The Plight Of The Woodcock

A generation ago there was little restraint on the slaughter of our shore birds, and at the time of passage of the migratory bird law several had become alarmingly scarce. One, indeed, the Eskimo curlew, was virtually extinct. Under the operations of this law, and the international treaty that followed it, most of the species have increased, though the snipe, the two species of yellowlegs, and the woodcock, are still classed as game birds, and may be killed under certain conditions. The Bartramian sandpiper or upland plover, whose status was alarming, seems to be recovering and other plovers appear to be increasing. As for the smaller sandpipers, they have prospered greatly, and along our great extent of seashore, now so popular for recreation purposes, they form a potent attraction, where formerly they were slaughtered by the market gunner.

The chief danger now confronting our shore birds concerns those species that winter on the vast plains of South America, where they are virtually unprotected. Steps looking to their better conservation by international treaties have been taken. But the woodcock is in grave danger. All the members of the order Limicolae are beautiful in their plumage, graceful in their movements, and harmless or beneficial in their habits. Their gentle and confiding ways endear them to the Nature lover, and our people are happily forgetting that only a few years ago they were mowed down by the gunner for the sale of their tiny bodies. The shooting of certain birds for their flesh, and for sport, will in all probability long persist, but moderation must be exercised, lest sport destroy itself. Let us hope that our civilization will prove itself worthy and that all the entrancing members of this great group, represented in North America by more than half a hundred species, may continue to enliven the margins of our seas and inland waterways.

The extraordinary scientific interest attaching a group so sparingly represented, and of relatively restricted distribution, and the charm of the bird to Nature lover, would seem to more than offset any claim that the sportsman may have on the remnant now surviving, unless it be given a term of absolute protection. No one can deny that man is responsible for the plight of the woodcock, since the destructive effect of natural enemies is negligible. Is it not reasonable, therefore, to ask that the utmost safeguards be placed in respect of this species, that a tragedy like that of the passe pigeon may be averted?

If any of them are destroyed we will well merit the contempt that an outraged posterity, surpassing us, let us devoutly trust, in appreciation of the beauty of the Creator’s handiwork, will shower upon us.

By: davidbunch

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