ND survey.

[hdshot]

The fat lady ain’t even close to singing but sure gave the feeling they don’t like the direction things are currently going.

“By and large, all species were flat to down,” said Mike Szymanski, migratory game bird supervisor for NDGFD. “Mallards, for instance, were down about 19%, pintails were down about 29% and blue-winged teal down roughly 13%. These species being down from last year is one thing, but when you compare it back to what we consider to be one of our best periods for breeding ducks in North Dakota (1994 to 2016), we’re down a lot more than that. So overall, mallards, pintails, blue-winged teal, gadwalls, wigeon and northern shovelers are down anywhere from 24% to 49% from that 1994 to 2016 time period.”

https://deltawaterfowl.org/north-dakota-waterfowl-survey-shows-decrease-in-breeding-ducks-fair-wetland-conditions/

[metlhead]

Prolly cuz the fellas and I were smoking limits so often there wasn't much left to hit the prairies!

[hdshot]

Prolly cuz the fellas and I were smoking limits so often there wasn't much left to hit the prairies!

I didn’t read that in the article! 🤣

[follow maggie]

I was surprised when I saw this last week. The mid winter survey here counted record numbers of ducks & geese all along the Missouri River. And they were records by huge amounts. I guess they must have moved north

[hdshot]

I was surprised when I saw this last week. The mid winter survey here counted record numbers of ducks & geese all along the Missouri River. And they were records by huge amounts. I guess they must have moved north

Sounded like the ducks got hung up there and not many made it to Arkansas to spread them out?🤷‍♂️

Lowest mallard count

The Delta mallard population estimate was the lowest Midwinter Survey estimate on record since transect-based surveys began. The total duck population estimate was nearly 560,000 birds below the long-term average and the lowest total duck population estimate since 2013. Arkansas on average would expect 1.24 million total ducks in the Delta region in early January.

https://www.stuttgartdailyleader.com/arkansas-wildlife-weekly-waterfowl-report-midwinter-survey-reveals-continued-poor-mallard-totals-in-delta/

[Platensek-po]

I was surprised when I saw this last week. The mid winter survey here counted record numbers of ducks & geese all along the Missouri River. And they were records by huge amounts. I guess they must have moved north

Sounded like the ducks got hung up there and not many made it to Arkansas to spread them out?🤷‍♂️

Lowest mallard count

The Delta mallard population estimate was the lowest Midwinter Survey estimate on record since transect-based surveys began. The total duck population estimate was nearly 560,000 birds below the long-term average and the lowest total duck population estimate since 2013. Arkansas on average would expect 1.24 million total ducks in the Delta region in early January.

https://www.stuttgartdailyleader.com/arkansas-wildlife-weekly-waterfowl-report-midwinter-survey-reveals-continued-poor-mallard-totals-in-delta/

So from the delta article in the beginning

“Even so, the 2024 estimate of 2.9 million ducks ranks as the 30th highest tally in the 77 years the survey has been conducted and sits 17% higher than the long-term average. The state’s wetland count also dropped from the prior two very wet years, ranking as the 32nd wettest since 1948.”

They talk about how it was pretty dry early on and that a lot of ducks probably flew right over North Dakota. The Arkansas article talks about how right after the survey they received a few inches of rain and probably got more ducks in as well. All populations have some ebb and flow. 20 years ago was the peak for duck numbers. They are on a down swing but it’s nothing to be super alarmed about. At least not yet.

[follow maggie]

I was surprised when I saw this last week. The mid winter survey here counted record numbers of ducks & geese all along the Missouri River. And they were records by huge amounts. I guess they must have moved north

Sounded like the ducks got hung up there and not many made it to Arkansas to spread them out?🤷‍♂️

Lowest mallard count

The Delta mallard population estimate was the lowest Midwinter Survey estimate on record since transect-based surveys began. The total duck population estimate was nearly 560,000 birds below the long-term average and the lowest total duck population estimate since 2013. Arkansas on average would expect 1.24 million total ducks in the Delta region in early January.

https://www.stuttgartdailyleader.com/arkansas-wildlife-weekly-waterfowl-report-midwinter-survey-reveals-continued-poor-mallard-totals-in-delta/

It could be. Last winter was very mild here by North Dakota standards. And also, the winter & early spring were very dry. I don’t know if there’s any cause & effect there, or not.