A unique chance to follow your very own woodcock
- by satellite

We are urging people to sponsor a satellite tracked woodcock.  This is an amazing opportunity for everyone to get involved in this important scientific research by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust – for just £3 per month.

The woodcock is an elusive and cryptic wader bird. Most are seen in the autumn, when hundreds of thousands arrive here every year to escape harsh winters in Norway, Sweden, Finland or as far away as Russia and Latvia. Even then one is seldom treated to more than a fleeting glimpse of one as it junks away through the trees. But where do them come from? Where will they fly next? 

For the first time satellite tags, which have been used successfully on larger species, such as swans and geese, are now small enough for following birds like woodcock. Dr Andrew Hoodless, Europe’s leading authority on woodcock and his team plan to fit miniature satellite tags to 20 woodcock across the UK in the spring of 2012. This is where they now need your help. Satellite tags that provide crucial real time data every day for up to 4 years cost £3,600.

Just £3 per month will cover the cost of downloading data from a satellite for a bird on one day every month.  Your contribution will enable you to follow your own bird’s location as it travels up to 10,000km every year while scientists at the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust build a unique picture of their migratory habits.

Satellite tags on woodcock can provide extraordinary insights into the species’ migration patterns.  “They really are incredible birds,” said Dr Andrew Hoodless.  “We need to build up a more detailed picture of the links between breeding and wintering sites and of migratory routes. This will enable us to evaluate the effects of changes in habitat, climate or hunting pressure at stop-over or wintering areas. This information is essential for sound conservation management of the species, as well as being of fascination to us all.”

Early trials using geolocators to track individual birds back to their breeding grounds have proved promising. These geolocators need to be retrieved a year later before we are able to download the migration data.  So far three have been recovered and the incredible journeys taken by these birds have been calculated. The data shows that two birds flew to breed in Russia and the other to Belarus via France and Austria before returning through northern Germany and Denmark. One of the birds came back to Cornwall via Norway and Scotland.

Andrew explains, “We still know very little about the routes taken by individual birds back to the main breeding grounds in Russia, Belarus and Scandinavia, stop-over locations in Europe or total journey time. If we can raise the funds to fit these satellite tracking devices it will mean that in a few years we will have some revealing insights into the migration strategies of woodcock across Europe. Where are their migration routes? Is this weather-related?

Already our research is starting to unravel the secrets of our over-wintering woodcock population. To do more requires help from people like you that enjoy our countryside. To sponsor a woodcock for you or as a gift for someone else please get in touch with us by either emailing: woodcock@gwct.org.uk, or ring 01425 652381.