of stops. For example, 5 birds were reported in 1961 for 10 
stops on route 14 in Connecticut, and 8 birds were reported 
for 11 stops along the same route in 1962. For comparison 
purposes, the 8 birds in 1962 were reduced to 7 birds at 10 
stops that year. In most instances, the necessary adjust- 
ments were slight (table 1). The results of counts on indi- 
ake routes covered in 1961 and 1962 are shown in tables 
and 5. 
Weighting Factors 
When survey information from different States and Provinces 
is combined, it must be weighted because the number of routes in 
each area is not related to woodcock population size. Adequate 
figures on population density in suitable breeding habitat are 
lacking. As a substitute, the average numbers of woodcock per 
route were weighted according to the uneultivated areas of each 
State or Province, adjusted in a few cases for large portions 
that occur in ecological regions where there is no woodcock 
habitat. The relative sizes of areas are shown in table 2. 
Further details are in the 1960 Woodcock Status Report (U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service, Special Scientific Report--Wildlife 
No. 50). It is realized that mich unfavorable nesting habitat 
is included. 
Results 
Table 1 shows the changes between 1961 and 1962 in total 
woodcock reported on survey routes, adjusted only for varying 
“Yramber of stops along the same route in the 2 years. Popula- 
tion changes are shown in table 2. The population index 
declined 3 percent in the Eastern Region from 1961 to 1962 
and showed no change in the Western Region. The overall 
change in both regions combined was a 2 percent decline. 
Counts were available this year for comparable routes 
run in Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa. Routes in 
these States had not been covered for 2 consecutive years 
in 1961. Thus the comparisons made here and in last year's 
Woodcock Status Report (No. 58) do not relate to exactly the 
Same areas. There was little difference when counts in the 
additional States were eliminated, however. The weighted 
change in the continental population from 1961 to 1962 was 
a 3-percent decline. Changes also were slight when counts 
for each State and Province were unweighted (total woodcock, 
-2 percent; adjusted total woodcock, -3 percent). 
