Wonderful Woodcock!

Tuesday, February 25th 2025

The Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) is a wading bird with resident and wintering populations in the UK. Some populations stay in the UK year round, breeding and wintering here. Other populations migrate to the UK from Russia and Finland for winter.

Foxglove Covert has a successful population of Woodcock thanks to the large area of willow carr (wet woodland) on the reserve. Despite being a “wading” bird, woodcocks prefer woodland habitats with dense vegetation as well as damp, clear areas of ground where they can feed. They use their long beaks to probe leaf litter and soil for earthworms and other invertebrates.

Woodcocks are most active at dawn and dusk, and tend to feed at night. This means that visitors to Foxglove Covert will rarely see them; Woodcocks are secretive, shy and extremely well camouflaged. However, there is still a chance of seeing one while wandering around the wooded areas of the reserve, especially near opening and closing times. You might just disturb one while walking around, so look out for a chunky wader which zig-zags away in flight to find cover away from noisy walkers.

At Foxglove Covert, areas of the willow carr are coppiced in a rotation, so that there is variation in tree age and canopy cover throughout the reserve. This means there is always a mix of open and enclosed areas, providing Woodcock with sufficient feeding, roosting and nesting areas. Last winter volunteers created a glade in one of the coppice areas, which has provided an additional open area for Woodcocks, ideal for feeding. Woodcock have been filmed on a trail camera feeding in the glade multiple times this winter.

Although Woodcock numbers are difficult to monitor due to the species being so elusive, we hope to continue managing woodland habitats so that Woodcocks can thrive at Foxglove Covert.

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