Smethport, Pa.:  Clermont, Pennsylvania, is a hub for wildlife, wood harvest, and recreation.  As such, for decades the US Geological Survey has completed woodcock monitoring surveys using Clermont as a home base.  Woodcock is a bird that has declined for many decades due to the decrease of young trees habitat in Pennsylvania.  On Friday, 4/17, a dozen volunteers met to complete seven woodcock singing ground surveys emanating from the Clermont area.

“The routes are arranged like spokes on a wheel,” said John Dzemyan, Leader of the Woodcock Surveys.  “We try to do the same routes year after year and then correlate with changes in numbers of woodcock heard ‘peenting’ or seen flying or dancing with the changes across the landscape.  The volunteers are key to us collecting this data year after year,” finished John.

Male woodcock give off a unique “peent” sound as they dance on the ground to entice a female woodcock to join them.  After a series of peents on the ground, the male woodcock then takes flight to the sky for his famous sky dance to further encourage females to join him.  Volunteers count the numbers of males singing along their designated route starting just before dark at designated stopping points.

“It was unique to see turkeys, geese, woodcock, and deer all in a short time frame and in a small area,” said Jake, one of the new volunteers.

The seven survey routes out of Clermont were established by the US Geological Survey decades ago, and have been monitored on an annual basis by volunteers within the Ruffed Grouse Society or the American Woodcock Society.