by Mike Roche
In 2006, a letter appeared in my mailbox from the Department of the Interior (DOI) on official stationery that inquired as to whether I would be willing to assist in American woodcock research by contributing wings to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (the Service) Migratory Parts Collection Survey. As a lifelong bird hunter with a strong interest in wildlife conservation, it didn’t take me long to respond and volunteer. Later that summer, a large envelope arrived containing a supply of mailers, signaling my start as one of the collectors for the survey, which began back in 1963.
To participate, I was to place one wing from each woodcock, rail or band-tailed pigeon that I personally bagged on a single day’s hunt in the smaller inner envelope provided, which was then placed in the larger pre-addressed postage paid mailing envelope. On the outer envelope was a place to include the number of wings and species as well as the state, county and date of the hunt. There were additional instructions on how to remove the wings to make sure the feathers that are needed to determine age and sex were intact as well as measures to ensure that the wings would not spoil during shipping.
And so began my life as a wing collector! This year, I was offered a unique opportunity to attend the Service’s 2024 American Woodcock Wingbee where the year’s wings are processed and, of course, I jumped at the chance! After 17 seasons of sending in my wings, this was an opportunity to see exactly what happens after my envelope heads out in the mail!
It had been years in the making. Since that first contact from the Service, fall days following bird dogs (four French Brittanys to date) through upland covers would often result in my being able to gather the woodcock wings requested until the process became second nature. Those wings came from birds taken in my native Massachusetts and also in Vermont, New Hampshire and northern New York. Each one was placed in the envelopes and mailed to the Service’s facility in Laurel, MD.
A letter would arrive late spring or early summer with the data analysis of my contribution broken down by the age and gender of each woodcock with its location. Over time, it became more and more intriguing as each year provided a snapshot of the woodcock population I encountered. Serving as a registered hunting guide in New York, I take out upland hunters. That experience, along with my active involvement in the RGS & AWS’s New York Grouse and Woodcock Hunt and my service with the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife Board for 35 years exposed me to many of the details of American woodcock management as a migratory bird protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
Being involved in the process of setting migratory bird seasons and bag limits opened my eyes to the complexity of that process as it related to ducks, geese, mergansers, coots, gallinules, Virginia rails, snipe and, of course, American woodcock. States are provided a framework of when seasons can run, how many days of hunting are allowed and bag limits for all species. Over time, my interest in woodcock led me to delve into the information provided each year in the American Woodcock Population Status publication produced each year by the Service. That report detailed the research and methods of assessment, including the Singing Ground Survey, Parts Collection Survey (wing collection!) and the Harvest Information Survey. My interactions with another woodcock wing collector and a biologist who had participated in the annual Wingbee event added an additional dimension to the woodcock wing collection puzzle. As an active outdoor writer for over 30 years, it seemed like a great story, which ultimately led me to Mobile, AL in March to observe the 2024 American Woodcock Wingbee.
My immersion into the 2024 American Woodcock Wingbee began with my arrival at the 5 Rivers–Alabama Delta Resource Center in Spanish Fort, AL, for day one. There was an atmosphere of both familiarity and camaraderie among the veteran attendees and a most welcoming vibe towards those of us who were there for the first time. Most of the regular participants are biological staff drawn from state and federal agencies, private organizations like the RGS & AWS and university faculty. Staff in the Service’s Migratory Bird Program’s Division of Migratory Bird Management, Branch of Assessment and Decision Support take the lead role in the analysis of the data that comes from the Wingbee. Those doing the wing assessment hail from states where migrating American woodcock spend a part of their interesting lives. A majority are veterans of multiple Wingbees and some even have decades of participation. They ranged from the legendary Al Stewart, who retired as an upland game bird specialist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources after 50 years of service in 2021, to Becca Cusick, who graduated from the University of Maine in 2022 and works at the Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge in Maine. The room itself reminded me of elementary school classrooms during my primary grade years in the 1960s with posters on the walls and group tables. Those tables had several items and sample wings, which were labeled already with the age and gender. The posters were of woodcock wings and feathers. As I made my way to a table the quest for answers to my questions was about to come to an end.
Each year, the Wingbee is held at a different location in the eastern half of the U.S. within the American woodcock’s range. That location rotates between northern, central and southern venues to provide state and federal biologists an opportunity to have it close by to host periodically. Once everyone got settled after introductions, a very informative PowerPoint program was presented by Rebecca Rau, a wildlife biologist and data administrator for the Service who serves as national coordinator for the American woodcock Singing Ground Survey and is the event coordinator for the Wingbee. Her presentation included a detailed progression of the current information on the woodcock population along with details on the various tools used to gather information for the Singing Ground Survey, the Harvest Information Program (a collaborative effort between the Service and the states that collects information on hunter activity and harvest data from all migratory bird hunters) and the Parts Collection Survey (Wingbee). She also discussed the wing identification process and how to identify gender and sex using wings as well as “tools of the trade,” which included special modified rulers to measure wings, clear metric measures for feather size, charts of the wing feathers showing what markings are used to determine age and sex, microscopes to be used in cases where the naked eye cannot discern feather details and openers to get inside the 9,000 plus envelopes that filled 34 large boxes that had been kept frozen at the Laurel, MD facility where they were sent by hunters.
Newer attendees then began the learning process by examining known wings labeled mature male, mature female, immature male and immature female as veterans assisted the newcomers and offered valuable insights. These wings were reviewed to gain confidence and used with the posters and detailed illustrations to prepare everyone to take the eligibility test. A score of 24 out of 25 was required to pass and proceed to the next step. New attendees then worked with experienced checkers until they could consistently and correctly age and sex woodcock wings. The goal was continuous education by interaction with the many experts in the room who constantly mentored those becoming part of the very precise process. They offered judgement on wings that were hard to discern because of degradation (not all dogs have “soft” mouths) or in some cases rare conditions due to feather replacement or even leucism, a lack of pigment resulting in white feathers.
After a break for lunch, where the esprit de corps became obvious, it was time for everyone to buckle down. Becoming proficient was not easy. Only about 10% passed on the first try with most passing after three tries. As an observer, it was quite impressive to see the 23 individuals who had varied backgrounds and experience levels evolve into a cohesive team with a singularness of purpose. Each table was as busy as the proverbial beehive as, wing by wing, the daunting task of accurately aging/sexing all those wings was undertaken in earnest. The serious work was occasionally interrupted as checkers were required to read aloud any comments that were included with the wing samples. Those were comments about hunts, dogs and friends, but also included “surprise” notes from coordinator Becky Rau that occasionally resulted in the checker winning a candy bar!
The Wingbee took place from Tuesday to Thursday, starting at 8:00 A.M. and concluding at 4:30 P.M. sharp with a break for lunch where the socialization and team building continued. Seven hours a day for three days to do 9,000 plus wings translates to 428 wings per hour and over 400 for each of the 23 participants. As the wings were identified, that age/sex data was written on the envelope and then scanned. The completed envelope cover sheets would be transported to the Laurel facility and the data entered so that collectors like me would get their information. After all these years, my questions were more than answered! Being able to view the process and understanding the role it plays in the framework given to states for setting American woodcock seasons was enlightening.
Let there be no doubt that the American woodcock has become a more significant part of the upland hunting picture over the past decades. Clearly, this strange little transplanted shorebird with eyes set high on its head, a special beak to probe for its favorite food of earthworms, a nocturnal lifestyle, whistling wings and spectacular spring mating rituals not to mention a tendency to lay exactly four eggs and not renest, the habit of holding well for pointing dogs and then bursting into erratic flight from thick cover and the ability to blend perfectly into the habitat is now a very important species in the grand scheme of things. Those of us who raise and train pointing dogs do so to hunt them as much as possible on wild game birds. With the decline in quail numbers throughout their range and the diminishing of ruffed grouse opportunities in other regions, woodcock have become the savior – and interest in them has clearly grown. However, with that steady decline in numbers for the past 50 years verified by every index, any and all means of studying the situation, including the Wingbee and the emerging GPS monitoring technology, needs to be utilized.
Being able to closely observe the process by which the wings I and other participants have contributed each year was an experience that won’t soon be forgotten. Watching the intense focus of the participants gave me increased confidence in the professionals who work hard to make a difference in managing natural resources. Every player, including migratory bird hunters who answer the Harvest Information Program questions, people who drive the woodcock singing ground routes, my fellow wing collectors, RGS & AWS, university researchers and all of the highly trained scientists who staff state and federal agencies play a part. The research and data gathered are important to the ongoing process of making sure that American woodcock will be provided with the best possible chance to thrive going forward!
