Volunteers examining the behaviour of rare woodcocks in the New Forest have been awarded grants of more than £12,000 from the park’s sustainable development fund to undertake research.
The New Forest Woodcock Group aims to increase understanding of the species and explore the reasons behind its national decline.
The RSPB has given the woodcock amber status in its traffic light system of conservation importance, meaning the number of birds has moderately declined over the past 25 years. By understanding more about how woodcocks use the New Forest the group hopes to discover if human pressures are affecting population figures.
Dr Manuel Hinge, New Forest Woodcock Group research coordinator, said: ‘The woodcock is a very secretive bird whose brilliant camouflage makes it extremely difficult for us to watch and follow through dense woodland, especially at night.
‘Members of the group will be able to watch the birds’ courtship behaviour at night with special imaging kit, follow individual birds at a discrete distance using radio tracking, and digitally record their display calls.
‘We hope that this study will help the group estimate with greater accuracy the number of resident woodcocks breeding in the New Forest and identify behaviour that has not been documented before.’
To find out more about the New Forest Sustainable Development Fund, click here.
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