Woodcock?
- Thread starter Smellydog
- Start date
About twenty years ago a big bag was shot at Flamborough. Cannot recall how many but I think it went close to three figures. One of the people there that day told me they could have shot more f they had so wanted.
Dunwaters
Well-Known Member
We have a few about, plus snipe and jack snipe in good numbers.
Im tending to the theory that numbers aren’t as low as we‘re being told, the amateur birders who do the counting just aren’t looking in the right places at the right times.
I met a volunteer counter last year, asked him about snipe, very scarce, hardly ever sees one, never sees a jack.
I ran both dogs through a patch of machair and they pushed about a dozen birds up, including 2 jacks all within 200m of his car.
Indications are that he was counting everything on the slob lands but in the machair, he wasn’t hunting the area, he was using a spotting scope from his car. His counts are ending up in the census that affects our open seasons, mine go to NARGC and are hotly contested, largely because the regular census takers say my numbers are wrong and I can’t tell the difference between a knot or a dunlin and a snipe.
Im tending to the theory that numbers aren’t as low as we‘re being told, the amateur birders who do the counting just aren’t looking in the right places at the right times.
I met a volunteer counter last year, asked him about snipe, very scarce, hardly ever sees one, never sees a jack.
I ran both dogs through a patch of machair and they pushed about a dozen birds up, including 2 jacks all within 200m of his car.
Indications are that he was counting everything on the slob lands but in the machair, he wasn’t hunting the area, he was using a spotting scope from his car. His counts are ending up in the census that affects our open seasons, mine go to NARGC and are hotly contested, largely because the regular census takers say my numbers are wrong and I can’t tell the difference between a knot or a dunlin and a snipe.
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Stalker-of-the-deer
Well-Known Member
It's the first land mass they hit when they migrate across, lots of rig workers say how they end up on the oil platforms half way across for a break aswell.
On top of that we are one of the few places left with swampy deciduous woodland, and the odd one breeds on our little shoot.
I do love seeing them, they are strange little things
Deermanagement
Well-Known Member
Well I'm out in the morning. I think the numbers are high enough for a chance of a R&L. 4 weeks ago had 3 pairs rise from the same place, the first a colleague missed with the first barrel, then I had a pair rise about 10 seconds apart and I had already reloaded by the time the second lifted. A while later 2 lifted in front of me which I couple not shoot at with 2 guns out in front. For some bizarre reason, we then had 3 different pair fly by in formation, side by side whilst flighting duck. These were not shot at so I'm hopeful for tomorrow despite the rough conditions.
Smellydog
Well-Known Member
I believe that is called rodding???
When they fly in a pair together.
Roding is typically seen at dawn or dusk in late Spring and early Summer - normally solitary males flying at treetop height in straightish lines along their territory boundaries, trying to attract a mate. They emit a low “grunt” as they fly, and their flight is often described as “fluttering”.
Best seen from atop a high seat!
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Dunwaters
Well-Known Member
Rodding is the display flight of the male, it takes place in springtime in the late evening/early morning, the Germans used to try to shoot them during the display, they tend to follow a regular flight path and they make a call that sounds to me like a frog croaking while they do it.
Seeing a lot of Woodcock lately mid Kent area.
WB
WB
sako751sg
Well-Known Member
Two long and hard walks with the old dog this last couple of days in snow approx 6 inches deep.
Amazing numbers of Woodcock,by far the most i've ever seen here and one day flushed 21 in an area not that big but ideal cover for them.
Was foxing tonight and the thermal was picking them up everywhere and great to see.
Amazing numbers of Woodcock,by far the most i've ever seen here and one day flushed 21 in an area not that big but ideal cover for them.
Was foxing tonight and the thermal was picking them up everywhere and great to see.
.222roebuck
Well-Known Member
Hll of a lot about this year on some of my grounds , as others have said I suspect the numbers were being told are an underestimate as I think any shortage of birds tends to be localised, taken as a whole I think numbers are still pretty healthy
BenBhoy
Well-Known Member
I've never seen them in numbers like I saw at your place mate.We’re starting to see good numbers now, we pushed about 10 out of one small drive on Saturday and throughout the day we would of seen around 40, most people on the shoot won’t lift their gun to them and those that did missed, if they can’t hit a flying chicken then there’s not much chance of hitting a woodcock, a very fast bird that can test the best
Im always surprised we don't get more on our land, we tick most of their boxes (conifers wood with open spaces, a pond so wet ground, lots of grass full of worms & grubs) but very very rare sight. Reckon I've seen 2 or 3 in last 8years.
sako751sg
Well-Known Member
Totally agree.
Years where they seem sparse here,the reports elsewhere can be the exact opposite and not all that far away either.
Weather plays a big part imo,and the harsher weather really gives a better idea of numbers.
Out last night trying for a fox until roughly 2300 and once again they were absolutely everywhere.
shakey jake
Well-Known Member
managed to get three from the shoot i beat on, planning on trying something fancy with them.
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