Waterfowl survey indicates good year for duck hunting

If you're wondering whether you should buy those new duck decoys for this hunting season, it's time to stop wondering and start buying because there's a good chance you may see a few more birds coming into your set than you have in years past.

Preliminary results from the 2007 Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey indicate that the duck population has grown to more than 41 million in the survey area, an increase of 14 percent from 2006 and 24 percent above the 1955-2006 average.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service director Dale Hall said when it comes to the total duck population and waterfowl breeding habitat, results of the annual survey were positive.

"We have five species that are at record or near-record highs, including canvasbacks, and there are good breeding conditions on the prairies," Hall said.

Covering more than 1.3 million square miles across the United States and Canada, the annual waterfowl survey is considered the most comprehensive of its kind in the world. It's a joint effort between the USFWS and its Canadian counterpart.

If you have ever looked at your waterfowl regulations and asked why bag limits are what they are, the answer to your question has its beginnings with the results of this survey. Those results are used to establish waterfowl regulations in each of the four flyways -- Atlantic, Mississippi, Central and Pacific. Those regulations include everything from season dates to bag limits.

Waterfowl management also falls under the guidelines of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

"As part of the treaty, to establish hunting regulations and set seasons, we have to have a reliable estimate of population health and habitat conditions before we are even able to open a season," explained Jim Wortham, a USFWS waterfowl biologist who also doubles as a pilot and uses his flying skills when participating in the annual waterfowl survey.

Wortham said the survey areas are divided up into habitat types and then into transects. The pilots fly the same transects each year to count ducks and evaluate habitat health. Pilots like Wortham have been conducting the systematic survey for 51 years, and while doing so they fly their airplanes at treetop level while counting ducks and identifying them by species.

The more I thought about flying an airplane along the tops of trees while counting and identifying ducks, the more curious I became. So I asked how they were able to do that all at one time.

"We're all biologists as well as pilots so we learn to look for cues that the birds give us," Wortham said. "Some of it might be what type of wetland they're sitting in, what type of habitat they're using and all the different colorations (of the birds).

"You learn to visualize what these birds are going to look like at 100 miles an hour and going by at 150 feet in the air. If you get the birds to fly, they show a lot of extra colors. When they're sitting still they give you different things. It's obviously a skill that comes with practice."

Wortham explained that the biologists are trying to count each individual bird they see and not just estimating the numbers that are submitted. There is even a method in place for ground crews to follow up in areas where the pilot feels his sample may not be complete. Pilot biologists must complete a three-year training period before they are given the go-ahead to do the job on their own.

During the 2007 survey, biologists found habitat conditions for breeding waterfowl were at least as good as in 2006, and in some cases slightly improved. They also classified 7 million ponds, a number that is 44 percent higher than the long-term average of just 4.9 million. More ponds and wetlands means more birds, hence the reason wetlands conservation efforts are so critical.

Canvasbacks, northern shovelers and redheads are all at record highs. Biologists estimate there are 865,000 canvasbacks, 4.6 million northern shovelers, and 1 million redheads. Respectively, those figures are 53 percent, 24 percent and 60 percent higher than the long-term averages for those species. Green-winged teal also are doing well at an estimated population of 2.9 million birds.

While most news from the survey is good, there are two species that continue to struggle. Scaup and pintail populations are both well below the numbers documented during prior years.

Doug Nielsen is a freelance writer and a conservation educator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. His column is published Thursday. He can be reached at doug@takinitoutside.com.