We were not expecting to receive a lot of data from our satellite tags this spring. No new tags were fitted in 2019 and only one was fitted in the spring of 2018, meaning most of our tagged woodcock (and the tags themselves) were several years old. The tags’ batteries generally deteriorate over time and it was no great surprise when we stopped receiving updates in March.
However, we have now discovered that this lack of communication was the result of a technical error during data-processing, not flat batteries as first suspected. Location data received during this period have been safely stored, but the Woodcock Watch map has not displayed these updates. While it is frustrating not to have been able to watch our birds ‘live’, and we apologise to our woodcock sponsors for this, the good news is that we can now provide unexpected spring 2019 updates for five woodcock.
The active tags belong to Holkham, Nellie III, Wensum, Sir John and Fonthill Abbie II. All five woodcock have made it back to their spring breeding grounds, and in every case, have returned to the same locations used in 2018. Currently, all five birds are still moving and transmitting, so it appears that the birds are alive and well.
|
Name
|
Tagging location
|
Tagging year
|
Breeding site
|
2019 arrival date
|
Most recent fix
|
|
Wensum
|
Norfolk
|
2013
|
Southern Finland
|
30/03/2019
|
15/07/2019
|
|
F. Abbie II
|
Wiltshire
|
2016
|
Western Russia
|
19/04/2019
|
10/07/2019
|
|
Sir John
|
Norfolk
|
2017
|
Western Russia
|
17/04/2019
|
15/07/2019
|
|
Nellie III
|
Norfolk
|
2017
|
Southern Sweden
|
26/03/2019
|
11/07/2019
|
|
Holkham
|
Norfolk
|
2018
|
Southern Norway
|
23/03/2019
|
29/06/2019
|
Over the next few days we will provide more details on each of these woodcock’s movements.
