Ned & Ted

The larger, better connected and more varied a woodland, the more breeding woodcock can be found there, according to a new study. Researchers examining how management could affect woodcock breeding success have discovered that a mixture of different tree types creates an ideal environment for the endangered wader. Birch trees formed a key part of the woodcock’s preferred habitat, which the GWCT says could be due to their dense trunks creating safe feeding ground while their leaf litter supports more earthworms on which woodcock can feed. The paper, written by Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust staff Christopher Heward, Andrew Hoodless and Nicholas Aebischer, as well as scientists from the British Trust for Ornithology and University of Nottingham, discovered that woodcock were most frequently found in wet woodland areas, particularly those containing birch, but the birds appeared to avoid areas dominated by beech trees.