that is "best shown in the following talile: _...,, 



TA3LB 1,. — Pprcentafie analyses of the sprinff -> -migrptlon 



• reports on the status of the. Woodoock for the 

 ... years 19^ and iWP" .■.,.•: . 



Year 



Status... 



No change J Increase j Decrease, 



On the permanent census area in eastern Maine, personnel of the Cooperative 

 Wildlife Research Unit at Orono, have conducted a census of this sp.ecies "by the 

 "singing ground cxiunt" method for 8 consecutive years. .In 1914-U' these studies were 

 carried on hetv/een April 18 and May 21,, vrhen pII potential singing grounds v;ere 

 visited at least twice^and some of them three or four. times to guard against ' 

 temporary usage or other discrepancies. In adtiition to the chief census area, 

 four supplementary areas had "been studied for U years. Ah analysis of th° co^on.ts 

 from all areas showed an increase of 26,0 percent over the figures for l*^^"^. Only 

 one of the supplemental areas showed no: change , the increase on all others 'fc'elng 

 from 10 to 100 percent. On, the chief area' the studies indicated an ahundahce ' ' 

 compara-hle to the-peak figures of 19^8, and 193'^» This is easily the hest report 

 to "be received since the catastrophe of 19U0. 



The "biologist of the Atlantic Flyway resumed similar studies of this "bir^^ in 

 the Maritime Provinces' of Ca.nada, While the data obtained vrere "by no means'' as'" im-' 

 pressive as those from the' State of Maine, definite tho^agh small increases Vrere 

 recorded from Nevr Brunswick .and Prince Edward Island, Unfortuna te].y; a decrease 

 was recorded ffir Nova Scotia., In that Province the Chief Federal Migratory Bird 

 Officer was .i*eported as 'being disturbed oy the' continuing decrease in the numhers 

 of this species.- 



Reports from Canadian sources on the status of these "birds in the vicinity of 

 Ottawa, Ontario, indicated, no cha,nge over a three-year period. 



Studies inthre^ areas in Pennsylvania hy the Cooperative Wildlife Research 

 Unit at State College showed no change in one, a definite loss in anothi^r (which has 

 deteriora.ted environmentally)., p^nfl. a moderate gain in the third. The report con- 

 cludes with the statement "as far as I can tell from our checks (which have "been 

 extensive), we have ahout as many birds as last year," 



Reports from Minnesota, indicated an unexpectedly good supply of Woodcock in 

 that State. •■;.•■ 



In summation, the spririg migration a.nd "breeding groiind studies of this species 

 yielded the most fa.vora.lDle reports to "be received for several years. These were 

 later borne out by a report from the Ma.ine Cooperative Unit to the effect that the 

 fall flights were very good and that in many parts of the State they werp the 

 heaviest in severa.l years. A smiliar report was received from Illinois. Over the 

 range as a whole, however, and proba,hly due in part to erra.tic weather conditions, 

 the fall flight did not measure up to expectations "and in gross analysis', the 

 reports for tha.t season actually showed a slight decrease v;hen compared with 

 similar data for the fall of l9ln. 



7 



