American Woodcock on Fort Drum Military Installation, New York

摘要

American Woodcock singing-ground surveys (SGS) have been conducted annually on Fort Drum Military Installation since 1992 (excluding 1993 and 2000). These SGS indicate Fort Drum has a stable to slightly increasing breeding woodcock population, with average numbers of males heard per route ranging between 13.00 and 22.58 birds. These numbers are significantly higher, and in stark contrast, to many parts of the American Woodcock's range, where numbers have been in decline for over 30 years. We suggest that current forest management practices and military training create favorable successional regimes that satisfy all necessary life-history requirements and help sustain these densities of breeding woodcock at Fort Drum.