Woodcock?

[Overlay]

Out this week in the frost where I normally see a few see none I was a wee bit late to see if any Roding but the ground had a fair frost on it, probably stayed under the trees / wood out of the frost foraging

 

[eldon]

Noted one in the thermal the other night near York. I walked towards it and watched as it took off and flew further into the wood at last light.

 

[Farmerjoe]

I have 8-10 regularly in the arable field outside my house. And we get quite a few in a grass field we have in a neighbouring village.

 

[Gmm243]

Sorry but going to be a bit picky here. You are about 4 months too early to see woodcock Roding. There is a big difference between woodcock flighting out to feed at dusk to the roding flights that take place in May where the birds follow a rough figure of 8 with the males calling. We see a lot of it when fishing on the loughs at dusk from May onwards.

Lots of woodcock locally, in 3 days last week we saw over 120. Shooting wasn't great, I doubt there were 30 shot overall.

 

[baguio]

Seen more woodcock this year than ever before. Can’t go stalking without flushing a few. I love to see them but also think that it will be a sad day if we allow them to be removed from the quarry list. What we shoot makes no significant difference to their overall population, IMO.

 

[Puds]

I shot Beaters Day yesterday and we got loads over us (none shot, as the estate owner would probably shoot us too if we did).

 

[shakey jake]

let one go on the first drive yesterday then killed one on the last.
really looking forward to roasting it up next week

 

[McKenzie]

I’m seeing less than usual. I only see one or two a day rather than the up to twenty I’ve seen in other years. East Lothian & Borders.

 

[Foxyboy43]

Beaters’s Day yesterday in Perthshire on a broadleaf shoot on the banks of the Tay - 120 mixed bag but not a single woodcock seen (not on the quarry list anyhow) - all around is very wet (flooded) so they could be anywhere…

 

[bogtrotter]

No shortage of woodcock here, and hasn't been in the last 20 plus years that I have been here.
99'9% migratory spend the winter months shooting them with clients all over pointers and setters.
Numbers are monitored and numbers shot
are limited.

 

[Overlay]

Sorry but going to be a bit picky here. You are about 4 months too early to see woodcock Roding. There is a big difference between woodcock flighting out to feed at dusk to the roding flights that take place in May where the birds follow a rough figure of 8 with the males calling. We see a lot of it when fishing on the loughs at dusk from May onwards.

Lots of woodcock locally, in 3 days last week we saw over 120. Shooting wasn't great, I doubt there were 30 shot overall.

Yep I know the Roding times I haven’t seen any during that period, or foraging in the evening I normally expect to see some foraging I’m not sure we get the migrant ones hereabouts anymore none have been seen on the shoot hoping they have had just one off year

 

[jall55]

Seen more woodcock this year than ever before. Can’t go stalking without flushing a few. I love to see them but also think that it will be a sad day if we allow them to be removed from the quarry list. What we shoot makes no significant difference to their overall population, IMO.

Lots and lots with us this year - i clear felled circa 100 acres about 4/5 years ago and the cover is ideal for them now

I agree about shooting them making no difference to population overall - but i would worry about shooting residents

To sit and watch them of an evening in May/ June is a very spellbinding experience

 

[Gmm243]

Lots and lots with us this year - i clear felled circa 100 acres about 4/5 years ago and the cover is ideal for them now

I agree about shooting them making no difference to population overall - but i would worry about shooting residents

To sit and watch them of an evening in May/ June is a very spellbinding experience

I had three flying around the boat late last May just on dusk. 2 of then were croaking away and would fly off then when nearly out of sight come back on a slightly different route.
We do shoot a fair amount of woodcock and snipe, where I live there are very few pheasants and the farmers like to see them picking around the yard etc so when given a free rein to shoot they nearly always ask me not to shoot the pheasant. I tend not to shoot woodcock until December and while nothing can be certain by that stage most of the birds you are seeing / shooting should be migrants.
This year has been better than normal locally and inbound say that on an good average day we were meeting with around 60 birds whereas in the last few years somewhere around 40 would have been regarded as good.

 

[Overlay]

I had three flying around the boat late last May just on dusk. 2 of then were croaking away and would fly off then when nearly out of sight come back on a slightly different route.
We do shoot a fair amount of woodcock and snipe, where I live there are very few pheasants and the farmers like to see them picking around the yard etc so when given a free rein to shoot they nearly always ask me not to shoot the pheasant. I tend not to shoot woodcock until December and while nothing can be certain by that stage most of the birds you are seeing / shooting should be migrants.
This year has been better than normal locally and inbound say that on a good average day we were meeting with around 60 birds whereas in the last few years somewhere around 40 would have been regarded as good.

Good to read that, the places I normally see them either at dusk or out at night has drastically dropped recently, this year in particular
One shoot I look after the foxes the Dover side of canterbury they have some really good woodcock areas for food and cover but seen none this year

 

[mudman]

Sorry but going to be a bit picky here. You are about 4 months too early to see woodcock Roding. There is a big difference between woodcock flighting out to feed at dusk to the roding flights that take place in May where the birds follow a rough figure of 8 with the males calling. We see a lot of it when fishing on the loughs at dusk from May onwards.

Lots of woodcock locally, in 3 days last week we saw over 120. Shooting wasn't great, I doubt there were 30 shot overall.

You may find woodcock Roding earlier than that. They are known to have a long breeding season, with nests and even chicks found in March.

 

[enfieldspares]

Saw at least ten to a dozen including four on one drive where I was shooting this Wednesday just gone here on the Leicestershire border with Nottinghamshire just east of the A46 Fosse Way. I've two in my freezer from the Wednesday fortnight before. We don't shoot them until December.