February

“Natural England will be making recommendations based on the science” was the verdict of Environment Minister Trudy Harrison as she closed the petitions committee debate on woodcock yesterday (Monday 27 February). 

As you may already be aware, 2023 is an important year for woodcock research. For the third time since its inception in 2003, GWCT and BTO are running the national Breeding Woodcock Survey to provide a snapshot of our resident woodcock population’s size and status. 

The GWCT advises all those who wish to shoot woodcock to exercise particular care and improve their knowledge of local populations, thus enabling the shoot to minimise their impact on resident birds.