flights: orr, orr, orr, pist. A study of spectrograms of the vocalisations of male Eurasian woodcock showed that 95% of calls could be attributed correctly to individual birds, and concluded that counting roding males was a suitable method of monitoring the population. Roding surveys are now used for population estimates in a range of countries including Britain, Switzerland, France and Russia. Eurasian woodcock nest on the ground in low cover in woodland or tall heather. The nest is a lined cup or a slight hollow lined with dead leaves and other plant material. A single brood of one or two white or creamy eggs with light brown and grey blotches is laid; once the clutch is complete, incubation is performed by the female for between 21 and 24 days. The eggs measure and weigh , of which 5% is shell. The downy, precocial young leave the nest immediately and fledge after 15–20 days, although they can fly short distances after 10 days. When threatened, the mother bird can fly whilst carrying small chicks between her legs, body and tail, in her claws or on her back. This behaviour is rarely witnessed. Food and feeding Eurasian woodcock forage in soft soil in thickets, usually well hidden from sight. They mainly eat earthworms, but also insects and their larvae, freshwater molluscs and some plant seeds. Because they rely on probing into the ground to find food, they are vulnerable to cold winter weather when the ground remains frozen. During the cold British winter of 1962–63, starving woodcock were found feeding in urban areas and some were even forced to eat bird seed. Nocturnal feeding occurs in frost-free pasture or long-rotation grass meadows; fields with woodland within are preferred to allow roosting during the day. There are only low densities of Eurasian woodcock in predominantly arable areas. In a three-year scientific study based in Brittany, France, 65 radio-tagged woodcock and their habitat preferences were monitored. During the day, the birds chose areas of forest with humus which held large numbers of earthworms and with a dense scrub layer to provide protection, and hedges with scrub and trees were also found to be important. At night, the woodcock selected grazed pastures which had five times the biomass of earthworms compared to tilled land. Relationship to humans Hunting In many countries woodcock are hunted as game, and their size, speed, and flight pattern makes them