Pennsylvania Game News - October 2022 - 43

and stormy nights. "
" Dark nights with little to no moonlight,
with a nice bout of pelting rain and
wind, make birds less likely to fly away
as you approach, " Williams said.
All those obstacles combined offer
a glimpse of the " massive challenge
involved with migratory species, " Berigan
said.
MIGRATION & HABITAT
The project's goals are many: to
quantify migratory survival, spring and
fall migration timing, weather's impact
on movements, and the impact of light
pollution, among others.
Of particular interest to the Game
Commission is the information being
collected about woodcock habitat needs.
The GPS units record precisely where
birds stop to refuel along their migration
routes and where they finally end their
journeys to breed. That's important to
Pennsylvania because of its location.
Situated between the Atlantic Ocean
and the Great Lakes, it acts as a busy
airport terminal, with birds taking off
and landing here to avoid long flights
over big water.
Researchers hope to use the " black
box-like " recorder data from the GPS
units to identify " areas that woodcock
would likely occupy if management
took place. "
" In other words, 'if we build it, will
they come?' " Berigan said.
In a perfect world, woodcock stopover
spots would be rich in young forest
and shrub cover over moist soil full of
earthworms. But woodcock can't always
find that.
That's why Williams calls migration a
" very dangerous time " in general.
" Woodcock need to get south or get
OCTOBER 2022
CHECK OUT THE VIDEO
Want to learn more about Pennsylvania's
woodcock? Here's your chance.
The species is featured on the Game
Commission's #WildSciPA video series.
These short pieces - all less than 10 minutes
long, and some less than five - offer a peek
at interesting wildlife science and research
projects, covering everything from grouse
and elk to turkeys and peregrine falcons.
The woodcock video, at about 8 minutes,
shows how researchers are studying
these birds and what they're learning. Find
it on the Game Commission's YouTube
channel.
north again before the weather changes
too dramatically, and they need to get
where they're going quickly to set up
breeding territories, find a mate, nest
and raise a brood - all before the season
changes again, " Williams said. " So they
are battling the calendar, winds, temperatures,
and changing land use along
the migration corridor.
" That means changes to refueling site
locations and availability. It's a highstakes
time for these birds. "
The Cooperative's work reveals
that lack of habitat too often requires
woodcock - exhausted from flying long
distances overnight and needing a place
to land - to make unconventional, and
potentially threatening, choices.
" You'll see birds that are in agricultural
areas, you'll see birds that are in
very, very small woodlots, " Williams
said. " The satellite tags show birds settling
into a suburban backyard outside
of Pittsburgh, or even into the middle of
a highway cloverleaf. And sometimes
you want to yell " No, bird! No! That's
not safe! And then you'll see them settle
into habitat that actually seems safe and
secure and you scratch your head at the
43
Pennsylvania Game News - October 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Game News - October 2022
