Peeeent.
Eager to start season 3 of WBBA II off right? Then take the Woodcock Challenge! Woodcock are easiest to find in spring when they perform twilight display flights high in the sky (which you can code as C), featuring a whirring noise and a short, buzzy “peent” call (if you hear the peent but not the twittering, then code S). The rest of the year they are relatively hard to find, and thus are poorly sampled by regular atlasing methods. Woodcock are of interest in our state as they are a flagship “Young Forest” species, and may be declining in areas with less early-successional forest.
Woodcock Challenge: How it Works
When: The Challenge will run April 10 to May 10.
What: Try to get American Woodcock to Probable in as many priority blocks meeting the criteria as you can in one single night. For the purposes of this challenge, you can begin at dusk and also include a visit the following dawn.
Where: Within priority/specialty blocks where American Woodcock are currently only coded as possible or lower. Blocks in which woodcock are already coded as probable or higher will not count for the challenge. Non-priority blocks will not count for the challenge.
How: Submit checklists of your highest challenge night to the Atlas eBird portal and email the checklist links to us at atlas@wsobirds.org. Checklists and email must be submitted by MAY 11.
Why: So many reasons!
1) Woodcock can only be found with specialized efforts and we need your help.
2) You could win the admiration of all or your peers.
3) You could break the state record (as far as we know, we just invented this sport!) of 3 blocks in one night currently held by Tom Prestby and Anne Geraghty.
4) We will send the winner a nifty WBBA II stainless steel water bottle!
It’s shiny like a trophy to commemorate your glorious win.
Want to brush up on your strategy before taking the challenge?
Be sure to check out our handy guide: Species Survey Strategy: American Woodcock