Updates

Week 3 – September 16, 2024

A duck with a transmitter around its neck.

We got up in the air for the 3rd waterfowl flight of 2024 on Monday, September 16. The rain from the Hurricane never quite made it here, so we’re still drying out mudflats and exposing more along the backwaters. We lost some blue wings since last week, especially in the Illinois River Valley (-26%), but seemed to have gained some green wings behind them. Regardless, blue-winged teal abundance remained above LTA (+43%) for the IRV (20,280), but 11% below LTA for the CMRV (3,395) this week. Total duck abundance (36,320) was 5% below the LTA for the Illinois River, and 37% below the LTA for the CMRV (5,460). It’s typical for total duck abundances to drop slightly this week as blue-winged teal migrate out of our area at a faster rate than other early migrators make their way here. However, the abundances of ducks not named BWTE are below LTA across all species for this week. And we seem to be holding “near-peak” numbers of BWTE a little longer than usual. This may be an artifact of the unseasonably warm weather the prairies and upper Midwest are experiencing right now. The 10-day forecast predicts a little temperature relief early next week. We’ll see if that holds true.

I wanted to switch gears and highlight some past research that I’ve been asked about by hunters. Forbes staff, led by Andrew Gilbert, recently published the wood duck work conducted during 2018-2020 in the Journal of Wildlife Management. We marked wood ducks with transmitters during late summer and tracked their movements to determine home range, departures, and survival. Wood ducks in our study area had greater daily movement distances in October and November as compared to August
and September, potentially due to hunting disturbance, increased food-searching, or general restlessness prior to migration. They predominantly used wooded and emergent wetlands during their stay here… wood ducks use the woods, no kidding?… (but also, cattail and lotus beds). The average departure date from our area was Oct 27, but adult males tended to leave 11-16 days before other sex/age cohorts. Our latest observed departure was December 15th. Survival? Not bad, coming in at ~80% across all age/sex cohorts. Interestingly, survival was positively related to increasing river levels.

Several ducks in a trap made of metal. — A Y-confusion trap full of wood ducks in the Illinois River Valley.

Seemingly as the river put more water on the landscape, wood ducks could spread out to avoid hunters. An alternative way to view this result is that less water-concentrated wood ducks are in or near hunted areas.

Thanks to everyone who made this research possible. Too many to list, but you know who you are.

This week’s numbers and more info about us are on our Aerial Inventories page.

A map with lines that show the flight paths of ducks. — A map of departures of wood ducks from the Illinois River Valley.

Week 2 – September 9, 2024

Ducks swimming in a body of water at sunrise.

We got up in the air for the second waterfowl flight of 2024 on Monday, September 9. We also flew the final fall shorebird flight on Tuesday, September 10th. All files for those surveys are attached. Blue-winged teal abundance was 35% above LTA for the IRV (27,515), but 16% below LTA for the CMRV (5,615) this week. Total duck abundance (38,150) was 12% above the LTA for the Illinois River, but 25% below the LTA for the CMRV (7,625). I’ve heard some good reports from hunters since the early teal season opened last weekend. For the most part, those willing to brave the mud pit out there seem to have been rewarded for their work. Winds are changing as I write this, and the remnants of Hurricane Francine are making their way here to deposit some precipitation. Time will tell if we see enough rain to make a difference in our
refuges.

Ducks flying near a trap. — Blue-winged teal in (and near) a swim in trap on one of our trapping sites in central IL.

We’re still chipping away, but haven’t deployed our first transmitter for this fall yet. It’s hard to call trapping efforts a failure when you’re catching blue wings, but we’d sure like to see some green in there. Regardless, our techs have their hands on some birds, and we’ve gotten Abby some much-needed time out of the office. That’s success enough for now.

This week’s numbers and more info about us are on our Waterfowl Aerial Inventories page.

People in a field, looking at a crate with ducks inside and taking notes. — Technicians Raina and Chelsea and post-doc, Abby Blake-Bradshaw, work up the last of the day’s catch of blue-winged teal.

Week 1 – September 4, 2024

We got up in the air for the first fall waterfowl flight of 2024 on Wednesday, September 4. I found it fitting that, while in the air for the first “teal” flight, the rest of the staff were banding blue-wings as bycatch to kick off our mallard/green-winged teal fall project. I’m not sure which was the more fun assignment for the day….

Though not as thorough as in 2022 and 2023, drawdowns were effective along many of the Illinois and MS rivers’ backwaters. When their respective rivers cooperate, the Illinois and Central MS valleys can produce phenomenal waterfowl habitat. So far, the food is looking pretty good for the 2024 fall flight in our region. Here’s hoping for timely, reasonable rains over the course of the fall. There is a little more water on the landscape in the IRV compared to last year, but there was still a lot of mud through our viewing window on Wednesday. As expected, our early migrators are very congregated with the low water. Blue-winged teal (23,985) and total duck (32,310) abundance were above the LTA for the Illinois River this week (+25% and +28% respectively). While not as pronounced, abundance trends were similar along the MS River, +5% for both blue wings (5,635) and total ducks (7,885). As is the case for this time of year, blue-winged teal were the dominant species. But I was excited to see more than a few northern pintail, green-winged teal, and northern shoveler mixed in as well. Fall waterfowl migration 2024 is underway, and all is right in the world again! This week’s numbers and more info are on our Waterfowl Aerial Inventories page. Stay safe and double-check your gear if you’re getting out to enjoy the teal opener this weekend!

A group of ducks in a trap. — Blue-winged Teal captured and banded near Liverpool, IL.

MS student position – Colorado Black Rails – Apply by Nov 30th

Project Description: A Masters of Science research assistant position is available starting the Fall 2022 Semester at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

The successful candidate would be hired as a technician by Colorado Parks and Wildlife from March-July 2022 to collect the first year of pilot data on the project, and then begin as a master’s student at UIUC in August 2022. A detailed research proposal describing objectives, data collection, and analyses as well as a written thesis are partial requirements of the Masters of Science degree. The project is focused on the Eastern Black Rail (a federally threatened species) along the lower Arkansas River in Colorado. The successful candidate will lead a technician in collecting data about occupancy and habitat use of Eastern Black Rails across several sites, assessing the role habitat plays in Eastern Black Rail breeding success and also work to determine a survey framework for estimating abundance of the secretive species.

Research activities will be conducted in southeastern Colorado from March-July 2022 and 2023. The student will work closely in collaboration with Colorado Parks and Wildlife during the field work and throughout the project. Travel costs, including rustic housing, will be provided while in the field.

The student will be advised by Dr. Auriel Fournier (https://aurielfournier.github.io/), an Assistant Research Scientist and Director of the Forbes Biological Station (https://www.inhs.illinois.edu/fieldstations/forbes) at the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS; https://www.inhs.illinois.edu/) and Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences (nres.illinois.edu) and Dr. T.J. Benson (https://publish.illinois.edu/tjbenson/) Senior Wildlife Ecologist at INHS and Research Associate Professor in NRES. The Illinois Natural History Survey is one of five scientific surveys housed within the Prairie Research Institute (PRI) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), and the successful candidate will pursue their degree through the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences (NRES) at UIUC and the candidate must meet the minimum admission requirements of the NRES graduate program (https://nres.illinois.edu/graduate/apply).

Qualifications: Bachelors degree in Biology, Ecology, Wildlife Science, or related field. Competitive candidates will have an interest in learning or expanding their quantitative skills, an interest in applied conservation and management, and expertise or experience with wetlands, marsh birds, or other avian species. Applicants must also demonstrate both a willingness and ability to work long hours under challenging field conditions. A collaborative, positive attitude and eagerness to learn new skills are necessary for the successful candidate.

Salary and Appointment: This position includes a two-year 50% research assistantship with health insurance and a tuition waiver through the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Application: Applications should be received by November 30th, 2021 for consideration. Interested applicants should email a single PDF to auriel@illinois.edu that includes: 1) cover letter stating why you are interested in the position and if/how you meet the qualifications listed above, 2) CV, 3) names and contact information for three professional references, and 4) copies of unofficial transcripts. Please put “CO BLRA MS Application” in the email subject line and include your last name in all attached file names.

Please also feel free to reach out to Dr. Auriel Fournier if you have additional questions or would like to schedule a conversation. The successful applicant will be expected to formally apply to the NRES graduate program at UIUC. All admission decisions must be approved by the NRES Director of Graduate Studies.

The University of Illinois is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action employer. Minorities, women, veterans, and individuals with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply. For more information, visit http://go.illinois.edu/EEO.

Last flight of 2020 fall migration

We flew most of the waterfowl survey on Tuesday January 5th and finished up the last of the upper Illinois River on January 8th. Fog and low ceilings plagued us this week above Peoria. Most of the ducks are now gone except for a few mallards, common goldeneyes, and common mergansers. A raft of Canvasbacks is hanging on near Nauvoo, Illinois. I never did see the large numbers of Canvasbacks this fall on Pool 19. I think they may have overflown us during the Christmas Holiday. This was my last flight of the 2020 fall migration. We will start flying again in mid-February, or when the ice starts to break up.

Good Luck to the goose hunters and the southern duck hunters!

This was our view of Pool 19 near Hamilton, Illinois on Tuesday afternoon. Plenty of ice with only a few pockets of open water.

Illinois River Aerial Survey – 1/5/2021

Central Mississippi River Aerial Survey – 1/5/2021

Last day of duck season

We flew the waterfowl survey on Tuesday, December 22nd. Coincidentally, this flight was on the last day of Illinois’ central zone duck season. We had noticeable ice on several of the refuges, especially on the northern reaches of both the Illinois and Mississippi rivers. Duck numbers along the Illinois River (249,625) were similar to the previous week and still remained well above average for late December.

The central Mississippi River was a different story. Duck numbers dropped (~50%) along the lower Mississippi River from Quincy to Grafton; however, there were still nearly 300,000 ducks along the river this week. We just didn’t see the large concentrations of ducks at Swan Lake (Two Rivers NWR), Long Lake, Cuivre, Batchtown SFWA, Towhead, Delair NWR, or Ted Shanks CA. We are not sure where the ducks went, but they weren’t in their usually spots on the refuges. With the frigid weather arriving over the Christmas holiday, I suspect there will be fewer birds next week.

I forgot to grab my camera yesterday, so I had to use a couple of photos from past flights. We should normally be frozen solid by now, so I grabbed this photo of ducks sitting in the Cuivre Refuge back in December 2005. They were packed as tight as I have ever seen ducks congregate. The second photo is a straight down shot of ducks at Henderson County Conservation Area, near Oquawka, IL in January 2015. Enjoy!

Be careful out there and have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Ducks sitting in the Cuivre Refuge, December, 2005.

Ducks at Henderson County Conservation Area, near Oquawka, IL, in January, 2015.

Illinois River Waterfowl Aerial Inventory – 12/22/2020

Central Mississippi Waterfowl Aerial Inventory – 12/22/2020

Back in the air

We made it back into the air on Tuesday, December 15th following a couple of nights with temperatures in the low 20’s. Consequently, ice returned to many areas along both rivers. Total duck numbers remained 50% and 43% above average along the Illinois (240,805 ducks) and central Mississippi rivers (554,885 ducks). Mallards were the dominant species encountered and represented 74% of the total ducks along the Illinois River and 60% of total ducks on the Mississippi River. Northern pintail, green-winged teal, and ring-necked ducks were still plentiful in many locations. The North Zone duck season in Illinois was closing as we were conducting the survey, and the Central Zone season will close on December 22nd. Despite the ample number of ducks, ice and poor hunting success have prompted many duck hunters in the northern half of the state to pack it in for the year. Many reports suggest it was a poor duck season at best along both rivers. Maybe goose hunters will have better luck as we head into the frozen winter season.

We witnessed a spectacular sight at Ted Shanks Conservation Area in Missouri on Tuesday. As we viewed this flock of mallards and northern pintail, a young bald eagle decided to buzz the flock. Eagles often fly low over flocks of waterfowl looking for sick or injured birds to prey upon. This eagle parted the flock of ducks much like Moses parted the Red Sea back in Biblical times (Exodus 14). Fortunately for the ducks, the eagle failed to snatch a bird.

Be careful out there!

A young bald eagle flies low enough to part the ducks on the water.

Illinois River Waterfowl Aerial Inventory – 12/15/2020

Central Mississippi Waterfowl Aerial Inventory – 12/15/2020

Abandoned flight

We started the waterfowl survey on Tuesday the 8th, but the weather deteriorated quickly and we had to abandon the flight. We were successful in completing the entire flight on Thursday, December 10th. The ice we witnessed last week was all but gone, and the good news is we still have a few ducks around. We counted 241,875 ducks along the Illinois River and >60% of those birds were mallards. Likewise, we estimated 414,560 ducks along the central Mississippi River this week with about 41% of those being mallards. Surprisingly, we still have very strong numbers of northern pintail, green-winged teal, gadwall, northern shoveler, and canvasbacks around.

The bad news is we lost about half of our ducks compared to the December 2nd survey or roughly down 43% along the Illinois River and 50% along the central Mississippi River. I am sure some of the duck decline was due to birds moving back out on the landscape as the wetlands thawed and the ice diminished, but I believe some of those birds ended up in southeastern Missouri and western Tennessee. A couple of hunters have told me the ducks departed central Illinois on Saturday and Sunday evenings shortly after sunset. And I have heard from a couple of hunters that shot limits of ducks in western Tennessee over the last couple of days.

Our duck seasons are drawing to a close up here in northern and central Illinois. The north zone goes out on Tuesday, December 15th, while the central zone ends on Tuesday, December 22nd. Get out there and enjoy the remaining days of the season! Maybe the coming rain and snow on December 11-12 will bring in a few new migrants to end our seasons on a high note. Time will tell.

Be careful out there!

For those of you hunting snow geese and greater white-fronted geese, there are a few large concentrations around. This flock of snows was using Swan Lake at Two Rivers NWR on December 10, 2020.

I thought this photo was neat with the shadow of the airplane on the ducks at Clarence Cannon Refuge, Missouri on December 10, 2020.

Some of the remaining northern pintails basking in the sun at Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge near Annada, Missouri on December 10, 2020. Note how the pintail have congregated on the shallow mudflats near the moist-soil vegetation rather than randomly spacing themselves in the water.

Illinois River Waterfowl Aerial Inventory – 12/10/2020

Central Mississippi Waterfowl Aerial Inventory – 12/10/2020

Cold-weather ducks

We waited until Wednesday of this week (December 2nd) to fly the waterfowl survey. The weather looked good so we decided to see what the cold snap would do to duck numbers. I feared most of the ducks would get out of here with the 20ºF low temps on Monday and Tuesday. Boy was I wrong! We had lots of ice on Wednesday morning, but the ducks stayed. In fact, we saw more ducks than before Thanksgiving along both rivers. I am sure we had some new ducks arrive with the cold weather and north winds, as evidenced by the increasing number of mallards and common goldeneye (commonly known as whistlers or ice ducks). And we had some other divers (primarily lesser scaup) take off for warmer climates. The departure of scaup was also apparent in our band return data from ducks that we leg band during spring around Havana, IL and Pool 19 of the Mississippi River. Our weekly band return report from the Bird Banding Lab indicated the lesser scaup are definitely in Louisiana and Texas with several bands being reported from the deep south.

This week we observed ~423,000 ducks along the Illinois River and ~830,000 ducks on the central Mississippi River. These numbers are well above average for the first week of December and 7% greater than last week along the Illinois River and 25% more than last week on the central Mississippi. Once again mallards were the most numerous species with almost a half a million mallards along the central Mississippi River and well over a quarter million on the Illinois River. I know many duck hunters in Illinois are going to doubt those numbers because hunting success has been poor for the most part, but we took several photos to show how they hunkered down and kept pockets of water from freezing in the cool temps. I guess we will see next week when we warm up and thaw if the ducks continued to stick around.

Be careful in the cold and ice!

Ducks using an open water area on one of the frozen refuges on December 2nd, 2020.

More mallards from the central Mississippi River.

Can you pick out the northern pintail and green-winged teal among these mallards?

Illinois River Waterfowl Aerial Inventory – 12/2/2020

Central Mississippi Waterfowl Aerial Inventory – 12/2/2020

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! We completed the survey on Monday, November 23rd. Duck numbers on the Illinois River dropped slightly (7%) from the November 17th count. We estimated ~397,000 ducks this week, which is still 37% above average for Thanksgiving. Most noteworthy were the number of greater white-fronted geese at Chautauqua NWR (10,000) and the impressive numbers of trumpeter and tundra swans (~2,500) along the rivers. If you have never seen these massive birds, search the corn fields around Havana and Pleasant Hill, Illinois to find them.

We estimated ~665,000 ducks along the central Mississippi River, which was >50% above average and 13% up from last week. Mallards jumped to just under 300,000 birds after the central zone of the Missouri duck season reopened (increased 26% from last week). Clarence Cannon (100,000 ducks) and Swan Lake (86,000 ducks) refuges are rivaling for the most ducks on the central Mississippi River. Diving duck numbers on Pool 19 increased as more canvasbacks and common goldeneye arrived. I had about 18,000 more canvasbacks and 4,000 more goldeneye this week than last.

We were fooled by a diving duck hunter on Pool 19. From about ¼ mile away, we saw the ripples of a few “ducks” on the water. I asked Mike to take us to see what species they were. As we approached, a gunner from a layout boat opened the doors and started waving “Hello” to us. He was a good sport as I snapped a couple of photos of him. To quote Robert W. Service: “He wore a smile you could see a mile,” or at least 50 yards for us in the airplane. Layout boats are low profile boats used by diving duck hunters on big water. Their use became common back in the 1930’s after sink boxes were banned for hunting ducks.

Once again, HAPPY THANKSGIVING and enjoy the 4-day weekend!

Illinois River Waterfowl Aerial Inventory – 11/23/2020

Central Mississippi Waterfowl Aerial Inventory – 11/23/2020