
frosts. On windy evenings many birds which went to the fields remained 
only a few seconds before flying away. Bright, sunny days were nearly 
always followed by evenings on which few birds were found in the fields. 
Fog reduced visibility to the point where only birds within a few feet 
of the hunter could be seen. Of all factors influencing the activities 
eae birds and the success of the hunter, weather had the greatest 
effect. 
5. Moon phase.--There was an inverse relationship between the 
intensity of Illumination from the moon and the number of woodcock which 
appeared in the nighttime feeding fields. The maximum number was found 
with no moon, and the minimum number with a full moon. The lighter the 
night, the more dense the cover sought by woodcock. A similar relation- 
ship existed between a clear sky with bright stars but no moon. Since 
woodcock feed in more open areas on dark nights than on light ones, they 
were easiest to locate when the moon was down, the field vegetation wet 
and the stars masked by a heavy layer of clouds. 
6. Time of night in field.-+ocdcock activity on the nocturnal feed- 
ing sites influenced the ease with which birds were sighted. They arrived 
at the feeding sites just before darkness and fed until about 10:30 p. m., 
at which time many of them moved into clumps of vegetation and remained 
inactive until about 3:CO a. m. when they resumed feeding. There was 
apparently a direct relationship between activity of the bird and eye 
reflection. Because of the more brilliant eye reflection or perhaps 
because of the larger pupil size woodcock were easier to locate when their 
activities were at a peak. 
7. Frequency of visits to field.--Frequency of visits influenced 
the number ot birds which used a field. It was believed that because of 
the small percentage of repeats (5-10%) the disturbance which resulted 
from banding caused woodcock to desert their feeding fields. Their num- 
bers decreased sharply when fields were visited two or more times per 
week, When fewer trips were made to each field each season, it was pos-~ 
sible to be more selective of nights. Obviously going to fields only 
on nights that were known to be conducive to woodcock feeding resulted 
in a higher average number of woodcock being observed per man hour. 
Visits to fields by illegal night hunters resulted in a drastic reduction 
in number of birds ina field. 
8, Relationship of location of feeding field to daytime habitat.-~ 
Although the relationship between location of nocturnal feeding sites 
and daytime cover was not thoroughly investigated, it is believed that 
it had an important bearing on the number of birds using a field. Those 
fields which were utilized intensively either adjoined or were surrounded 
by large blocks of swampland. 
9. Agricultural practices and natural succession.--Woodcock pre- 
ferred feeding sites whic d cover about knee high or higher that was 
interspersed with small areas on which the grass was clipped very short 
