The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) recently released "American Woodcock: Habitat Best Management Practices for the Northeast." It explains how managers, foresters and landowners can create the kinds of habitat that woodcock need: daytime feeding areas, nesting cover, and roosting habitat, according to the Wildlife Management Institute (WMI).

By developing and restoring woodcock-friendly young forest, landowners can significantly help reverse the timberdoodle's decades-long population decline. Furthermore, the same management practices create habitat for no fewer than 59 other species of northern forest wildlife, including New England cottontail, bobcat, golden-winged warbler, whip-poor-will, brown thrasher, indigo bunting, bog turtle and ruffed grouse.

Recent scientific research points to broad benefits of young forest. Birds that breed in deep woods often bring their fledglings to early successional forest to eat insects and fruits that those relatively open-canopy, sun-lighted areas produce. The dense, regrowth vegetation affords protection against predators while young birds gain body mass and flight capability.

WMI biologists Scot Williamson, Gary Donovan and John Lanier, along with Dan McAuley and Pat Corr of the U.S. Geological Survey, wrote the Best Management Practices document. They noted, American woodcock respond to habitat improvement "usually within one year or so." Landowners may witness "the aerial acrobatics of displaying males the first spring after the creation of singing grounds."

More woodcock will soon be "sky dancing" and "peenting" (singing) in Bird Conservation Region (BCR) 13?the Lower Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Plain?as partners in the American Woodcock Conservation Plan launch a new regional habitat-creation program there. Named the Lower Great Lakes Young Forest Initiative, the area takes in parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, Ontario and Quebec. Flat terrain and moist soils give this region superb potential for expanding woodcock habitat in the Northeast.

The Lower Great Lakes becomes the fifth regional young-forest habitat initiative, following the Northern Forest (BCR 14), Appalachian Mountains (BCR 28), Upper Great Lakes (BCRs 12 and 23) and Atlantic Coast (BCR 30). The contact person for the Lower Great Lakes Young Forest Initiative is Jeff Herrick, 25184 Cogan Rd., East Rochester OH 44625, 330-575-3177.

Young-forest habitat initiatives depend on agencies, organizations, companies and individuals working in partnership to create and renew young forest through logging, alder shearing and other habitat-management techniques.

The initiatives have been funded through the support of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, NRCS, Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, and the Wildlife Conservation Society.

Learn more about the team efforts to help woodcock and other young-forest wildlife.