A method for mist-netting breeding Eurasian Woodcock: use of visual and audio lures increases capture rate

Abstract

We describe a method for mist-netting Eurasian Woodcock Scolopax rusticola in the breeding season using a remote-control playback lure and a decoy. Nineteen roding woodcock were caught in 39 sessions in 2016. A GLM, in which length of mist-net was specified as an offset, was used to compare our capture rate to that of a previous study in which no lure was used, suggesting our 'number of captures per session' was approximately nine times higher. Ringing individuals that are known to belong to Britain's resident breeding population could provide more comprehensive data, which are of particular value given this population's ongoing decline.