2005 Midwinter Waterfowl Survey Results
ANNAPOLIS — The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) 2005 midwinter Waterfowl Survey counted 889,900 waterfowl, an increase of about 14% compared to 781,300 tallied in 2004.
The Midwinter Waterfowl Survey has been conducted annually throughout the United States since the early 1950s. The survey provides information on long-term trends in waterfowl populations. It is the only source of population estimates for important species such as Atlantic brant and tundra swans. The survey also provides critical information used in the management of black ducks. The survey also provides supplementary information on other waterfowl species for which annual breeding population and harvest information is available. In addition, the health of the Chesapeake Bay and its ability to support waterfowl plays a vital role in sustaining the Atlantic flyway population.
Survey teams representing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and DNR’s Wildlife and Heritage Service conducted this aerial survey Jan. 2-Feb. 1. Airspace restrictions, especially along the Potomac and Patuxent Rivers and around military installations on the upper western shore, limited aerial coverage of the 2005 Midwinter Waterfowl Survey. Fluctuations in individual species’ numbers are caused by several factors including breeding ground success, population impacts such as hunting, weather patterns and the time of the year the surveys are conducted.
Total dabbling ducks in the 2005 survey were estimated at 82,800, a decrease from 94,300 in 2004. Mallards this year increased to 52,800, up from the 48,200 counted in 2004. Large numbers of mallards were observed in the lower Chester River, downstream of Chestertown. Black ducks showed a substantial decrease: 23,600 in 2005 versus 31,700 in 2004. The survey also showed lower numbers for gadwall (1,400), American widgeon (2,000) and northern pintail (1,900).
Total diving ducks in the 2005 survey were 300,600; the count was 188,200 last winter. Population levels for most diving ducks were similar to those observed last winter, except for canvasbacks, scaup, and bufflehead.
Although, canvasback and scaup were late in arriving in Chesapeake Bay, these divers were more abundant this winter: 39,400 canvasback versus 30,800 in 2004 and 189,800 scaup versus 106,300 in 2004. Large numbers of scaup were observed on the lower Chester River and the mouth of the Northeast River on the Eastern Shore. Bufflehead numbers were also higher: 22,000 compared to 9,800 in 2004. A record number of scoters were observed in 2005: 40,600 versus 8,100 in 2004. The total number of all ducks in the 2005 survey was 433,200; the count in 2004 was 215,400.
Canada geese this year numbered 383,400, similar to the 355,200 geese observed in 2004. Surveyed regions on the Eastern Shore held large numbers of Canada geese and included the Chester, Wye, and Choptank Rivers. Inland areas in Cecil, Kent, and Queen Anne’s Counties were not surveyed for the second consecutive year. However, the reduced survey coverage of inland areas will not affect hunting seasons for Canada geese. Because midwinter estimates reflect a mix of resident and migrant goose stocks, these survey estimates are no longer used to set hunting regulations. Regulations change in accord with the population status of Atlantic and Resident Populations of Canada geese, which are tracked using breeding population and productivity surveys conducted each spring.
Snow geese in the 2004 survey numbered 54,900, well below the 2004 count of 93,900. A more reliable estimate of the greater snow goose population is made in May using aerial photography, when the entire population gathers on the St. Lawrence River estuary in southern Quebec before moving north to Arctic nesting areas. Another Arctic breeding species, the tundra swan, showed lower numbers in Maryland in 2005: 13,200 versus 17,900 in 2004. This drop in swan numbers may have been due to the reduced coverage of inland areas or the recent trend of tundra swans spending less time in the Bay and continuing southward to winter in North Carolina.
