Use the "Explore Data" button in the menu bar above to access visualizations of the movements described below!
Summer 2025
03 July 2025.
It's been so long since the last update, I'm not sure I even remember what a woodcock is...
Just kidding. We'll never forget these goofy birds or their quirky habits! The in the last three months, a lot has happened in the lives of our feathered friends and those of us that research them (but we'll focus on the birds):
- Kylie found a total of 20 nests in West Virginia, doubling her count from 2024!
- Kylie, Erik & the WVDNR tagged 30 woodcock in the state, 19 of which are still active and will transmit locations through the end of this month (see below!).
- One of the WV tagging sites may win the 'oddest place to catch woodcock' prize, as it was a field adjacent to a Lowe's Home Improvement store parking lot.
- One of the birds tagged near Lowe's, second year female WV-2025-85, inexplicably made a 300km eastward migration into Maryland in the last week.
- 9 birds tagged in West Virginia in 2024 checked in, and all but one returned to the same breeding areas as last year.
- Finally, the Louisiana 2024 birds maaaay give us a few more locations, but it seems the batteries on those tags are mostly spent. These birds displayed remarkably consistent behaviors to spring 2024, including several returning to within 100s of meters of their 2024 breeding areas, and the odd southward migration of LA-2024-54 from the top of Michigan's lower peninsula to near the Ohio-Indiana border during the month of May (stay tuned for a potential 'site fidelity' page).
It's been so long since the last update, I'm not sure I even remember what a woodcock is...
Just kidding. We'll never forget these goofy birds or their quirky habits! The in the last three months, a lot has happened in the lives of our feathered friends and those of us that research them (but we'll focus on the birds):
- Kylie found a total of 20 nests in West Virginia, doubling her count from 2024!
- Kylie, Erik & the WVDNR tagged 30 woodcock in the state, 19 of which are still active and will transmit locations through the end of this month (see below!).
- One of the WV tagging sites may win the 'oddest place to catch woodcock' prize, as it was a field adjacent to a Lowe's Home Improvement store parking lot.
- One of the birds tagged near Lowe's, second year female WV-2025-85, inexplicably made a 300km eastward migration into Maryland in the last week.
- 9 birds tagged in West Virginia in 2024 checked in, and all but one returned to the same breeding areas as last year.
- Finally, the Louisiana 2024 birds maaaay give us a few more locations, but it seems the batteries on those tags are mostly spent. These birds displayed remarkably consistent behaviors to spring 2024, including several returning to within 100s of meters of their 2024 breeding areas, and the odd southward migration of LA-2024-54 from the top of Michigan's lower peninsula to near the Ohio-Indiana border during the month of May (stay tuned for a potential 'site fidelity' page).
Spring 2025
02 April 2025.
Our 2024 Louisiana birds continue to strut their stuff (some of them quite literally, we imagine), with 8 birds sending locations from the last month. Most of them are following very similar migratory paths as they did during their spring 2024 migration. Here's a summary of their most recent locations:
- 5 males checked in (LA-2024-44, 45, 49, 54 and 61), from northwestern Minnesota, central Wisconsin, western Wisconsin, the central lower peninsula of Michigan, and southern Ontario, respectively.
- 2 females checked in (LA-2024-39 & 66), from the western lower peninsula of Michigan and southern Ontario, respectively.
- LA-2024-62, a bird exactly in the middle of all measurements we use to determine sex, has also checked in, also from southern Ontario.
Stay tuned for more data from these birds, and for a new group of tagged birds from West Virginia in late April!
26 March 2025.
There may be snow on the ground here in Maine, but that's not stopping woodcock from commencing their breeding season! Females are nesting as of last Friday in West Virginia, and males are continuing to push north, with woodcock confirmed to be present in Maine as of mid-March. Since the last update in mid-March, LA-2024-56 has remained in southern Ohio, and 4 additional Louisiana 2024 males have checked in:
- LA-2024-49 moved from central Louisiana to western Arkansas as of mid-February.
- LA-2024-45 jumped from Mississippi to Illinois, and is in Wisconsin as of March 18th.
- LA-2024-54 trekked from northern Alabama to West Virginia by the beginning of March, and since mid-March is near my alma mater in Ann Arbor, Michigan (go blue!).
- LA-2024-55 seemed to make a fairly direct flight from his 2024 capture site in Louisiana to northeastern Indiana between March 4th and 11th.
11 March 2025.
Spring migration is upon us! Not only has Kylie confirmed that woodcock are present in West Viriginia, but we can confirm a couple of our 2024 Louisiana birds are currently making their way north!
- LA-2024-56, an after third year male, was stationary in central Louisiana as of January 28, but since this date made big moves northeast, stopping for at least a week in central Tennessee (February 4-11), and was in southern Ohio on February 25.
- LA-2024-66, a third year female, moved from central to northern Louisiana between February 4 and 11, and remains stationary in northern Louisiana as of February 25.
These birds are collecting locations once a week to preserve battery life. If we are lucky enough that their transmitters continue functioning, and they are lucky enough to survive cold snaps, predation, and other migratory hazards, we should have more data from them in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned!
18 February 2025.
Over the last few weeks, we have received check-ins from 18 of our West Virginia 'Lazarus' birds from Spring 2024, and have seen the last of the check-ins from 2024's Nova Scotia birds at the end of January (most remain stationary in North Carolina).
10 of our West Virginia 2024 birds checked in from the southwest corner of their range (Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas & Mississippi). WV-2024-58 (third year male) is apparently keen for the 2025 breeding season, checking in from southern Illinois the first three days of February!
We received a few more data points from 6 of our 2024 Louisiana birds, and as of mid-January all remain stationary in Louisiana and Mississippi.
Our 2024 Louisiana birds continue to strut their stuff (some of them quite literally, we imagine), with 8 birds sending locations from the last month. Most of them are following very similar migratory paths as they did during their spring 2024 migration. Here's a summary of their most recent locations:
- 5 males checked in (LA-2024-44, 45, 49, 54 and 61), from northwestern Minnesota, central Wisconsin, western Wisconsin, the central lower peninsula of Michigan, and southern Ontario, respectively.
- 2 females checked in (LA-2024-39 & 66), from the western lower peninsula of Michigan and southern Ontario, respectively.
- LA-2024-62, a bird exactly in the middle of all measurements we use to determine sex, has also checked in, also from southern Ontario.
Stay tuned for more data from these birds, and for a new group of tagged birds from West Virginia in late April!
26 March 2025.
There may be snow on the ground here in Maine, but that's not stopping woodcock from commencing their breeding season! Females are nesting as of last Friday in West Virginia, and males are continuing to push north, with woodcock confirmed to be present in Maine as of mid-March. Since the last update in mid-March, LA-2024-56 has remained in southern Ohio, and 4 additional Louisiana 2024 males have checked in:
- LA-2024-49 moved from central Louisiana to western Arkansas as of mid-February.
- LA-2024-45 jumped from Mississippi to Illinois, and is in Wisconsin as of March 18th.
- LA-2024-54 trekked from northern Alabama to West Virginia by the beginning of March, and since mid-March is near my alma mater in Ann Arbor, Michigan (go blue!).
- LA-2024-55 seemed to make a fairly direct flight from his 2024 capture site in Louisiana to northeastern Indiana between March 4th and 11th.
11 March 2025.
Spring migration is upon us! Not only has Kylie confirmed that woodcock are present in West Viriginia, but we can confirm a couple of our 2024 Louisiana birds are currently making their way north!
- LA-2024-56, an after third year male, was stationary in central Louisiana as of January 28, but since this date made big moves northeast, stopping for at least a week in central Tennessee (February 4-11), and was in southern Ohio on February 25.
- LA-2024-66, a third year female, moved from central to northern Louisiana between February 4 and 11, and remains stationary in northern Louisiana as of February 25.
These birds are collecting locations once a week to preserve battery life. If we are lucky enough that their transmitters continue functioning, and they are lucky enough to survive cold snaps, predation, and other migratory hazards, we should have more data from them in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned!
18 February 2025.
Over the last few weeks, we have received check-ins from 18 of our West Virginia 'Lazarus' birds from Spring 2024, and have seen the last of the check-ins from 2024's Nova Scotia birds at the end of January (most remain stationary in North Carolina).
10 of our West Virginia 2024 birds checked in from the southwest corner of their range (Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas & Mississippi). WV-2024-58 (third year male) is apparently keen for the 2025 breeding season, checking in from southern Illinois the first three days of February!
We received a few more data points from 6 of our 2024 Louisiana birds, and as of mid-January all remain stationary in Louisiana and Mississippi.
Winter 2025
16 January 2025.
Nine of our 2024 Nova Scotia birds continue to check in and remain stationary, with one exception: NS-2024-35, a (now) second year male, decided to quit southern Virginia, and moved about 100km south to an area east of Raleigh, North Carolina. NS-2024-24 continues to make small movements on the southwest coast of Nova Scotia.
Additionally, LA-2024-49, a now third year male we tagged in eastern Louisiana on January 9, 2024 and that bred in Manitoba last spring, returned to central Louisiana and remains stationary (and presumably alive) as of yesterday! We are very fortunate to receive locations from 3 seasons of this bird's life, which will make significant contributions to site fidelity and connectivity analyses in the near future.
Check out our mapping tool below to track the journey of our fall 2024 tagged birds, and check-ins from some of our January 2024 Louisiana birds!
13 January 2025.
All of our birds remain stationary in their wintering locations noted over the last few updates, though it seems the batteries on some units may be on their last legs. Hopefully we'll catch a few more winter movements before they peter out entirely!
10 January 2025.
All but one of our Nova Scotia birds continue in their stationary positions in North Carolina and Virginia, and NS-2024-24 remains stationary on the southwestern coast of Nova Scotia, still making 200m movements every few days. He may still be hanging on, an impressive feat for one so small!
NS-2024-36, a hatch year male thus far wintering in northern Virginia, gave the cold shoulder to the winter storm that swept through the mid-Atlantic states earlier this week, moving to North Carolina by January 7, and further toward the coast by January 8, for a total of about 500km.
02 January 2025.
Happy 2025! Many of our Nova Scotia birds continue in their stationary positions, almost exclusively in North Carolina and Virginia, with NS-2024-18 bucking the trend by wintering in Louisiana. NS-2024-24 remains stationary on the southwestern coast of the province as of early this morning; his last movement >200m was on December 21.
We have not received check-ins from any additional birds from our Louisiana 2024 group, though LA-2024-61 has checked in from the Nashville area as recently as December 31, seeming to move about 1km between December 23 and 24.
Nine of our 2024 Nova Scotia birds continue to check in and remain stationary, with one exception: NS-2024-35, a (now) second year male, decided to quit southern Virginia, and moved about 100km south to an area east of Raleigh, North Carolina. NS-2024-24 continues to make small movements on the southwest coast of Nova Scotia.
Additionally, LA-2024-49, a now third year male we tagged in eastern Louisiana on January 9, 2024 and that bred in Manitoba last spring, returned to central Louisiana and remains stationary (and presumably alive) as of yesterday! We are very fortunate to receive locations from 3 seasons of this bird's life, which will make significant contributions to site fidelity and connectivity analyses in the near future.
Check out our mapping tool below to track the journey of our fall 2024 tagged birds, and check-ins from some of our January 2024 Louisiana birds!
13 January 2025.
All of our birds remain stationary in their wintering locations noted over the last few updates, though it seems the batteries on some units may be on their last legs. Hopefully we'll catch a few more winter movements before they peter out entirely!
10 January 2025.
All but one of our Nova Scotia birds continue in their stationary positions in North Carolina and Virginia, and NS-2024-24 remains stationary on the southwestern coast of Nova Scotia, still making 200m movements every few days. He may still be hanging on, an impressive feat for one so small!
NS-2024-36, a hatch year male thus far wintering in northern Virginia, gave the cold shoulder to the winter storm that swept through the mid-Atlantic states earlier this week, moving to North Carolina by January 7, and further toward the coast by January 8, for a total of about 500km.
02 January 2025.
Happy 2025! Many of our Nova Scotia birds continue in their stationary positions, almost exclusively in North Carolina and Virginia, with NS-2024-18 bucking the trend by wintering in Louisiana. NS-2024-24 remains stationary on the southwestern coast of the province as of early this morning; his last movement >200m was on December 21.
We have not received check-ins from any additional birds from our Louisiana 2024 group, though LA-2024-61 has checked in from the Nashville area as recently as December 31, seeming to move about 1km between December 23 and 24.
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