Woodcock Survey methods

This is an online survey. To choose a survey square or enter data, please register or login to the survey application from the project landing page.

A total of over 1,600 survey sites (1-km squares) in Britain and a further 80 in Northern Ireland will be available. These have been randomly selected from within the known breeding range, which will provide the basis for calculating a robust population estimate.  

There will be 1,102  Priority core squares, which were surveyed in 2013 or 2003, as well as 610 new squares, which will allow us to produce robust estimates of population size and distribution change.  Additional squares will be released once sufficient core squares have been taken, so if there are none showing locally, please check the Request square map later in the spring or contact your local BTO Regional Organiser.

Within each site a single fixed count point will be selected, from which all observations are conducted. The count points are separated by at least 2 km in order to avoid double counting. For High Priority sites, a six-figure grid reference for the original 2003 survey point (where available) will be provided, however, surveyors of new Low Priority sites will need to select their own count point.

Timing of Visits

The survey methods will be similar to those used in 2013. A total of four visits will be required: 

• April: one daytime recce to establish the best place to locate the count point. 
• May to June: three visits to count point at dusk, at least one week apart, between 1 May and 30 June. 

NOTE - if no Woodcock are recorded on both of the first two dusk visits, there is no need to make the third visit.

Visit time and duration

The count period lasts 75 minutes. Counts should commence 15 minutes before sunset and finish 60 minutes after sunset, giving total survey duration of 75 minutes. Times of individual Woodcock passes will be recorded so that data for 60 minute and 75 minute counts can be compared at the analysis stage.