Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Minnesota
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Minnesota Project


Factors affecting detection of American woodcock on singing-ground surveys

September 2007 - December 2011


Personnel

Participating Agencies

  • USFWS Region 8

American woodcock are a species of management concern, having experience population declines across much of their eastern North American breeding distribution. The Singing-ground Survey (SGS) is the primary mechanism by which American woodcock populations are monitored, although there remain questions about factors that influence counts on surveys. We are assessing factors that influence the reliability and precision of Singing-ground Surveys to estimate American woodcock population trends by 1) estimating detectability of woodcock using current sampling protocol, repeated (occupancy) sampling of a subsample of survey routes, assessing detectability based on video or telemetry to refine conditions under which woodcock are detectable, double observer assessment of detectability, and observer variability by repeating survey routes to assess detection probability through time, and (2) comparing woodcock density along SGS survey routes with randomly-located experimental routes in adjacent areas to directly assess whether counts on existing routes adequately represent the larger landscape. Results of this study can be used to refine survey protocol to better track woodcock abundance.

Research Publications Publication Date
Bergh, S. M. and D. E. Andersen. 2019. Estimating density and effective area surveyed for American woodcock. 11th American Woodcock Symposium. Pages 193-199 in Krementz, D.G., D. E. Andersen, and T.R. Cooper (eds.). Proceedings of the 11th American Woodcock Symposium, University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing, Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A. DOI:10.24926/AWS.0125. | Download December 2019
Bergh, S.M. and D.E. Andersen. 2019. Detection probability and occupancy of American woodcock during Singing-ground Surveys. Pages 200-208 in Krementz, D.G., D. E. Andersen, and T.R. Cooper (eds.). Proceedings of the 11th American Woodcock Symposium, University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing, Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A. DOI:10.24926/AWS.0126. | Download December 2019
Presentations Presentation Date
Bergh, S.M. and D.E. Andersen. 2010. Estimation of the effective area surveyed for American woodcock on Singing-ground Surveys. 71st Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference. Minneapolis, Minnesota. December 2010
Bergh, S.M. and D.E. Andersen. 2010. Factors affecting detection of American woodcock on Singing-ground Surveys. 17th Annual Conference of The Wildlife Society, Snowbird, Utah. October 2010
Bergh, S.M. and D.E. Andersen. 2010. Factors affecting detection of American woodcock on Singing-ground Surveys. 17th Annual Conference of The Wildlife Society, Snowbird, Utah. September 2010
Bergh, S.M. and D.E. Andersen. 2017. Estimating density and effective area surveyed for American woodcock. 11th American Woodcock Symposium, Rosscommon, Michigan, USA. October 2017
Bergh, S.M. and D.E. Andersen. 2017. Occupancy and detection probability of American woodcock during Singing-ground Surveys. 11th American Woodcock Symposium, Rosscommon, Michigan, USA. October 2017
Theses and Dissertations Publication Date
Bergh, S.M. 2011. Factors influencing detection of American woodcock during Singing-ground Surveys. M.S. Thesis, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.A. 64pp. July 2011