Although the conditions for breeding ducks are still essentially favorable, Delta Waterfowl’s habitat monitoring system shows that during the crucial month of May, conditions in some important areas decreased.
As we lost some of the little, fleeting lakes to warming temperatures, humidity levels in some areas on the U.S. side of prairies expectedly started to decline. Interestingly, if, both North Dakota and Montana, which are crucial for duck production, have maintained significant moisture levels.
We have observed a considerable decline in humidity levels on the French side of the prairies. Areas in Quebec and Ontario exhibit great to excellent problems, but we are unsure how recent wildfires have changed their landscapes. The majority of the fires seem to have happened in Canada’s north regions, which are fortunate because they have lower rearing duck densities than prairies and parklands. Ducks will, however, drop crucial nesting habitat if the fires spread and have an impact on the prairie habitat further north. It is obvious that Alberta, Saskatchewan, and other important counties are in desperate need of rain, even though these fires do not always result in a complete loss of wetlands.
Nearly the entire great Eastern Survey Area is still in good to exceptional conditions in the Atlantic Flyway.
British Columbia, Washington, and particularly Oregon in the west have experienced water losses but are still in fair to excellent condition. And for the state’s hunters, who heavily rely on resident-breeding mallards for success, the conditions’ counter success continues to be encouraging. ( Delta Waterfowl ) Mike Buxton
