STONEWALL, MANITOBA — (Marketwire) — 07/05/12 — This week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released its preliminary report on breeding ducks and habitat conditions based on surveys conducted in May and early June in collaboration with the Canadian Wildlife Service. This remarkable, long-running survey annually samples more than two million square miles of waterfowl habitat across the North-central United States and Canada.
Populations of all ducks combined were estimated at 48.6 million in the surveyed area, a record high. This estimate represents a seven per cent increase over last year–s estimate of 45.6 million birds, and is 43 per cent above the 1955-2011 long-term average.
Pond numbers, the most important long-term indicator of habitat conditions in Prairie Canada and the North-central United States, dropped 32 per cent from the very wet conditions experienced in 2011. This decline (49 per cent for the U.S., 21 per cent for Canada) was manifested mostly in fewer, small shallow wetlands, typically the most important ponds for breeding ducks, while the larger, deeper wetlands persisted from previous years. Still, the total number of ponds remained nine per cent over the long-term average.
“We expected a strong return migration because 2011 was an excellent production year,” said Dr. Mike Anderson, senior conservation advisor for Ducks Unlimited Canada. “The winter was generally dry and pond conditions across the Prairies deteriorated from the very wet conditions experienced last year, but the counts this spring offered few surprises.”
The estimated abundance of most duck species changed little between 2011 and 2012:
“In years like this when the Prairies are drier and large numbers of Northern Pintails are counted further north, it is typical that overall population estimates are lower,” said Karla Guyn, director of conservation planning. “Conversely, compared with 2011, many Scaup were tallied in Southern Canada this year, which might have contributed to the higher estimate for these birds.”
“American Wigeon numbers outside of Alaska remain a cause for concern,” added Anderson. “By and large these are very encouraging results in the face of all the pressures on waterfowl breeding habitat.”
“How these excellent breeding numbers will translate into population growth will depend on the survival of duck nests and ducklings for the remainder of the summer,” added Guyn. “Our challenge remains to secure and restore the critical habitats needed by these breeding ducks so that the abundance of waterfowl we celebrate today can be sustained for decades to come.”
Please visit for the full Trends in Duck Breeding Populations 1955-2012 report.
Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) is the leader in wetland conservation. A registered charity, DUC partners with government, industry, non-profit organizations and landowners to conserve wetlands that are critical to waterfowl, wildlife and the environment. Learn more at .
Contacts:
Ducks Unlimited Canada
Gillian Potvin
National Manager, Media Strategy
Office: (204) 467-3202 or Cell: (204) 792-3678