(L to R) Earl Johnson (Minnesota Department of Natural Resources), Ken Sturm (Canaan Valley NWR), and Jackie Burns (Canaan Valley NWR) examine a woodcock wing and discuss the plumage characters that indicate the bird's sex and age. Canaan Valley NWR hosted the annual wingbee March 15-18, 2007 at the Refuge's headquarters in Davis, WV. (Photo by Andrew Weik, USFWS)

Dan McAuley (left front) of the Maine Field Station of USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Mike Olinde (right front) of Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, and an assortment of biologists from around the U.S. examine 13,000 woodcock wings sent in by hunters, at the annual woodcock wingbee March 15-18, 2007 at Canaan Valley NWR in Davis, WV. (Photo by Earl Johnson, MN DNR)

The annual woodcock wingbee was hosted by Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Davis, West Virginia during March 13-15, 2007.  Biologists came to Canaan Valley from the Service's  Division of Migratory Bird Management, Ecological Services, Eastern Shore of Virginia NWR, Mingo NWR, Moosehorn NWR, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Maine, Pennsylvania Game Commission, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, West Virginia Division of Natural Resources and Arkansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit.

Over the course of 3 days, 20 biologists examined 13,000 wings that hunters submitted to the Service's  parts collection survey from the 2006-2007 hunting season.  Wings were examined to determine age and sex of hunter-killed birds.  The data are used to calculate an annual index of production among woodcock.  Wing submissions came from Maine to Minnesota, south to Florida and Texas.  Biologists were very appreciative of the hospitality of the staff of Canaan Valley NWR throughout the week, as well as that of the refuge's friends group who sponsored a reception for the wingbee crew.