Breeding Woodcock Survey shows an ongoing decline despite some small regional increases - Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust

The latest survey of the UK’s resident Woodcock population has shown that numbers are still declining overall, albeit at a slower rate than before.

The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) and the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) teamed up in 2023 for the latest Breeding Woodcock Survey to gather up-to-date evidence on the changes to population size and distribution of this elusive bird. The Woodcock is a unique woodland wader, whose cryptic camouflage and secretive nocturnal behaviour have traditionally made it difficult to accurately survey.

More volunteers than ever contributed, and the results showed some encouraging signs that in parts of England numbers of breeding Woodcock were increasing. In Northern Scotland, however, the Woodcock population estimates showed a very steep decline of nearly 50%!

Dr Chris Heward, of GWCT, which leads the way in Woodcock research in the UK, says: “I am grateful for the record-breaking response to our call for Woodcock surveyors, it has made the 2023 Breeding Woodcock Survey the most accurate to date. This once-in-a-decade survey provides a vital snapshot of the Woodcock’s status, and this time it has presented us with a conflicting message: predominantly of worrying declines but with small, tentative glimmers of recovery in some areas.”

Dr Greg Conway, Senior Research Ecologist at BTO, the UK’s largest bird monitoring and research organisation, says: “Collecting robust survey data is essential for accurately monitoring the ongoing changes to the declining UK breeding Woodcock population. The rapid loss of 35% (27,500 males) of the British population in just two decades is a major cause for concern.”