GWCT Woodcock Watch Blog
Follow the progress of the woodcock taking part in the GWCT's pioneering satellite tagging project.
Wednesday, 4 June 2014
First woodcock location updates for June
We've received our first woodcock location updates for June. You can see the current location for each bird on the map below whilst the chart displays more detailed journey data.
Wednesday, 28 May 2014
Clear evidence of breeding site fidelity in woodcock
I know we’re constantly talking about site fidelity – but it’s interesting especially when demonstrated so clearly as it is in the maps below (click to enlarge them). It’s obvious that these birds repeatedly return to the same areas to breed – which has conservation implications for the areas where the largest concentrations reside.
As for the question as to why Crugith has not been so faithful– we think she must’ve picked up some sort of injury, disease or parasite that has prevented her from reaching the desired level of fitness. There are no breeding birds in Cornwall so it is impossible that she is breeding there – she’s just sitting out the summer because she could not attain the condition required to return to Siberia. She is still alive as her movement appears to be normal, but there must be some underlying health issue.
It's worth noting that of the birds featured in the maps below, Remy, Amy, Rebecca, Lanyon, Wensum are all females. St. Brendan and Olwen are both of an unknown sex so could also be females. So the site fidelity we are seeing is definitely true of females but we don’t have any data for males – at least not in 2014. Last year, however, we had Monkey - a male who travelled to exactly the same site in 2013 as he did in 2012.
As for the question as to why Crugith has not been so faithful– we think she must’ve picked up some sort of injury, disease or parasite that has prevented her from reaching the desired level of fitness. There are no breeding birds in Cornwall so it is impossible that she is breeding there – she’s just sitting out the summer because she could not attain the condition required to return to Siberia. She is still alive as her movement appears to be normal, but there must be some underlying health issue.
It's worth noting that of the birds featured in the maps below, Remy, Amy, Rebecca, Lanyon, Wensum are all females. St. Brendan and Olwen are both of an unknown sex so could also be females. So the site fidelity we are seeing is definitely true of females but we don’t have any data for males – at least not in 2014. Last year, however, we had Monkey - a male who travelled to exactly the same site in 2013 as he did in 2012.
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| Amy |
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| St. Brendan |
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| Crugith |
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| Lanyon |
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| Olwen |
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| Remy |
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| Wensum |
Monday, 12 May 2014
GWCT woodcock work featured in new BTO magazine
The survey is a joint GWCT and BTO effort and with the help of over 800 volunteers, over 800 randomly selected sites were surveyed in 2013.
Read the article online (on page 22) >
Friday, 9 May 2014
New chart shows latest Woodcock Watch data at a glance
Our woodcock are continuing their journeys across Europe and we've just received location updates for each of them.The new chart below shows details for each bird and updates automatically on our website and blog as soon as we enter new data:
Tuesday, 6 May 2014
Rebecca returns to the same patch of forest three years running
Rebecca is the only bird that we have followed through the entire duration of the Woodcock Watch project. Tagged in spring 2012, we have received good-quality data from Rebecca each summer since.
The maps below show just how faithful Rebecca is to a single breeding site. Each year she visits the same forest in Somensk Oblast, Western Russia.
Rebecca was a juvenile when caught in 2012, so we know she hatched in 2011. This means she will be celebrating her third birthday this summer. How many more times will she make this impressive 1,500 mile journey?
Track Rebecca's journey online >
The maps below show just how faithful Rebecca is to a single breeding site. Each year she visits the same forest in Somensk Oblast, Western Russia.
Rebecca was a juvenile when caught in 2012, so we know she hatched in 2011. This means she will be celebrating her third birthday this summer. How many more times will she make this impressive 1,500 mile journey?
Track Rebecca's journey online >
Tuesday, 22 April 2014
Busy Easter period sees flurry of woodcock activity
Our woodcock were very active over the Easter period with many of them on the move across Europe.
Location updates
Amy - in western Russia after leaving Ireland and stopping over in Holland, Poland and Belarus.
BFC - has made it to Russia after leaving Wales and stopping in Lithuania and Latvia.
Jack - following stops in Denmark and Estonia, Jack has arrived in Russia after leaving Scotland.
James - left Wiltshire and has travelled north east through Poland and Latvia to reach Russia.
Knepp - currently in Finland after leaving Sussex and arriving via Germany and Estonia.
Lanyon - has flown into Russia from Cornwall after stopping off in Belarus.
Olwen - currently in north west Russia after stopping in Denmark and Latvia.
Rebecca - flew south east from Wales to Slovakia and then north east into Russia.
Remy - left Scotland for Denmark and now currently in Latvia.
Rocky - has flown from Cornwall to Russia via Germany and Poland.
Smithy - left Bristol for Poland before flying north east to Russia via Belarus.
St Brendan - flew east from Ireland to Poland and has since moved north east to Latvia.
Wensum - having never returned to the UK, Wensum has revisited Finland from Germany.
Monday, 7 April 2014
You can now donate with JustGiving
That's why we've set up a JustGiving page for people wishing to support our Woodcock Watch project.
Visit our JustGiving page >
We can also accept donations to our Woodcock Watch project by text. Simply text GWCT80 and the amount (e.g. £2) to 70070.
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