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Migration Update

© Fred J. Kane

This article is submitted with the permission of Laura Houseal, Communications Coordinator, Ducks Unlimited, Inc.

Migration Update Hunters Are Optimistic After First Days in the Field

As waterfowl seasons open in the Northern states and Canada, hunters are learning first-hand how local populations fared during the past breeding season. Except for early migrating species like the blue-winged teal and pintails, most hunters are still waiting with anticipation for the birds from “the north.” In western Canada, the season has been open for a couple of weeks, and some of the stories filtering in to Ducks Unlimited provide grounds for considerable optimism. Many Ducks Unlimited members have been able to get to Canada and have returned with encouraging stories.

DU’s Chief Biologist, Bruce Batt, hunted for three days in southwest Manitoba near Whitewater Lake. Manitoba is one of the most important waterfowl breeding areas for the Mississippi Flyway.

“We had excellent flights of early mallards, both in the fields and over water,” says Batt. “I was especially pleased to see a large number of young pintails mixed in with them. All the common prairie species were present in good numbers, but the abundant blue-winged teal were quite a surprise, as they are in full migration and already numerous in areas as far away as the Gulf Coast.”

“One nice treat,” Batt recalls, “was seeing large numbers of small Canada geese, already down from the high Eastern Arctic. Snow geese also arrived in large numbers. It looked to us like hunters further south who get birds from this area can expect a good fall flight when the weather changes and moves the birds on to warmer areas.” DU’s Director of Operations for the Western Regional Office, Ron Stromstad, had an opportunity to hunt with friends in Southeastern Alberta for a couple of days in late September. The province of Alberta is a major waterfowl production area for the Pacific Flyway, and the Central and Mississippi flyways. The trip included a two-hour helicopter tour of habitats in the area.

“While our group had fabulous hunting for mallards, white-fronts, Canada geese, and snow geese, such luck wasn’t universal to all parties in the area. It was nearly 90 degrees Fahrenheit on the one day we hunted,” Stromstad says. “Our hosts were hoping for a cold spell to move more birds down from farther north.”

Stromstad says Alberta was dry with the exception of some large staging lakes and scattered areas that received rain in July. “While hunting success appears to be somewhat spotty due to dry conditions, simply having the opportunity to spend a couple of days on the prairies is worth the price of admission.”

The copyright of the article Migration Update in Birding is owned by Fred J. Kane. Permission to republish Migration Update in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.