Volunteers Needed: American Woodcock Survey Comes to Bird Studies Canada

So we tried to participate in the Owl Survey, but all available routes less than a 4 hour drive from us were taken. We hope to sign up for it asap next year so we can help. Another volunteer opportunity has come up and I've put our names in for this:




The American Woodcock Singing-ground Survey is a bi-national monitoring program that provides an index of the relative size of the woodcock breeding population in North America. It is the most important source of data used to guide federal, state, and provincial woodcock programs. Bird Studies Canada has recently taken on the role of coordinating the Ontario portion of this survey, and we are looking for volunteers interested in surveying assigned routes throughout the province. Each route consists of a single sunset survey of 10 stops, where the participant will count the numbers of individuals observed using the vocal courtship displays, or “peents.” Monitoring will occur between April 15 and May 20; the actual monitoring window will depend on where in Ontario you live. Routes will be assigned according to the participant’s availability and geographic location.

If you are interested in participating in the American Woodcock Singing-ground Survey, please contact Elisabeth van Stam at evanstam@birdscanada.org.