Woodcock

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Woodcock

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Jasper

Joined: 10 Oct 2009
Posts: 10
Location: Hampshire

Posted: Mon Oct 19, 09 9:01 pm Post subject: Woodcock
I have seen many woodcock over the last couple of weeks. Have I got my dates wrong or are they a bit early this year ?

Gervase

Joined: 17 Nov 2004
Posts: 8655

Posted: Mon Oct 19, 09 9:19 pm Post subject:
Does seem a bit early - usually it takes a good hard frost to get them moving westwards.

welshboy454

Joined: 21 May 2009
Posts: 187

Posted: Mon Oct 19, 09 10:19 pm Post subject:
Normally the first full moon in November is the yardstick in West Wales to see woodcock.

sako

Joined: 11 Oct 2009
Posts: 37

Posted: Mon Oct 19, 09 10:28 pm Post subject:
Had our first shoot 10 days ago in Devon but didn't see any Woodcock, still quite early. Cheers Richard

gunners71uk

Joined: 13 Oct 2009
Posts: 102
Location: notts

Posted: Tue Oct 20, 09 6:15 am Post subject:
what does one look like please

welshboy454

Joined: 21 May 2009
Posts: 187

Posted: Tue Oct 20, 09 6:54 am Post subject:

gunners71uk wrote:

what does one look like please

https://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&source=hp&q=woodcock&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2&aq=f&oq=

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Tue Oct 20, 09 7:22 am Post subject:

The first migrants have come accross the north sea but they wont reach me till mid December.
According to Chris Packham on Autumn Watch they wait for favourable winds to carry them accross the north sea & the winds where favourable last week.
I dont see as many here as I used to the winters have become to mild.
When the rest of the country freezes they move South West to find unfrozen ground.
I used to see loads at night when I was lamping for rabbits.
They hide in the woods in the day & come out into the fields to feed at night.
Can't remember the last time I saw one feeding here but still see a few flying over at dusk in Dec/Jan.
Beautiful little bird.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Tue Oct 20, 09 7:34 am Post subject:
What can be done to encourage them to your land and help them? They like dense cover but are we talking bramble thickets, young coppice or something else? Do they also need open space to feed, shallow water or anything special? I've looked but I can't find any specific advice and it would be good to do something in return for the odd one for the pot.

welshboy454

Joined: 21 May 2009
Posts: 187

Posted: Tue Oct 20, 09 7:54 am Post subject:

They like dense undisturbed cover. Typical ground would be a wettish willow bramble area -sometimes thick old hedges alongside a ditch with a little running water.Often tucked in under a hollybush.But having said that if the weather is very wet they will move to drier ground -bracken fringes of the wetter margins. Very secretive they will run a little and make a clap noise with their wings when taking flight and quickly swerve behind the next bit if tree/cover out of sight.

Depends where you live -mild/frost is the key. Because they use their long beaks to poke in the ground while feeding they move to a milder area as soon as frost comes.
Very active feeding at night - they move out from their daytime resting place around dusk which is a good time to see them although then they are not a testing shot.

KILLITnGRILLIT

Joined: 14 Sep 2006
Posts: 894
Location: Looking at a screen in the front room

Posted: Tue Oct 20, 09 11:54 am Post subject:
Both snipe and `cock like rough pasture that is rich in cowpats. I remember as well one book advocating spreading of waste abbatoir blood onto the fields No it wasn`t a vampyre book On a similar vein (did you see what I did there ?) we have been seeing 100`s of golden plover resting in fields at night when lamping and I haven`t seen anything like that in all my years. May be related ?

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Tue Oct 20, 09 12:03 pm Post subject:
We planted a small area up with trees about ten years ago and were rewarded by having our first woodcock last year. I was absolutely over the moon. Whilst we do have many migrants come to the UK for the winter, there is a population of residents here all year round. We need good hard weather over on the continent to send them across the sea to here.

gunners71uk

Joined: 13 Oct 2009
Posts: 102
Location: notts

Posted: Tue Oct 20, 09 2:21 pm Post subject:
ta for the pic

welshboy454

Joined: 21 May 2009
Posts: 187

Posted: Thu Oct 22, 09 3:39 pm Post subject:
Went beating today and saw the first woodcock of the season. Reached West Wales.

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