Use the "Explore Data" button in the menu bar above to access visualizations of the movements described below!
Winter 2024
05 February 2024.
Of the 37 birds tagged in Louisiana in early January, 25 have checked in, and all but one remain stationary at their tagging sites. One adult male moved from his tagging site in east-central Louisiana to northwestern Alabama between February 1 and 4, a distance of about 500km!
A few birds tagged in the spring in West Virginia and New York also checked in, though only a few provided location data, from southern Virginia, Arkansas, and Florida.
23 January 2024.
Welcome to the first movement update of 2024! The week of January 8, we visited Louisiana and with the help of the Louisiana DNR, deployed 37 tags in three nights, a project record! Most of those birds will begin regularly checking in the first week of February, as will birds tagged last spring in New York and West Virginia. Stay tuned for those regular updates!
We did have a few more check-ins from NS-2023-16, who apparently did not feel the need to leave southwest Nova Scotia. His last check-in was January 5, in the same area about 500 meters from the ocean! The area had not received much snow up to that point, which may be why he lingered there so long. We have not received any further updates, and thus expect the GPS battery is depleted.
Of the 37 birds tagged in Louisiana in early January, 25 have checked in, and all but one remain stationary at their tagging sites. One adult male moved from his tagging site in east-central Louisiana to northwestern Alabama between February 1 and 4, a distance of about 500km!
A few birds tagged in the spring in West Virginia and New York also checked in, though only a few provided location data, from southern Virginia, Arkansas, and Florida.
23 January 2024.
Welcome to the first movement update of 2024! The week of January 8, we visited Louisiana and with the help of the Louisiana DNR, deployed 37 tags in three nights, a project record! Most of those birds will begin regularly checking in the first week of February, as will birds tagged last spring in New York and West Virginia. Stay tuned for those regular updates!
We did have a few more check-ins from NS-2023-16, who apparently did not feel the need to leave southwest Nova Scotia. His last check-in was January 5, in the same area about 500 meters from the ocean! The area had not received much snow up to that point, which may be why he lingered there so long. We have not received any further updates, and thus expect the GPS battery is depleted.
Fall 2023
11 December 2023.
- NS-2023-16 is poised to cross the Gulf of Maine! From 12/3 - 12/6, this bird moved 50-75km southwest per day, making it to within 2km of the coast by 12/6. From 12/7 until this morning, he's been hunkered down about 500m from the ocean, about 15km north of Yarmouth, NS.
- WI-2023-01 checked in again, and has remained in the southeast corner of Oklahoma for the past month.
01 December 2023.
The last few days have been relatively quiet for our birds, with NS-2023-13, 14 and 15 all remaining stationary in New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut respectively.
However, NS-2023-16 seems to have finally caught the migration bug, and overnight from 11/29 to 11/30 moved about 50km southwest from his location near Cobequid Bay, NS. It seems he'll soon follow the other males in making an overwater crossing to the US. Stay tuned for further details on his progress!
27 November 2023 (updated 28 Nov.).
More action from our Nova Soctia birds! We caught another 2 of them over the water in the last few days:
- NS-2023-14 moved on from Halifax on the evening of 11/21, crossed over the Bay of Fundy and took a one day stopover northeast of Acadia National Park. The evening of 11/23, he kept moving, and we caught him at 3 different points off the coast of Maine! He's been stationary in central Rhode Island the last several days.
- NS-2023-13 remained stationary south of his capture site until the evening of 11/24. The evening of 11/25 he was flew southwest and stopped for the night near Lake Rossignol. Last night (evening of 11/26) he was on the move again, starting to cross the Gulf of Maine near Yarmouth, seemingly on a similar trajectory as NS-2023-15. We are eagerly awaiting more data from this bird!
UPDATE 28 Nov: NS-2023-13 flew due west across the Gulf of Maine yesterday, and made landfall near Portland, ME. This morning he is on the ground in southern New Hampshire.
22 November 2023.
On the evening of 11/20, we captured our first overwater crossing of 2023!
- NS-2023-15 took off from north of Yarmouth, NS, was midway over the Gulf of Maine just before midnight on 11/20, and by 24 hours later (the evening of 11/21), he was securly in northeast Connecticut, USA.
- NS-2023-14 also made a migratory movement, flying 75km from Murchyville, NS, passing over Halifax, and arriving in the West Commons area by 11/22.
17 November 2023.
The birds we tagged in Nova Scotia one month ago are starting to check in! The birds run the gamut of being stationary, making short (<20km) movements, and in the case of NS-2023-15, beginning to make migratory movements.
- NS-2023-16 moved 15km northwest of his tagging site, and is near Cobequid Bay, NS.
- NS-2023-14 moved 10km southeast from his tagging site to Murchyville, NS.
- The most impressive movement was from NS-2023-15, who was stationary north of Stewaicke, NS, as of 11/15. By 11/16, he moved more than 300km to the (south)western coast, and by 11/17 was 20km directly north of Yarmouth, NS!
- WI-2023-02, a second year male, was stationary at his tagging site, Buena Vista Marsh in central Wisconsin, as of 11/15.
14 November 2023.
The last few weeks have mostly been quiet, as our New York and West Virginia transmitters deployed in Spring 2023 (mostly) remain dormant. We expect a lot of activity in the coming month, however, as the Nova Scotia transmitters deployed last month are set to begin taking nightly locations this week. Stay tuned, this page will be updated at least weekly as this data comes in!
We did have a couple check-ins in the last few weeks, as follows:
- NY-2023-49 checked in on 11/1 from Allegany State Park in southwestern New York.
- WI-2023-01 checked in again, and made some big moves! On October 26, this female was still stationary at Blackhoof River Wildlife Management Area in Minnesota, but by November 5, she moved more than 1000km south to southeastern Oklahoma!
26 October 2023.
The last several weeks have been busy for the humans involved in this project, preparing for and traveling to Nova Scotia for another round of fall deployments there. In contrast to last year, when the province was in drought, this year was WET! This wet weather increased suitable habitat for woodcock (great for the birds!), which means their density across the landscape and at particular sites (such as the one in Pleasant Valley) is much lower (making captures more challenging).
Due to very low activity at the Pleasant Valley site, we established a new site about 30 minutes south, and also used spotlighting to capture birds in a nearby blown down grain field. We captured 6 birds in total, and deployed GPS units on 5 of them (all males). These units are programmed to gather data about the routes woodcock use to leave the province starting in mid-November (see the October 2 update for more information).
WI-2023-01 checked in again, and was stationary at Blackhoof River Wildlife Management Area in Minnesota from October 6 - 21. All other birds' units remain dormant.
02 October 2023.
We are now past mid-September, our project's unofficial start of the "Fall" season!
Fittingly, one of our birds tagged in Wisconsin in May 2023, WI-2023-01, checked in yesterday! We last heard from this second year female on June 29, when she was about 75km northwest of Duluth, Minnesota. Yesterday, she was about 50km due west of Duluth. We look forward to seeing where she goes next!
In case you've missed our most recent updates, several of us will be heading to Nova Scotia in a couple of weeks to deploy another batch of GPS units on woodcock in the province. We're hoping to capture more data on the routes the birds use in their fall migrations, specifically looking at crossings of the Bay of Fundy and Gulf of Maine. More details soon!
Summer 2023
11 September 2023.
As was reported at the end of August, all of our birds have remained stationary in their summer locations. Our spring and summer birds' GPS units have entered a period of GPS 'dormancy' in order to preserve their battery life, hopefully until the 2024 breeding season. This is a new type of schedule, created to examine breeding site fidelity in the species.
In other news, several of us will be heading to Nova Scotia in about a month to deploy another batch of GPS units on birds in the province. We're hoping to capture more data on the routes the birds use in their fall migrations, specifically looking at Bay of Fundy/Gulf of Maine crossings.
28 August 2023.
From the beginning of August until now, all of our birds have remained stationary in their summer locations. Many of our spring and summer birds have stopped gathering regular locations, entering a period of GPS 'dormancy'. These units will not collect points for several months in order to preserve their battery life. By modifying the GPS schedule in this way, we should be able to capture 2024 breeding season data, which we will use to examine breeding site fidelity in the species.
07 August 2023.
Most of the birds tagged this spring/early summer in New York and West Virginia have been stationary since our May update. After some GPS programming challenges, our New York collaborators made a valiant push, deploying 8 of their 10 transmitters in full green-up conditions. These birds remained stationary in their capture locations throughout upstate New York. The exceptions are WV-2023-20, a female, moved north from her tagging location in West Virginia and settled in Petroglyphs Provincial Park in Ontario, and another female, WV-2023-23, moved north and settled in to central Pennsylvania for the summer.
Our winter-tagged Louisiana birds stopped uploading data in July at the latest; we may hear from these birds during this fall migration, or the transmitters' batteries may be spent, depending on the location collection schedule.
We had a few check-ins from our Fall 2022 Vermont birds, with two migrating to breeding areas in New Brunswick, a female remaining on her wintering grounds in North Carolina to breed, and one male returning to Vermont's Silvio O. Conte refuge, almost exactly where we captured him.
As was reported at the end of August, all of our birds have remained stationary in their summer locations. Our spring and summer birds' GPS units have entered a period of GPS 'dormancy' in order to preserve their battery life, hopefully until the 2024 breeding season. This is a new type of schedule, created to examine breeding site fidelity in the species.
In other news, several of us will be heading to Nova Scotia in about a month to deploy another batch of GPS units on birds in the province. We're hoping to capture more data on the routes the birds use in their fall migrations, specifically looking at Bay of Fundy/Gulf of Maine crossings.
28 August 2023.
From the beginning of August until now, all of our birds have remained stationary in their summer locations. Many of our spring and summer birds have stopped gathering regular locations, entering a period of GPS 'dormancy'. These units will not collect points for several months in order to preserve their battery life. By modifying the GPS schedule in this way, we should be able to capture 2024 breeding season data, which we will use to examine breeding site fidelity in the species.
07 August 2023.
Most of the birds tagged this spring/early summer in New York and West Virginia have been stationary since our May update. After some GPS programming challenges, our New York collaborators made a valiant push, deploying 8 of their 10 transmitters in full green-up conditions. These birds remained stationary in their capture locations throughout upstate New York. The exceptions are WV-2023-20, a female, moved north from her tagging location in West Virginia and settled in Petroglyphs Provincial Park in Ontario, and another female, WV-2023-23, moved north and settled in to central Pennsylvania for the summer.
Our winter-tagged Louisiana birds stopped uploading data in July at the latest; we may hear from these birds during this fall migration, or the transmitters' batteries may be spent, depending on the location collection schedule.
We had a few check-ins from our Fall 2022 Vermont birds, with two migrating to breeding areas in New Brunswick, a female remaining on her wintering grounds in North Carolina to breed, and one male returning to Vermont's Silvio O. Conte refuge, almost exactly where we captured him.
Spring Migration 2023
08 May 2023.
Our woodcock have mostly settled down for the spring, with all stationary except for LA-2023-17 and
LA-2023-25. LA-2023-17 moved from central Wisconsin in mid-April to the shore of Lake Superior, where this young male spent at least two weeks. He then moved about 200km northwest to northern Minnesota by 5/4. LA-2023-25, also a young male, last checked in at the beginning of April from central Wisconsin, and since then has moved north about 450km to Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Our collaborators in New York recently deployed a couple of GPS transmitters which are just starting to check in. More details to follow in the coming weeks!
01 May 2023.
In the last two weeks, we've been busy, but our woodcock...not so much. The last week of April included a trip to West Virginia to deploy GPS units on birds there, with great success! We put out 17 transmitters in 5 days, and expect them to start checking in this week.
Most birds have stayed put over the last couple of weeks, and many have likely settled into their breeding territories. LA-2023-23 moved within 15km of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Quebec. NS-2022-10 checked in for the first time since the fall, and was in central Massachusetts as of 3/30. We also tagged two birds in Wisconsin in mid-April, and they started checking in. WI-2023-01, a female, moved to Moose Lake, MN, as of 4/22, and WI-2023-02, a male, has remained where he was tagged.
21 April 2023.
Only a couple movements to report since earlier this week, from SC-2023-26 and LA-2023-26.
SC-2023-26 isn't messing around - she spent a few days in Pennsylvania, then continued moving north, first to the outskirts of Montreal by 4/16, to Trois-Rivières by 4/18, and almost to Saguenay, QC by 4/20. LA-2023-26 spent about a week in the southern part of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and by 4/14 had moved about 100km north, not far from Marquette.
17 April 2023.
Several check-ins to note this week: LA-2023-23 continues to amaze, moving even further north, all the way to the Gulf of St. Lawrence! I'm rooting for this male to make it all the way to Newfoundland and Labrador. NS-2022-07, a hatch-year male, last heard from last month in Pennsylvania, checked-in from eastern Nova Scotia.
We also saw a large movement from SC-2023-26 this week, moving from a nest in South Carolina to Scranton Pennsylvania. Studying female woodcock, we are finding that if they attempt to nest and the nest fails, they often will move northward before attempting to nest again. This is likely what happened with SC-2023-26.
10 April 2023.
This week we had our first check-ins from SC-2023-26, a nesting female recently tagged in South Carolina. LA-2023-26 made a 500km movement north into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, while LA-2023-31, our second year male with 'cold feet' in Iowa, seems to have warmed up, making a large move north into Wisconsin, then directly west into Minnesota.
03 April 2023.
A couple big movements this week, with LA-2023-23 continuing his northward push, moving 500km north along the St. Lawrence River as of 4/3! We had a surprise check-in from one of our Nova Scotia birds, NS-2022-10, who moved from balmy North Carolina sometime in the last couple of weeks to central Massachusetts as of 3/23, where he remains as of 3/30. We aren't sure how much longer the battery in his transmitter will last, so we are happy to see him check-in at all!
31 March 2023.
There has been little activity since the check-ins on 3/27, other than a 300km movement northward by LA-2023-25 from northeast Missouri into southern Wisconsin. Stay tuned for more movement reports next week!
27 March 2023.
Louisiana birds are mostly hanging tight in the same locations as last week, Missouri, Illinois, and Wisconsin. One bird remains in Iowa, and LA-2023-23 moved about 900km from southern Indiana into southern Quebec as of 3/25.
20 March 2023.
More woodcock are on the move! One male Louisiana bird has made it all the way to central Wisconsin, and VT-2022-29 and 31 have moved north to New Jersey and Pennsylvania, respectively. All of our check-ins this week are males, which makes sense given they arrive on breeding grounds before females. Our northernmost females most recently checked-in on 3/10 from Missouri and North Carolina.
15 March 2023.
Only a few new check-ins since the 13th, with all but one bird in a holding pattern. Instead of staying east of Des Moines, Iowa, sometime between the evening of 3/6 and the evening of 3/7, LA-2023-31, a second year male, decided to fly more than 100km southward! As this is his first migration northward, it's possible he's getting cold feet, pushing north so quickly (pun intended).
13 March 2023.
Timberdoodles from Louisiana, Vermont, Nova Scotia are continuing their northward march, with more than half of our currently tracked birds on the move. We had our first check-in in more than a month from a fall 2022 Nova Scotia bird, NS-2022-07, a now second year male, making his way north from North Carolina into Pennsylvania. Several Louisiana birds have moved as far north as Indiana and Illinois. Check out the interactive mapping tool below for more details!
06 March 2023.
Our birds are moving north! Almost half of the birds that checked in this week made large (>100km) movements. These birds include LA-2023-17, 23, 26 and 29. We also saw check-ins from a few 2022 tagged birds, NC-2022-40 and VT-2022-33, who both made big moves, and VT-2022-31, who is staying put in his North Carolina wintering grounds.
Two-thirds of these birds are males, but a couple females are also on the move. Spring seems to have sprung in woodcock eyes, despite the recent wintery weather in the Midwest and Northeast. Check back soon for more frequent updates as our birds keep moving!
27 February 2023.
Our partners in Louisiana tagged almost 20 birds at the end of January, and already some of them are making northward movements! See LA-2023-25, LA-2023-29, LA-2023-30, and LA-2023-31, all Second Year males, now in Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois and Arkansas, respectively. A few previously tagged birds are also moving north - AL-2022-20 is in Kentucky, and VT-2022-34, an After Hatch Year female, is in Missouri.
The rest of the Louisiana birds, and a few more tagged last year in Alabama, North and South Carolina, and Vermont, are stationary in their wintering locations, though we expect them to start moving northward soon!
Our woodcock have mostly settled down for the spring, with all stationary except for LA-2023-17 and
LA-2023-25. LA-2023-17 moved from central Wisconsin in mid-April to the shore of Lake Superior, where this young male spent at least two weeks. He then moved about 200km northwest to northern Minnesota by 5/4. LA-2023-25, also a young male, last checked in at the beginning of April from central Wisconsin, and since then has moved north about 450km to Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Our collaborators in New York recently deployed a couple of GPS transmitters which are just starting to check in. More details to follow in the coming weeks!
01 May 2023.
In the last two weeks, we've been busy, but our woodcock...not so much. The last week of April included a trip to West Virginia to deploy GPS units on birds there, with great success! We put out 17 transmitters in 5 days, and expect them to start checking in this week.
Most birds have stayed put over the last couple of weeks, and many have likely settled into their breeding territories. LA-2023-23 moved within 15km of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Quebec. NS-2022-10 checked in for the first time since the fall, and was in central Massachusetts as of 3/30. We also tagged two birds in Wisconsin in mid-April, and they started checking in. WI-2023-01, a female, moved to Moose Lake, MN, as of 4/22, and WI-2023-02, a male, has remained where he was tagged.
21 April 2023.
Only a couple movements to report since earlier this week, from SC-2023-26 and LA-2023-26.
SC-2023-26 isn't messing around - she spent a few days in Pennsylvania, then continued moving north, first to the outskirts of Montreal by 4/16, to Trois-Rivières by 4/18, and almost to Saguenay, QC by 4/20. LA-2023-26 spent about a week in the southern part of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and by 4/14 had moved about 100km north, not far from Marquette.
17 April 2023.
Several check-ins to note this week: LA-2023-23 continues to amaze, moving even further north, all the way to the Gulf of St. Lawrence! I'm rooting for this male to make it all the way to Newfoundland and Labrador. NS-2022-07, a hatch-year male, last heard from last month in Pennsylvania, checked-in from eastern Nova Scotia.
We also saw a large movement from SC-2023-26 this week, moving from a nest in South Carolina to Scranton Pennsylvania. Studying female woodcock, we are finding that if they attempt to nest and the nest fails, they often will move northward before attempting to nest again. This is likely what happened with SC-2023-26.
10 April 2023.
This week we had our first check-ins from SC-2023-26, a nesting female recently tagged in South Carolina. LA-2023-26 made a 500km movement north into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, while LA-2023-31, our second year male with 'cold feet' in Iowa, seems to have warmed up, making a large move north into Wisconsin, then directly west into Minnesota.
03 April 2023.
A couple big movements this week, with LA-2023-23 continuing his northward push, moving 500km north along the St. Lawrence River as of 4/3! We had a surprise check-in from one of our Nova Scotia birds, NS-2022-10, who moved from balmy North Carolina sometime in the last couple of weeks to central Massachusetts as of 3/23, where he remains as of 3/30. We aren't sure how much longer the battery in his transmitter will last, so we are happy to see him check-in at all!
31 March 2023.
There has been little activity since the check-ins on 3/27, other than a 300km movement northward by LA-2023-25 from northeast Missouri into southern Wisconsin. Stay tuned for more movement reports next week!
27 March 2023.
Louisiana birds are mostly hanging tight in the same locations as last week, Missouri, Illinois, and Wisconsin. One bird remains in Iowa, and LA-2023-23 moved about 900km from southern Indiana into southern Quebec as of 3/25.
20 March 2023.
More woodcock are on the move! One male Louisiana bird has made it all the way to central Wisconsin, and VT-2022-29 and 31 have moved north to New Jersey and Pennsylvania, respectively. All of our check-ins this week are males, which makes sense given they arrive on breeding grounds before females. Our northernmost females most recently checked-in on 3/10 from Missouri and North Carolina.
15 March 2023.
Only a few new check-ins since the 13th, with all but one bird in a holding pattern. Instead of staying east of Des Moines, Iowa, sometime between the evening of 3/6 and the evening of 3/7, LA-2023-31, a second year male, decided to fly more than 100km southward! As this is his first migration northward, it's possible he's getting cold feet, pushing north so quickly (pun intended).
13 March 2023.
Timberdoodles from Louisiana, Vermont, Nova Scotia are continuing their northward march, with more than half of our currently tracked birds on the move. We had our first check-in in more than a month from a fall 2022 Nova Scotia bird, NS-2022-07, a now second year male, making his way north from North Carolina into Pennsylvania. Several Louisiana birds have moved as far north as Indiana and Illinois. Check out the interactive mapping tool below for more details!
06 March 2023.
Our birds are moving north! Almost half of the birds that checked in this week made large (>100km) movements. These birds include LA-2023-17, 23, 26 and 29. We also saw check-ins from a few 2022 tagged birds, NC-2022-40 and VT-2022-33, who both made big moves, and VT-2022-31, who is staying put in his North Carolina wintering grounds.
Two-thirds of these birds are males, but a couple females are also on the move. Spring seems to have sprung in woodcock eyes, despite the recent wintery weather in the Midwest and Northeast. Check back soon for more frequent updates as our birds keep moving!
27 February 2023.
Our partners in Louisiana tagged almost 20 birds at the end of January, and already some of them are making northward movements! See LA-2023-25, LA-2023-29, LA-2023-30, and LA-2023-31, all Second Year males, now in Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois and Arkansas, respectively. A few previously tagged birds are also moving north - AL-2022-20 is in Kentucky, and VT-2022-34, an After Hatch Year female, is in Missouri.
The rest of the Louisiana birds, and a few more tagged last year in Alabama, North and South Carolina, and Vermont, are stationary in their wintering locations, though we expect them to start moving northward soon!
Winter 2023
27 January 2023.
Our birds are on a less frequent upload schedule, so only a few of them have checked in since the last update at the beginning of January. Four birds tagged this fall checked in, with three from Nova Scotia all stationary in North Carolina and one from Quebec stationary in Florida. One bird tagged in North Carolina in February 2022 is stationary approximately 60km from her tagging site.
09 January 2023.
Our Fall 2022 Vermont and Nova Scotia birds continue to be stationary. Since the last update, a few of the birds tagged in January and February 2022 have uploaded additional locations, with the most recent locations taken January 7. We're hoping the GPS batteries will hold out a little bit longer so we can gather more return data!
04 January 2023.
Our Vermont and Nova Scotia birds have been stationary over the holidays. Since the last update, 9 birds tagged during January and February of 2022 have also checked in, with several returning to within a few kilometers of their 2022 wintering grounds, and one (SC-2022-25) only 0.5km away! Other birds' locations ranged from 20km to 65km from their 2022 locations.
Our birds are on a less frequent upload schedule, so only a few of them have checked in since the last update at the beginning of January. Four birds tagged this fall checked in, with three from Nova Scotia all stationary in North Carolina and one from Quebec stationary in Florida. One bird tagged in North Carolina in February 2022 is stationary approximately 60km from her tagging site.
09 January 2023.
Our Fall 2022 Vermont and Nova Scotia birds continue to be stationary. Since the last update, a few of the birds tagged in January and February 2022 have uploaded additional locations, with the most recent locations taken January 7. We're hoping the GPS batteries will hold out a little bit longer so we can gather more return data!
04 January 2023.
Our Vermont and Nova Scotia birds have been stationary over the holidays. Since the last update, 9 birds tagged during January and February of 2022 have also checked in, with several returning to within a few kilometers of their 2022 wintering grounds, and one (SC-2022-25) only 0.5km away! Other birds' locations ranged from 20km to 65km from their 2022 locations.
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