Re: [Maine-birds] Woodcock

Hi all,

I agree with Scott and Jeff about the (likely primary) cause and circumstances related to the long-term decline of American Woodcocks - at least from a modern perspective. I also think contributing factors include the species susceptibility to collisions with the growing abundance of lighted communications towers, wind turbines, skyscrapers, and other anthropomorphic light pollution.  Additionally, as an early - if at least partially facultative migrant - it may be rather susceptible to wildly unusual meteorological events, which are  increasing in frequency and abnormality due to climate change, in addition to the otherwise obvious shifting seasons.

 It's hard to quantify how much of an impact - especially from a population-level perspective - that collisions and storms have on the species (and I suspect a relatively small impact overall compared to the aforementioned habitat loss), but both of these were clearly factors in the massive fallout and high mortality resulting in the mid-March snowstorm that slammed the northeast last month.  Here's a short article in the New York Times, for example:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/17/nyregion/an-early-bird-gets-caught-in-the-snowstorm.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fnyregion&action=click&contentCollection=nyregion&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=4&pgtype=sectionfront&referer=http://m.facebook.com/&_r=0

Now I am rarely an alarmist about how one single event can affect a population, but we have some examples of this from the past (Chimney Swifts and a tropical storm from about ten years ago comes to mind, but I would have to dig for the specifics). And what troubles me are the numerous reports about reduced and missing woodcocks this spring that started this thread. Wildlife rehabbers from New Jersey to Maine reported an unusual amount of woodcock patients this spring, either directly downed by the storm, or unable to find open, soft ground to forage in for days and even weeks after the storm. We'll never know how many succumbed. 

Breeding ground surveys, such as the one mentioned by Scott, will shed a significant amount of light on the topic. However, it's impossible to ignore the overall paucity of displaying woodcocks throughout the state this spring. And it's not just a steady downward decline; it's a rather precipitous decline if our perceptions are accurate.  

For example, on my annual "Woodcocks Gone Wild" tour at Pineland Farms, where I had 4-5 displaying birds last spring (down from 8-10 when we started this outing a decade ago) we had exactly ONE this year. In a local field, Jeannette and I usually hear about 6; this year, our high count was 2.

So either a lot of woodcocks didn't make it back this year, or perhaps (hopefully) the delayed season kept the birds behind schedule and when they got here, they made up for lost time and got right down to business. Or maybe the storm shunted migrants to our west, where they stayed to breed, never really filling back into Maine? Maybe. Systematic surveys will be key at helping decipher what at the very least, is a very "odd" year for American Woodcocks in Maine.

-Derek 

 

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 Derek and Jeannette Lovitch

 Freeport Wild Bird Supply

 541 Route One, Suite 10

 Freeport, ME 04032

 207-865-6000

 www.freeportwildbirdsupply.com  

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From: Scott Hall <christian.s.hall@gmail.com>
To: Jeff Wells <jeffwells@borealbirds.org>
Cc: Bruce Bartrug <bbartrug@gmail.com>; "maine-birds@googlegroups.com" <maine-birds@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, April 26, 2017 9:40 AM
Subject: Re: [Maine-birds] Woodcock

Hey All,

 

I usually don't weigh into these discussions, however, I thought I would add my two cents. The best current measure for woodcock abundance (at scale, the continent) is the annual singing ground survey run by the USFWS. The routes are run by volunteers, like the BBS surveys. (https://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/pdf/surveys-and-data/Population-status/Woodcock/AmericanWoodcockStatusReport16.pdf). 

 

Overall, the long-term trend is not encouraging for woodcock and not surprisingly, for other early succession forest dependent species (i.e. New England cottontail, black racer, golden-winged warbler etc). Habitat loss (absence of old field succession and young forest from regenerating cuts) is certainly a factor for woodcock; however, the nuance of why young forest is declining on the landscape is a complex conversation tied to many factors including development (lot size), values placed on forests (aversion to "cuts"), market conditions that promote forest management and a long history of forest management that has placed a premium on high quality timber for sale. The young forest (https://youngforest.org/) and timberdoodle ​(https://timberdoodle.org/) websites are great resources for learning more about the issues and significant work that is occurring with public and private landowners to restore, create  and manage habitat for a diversity of wildlife.  

 

Sorry, off the soap box and back to work.

 

Scott H

On Wed, Apr 26, 2017 at 9:16 AM, Jeff Wells <jeffwells@borealbirds.org> wrote:

A little out-of-date (2007) but attached is section on American Woodcock from my book Birder's Conservation Handbook that also has some background.

 

Jeff

 

From: maine-birds@googlegroups.com [mailto:maine-birds@ googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Bruce Bartrug
Sent: Wednesday, April 26, 2017 9:07 AM
To: maine-birds@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [Maine-birds] Woodcock

 

Thanks, it's nice to hear others are hearing woodcock doing their mating dance.  However, it would take observations in the same area for 20 years or more to determine is there has been a local decline in it's numbers.  Added here is a comment on conservation status from Cornell.  It could be New England is seeing a resurgence of more mature forests instead of the "edge" and shrubby fields preferred by the woodcock for breeding.  However the comment about pesticides is of concern.  Thirty years ago in Maine, one would get bug-spots on one's windshield while driving.  When was the last time you had to clean a bug-spot?  Thanks again to respondents.

Conservation

status via IUCN

Least Concern

The American Woodcock is fairly numerous, although it is hard to detect with standardized surveys like the North American Breeding Bird Survey or Christmas Bird Count. Best estimates from the Breeding Bird Survey suggest their populations have slowly been declining between 1966 and 2014; declines are most evident in New England, parts of the Mid-Atlantic, and Minnesota. This species is on the 2014 State of the Birds Watch List, which lists species most in danger of extinction without significant conservation action. Woodcocks are one of the few shorebirds that are still hunted. Hunting tolls have declined from about 1.5 million per year in the 1970s to about 300,000 per year in the 2010s. Hunting has not been shown to influence large-scale population trends; recent declines may be related to natural forest succession combined with habitat loss due to development. Because they forage on the forest floor, woodcocks can accumulate pesticides in their bodies from aerial spraying against forest-insect pests. Their heavy diet of earthworms makes them vulnerable to poisoning by lead, cadmium, and other heavy metals. To prevent further population declines, people may need to focus on preserving even-aged habitats suitable for breeding, including large areas of shrubland and young forest. Woodcocks may be extending their range northward and westward, using northern coniferous forests that are being opened up by large-scale harvesting.

 

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