Good duck year

Published 12:39 pm Friday, July 8, 2011

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service preliminary rreport on breeding ducks and habitat for 2011 is out, indicating total North American duck populations at 45.6 million breeding birds on the surveyed areas. That’s an 11-percent increase over last year’s estimate and 35 percent above the 1955-2010 long-term average.

This was only the fifth time in the survey’s history that the total duck population exceeded 40 million, according to Ducks Unlimited’s chief scientist Dale Humburg.

Of the 10 species surveyed, eight were similar to or above the 2010 numbers. Northern shovelers and bluewing teal reached record highs, and northern pintail numbers surpassed 4 million for the first time since 1980. Mallards showed at 22 percent above their long-term average, and 9 percent above last year.