Photo by Tim Flanigan
Why American Woodcock? Why AWS?
For more than 60 years, the Ruffed Grouse Society has fervently promoted stewardship for forest wildlife. Our vision is to create landscapes of diverse, functioning ecosystems that provide habitat for wildlife and opportunities for people to experience them.
Ruffed grouse drove our formation and growth, and now we’ve expanded our work in sustainable forest management to new places. Across most of their range, ruffed grouse live alongside the American woodcock, a migratory gamebird that occupies an entirely unique geography during migration – the Atlantic and Gulf Coast Piedmont and Coastal Plains.
In fact, research suggests that 1 in 3 woodcock in the Eastern Flyway stops or winters in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain regions of North Carolina and South Carolina. That’s a third of the entire eastern population!
Unfortunately, woodcock numbers, like many other birds, are on a downward trajectory. The American woodcock is listed in 29 states as a “Species of Greatest Conservation Need,” according to the wildlife agencies responsible for their management.
Ten years ago, we expanded our forest wildlife mission to focus on woodcock and founded the American Woodcock Society. Today, the dual force of RGS & AWS has a footprint in 38 states and is seeking to expand research and conservation across the Southeast. Timing is everything, and with your help, 2024 can be the year of the timberdoodle.
Why AWS? Why now?
We’ve invested in state-of-the-art GPS telemetry research with agency and university partners over the past several years. This woodcock location data is helping us focus efforts on prime habitat opportunities. There couldn’t be a better example of science-driven conservation. Bolstered by enthusiasts from a growing roster of AWS chapters, we’re ideally positioned to expand the story of the American woodcock.
While migrating, the most significant challenge for woodcock is habitat loss. They require specific habitats for feeding, breeding and resting – including moist soil, open shrubland, dense woody groves and forest clearings – which are increasingly being fragmented or lost to development and natural forest succession.
Fundamentally, woodcock depend on shrubby, early growth – such as the type that follows timber harvest or farm field abandonment. It’s a habitat type in very short supply as old fields are turned into housing developments, Eastern forests age and sustainable timber harvesting declines.
How Do We Improve Woodcock Habitat?
There’s great potential across public and private ownerships. Even minor adjustments in managing woods and fields for habitat diversity can help populations grow and thrive, whether it’s a modest 5 acres or a robust 5,000. With solid information in hand and growing support, now is the time to act. Otherwise, it will soon be too late for this migratory wonder.
How can you help the American woodcock?
If you’re not an RGS & AWS member – join today! Get involved with your local AWS chapter and consider making a donation that helps provide crucial research and habitat management.
