I departed my home base of Albuquerque, NM, on April 23. High pressure was the dominating weather feature, with minimal winds at my cruising altitude of 12,500 feet. With an interim fuel stop in Big Piney, WY, I made it to Great Falls, MT, in a record time for me of 5 ½ hours. Weather en route was wonderful, with one of the smoothest cross country flights I have ever encountered for this route. The view of the Grand Tetons was spectacular as I flew by. I did, however, have to deviate around several afternoon thunderstorms between Jackson Hole, WY, and Great Falls, MT. With a maximum duty time of 8 hours of flight time/day, I was remarking how I could easily make it to Calgary, Alberta. However, that thought and silent statement of mine was my downfall. A “gremlin” got a-hold of my plane upon landing in Great Falls. I was delayed there for 5 days as I had some parts express-shipped in for unscheduled maintenance. I extend a VERY big thanks to the folks at Holman Aviation, especially Chuck Cottrell, who fixed the plane and got me quickly back up in the air. I finally departed on Saturday, April 28, and arrived in Calgary. I met my Observer, Jay Hitchcock, who flew in commercially from Arkansas. Jay is an ardent waterfowl man, who also is the Wildlife Biologist at the White River National Wildlife Refuge.
I never thought I would say the words “traffic jam,” and “North Dakota” in the same sentence, but that’s what happened to us last week as we traveled south on what was once a very remote stretch of highway 22 that runs through the badlands between New Town and Dickinson. Oil and gas production has changed the area dramatically; in places it looked like pictures of the Middle East. The rugged buttes are still breathtaking, when you can see around the highway widening operations that teetered on the edge of sheer drops. Brent deftly dodged streams of huge trucks carrying oil or the water used to pump it out of the ground, and I just marveled at how so much had changed since I was last out here in 2007.
We’ve finished stratum 43 in North Dakota and conditions continue to be really dry. Wetland conditions improved around Bismarck and Dickinson, but overall they are still poor with many basins dry or at 20-30% capacity. I am very fortunate to have Jon Klimstra, my observer, with me this year and this is the driest he has seen it over the past few years. Additionally, the vegetation is still behind from the late winter and many of the ponds that exist are vacant or have low waterfowl densities. It is possible the birds kept flying north to nest in the excellent conditions found to the north in Canada. Oil and gas development has really taken off with many oil drilling rigs, pumps, tanks and roads spreading like wildfire across the landscape and we can’t help but wonder what the long term effects will be.
Today we finished our wind-delayed transects. Conditions improved greatly and we’re back on track. The beginning of one of our transects has been invaded by oil and gas development. I counted five oil rigs drilling within sight of the beginning of our transect, and the gravel grid road the survey follows has been built up and improved, likely to accommodate heavy truck traffic. A few new wells are within the transect boundary, and some well pads and approaches have decimated a few smaller ponds. Conditions in the southcentral portion of the province are again good, but not excellent. Wind seems to have played a part in the distribution of snow on the landscape, as some sections are full of water while ones nearby look quite dry. Farmers are taking advantage of the dryer weather we’ve had for several weeks to treat and seed fields for hopefully another bumper year of production. It’s always good to have happy farmers when one goes to ask permission to hunt their fields in the fall, and a bumper crop year usually goes a long way to help with that.
The ground crew for the Eastern Dakotas crew area is off and running. We have one more transect to go in South Dakota and then we move on to North Dakota. I (Kammie Kruse, Wildlife Biologist with the Central Flyway in Denver, CO), am returning for my 11th survey on the Eastern Dakotas ground crew. I am joined this year by Joe Sands (Wildlife Biologist, Portland OR), James Hoskins (Biological Technician, Buffalo Lakes NWR, Texas) and Terry Quesinberry (Fish and Wildlife Biologist, Pierre, SD). Due to the late spring winter storms, the survey got a later start than expected, because cold weather and snow in the Dakotas and Canada delayed the spring migration. My first impression is that the wet conditions we have been experiencing the past few years seems to be tilting toward much drier conditions this year. Let's hope the habitat conditions are better in North Dakota.
The Alberta ground survey crew has been able to complete stratum 29 and 28 in southern Alberta and is close to finishing stratum 27. Weather has cooperated and temperatures have been well above average for most of the last few days, allowing our pilot Jim Bredy and observer Jay Hitchcock to survey each day since we started on May 9th.
We made it into Brandon, Manitoba, (our base for the next couple of weeks) on May 15th. We had some weather delays in Maine and it took a couple of windy days ferrying to Brandon from Maine. So, this is definitely the latest start in this survey area to date. However, the late winter in this region delayed the birds as well, so all is in good order. In fact, we were still seeing snow piles on our flight to Brandon from western Ontario, and western Ontario is still covered in ice! We did a short recon flight on the way into Brandon on the 15th to check our transect width and have a look at a few birds along the way. Seeing mostly pairs of birds made us feel a bit better about the late start. Later that day we took a drive to see more on the ground…again lots of paired up birds, so another good sign. We officially started the survey yesterday (May 16), flying three lines in stratum 39 and four air-grounds. It felt good to get my first survey day in the left seat out of the way. Today (May 17th) we almost completed stratum 39 and if the weather holds we’ll have one more day to complete 39 and move into southeastern Saskatchewan. Habitat conditions in Stratum 39 are mixed. We have observed good conditions along most of the lines. The northern lines of 39 seem to have a higher percentage of dry basins, but according to ground crew leader Mark Shuster, this is normal. There is no sheet water on the landscape, but major rivers and basins are full if not flooded.
We spent today driving south of Regina and tallying all ducks that we saw. After a few hours, the sample size got big enough that we could get an idea of species composition and social groupings. We came up with all species accounted for and early nesting species like mallards and pintails split with about 50% lone drakes and 50% pairs. This split is one of the indicators that we use to determine survey timing. Other indicators that we look for are presence and social groupings of blue-winged teal and gadwall. Blue-wings were present in good numbers and were common on our drive into the Missouri Coteau. This area is more of a breeding area for local ducks rather than some of the larger water bodies frequented by northern migrants. We observed most of the blue-wings in pairs and “spares,” meaning a pair and an extra lone drake. This is normal for them at this time since they nest a little later than mallards and pintails. Gadwall were also present in pairs and small groups. They are another late nester and many times can be seen in larger groups, along with wigeon during the early part of the survey. Their presence in the Coteau also indicates that these were probably local breeders. The survey sample that we collected along with observations taken during two reconnaissance flights all indicated that we should start the survey even though some of the habitat was still 2 weeks behind normal. Our plan is to start on May 11th.
We started the ground survey portion of the Western Dakotas\Eastern Montana crew area on May 7th, about a week later than normal.
Well, we are off and counting. The Eastern Dakotas crew met in Mitchell, SD, on May 5th. This year the aircrew is once again Terry Liddick as the pilot and Dave Fronczak as the observer. This will mark the 3rd consecutive year we have been the aircrew for the E Dakotas. Kammie Kruse is once again the ground crew leader and this year she is joined by an all new crew consisting of James Hoskins, Joe Sands and Terry Quesinberry.
We departed Kuujjuaq on the Ungava Bay side of the Peninsula on June 17 and surveyed our way across to Purvirnituq on the Hudson Bay side. During the transit we also surveyed an experimental transect across previously un-surveyed interior regions. The Atlantic Flyway, Canadian Wildlife Service, and US Fish and Wildlife Service are utilizing the 20-year time series of information we now have for this goose population to improve the stratification of the survey. The experimental interior line, as well as several experimental lines in sparsely surveyed areas on the Hudson Bay coastline, will provide data on goose breeding densities in these areas and ensure they are aligned with the appropriate survey strata. Goose breeding densities are considerably higher along much of the Hudson Bay coast than in the interior or along the Ungava Bay. The region from Akulivik south past Purvirnituq and on to Inukjuak is a particularly important breeding area. Habitat conditions at the time of the survey were good; however, spring along the Hudson Bay coast was considerably colder than in the east, causing snow and ice to persist longer. Consistent westerly winds while we were on the Hudson coast caused morning fog and chilly, damp conditions during our brief stay. Despite this, we had decent flying and on June 20 we completed the survey and started home, arriving back in Bangor on June 21. Now the process of data error checking and estimation begins, and final decisions on survey re-stratification must be made. It will be a couple of weeks before final estimates are available to inform hunting regulations decisions.
This year I have the most patient observer in the survey. Between waiting for me to attend a funeral , filling in on some harbor seal surveys, and waiting for our aircraft to undergo a mid-survey mechanical inspection, Scott Boomer has been very gracious in remaining focused and dedicated to the survey while being away from his family.
The loss of two music icons this year has left a huge void in the bluegrass world, and I couldn’t help but hum one of their songs as I watched the weather in the far north. Earl Scruggs, while paired with Lester Flatt, made the instrumental “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” famous with the banjo, but to hear Doc Watson pick it on the guitar was equally pleasing to the ear. The far north isn’t rugged in a Rockies sense, but the Mackenzie Delta is bounded by 5,500-foot peaks and the tundra outside of Inuvik, Northwest Territories, is rolling with as much as 1,000 feet of relief. Nearing the end of the survey with sea fog rolling overhead, mountains invisible across the Delta, and no reporting stations nearby, I could only surmise that the tundra bumps were shrouded as well. Since daylight isn’t an issue in the Land of the Midnight Sun, it was merely time to sit back and hope updated satellite shots and maybe a pilot report from a high-flying cargo hauler would reveal the fog was breaking down.
My part of the 57th annual breeding population and habitat survey is now complete. We covered almost 9,000 miles in 17 days of flying, overnighted in 13 places and nearly shook our eye teeth loose in the process. While clouds and precipitation did little to slow us down this year – I even had to take a mandatory rest day because the string of good weather we had – there was no shortage of winds and turbulence. We had to discontinue surveys a couple of times due to winds, and even changed our destination one day due to unfavorable conditions at our planned landing site. Generally, though, we contended with shakes and bumps that, while uncomfortable at times, were still safe and within our operating procedures.
After all the troubles we had early in the survey, we finally hit our stride this week. The plane ran great on the ferry north, the weather cooperated, and we had little trouble with the remaining transects. Spring has just sprung in Northern Saskatchewan; the ducks are paired up and the ice has disappeared from the smaller waters. This is the land of black and white ducks: scaup, goldeneye, and bufflehead mostly. So what was that single drake pintail I counted on the last day doing there? I am sure his hen was in the weeds nearby. The insects are just beginning to come out (we can tell that from how dirty the windshield gets by the end of the day). Only the bigger lakes still had ice and it was going out fast. Our last stop was Stony Rapids, where we finished the last transects in record time. Kevin and I were glad to head back south on May 29 and even then, things went well. Smooth air and tailwinds followed us all the way to Bismarck. This year’s survey proved the advice my grandfather gave me years ago--persistence is the only quality that guarantees success in every endeavor.
We wrapped up the ground survey for the Eastern Dakotas crew area today in the northwest part of North Dakota. It was interesting because part of the transect was drier than it has been in past few years, but then we got to the middle of the segment and suddenly there was a lake across the road. In my 10 years of conducting the survey on this Air-Ground, we have never been flooded out in this area! Once we got around the flooded area and came in from the west side, we encountered lots of diving ducks, gadwalls, pintails and mallards, that must have been attracted to the flooded wetlands that actually had expanded over cropland. It just goes to show that is why we do these surveys every year, because the habitat and duck distribution are always changing. My overall impression from this year of counting ducks from the ground is that we counted a lot of ducks, but in fewer wetlands than in the past couple years. I could not believe how many ducks some of these small wetlands were holding….blue-winged teal galore.
Jon and I finished the last transect today and are headed home tomorrow. Habitat conditions since we arrived in central Montana have been poor to fair. All temporary and seasonal basins are dry, most type III and type IV wetlands are only half full, and most stock ponds are, at most, only half full. As one would expect, we counted ducks on existing water, but I think it is safe to say production here will be less than normal. Additionally, many CRP fields have been sprayed and/or burned preparatory to tillage, which obviously does not bode well for any upland nesting birds.
The Alberta ground survey crew was able to finish our last transect today. While surveying the parklands we found fewer ponds than last year, but more ducks. That was actually the trend throughout most of the survey. Although it was significantly dryer than last year, the ducks were still around in good numbers. As expected, good production last year combined with decent habitat conditions this spring has set the table for another good fall flight. All we need now is enough moisture throughout the rest of the spring and summer to provide adequate nesting and brood-rearing habitat.
The Manitoba Ground Crew arrived in Russell, Manitoba, today, which marks the home stretch of our Survey. So far, we have observed much drier conditions in Southwestern Manitoba compared to last year. The flooding conditions that prevailed last year have changed to normal to slightly drier than normal conditions. That coupled with the early spring experienced on the prairies made for ideal conditions for landowners to begin spring seeding. This was not the case in areas of southeastern SaskatchewaK near the US border, as well as areas near Yorkton, SK. Wet conditions still prevailed (see picture) and some localized flooding was still evident. One local landowner on the Grayson air-ground segment stated that his land experienced approximately 7 inches of rain just before freeze-up last fall. The dugout in his yard had over 16 feet of water in it! In some cases, this abundance of water made for ideal conditions for breeding waterfowl. On one survey area the ground crew counted a record number of ducks for that comparison segment (30 years data). Over the next few days we will be surveying the prairie pothole area near Minnedosa, MB, to complete the ground portion of the survey.
After starting our survey flights on May 2, we have lost only 1 day to poor weather so far—seven straight days of surveys to date and the weather forecast looks good for the remainder of this week. This survey area experienced a mild and dry late summer, fall and winter following the “gully washer” of a spring in 2011. However, along with the residual water from last year’s record conditions, 
When I was a kid growing up in Sartell, Minnesota, I used to see a lot of courtship flights among ducks along the Mississippi River. I used to wonder what that was all about. It was only when I worked for Ducks Unlimited in North Dakota one summer, during my undergraduate college program, that I finally put it all together. This entry chronicles both an epic and essential act of duck biology, and I hope will stir the feelings we all have as duck hunters, birders, biologists, and humans.
The poor flying weather, and associated delays, that we (the Maine and Atlantic Canada Survey crew) experienced during the Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey in May and early June forced me to proceed directly into the Canada Goose Atlantic Population Survey of the Ungava Peninsula. On June 10, I parted ways with John Bidwell, my observer for May and early June and flew from Goose Bay, Labrador 400 miles north to Kuujjuaq, Quebec on the shores of the Ungava Bay. There I met up with Bill Harvey, Maryland Wildlife and Heritage Service, and Jean Rodrigue, Canadian Wildlife Service, who would be my observers for the AP goose survey of the Ungava Peninsula. We began the survey on June 11 and, surprisingly after the struggles we had in May and early June in Atlantic Canada, had excellent weather for the survey. We were completed and home by June 22. The only significant delay was a 3-day period we spent waiting on a replacement main wheel assembly for the Wipline 7000 amphibious floats installed on our Quest Kodiak survey aircraft. One of our tires suffered damage resulting in a slow leak, possibly from operations off the gravel runway at Kuujjuaq. The speedy survey was a welcome relief after the many weather delays earlier in the spring.
The NWT survey crew finished transect flying June 10. After several days of dodging forest fire smoke at the beginning of the survey and a short delay for a scheduled aircraft inspection, we had ideal flying conditions that allowed us to complete the survey. Wetland conditions were mostly good across the Northwest Territories. However, the Mackenzie River delta, an important production area for both dabblers and divers, was impacted by flooding. Sometimes, too much water can be problematic. In this instance, even though the Mackenzie River was at low stages through most of our sampling unit, ice jams during break up caused flooding of wetland margins and associated uplands along several tributary channels just upstream of the Beaufort Sea. See photo below. This may have a negative impact on waterfowl that nest in these wetland margins.
Pat and I finished up the remaining 325 miles of survey lines to complete the southern Saskatchewan waterfowl population and habitat survey. We had some microphone/voice relay problems (Pat wore the button out this year) at the beginning of the first survey line and I had to land at a little grass landing strip so we could reconfigure the wiring on the computers. I've been using the survey program long enough that I have lots of spare parts—and had them right up front in easy reach. We plugged in the extra items, tested them, and were back on the survey line in about 20 minutes. It's good to be prepared.
We are currently based out of Mirage Outfitter’s Camp on the James Bay region’s Transtaiga road, 975 miles north of Quebec City. This area lies within the Canadian Shield, the topography of which was shaped by glaciers. These glaciers deposited boulders, gravel and sand across the landscape. Peat bogs and rocky plateaus covered in lichens and dotted by stands of scrubby black spruce dominate this Taiga Shield Zone of Quebec. An intricate hydrological network of over a million lakes, peat bogs, rivers and streams also resulted from glacial action. These waterways now provide important habitat for migratory waterfowl during the breeding season.
Some of you may have wondered, how does a person get a job flying aircraft to count waterfowl? The job requires a person to have a passion and become proficient in both wildlife biology and aviation. If you’ve followed this website for very long you probably know that I’ve been participating in the survey for nine years now. My involvement began while I was the Wildlife Biologist at St. Vincent NWR and I got selected to be the right seat observer for the Southern Saskatchewan Survey area in 2003. To make a long story shorter, Phil Thorpe –who was then and still is the wildlife biologist/pilot for that area—saw my interest in using aviation as a wildlife management tool and recruited me. Note that I use the term “wildlife biologist/pilot” because we are wildlife biologists first, but have to be pilots as well. I already had the required Wildlife Biology background, so after several years flying with Phil and helping on some winter redhead surveys, I decided to begin flight training. The minimum pilot qualifications for the job are a commercial pilot certificate, an instrument rating and 500 hours as pilot in command (PIC). I was fortunate to be hired as an intern and be mentored by many of our staff and other service aviators while working on my advanced pilot ratings.
Pulling off a successful survey hinges on many factors. The three primary ones are aircraft status, pilot-biologist/observer health, and weather. Weather is probably the most important because even if the pilot-biologist and the observer are feeling great and the airplane is running good, no one is going anywhere if the weather sucks.
The good news is that we had a successful and safe aerial survey that concluded on May 25. The bad news is that I am still trying to get my aircraft back to New Mexico. The good news part of the bad news is that my delay in getting home is due to a lot of rain—moisture which is assisting in maintaining the good to excellent wetland conditions in most of Southern Alberta. We finished the survey on May 25, and completed all of our initial data entries and summaries that evening. I bid farewell to the excellent Observer, Kevin Doherty, the morning of May 26, as he left via commercial air from Grande Prairie. I flew the aircraft to Edmonton, and had to stop there due to heavy rains from Red Deer south to the MT border. I then met with Canadian Wildlife Service personnel on May 27, and discussed the data and the survey.
Our last day of surveys was Thursday May 26. We finished with good weather, surveying the area near Winnipeg and the Interlake region. This year the surveys took 18 days, including three weather days. Simply put, ponds were up, and so were the ducks!
Yesterday afternoon we arrived in Moosonee, an interesting Cree village at the southern end of James Bay. It's the end of the road in more than one way. There are no highways connecting Moosonee to the rest of the country, so everything arrives by aircraft, boat, or train...and this is the end of the line for the train. For us, it marks the last stop on our migration northward. Perfect weather allowed us to complete the last of our surveys today, and we'll start home tomorrow.
With the survey finished, we departed Brandon this morning. Our send-off from Brandon was amidst clear skies and light winds – a beautiful day to fly! After clearing customs in Grand Forks, North Dakota, we ferried the plane back to Fleming Field, South St Paul, Minnesota – where we had first started our sojourn in early May. After checking in with the guys at WipAire, we departed Minnesota via commercial airlines en route back to our home bases in Alaska.
As a duck hunter and a guy who spends most of his working time thinking about ducks, grasslands, and wetland conservation, you would think that counting a duck from a plane should be a piece of cake, right? Well not exactly at first. Habitat conditions in southern Alberta are great this year, with abundant waterfowl and full wetlands. Habitat conditions that make a great fall flight make life a little challenging for a first-time observer. I know my ducks and can barrel ID, but I am willing to admit that during a duck ID aerial training flight, the first mixed flock of 20+ ducks I approached at 100 feet off the ground at 100 mph, my brain froze. It reminded me of the first time I hunted bobwhite quail. I had an enormous covey get up in front of me. I unloaded both barrels of my side-by-side and to my amazement missed them all. The lesson: flock shooting makes for a frustrated Labrador! The same holds true when identifying ducks from a plane. The key, as my pilot told me after laughing at my dropped jaw and shaken confidence, is to pick the birds out one at a time just like hunting. Once my brain got used to the speed, new sight image of seeing the birds from above, and the shotgun mentality of “seeing the feathers on the bird you shoot,” I was amazed at how well you can see the birds. Much like a tree stand in the woods, the aerial view really helps you see into the wetlands.
We have been stuck in Ft. Peck, Montana for the last 4 or 5 days. Although not a bad place to be, we are hoping to move to the west to finish up the survey.
I have spent the previous 9 years working on the Eastern Dakotas ground crew, but this year I have moved over to run the Western Dakotas and Eastern Montana ground crew. I had always heard that the two crew areas were quite different in habitat and types of wetlands and now I have seen it firsthand. In the Eastern Dakotas crew area there are a lot of natural wetlands and dugouts. The Western Dakotas and Eastern Montana crew area is dominated by artificial wetlands (stock ponds), and there are more river drainages.
The NWT crew cleared customs in Warroad, MN, today and flew our last leg of the 2010 survey effort to the Twin Cities. Our survey aircraft, a Quest Kodiak, performed flawlessly throughout the month and will now await a set of amphibious floats for its next duty, a goose survey in Nunavut, Canada. Duck numbers were mostly up in our survey area. The entire area experienced an early spring, which will bode well for duck production from the northern latitudes. 
We conducted the survey of Yukon Flats on 22 May. Yukon Flats is a large wetland area and National Wildlife Refuge north of Fairbanks along the Yukon River. Survey conditions were good and waterfowl numbers seemed normal for this survey area. We did encounter some minor problems with the aircraft (starting issues) which required us to fly the aircraft to Anchorage, AK upon completion of the survey for maintenance. The maintenance issue was addressed the following day (23 May) and we flew the aircraft to Fairbanks late that evening.
No more than every 100 flight hours, our airplanes go in for a mandatory inspection. It’s best to have this done before leaving the States so an inspection doesn’t slow progress while on survey. Unfortunately, our survey plane, named Boston by my 4-year-old daughter, didn’t have enough hours since its last 100-hour inspection to justify another inspection before embarking for the North. Closing in on our 100 hours and faced with an ugly weather forecast, we opted for an inspection in Flin Flon, Manitoba. When this far north you always hope for a painless inspection, because getting parts can result in a lengthy delay. So, when the plane is in the hangar and its guts are exposed you cringe when the cell phone rings and the mechanic’s number is on caller ID. I had three such scares, but all resulted in minor maintenance events. The plane was buttoned up yesterday, but not in time to survey.
Rob Spangler and I completed the 2010 Atlantic crew area survey on May 29. Rob arrived in Bangor, Maine, on April 26 in anticipation of an early survey start. Spring was advanced at least three weeks in Maine and the Maritime Provinces, so plans and preparations were made to start the last week of April. Weather, however, did not cooperate and our start was delayed until May 1. I took that opportunity to give Rob a thorough orientation and briefing about the crew area, aircraft and survey procedures.
We pay a lot more attention to the weather when the air crew is scheduled to do one of our air-ground segments. The rigor and potential hazards of low-level aerial surveys means their upper limits for wind and precipitation are lower than ours, and we can’t cover the segment until after they do. John and Pete finished up yesterday, so I merely glanced at the forecast for today. Scattered thunderstorms in the morning, then some wind, but not until late afternoon. No problem, right? Except the thunderstorms were scattered right over the segment we needed to do. We sat in the truck and waited out some spectacular cloud-to-ground lightning, napped, played electronic scrabble (Kammie remains undefeated) or did crossword puzzles.
On Friday, May 28, Pete and I crossed the “finish line” for the 2010 survey effort. We spent our final week in Minot, ND, where strong low pressure systems in Montana and a persistent front lying along the US/Canada border allowed only 2 flight days during that period.
The weather cleared enough yesterday to let Jim Wortham and Scott Boomer fly their last remaining survey line in northern Quebec, and our helicopter crew was able to fly one last 18-mile segment of that line after Jim and Scott were done. Many of the larger lakes in the eastern part of this survey area are still mostly ice-covered, but the smaller wetlands and smaller, shallower lakes are open. It looked like most of the dabbling ducks (black ducks and green-winged teal) and Canada geese we saw have already set up shop for nesting, whereas many of the diving ducks (mainly scaup and scoters) were paired and ready to go, but waiting for more water to open up. We saw several groups of those species, and those birds will likely break up and spread out as more lakes thaw out. Jim and Scott have a few more survey lines to do in eastern Quebec, but the helicopter crew is done for this year and we are on our way home today. 
On Thursday, May 22, we completed the southern stratum (46) east of the Missouri River in North Dakota. Although conditions were not as wet as northern South Dakota, the majority of wetland habitats in North Dakota’s Missouri Coteau and glacial drift plain generally look good. Where the water in northern South Dakota is evenly distributed and probably in greater supply, water conditions in North Dakota are more variable with some areas drier than others. Farming activities are further behind in North Dakota and we did witness the ongoing installation of drain tile in the eastern part of the state. Nonetheless, conditions overall are good in the southern part of the state and we continued to tally strong numbers of breeding waterfowl in Stratum 46.
We completed the survey on May 20 and are now licking our wounds from flying almost every day since our start. Our unadjusted aerial pond counts are up overall, but down in some strata. As to duck numbers, our best areas were in southeast Saskatchewan and southwest Manitoba. However, there were many areas with good water conditions but few ducks. We attribute this to shortstopping of some birds in better conditions south of the Canadian border and perhaps some over-flights of early nesters that encountered quite dry conditions throughout this region in April. The rains during the first week in May made a temporary difference, but much of that moisture has mainly served to recharge soil moisture deficits, with most ponds drawing down considerably afterwards.
Our last survey day for this year was May 20, 2010. This constitutes 14 complete days of surveys with no bad weather days.
We are in Malta, Montana, about 20 miles south of the US/Canadian border. Tomorrow we will start the first of our two survey lines that run along the border. Yesterday it rained hard for several hours here, and we're not sure how wet the survey line will be. All of it is off-road, and in several places we have to cross streams or wetlands. Hopefully today's sun will help dry it out in time for our survey tomorrow. After we finish the two border lines we will head back to Maryland.
Spring wetland habitat conditions typically vary widely over the Canadian Prairies, and 2010 is no exception. The grasslands in southern Saskatchewan and the southeast and west central parklands were relatively dry following spring run-off. However, several early spring snow and rain events improved soil moisture conditions and provided much-needed water for wetlands in these regions. More recently, relatively heavy and widely distributed rain and snow have significantly improved wetland habitat throughout Saskatchewan. This precipitation helped to fill many temporary wetlands, and transformed poor conditions in the southern grasslands and west central parklands to habitat capable of attracting and supporting breeding waterfowl. The average conditions in many areas of the central and eastern parklands were markedly improved and can now be considered good to excellent. This moisture will also benefit nesting cover in pasture and grasslands throughout the Province.
A late spring delayed our start, and wind and weather have slowed us down a bit, but Carl Ferguson and I have finished our survey of northern Alberta and northeastern British Columbia. We are currently in Norman Wells, NWT. Habitat conditions are generally good across this survey area. Wetlands conditions vary as winter precipitation varied across the region. A fairly dry spring has limited the widespread flooding that often impacts early nesters. The important small wetlands often created by beaver dams appear to be in ideal condition. Although this is a late spring, there was an early warm up in some regions, which evidently allowed some early nesters to get underway in the smaller beaver flowages, ponds, and along miles and miles of small streams in this area. We are seeing flocked mallard drakes in these habitats, suggesting that some birds got an early start. However, the long lasting, severely cold winter is causing a delayed ice break up on the larger lakes. Consequently, we are still seeing groups of scaup and scoters in open leads along shorelines. However, we are also observing strong numbers of pairs and drakes of these species in the smaller wetlands. We plan to leave Norman Wells tomorrow, cross the Arctic Circle and finish the survey from Colville Lake and Inuvik.
Someone once said that when you see the light at the end of the tunnel be careful because it could be the train.
We finished the survey today. Although we did not see anything notably different from the information in my last report, I have uploaded a few more photos.
We have completed surveying the eastern Quebec and Anticosti Island areas in two days.
We have now completed our survey of Newfoundland, and have only one day left to finish up Labrador. We are pleased to report that overall conditions are classified as good or excellent in 2009. Winter temperatures were below average in both provinces, and Newfoundland had well below average snowfall, particularly in the central highlands. Newfoundland also experienced mild temperatures in late April and early May, creating early nesting conditions. Overall, Newfoundland’s habitat conditions were considered excellent. In Labrador, colder temperatures persisted throughout early spring with lakes still frozen at the end of May and snow still dominating the higher elevations. Waterfowl concentrated on available habitat at lower elevations, but breeding social groups were still evident; we anticipate these pairs will move into habitat as soon as it opens up in early June. Overall, we rated Labrador habitat conditions as good. Timing of the survey was a bit late for black ducks in Labrador and Newfoundland – we observed only occasional groups – but was ideal for Canada geese, which were predominately recorded as pairs and singles.
Our previous (May 9) report addressed survey activities and habitat conditions in the area south of Huron, SD. As we progressed northward, the benefits of precipitation received during the winter of ’08-’09 were obvious. From Aberdeen, SD north to the Canada border, water levels and numbers of basins were generally considered good to excellent and significantly improved since 2008. Nesting cover though, is variable. Dry conditions last year allowed many of the smaller, shallower basins to be “tilled through.” This practice destroys plant communities associated with wetlands and leaves little or no residual nesting cover the following year. Add to those conditions over 800,000 acres of CRP lost in the Dakotas since 2007 and an additional 400,000+ contract acres scheduled to expire in 2009, and you have degraded and further fragmented nesting cover over significant portions of the landscape. Fortunately, the increase in the number of basins with water, particularly north of Aberdeen, should provide suitable nesting sites within reasonable distances to wetlands, though nesting success and brood survival may be reduced.
We flew into Calgary, Alberta today after completing the survey this morning. Our previous post on May 14 reported on the area between the US border and Red Deer, Alberta. Since then, we have surveyed the areas between Red Deer, Edmonton, Cold Lake, Slave Lake, Grand Prairie, and Peace River, Alberta; including Dawson Creek and Ft. St. John, British Columbia.
Peter Fasbender and I completed our aerial survey of the Western Dakotas and Montana today. Overall, habitat conditions across all of eastern Montana and the western Dakotas is significantly improved over 2008 and over the previous 5 years. Nearly all primary and secondary river systems showed evidence of high flows during early spring. Upland vegetation looked great over most of the region. In southwest SD and western ND, habitat was ranked as good and excellent. These regions displayed 75-100% of basins containing water – most at full capacity. In the higher elevation terrain of eastern MT, the number of ponds (all types) and stream drainages is reduced compared to the Dakotas, however the area was still ranked as Fair/Good/Excellent in relation to what is typical. Pond numbers were up from both 2008 and the 10-year average on nearly all transects. The combination of good residual vegetation from 2008, a large increase in overall early spring precipitation, and the resulting response of 2009 upland vegetation has produced quite favorable waterfowl nesting conditions in the western Dakotas and eastern Montana. Brood habitat is expected to be good and overall waterfowl production should be very good for 2009.
Although water in the southern grasslands is much improved over last year, this region dries out as you proceed north and west. I’ve been surveying this crew area since 1971, and one of the hallmarks of the wetland habitat conditions in southern Saskatchewan is the great diversity across the area. Rarely do we see consistent conditions throughout. This year appears to be no exception. The west-central portion of the province is dry, but the eastern and central parklands have reasonably good water. Spring came late this year, and we’re still seeing ice on some of the big lakes. But nesting effort is strong, and we are encouraged by the number of some species we are seeing, especially pintails. The late farming activity could have negative impact on them, but overall, I’m optimistic because of the fairly good water conditions in the southern grasslands and central parklands. Over all, total duck numbers appear to be somewhat lower than expected, given the wetland habitat available. Many ponds are not occupied by waterfowl, likely a function of the excellent water available in other areas to the south (e.g., North and South Dakota).
After flying 5 days, we've seen that habitat conditions in Southern Manitoba are wetter and better than last year. In fact, there is massive flooding along the Red River on the eastern boundary of our survey area that has forced us to divert around it for now because the ground crews can't get in there. In places the river looks like you are approaching Lake Winnipeg. Levels are dropping as we speak, but there still are some roads closed. We will have to come back to that area later. Hopefully, the flooding won't have too great an impact on nesting. In stark contrast to Southern Manitoba, habitat in Southeast Saskatchewan is still dry. I would rate it fair at best. Southern Manitoba from Brandon south and west to the Saskatchewan border, however, looks great.
John and I have 9 days of surveying under our belts now, and the water conditions are still good, although eastern Montana is drier than the Dakotas. We’ve seen a lot of lone drakes, so nesting is in full swing. Landowners tell us that it was an unusually long, cold winter, with heavy snows. Although the snow was really hard on the cattle in the region, the meltwater from it has rejuvenated the landscape. That is great news for ducks as well as farmers — many of whom have not been able to get a crop off the land for several years in a row. We’re talking to a lot of optimistic landowners this year, who are happy to tell us where to find ducks on their property!