2022

Take a closer look at our reserach on habitat for breeding woodcock, national survey findings for woodcock habitat and roding counts.

Moving into 2023, our ground-nesting birds need your help more than ever.

During prolonged periods of freezing weather, waterfowl and waders are less able to access food resources and, as such, become more reliant on their fat reserves. 

The GWCT has been carrying out woodcock research since the 1970s, with a programme of studies that has only intensified as it has progressed through the decades, each building on those that have gone before so that a more detailed picture has developed. 

A redshank ringed by the GWCT Wetlands research team in the Avon Valley in 2021 has been re-sighted in Northwest France, near Lannion.

The question of how many woodcock might spend their winters in the UK may seem straightforward but is actually extremely difficult to answer. The fundamental reason is the secrecy of these birds, so that simple counting of those we may see in winter is not an accurate reflection of the number that might be present, camouflaged in the woods and active at night.

One of the most important things to understand about woodcock in the UK is that there are two distinct groups which behave in different ways and are experiencing different fates - resident and migratory.

Woodcock are found in woodland habitats right across northern Europe and Asia, ranging from Britain in the West to Japan in the East.

The plight of waders breeding in the UK is well known. All of our familiar species are in serious decline and we hear frequent warnings about local extinctions for some of them. Well known causes of decline are a loss of quality habitat due to changes in land use and intensified agricultural practices, and we are seeing increased losses of wader nests to a variety of predators.

You may be aware that we're currently raising funds to purchase more essential trail cameras to help us understand what's driving the decline in ground-nesting bird populations. Trail cameras show us exactly what is predating nests and provide vital evidence we can share with policymakers, landowners, conservation bodies, and the government. You can see images from some of the footage we've been able to capture with trail cameras here.