Since launching our woodcock fundraising appeal earlier this month, we have had several members get in touch asking how we work with other organisations to further our understanding of this much-loved bird.
We work closely with BTO, who administer the national ringing scheme. We are extremely grateful to all ringers who devote their time to catching and ringing woodcock and liaise closely with BTO over the ringing data. This network of expert volunteers generates a valuable pool of data to help us understand woodcock numbers.
We are also fortunate to work closely with the Woodcock Network, led by Owen Williams. They, like the GWCT, catch woodcock at night and have trained woodcock enthusiasts to ring woodcock. We also have close links with woodcock experts across Europe, which helps to understand wider changes affecting our migratory population and anticipate the impacts on the coming season before it has begun.
Where does the GWCT fit into this?
The link between woodcock research and the GWCT goes back to the 1970s. Starting with studies of the bird’s breeding system and habitat use, we then pioneered catching woodcock at night with a lamp in the early 1990s. We have since furthered understanding of this species a great deal and influenced others to do so too. Across fifty years of work, we have undertaken many research projects, each building on the last.
The past decade has seen new technology provide a more detailed picture as we moved from radio transmitters requiring GWCT staff to locate birds using handheld receivers, to using data tags that transmit from anywhere on the globe. Without these, we would have never known a woodcock could migrate 4000 miles from Cornwall to Krasnoyarsk, halfway across Russia near the Mongolian border.
Sadly, this progress costs money. All the funding for the annual and periodic national breeding woodcock surveys, run in collaboration with BTO, comes directly from GWCT, as does the cost of woodcock tags and the time to train staff to be experts in their field. We are hugely grateful for all the support we receive from members and those of you who are passionate about woodcock. If you are able to support this work, please do so below.