reminds me of the noticeable drop in neotropical migrants in that same period, 1970s, due to loss of wintering habitat in southern Mexico and Central America. At least others have noticed the decline and there are efforts to quantify that with data. Whether that will stop the continued drainage of swamp areas or the restoration of appropriate breeding area .....well, we'll see.bab
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