Habitat Report Sept 2012
Habitat Report Contributors Editor: Meagan Hainstock Field Reporters: British Columbia Bruce Harrison Western Boreal Forest Glenn Mack Alberta Ian McFarlane Saskatchewan Kelly Rempel Manitoba Mark Francis Ontario Erling Armson Québec Patrick Harbour Atlantic Canada Nic McLellan The following is a compilation of impressions, collected from Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) field staff, of environmental conditions relative to breeding waterfowl. These observations are not based on systematic surveys, and are not intended to describe hunting conditions. This report should only be redistributed as a full PDF document, with DUC permission. Early Fall Habitat Conditions in Canada Summary Migration is off to a slow start for some species in the Western Boreal Forest / British Columbia Region, although large numbers of cranes and white-fronted geese have been moving through north-central Alberta and Saskatchewan. Geese are starting to appear in the Prairie Region, where wetland conditions have dropped but large groups of staging ducks are being observed. Conditions are still favourable for migrants in the Eastern Region, and a good fall flight is expected. Condition Ratings No data Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor Habitat Reports Online In English: ducks.ca/habitatconditions In French: canards.ca/conditionsdhabitat 2
British Columbia / Western Boreal Forest Region BRITISH COLUMBIA Tide Rising at the Qualicum Estuary, Coast Region The weather has recently been warm and dry along the coast, where most freshwater wetlands are still in favourable shape. Harvest conditions have been ideal for summer crops, but dry weather during the planting of winter cover crops will hinder their establishment, thus reducing food available for waterfowl. The first pulse of incoming birds was observed in the Lower Mainland, particularly Canada geese and mallards, but migration appears to be a bit delayed on Vancouver Island. The last month has been warmer and drier than usual in the Interior. Wetland levels have started to drop, except in the southeast, where water levels are holding and the fall flight is expected to be above average. Fall duck numbers are good so far, although a bit delayed in the south and north. In the Peace Region, summer was hot and dry; and fall is continuing the same pattern with above normal temperatures and no precipitation. Over the last 90 days, less than 40 per cent of normal precipitation has fallen in the agricultural zone. Larger wetlands are holding good water levels but smaller wetlands are lower than average. Harvest conditions have been ideal for cereal and oil seed crops, which translated into little opportunity for Tower Lake Marsh, Peace Region waterfowl crop feeding. The fall flight appears to be off to a slow start. While some of the larger wetlands (e.g., Cecil Lake) have good numbers of waterfowl staging, there hasn t been a major influx of birds yet. WESTERN BOREAL FOREST Overall, habitat conditions remain in good condition. There is, however, a pocket of excellent conditions west of Whitehorse, as well as an area with fair conditions that stretches from northeastern British Columbia across northern Alberta and into the southeastern portion of the Northwest Territories. Habitat conditions could deteriorate in many of the good areas before freezeup if it does not rain soon. Migration is underway in most regions, with large numbers of cranes and white-fronted geese moving through north-central Alberta and Saskatchewan. Large flocks of migrating snow geese have yet to come south of the boreal forest. 3
In the Yukon, water levels remain fairly high due to two summers of above-average precipitation and high snowpack last winter. Temperatures have been dipping below freezing recently, which is causing some smaller ponds to freeze overnight. Most regions have even seen the first snow of the season. Migration seems to be on schedule, with goose and sandhill crane numbers strong in the west. Although the Whitehorse area has been windy, cold and wet, which hasn t been favourable for migration, more than 4,000 white-fronted geese were recently seen at Teslin. Also, the weather may be a factor for a recent harlequin duck sighting in western Yukon. Northwest Territories Wetland conditions are generally good throughout the Northwest Territories, with the exception of a small pocket of fair conditions to the south. Migration is a little slower than normal this year due to above-average September temperatures. Geese have been heading south, but few ducks have followed. Waterfowl productivity appears to have been good, especially for green-winged teal. Hunters are seeing large flocks of ducks, and are having good success. In northeast British Columbia, many areas received less than 40 per cent of normal summer precipitation. As a result, most wetlands are in fair condition, although larger lakes are doing better. September temperatures have been above normal with only a couple of frosts to date. Given the weather, Northern Alberta migration has not really started in earnest. Birds are staging in typical areas, but no large flocks of ducks or geese have been seen heading south. That said, the area doesn t see a lot of hunting pressure so reports from the field are hard to come by. Habitat conditions are generally fair to good across northern Alberta, where some northeast pockets are still dry. While much of the forested region had significant moisture earlier in the year, it has been drier than normal over the last month or so. Consequently, water levels could be lower than normal going into winter unless some moisture is received. Although migration has been slow to start due to unseasonably high temperatures, it s getting into full swing now. Sandhill cranes and white-fronted geese are moving south daily, but few snow geese have moved through to date. Hunters are having good success with ducks and geese in the High Prairie area, as well as on some traditional staging lakes like Utikuma and Chip Lakes. Habitat remains in good condition in most of northern Saskatchewan. The area between Prince Albert National Park and the Alberta border has received higher-than-normal rainfall in the past several weeks so conditions in that area will likely be good to excellent going into the winter, which should bode well for the following spring. 4
Migration is slowly picking up, with many sandhill cranes and white-fronted geese moving into their traditional staging areas along the South Saskatchewan River. Snow geese are starting to filter into the Melfort area but large numbers have yet to arrive. In northern Manitoba, habitat conditions are good throughout forested regions. Temperatures have been in the seasonal range, with highs in the teens and lows near freezing. Barring an extended period of high temperatures and no moisture, conditions should remain good going into the fall. Migration seems to be on par with most years. Hunters are having good success, taking primarily mallards, wigeons, canvasbacks, pintails and Canada geese. Small rafts of divers have started to show up but peak diver migration typically occurs around early to mid- October. Snow geese have started to move south, but very few have been spotted field-feeding to date. Crop harvest was earlier than normal so many fields have been tilled. Therefore, staging ducks and geese may move south sooner than normal due to a lack of food. Prairie Region ALBERTA Dry conditions and heat have taken a toll on wetland habitats since late July. Precipitation totals have been average to much-below average for the past 60 days and generally below average to much-below average for the past 30 days. July and August temperatures were above average, and warm and dry conditions are forecast until the end of September. Buffalo Lake, West Aspen Parkland Dry Wetland East of Camrose, North Aspen Parkland In the southern Prairie, conditions are generally fair for this time of year, with good conditions in irrigation habitat and the Cypress Hills. Precipitation from July to present has been 40-85 per cent of average and less than 40 per cent of average since August. Temperatures have been in the high 20s C to low 30s C and are forecast to remain so for the coming week. Smaller natural wetlands are now dry. Two large mid-september grass fires burned more than 12,000 acres in the Lethbridge and Milk River areas. Conditions are good in the northern Prairie, where wetlands still exhibit the beneficial effects of heavy June and July rains. In the Aspen Parkland, precipitation from July to mid August was near normal, which reduced evaporative losses from wetlands. However, for the past month, totals are 40-85 per cent of normal in the south and west, and near normal in the northeast. Temperatures have been similar to the Prairie, with some localized light overnight frost. Wetlands have started to dry up, with mud flats around many semipermanent wetlands. Conditions are good in 5
the south and east, where there was more plentiful rainfall earlier in the summer and some carryover from 2011. Further north, conditions are generally fair although some local areas east of Camrose are faring worse. Conditions are generally fair in the Boreal Transition Zone (BTZ) and Peace Parkland. Precipitation totals have been average to above average over the past two months in the eastern Peace and BTZ, but have been less than 40-85 per cent of normal for the past month. Western and northern portions of Peace Parkland are drier, although larger basins and wetland projects in these areas are relatively stable. Warm, dry conditions have allowed harvest to proceed relatively uninterrupted, although some scattered showers and hail affected areas in late August and early September. Harvest is now 30-50 per cent complete. Early-season hunting reports indicate good success and good numbers of birds present. Both the northeast BTZ and Prairie report a recent influx of pintails. White-fronted geese and lesser Canada geese are starting to move into the province from the north. SASKATCHEWAN Most areas have dried out considerably after the above-average precipitation of this spring and early summer. Although this is good news for harvesting farmers, wetland conditions have dropped but remain good for this time of the year. Most important fall-staging wetlands are near full, but smaller breeding ponds have dried out considerably. Some pockets have received isolated heavy rains and still have some flooded fields and full temporary wetlands. Migration is in full swing, especially in the northern and central grain belt where arctic geese and cranes are building up on a daily basis. Larger flocks of staging ducks are now being observed feeding in fields. Large flocks of divers are also now being observed in traditional staging areas. Hunting is going strong now, with peak conditions expected by early October. Crop harvest is well underway, with 50 per cent of the crop in bins in most areas. Recent wind storms, which produced winds in excess of 80 km/hr, caused some havoc by damaging swaths across many areas of the province. Missouri Coteau Geese near Redberry Lake 6
MANITOBA More areas are starting to show effects of the prolonged dry spell. While wetlands in northwest breeding areas remain in very good shape, conditions deteriorate along the southern portion of the Saskatchewan border and worsen in the eastern Killarney Landscape where precipitation has been extremely low. The Virden Landscape remains somewhat variable with local pockets of significantly dry areas. Throughout the province, the effects of the extreme 2011 flood are quickly becoming less evident. This is especially true for less-permanent, shallower wetlands. However, larger major marshes such as the Delta Marsh, Whitewater Lake and Oak Lake are still extending beyond their normal reaches. Crop harvest is over earlier than usual, which should bode well for the amount of waterfowl-friendly crops seeded this fall. Soil moisture conditions remain low, which has left harvested fields uncultivated. Drying wetland near Ninga Waterfowl production was very good this year. Although some late-fledgling ducks are still being observed, the initial migration has begun. Some local giant Canada geese have moved out of the area, and the first cackling geese and snow geese are appearing. Blue-winged teal are slow to make their exit this year due to warm conditions. Early-season waterfowlers will find an abundance of birds in this year s fall flight. However, migrants may leave earlier than usual because the successful crop harvest will limit food availability. Eastern Region ONTARIO More seasonal temperatures and precipitation have returned since early August. Rainfall has occurred throughout the province, and some rain events were very heavy. This, coupled with cooler temperatures, has resulted in a recent recharge of water levels within many almost-dried-out wetlands. As a result, wetlands across most of southern Ontario have gone from relatively poor conditions in August to good conditions in mid September. Waterfowl are preparing for migration, and many large flocks of mallards and Canada geese can be seen flying around and staging on interior and coastal wetlands. All of the Great Lakes still have below-normal water levels, but this should not significantly impact waterfowl staging habitats in the area. Although this summer s dry period was cause for some concern regarding brood survival, recent weather and improved habitat conditions should result in a very good fall flight. Hunters have reported good numbers throughout northern Ontario, and the same is predicted for southern Ontario. 7
Near Kingston QUEBEC August temperatures were warmer than normal, particularly in the Eastern Townships, North Shore and Montreal areas. Temperatures and humidity values resulted in a humidex factor that reached 40 C in several regions. So far, September has followed the same pattern, with higher-than-normal temperatures throughout the province. In August, total monthly precipitation was generally below normal in all regions except Saguenay, which had 91 per cent more rain than usual. The Eastern Townships, Montreal and Quebec City received 50 per cent less precipitation than normal. September precipitation was also below normal throughout the province. Ruisseau de Feu Project, Montreal Region Water levels are exceptionally low, including in wetlands and the St. Lawrence system. In some regions, residents have been asked to apply water conservation measures and reduce their water use by 20 per cent. However, waterfowl production does not appear to have been affected by low water levels, and a promising fall flight in expected. At Bylot Island, the juvenile:adult ratio of greater snow geese was 0.92 lower than last year (1.19) and the long-term average of 1.03. The percentage of goslings should be around 18 per cent, which is lower than last year (28 per cent). 8
ATLANTIC CANADA Noonan's Marsh Project, Prince Edward Island After a warm and dry summer, rain has brought water levels back up in most areas. Some areas experienced flooding conditions, which has resulted in extra water on low-lying floodplains. Temperatures have remained high throughout the end of the summer. Recent rain has helped water levels recover in most small DUC projects, which suffered this summer. In Prince Edward Island, most grain crops have been harvested and there have been daily reports of geese arriving. It should be a very productive hunting season for waterfowlers in that province. Salt marsh in Wallace Bay National Wildlife Area, Nova Scotia According to banding results, waterfowl numbers are similar to last year, but still lower than in past years. This could be due to lower productivity last year, which was cooler and wetter than usual. Despite this, larger brood sizes should result in improved recruitment this year. Recent field observations indicate good waterfowl activity and the arrival of early migrants. With the late summer rain, waterfowl habitat is in good shape as the hunting season approaches. Conditions will only get better as the wet fall season approaches. White Birch Marsh near Sackville, New Brunswick 9