Last modified: Friday, April 06, 2007

Waterfowl viewing season "0pens"

March and April are great months to view ducks, geese and swans

It's duck season!

No, it's not time to shoot at ducks with a shotgun; it's the season to get out and watch ducks and geese with binoculars, spotting scopes and perhaps a camera with a good telephoto lens.

March and April are among the best months to see ducks, geese, swans and other waterfowl as they migrate through or return to Utah.

"March and April are great months to view the waterfowl migrations," says Tom Aldrich, migratory game bird coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources. "Last year we recorded 118,594 ducks, 2,088 Canada geese and 16,842 swans — just on the state waterfowl management areas alone — during March. These counts didn't include the birds on the federal refuges or those on other public or private lands.

"During the spring, waterfowl are at their most colorful because they're in their breeding plumage," Aldrich says. "Breeding efforts also bring out some fascinating behaviors as the birds try to attract mates. These displays can be a lot of fun to watch."

Aldrich says geese and swans are usually the first waterfowl to start moving through Utah. His 2006 surveys of the DWR's management areas show numbers built from just over 400 Canada geese in late December 2005 to 1,700, 2,729 and 2,088 in January, February and March 2006 respectively. Swans went from 255 in late December to 442, 3,200, 16,842 and 44 over the next four months.

Duck numbers vary depending on the species. Shovelers and goldeneyes are some of the first ducks to migrate through Utah. Their numbers peak in February. Most of the remaining ducks migrate through Utah in March. These ducks include mallards, pintails, green-winged teal, widgeon, gadwall, redhead, canvasback, scaup and ring-necked ducks. April migrants include cinnamon teal, ruddy ducks and most of the mergansers.

Aldrich says weather will modify species numbers and their migration patterns a bit, so use the figures above as a general guide to when the numbers of each species will peak.

"State and federal wildlife or waterfowl management areas and refuges are good places to see the migrations," Aldrich says. "Birds like to stop and feed in these areas during their migration. Some of these areas are also good breeding locations for the birds.

"In addition to good numbers of birds, other advantages to viewing waterfowl at the management areas are the driving loops and designated viewing areas that many of these areas have. Brochures or interpretive signing are sometimes available to help viewers locate and identify the birds that can be seen there too.

"While state waterfowl management areas and federal refuges are usually the best places to view these birds, other areas on public or private lands should also hold plenty of birds," Aldrich says. "Just look for a body of water, such as a lake, pond or stream near open fields. Finding a place close to home makes it easy to get out for a short while in the morning or evening to see birds."

When viewing birds, Aldrich recommends staying in your car and using binoculars to get a close view of the birds.

"Remember, these are wild birds, and they won't tolerate humans getting too close," Aldrich says. "Cars make a good blind as the birds get used to seeing them, and they'll usually let a car get much closer than someone on foot.

"Also, don't forget to take a pair of binoculars or a spotting scope so you can view the birds at a distance. If you don't approach them too closely, the birds will ignore you and continue doing whatever it is that they're doing.

"If you try to approach them, they will move away and may leave the area completely.

"To get good photographs, you'll need to use a long telephoto lens. A good bird identification guide can also enhance your experience."

How far do Utah's ducks migrate?

When wildlife biologists study wildlife, they often need to identify individual animals and birds. Identifying an individual animal or bird allows the biologist to track its movements. Tracking its movements can lead to a better understanding of which food sources it frequents, where it goes to escape weather or predators, and what its migration patterns are. Tracking its movements can also help determine its life cycles and aging and can provide a host of other information.

Bird banding, which usually involves catching a bird and placing a uniquely coded strip of metal or plastic around its leg, has a long history in wildlife management. Biologists use bird banding because it's simple and relatively inexpensive. Banding also provides information about how far each bird migrated whenever the bird or its band can be relocated. For example, an American coot banded in Utah in summer 2006 was taken by a hunter in Iowa that fall.

Maps

These maps were created from the banding data of birds that were banded in Utah. Stars indicate where mallards were found after being banded with leg bands in Utah.

Mallard

Green-winged teal

Cinammon teal

Green-winged teal

The green-winged teal you see in Utah are mostly birds that are migrating through the state. In 2006, their numbers reached almost 35,000 birds on the state waterfowl management areas in early March. Species counts and banding data indicate Utah, especially the marshes around the Great Salt Lake, provide essential rest and refueling areas for green-winged teal during their spring and fall migrations.

Most of the green-winged teal that come through Utah winter in California and Arizona, but some winter in Texas and Louisiana. Others travel as far south as areas just north of Mazatlan, Mexico.

Their summer range is also quite extensive, with band returns from the northwestern coast to north of Nome, Alaska, east through the northern Rocky Mountain states and Canadian provinces to central Canada and a few states east of the Mississippi River.

Cinnamon teal

Utah's marshes, especially those around the Great Salt Lake, provide extensive breeding areas for cinnamon teal. Banding data indicates that cinnamon teal that are raised and banded here, and then are later taken by hunters, are usually taken by hunters in Utah.

Banding data also indicates that cinnamon teal can range far and wide when they migrate to warmer wintering areas. Their main wintering grounds include central and southern California, and along the coast of Mexico between Guaymas and Los Mochis. Some bands have also been recovered along the Rio Grande in Texas and south into the eastern Chihuahua region of Mexico. Some bands have even been reported as far south as Nicaragua and Panama in Central America, and Columbia and Venezuela in South America.

Mallards

Mallards are definitely a North American bird. The DWR's data shows numerous returns from the coasts of California to some areas just short of the eastern United States coastline and from northern Mexico to central Canada.

One industrious bird even made it into the Yukon River region of Alaska.