WOODCOCK CENSUS STUDIES IN THS NORTHEAST - 1949 
Howard L. Mendall 
Yor 13 years the personnel staff of the Maine Gcoverative Wildlife 
Hesearch Unit has conducted a census of woodcock by the "singing ground ecu * 
method on permanent tensus areme in eastern Meire, In 1949 the writer tre 
anéleted in the work by Malcolm W. Goulter anc F. L. Fut: on the Percheeot 
County areas, and ty Eldon Glart, John M. Dudley, and 2. [. Rear@en on the 
Washington County areas. 
The regulte of these studies are shown in Tah]e 1. aA few exvlonations 
may be desirable for the benefit of readers of srevious yeara’ revorts. Last 
year the Edmunds census area was revised and enlarged in size. In the 1948 
report data were #iven for only the orisinal hourdaries, but in the preae t 
report the 1948 data are included for the revised ic make them comparable with 
thie year's figures. It should also be explained that the Alton area, maintain- 
ed in previcus yeara 6: 8 "cooperator area", 1s now included ae one of the Init's 
CeHkuf Areas, 
Ae may be eeen from Table 1, a decrease of 10.4 percent in the populetion 
of breeding woodcock occurred in 1949. The reason for this decrease is diffi- 
cult to explain aince hunting presmure wat apparently quite light last fall. 
It is possible that the heavy flood of May, 1948 (which ie kmown to have cauaed 
some losees to nesting woadcock) had more serious consequences than wae telieved 
at that time. 
Beginning in 1945, a considerable number of new census areas have been 
egtablished throughout the New England States and New York by cooperaters who 
have reported their findings to the Maine Unit for combined tabulations. In 
addition to these data, as chown in the present revert, there were several more 
new areas established this spring in New York by the State Department of Soneer- 
vation and in Massachusetts by the Macsachusetts Cocperative Wildlife Research 
Unit. Date from there areas will be aveilable Por next year’s census studies. 
The following organizations ure now pctively cooperating in the woodcock 
census program of the Northeast: Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Game, 
New Hampehire Fich and Same Department, Yermont Fish and Game Service, Massachu- 
sette Department of Gonservation, Connecticut Board of Fisheries and Geme, New 
York Conservation Department, Maine Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Mage- 
achugette Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, and U. 8. Fish and Wildlife 
Service. In addition, a nomber of private individuals interested in ornithology 
and conservation are assleting materially. The work is proving of increasing 
Value annually as more comparative population data pre available. Coverage 
throughout the aorthesetern etatee is now very food, although it would be 
deplrable if some additional sarees could be established in New Perpehire. 
Table 2 gives the results of the 1949 census an the cooperator areas, A 
slight increace oceurred in Maine (in contrast to the eastern Maine data of 
Table 1), largely as a result of favorgble populetione in the weaters pert of 
the State: a slight incresee alec occurred in New Tork. More noticeacle 
increases were recorded for New Hampehire, Yermont, Macsachusetts, and Sonnecti- 
ent. 
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