Author: ruffatt1@illinois.edu

The weather was perfect for a waterfowl survey on Monday, November 7th. We estimated 213,465 total ducks in the Illinois River valley (IRV) which was up 7% from the previous week; however, do to above average temperatures across the Midwest, we are running well below average (41% low) for the second week of November. The […]

Gusty winds near 25 mph on Halloween morning delayed our weekly waterfowl flight until Tuesday, November 1st. Duck numbers were still climbing along the Illinois River valley (IRV; up 16% from last week) and central Mississippi River valley (CMRV; up 31% from last week). Duck abundance was “eerily” similar between the two rivers and seemed […]

The weather was right for a waterfowl survey of the Illinois and Mississippi rivers on Monday, October 24th, following the Central Zone duck season opener in Illinois. Duck numbers (171,990) were up 71% along the Illinois River from the previous week; however, I think the majority of this increase was attributed to the shuffle of […]

We last flew the waterfowl survey of the Illinois and Mississippi rivers on Tuesday, October 18th following the strong winds that howled all day on Monday. Waterfowl numbers on the Illinois River were up 96% from the previous week at 100,730 ducks; however, we remained 9% below the 10-yr average. Similarly, total duck abundance (140,975) […]

We resumed our flights of the Illinois and Mississippi rivers this week just prior to the onset of the North Zone Waterfowl Season opener in Illinois. Flooding still persisted along the Illinois River, and recently the central Mississippi River lost some important waterfowl habitat due to extensive flooding from the Quad Cities to Grafton. Port […]

Hunter reports indicated a push of migrant teal along the Illinois and Mississippi rivers the morning of Saturday, September 10th , following the weather system that passed through the prairies on Friday. This influx of birds was noted during the waterfowl count on Wednesday, September 14th . Teal abundance nearly doubled (up 95%) along the […]

Weather permitted us to fly the entire waterfowl survey this week despite the 105o heat index. Teal abundance actually dropped (37%) along the Illinois River compared to the previous week. We have lost blue-winged teal over the last couple weeks due to flooding. I estimated 17,020 teal in the Illinois Valley from Hennepin to Meredosia; […]

We flew the duck survey on Wednesday, August 31st, and so we begin our 68th year of waterfowl surveys on the Illinois and Mississippi rivers. Mother nature got us again… at least along the Illinois River! Extensive rains in the Illinois River watershed in the last couple weeks have caused the river to swell and […]

We completed the waterfowl survey on Tuesday, December 15th. Surprisingly, there were still good numbers of mallards (120,545) in the Illinois Valley where they were matching the 10-yr average. Total ducks were 26% above average for mid-December reflecting the mild weather we have encountered this fall. Normally our lakes and marshes are frozen by the […]

We completed the waterfowl survey on Tuesday, December 8th following the fog on Monday. Water levels were elevated along the Illinois and Mississippi rivers, and several of the mallards were still located in the flooded timber; especially along the Illinois. Illinois River numbers were stable from the preceding week at 190,910 total ducks and were […]