A detailed abstract with results is included at the beginning of each chapter as they are intended for separate publication. In chapter one, I evaluated how habitat selection for American woodcock (Scolopax minor) nests and broods is affected by local vegetation characteristics. I also assessed changes in earthworm density, an important food source for woodcock, over the course of the breeding season. I hypothesized that habitat selection would be different between nesting and brood-rearing hens, that selection cues would change throughout the breeding season as chicks aged, and that earthworm density would decline throughout the breeding season. I deployed cameras to woodcock nesting sites, captured and marked woodcock broods with telemetry equipment, and measured vegetation around both used and available sites. My results showed that nesting woodcock select different habitat than do brood-rearing birds and that earthworm density in the top layers of soil declines throughout the breeding season, but brood habitat selection did not change as chicks aged.In chapter 2, I linked nest success and brood survival to local habitat characteristics. I hypothesized that stem density, canopy cover, soil moisture, and soil organic matter would have positive effects on reproductive success. Using Mayfield and known fate analysis methods, I estimated nest success and brood survival from hatch to fledge. My results showed that nest success was not influenced by local habitat characteristics, but that brood survival was influenced by woody ground cover, such as shrubs and seedlings, and soil moisture. My results indicate that understory cover is an important consideration for woodcock habitat management.
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