Woodcock Watch! at Fields Pond

The display of male American woodcock, termed the “Sky Dance” by Aldo Leopold, is one of the first hallmarks of spring when the birds migrate back to Maine from their wintering grounds in the southeast US.  The US Fish and Wildlife Service uses counts of calling male woodcock on their singing grounds to monitor populations, and these surveys suggest woodcock have declined over the last half-century. Using new GPS tracking technology, researchers at the University of Maine have been leading efforts across the eastern US and Canada to learn more about woodcock migration, including how well singing ground surveys match the timing of woodcock migration.  During this program, we will discuss the biology of woodcock breeding and migration, highlight new findings that have been made possible with GPS tracking technology, and then observe displaying male woodcock at twilight on the Fields Pond property.

Erik Blomberg is an Associate Professor of Wildlife Population Ecology and the chair of the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology at the University of Maine. His research often focuses on species of upland game birds, including woodcock, grouse, and wild turkeys.

April 11, 6:15 pm

Location: Fields Pond Audubon

Price: $8 members, $10 nonmembers