Out of the remaining 53 birds, 18 were recaptured giving a minimum 
recovery of 3) percent and suggesting a replacement of 66 percent of last 
year's adult males. The actual replacement is undoubtedly lower for two 
reasons. Several of the birds taken in 1950 wre trapped before and i 
during the height of the migration. Ags discussed in a previous section 
the changes are that many of these are resident birds. However, in the 
instance of site #1 where different males were captured on successive 
nights in late March and early April it would seem probable some were 
migrants. Thus, the recovery figure would be somewhat higher. Secondly, 
as demonstrated by trapping results discussed under the section on homing 
instincts it is probable some males had returned to new singing grounds 
not covered by this year's trapping operations. The best estimate in 
the writer's opinion would be a minimum return of 37 percent of last 
year's adult males. 
The annual census on Prescott peninsula, Quabbin Reservation re- 
vealed a population substantially the same as 1950. Using a production 
potential of 3.88 chicks per pair (Mendall and Aldous 1943) and assum- 
ing an even sex ratio these results indicate an approximate annual 
mortality rate of 63 percent of the adults and 67 percent of the juveniles. 
It is further assumed of course that the 63 percent replacement is made up 
of young produced the previous year. Such figures suggest an extremely 
low mortality of woodcock chicks and what would appear a high mortality 
of adults. The results in subsequent seasons may throw additional light 
on the validity of these figures which are quite inadequate. 
Woodcock Breeding Population in Quabbin Reservation 
Mendall and Aldous (1943) pointed out the possible importance of 
setting aside refuges for woodcocks as a productive management technique. 
At the present stage of vegetative succession Quabbin Reservation 
comprises 88,000 acres of upland, much of which is excellent woodcock 
breeding habitat. Since the area is closed to all hunting it is the 
writer's opinion that at present it acts as a large woodcock breeding 
refuge. 
Method of fstimating Woodcock Population in Quabbin Reservation.-- 
Except under very unusual circumstances a Singing woodcock cannot be 
heard farther than slightly over 200 yards from the road. Most of our 
trapping sites were well under this distance. In certain terrain there 
must have been some birds within this distance which were not audible. 
It was estimated that a mile of road covered a maximum band of cover 
lO yards wide totaling 160 acres. By measuring the total miles traveled 
in the reservation and counting only singing sites an over-all total of 
acres per breeding pair was calculated for the area covered. Since 
trapping demonstrated that there were usually more singing males in a 
stretch of road than sites it is believed the estimate is a conservative 
one. 
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