Conditions dry but ducks in B.C.’s Interior resilient

Williams Lake, B.C. – Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) biologists took to the skies in late April to survey duck, swan and goose populations for the year. Reports just released indicate waterfowl populations remain strong with a moderate two per cent increase over 2009 or an estimated total of half a million breeding waterfowl counted during the aerial survey across much of B.C.’s central Interior.

“These results are encouraging and speak to the resiliency of waterfowl to persevere even when conditions are extremely dry,” said Darryl Kroeker of Ducks Unlimited Canada, one of the biologists participating in the annual survey.

Conducted since 2006, the month-long helicopter survey counts the number of breeding waterfowl pairs on the central Interior plateau – an area stretching from Mackenzie in the north to Kamloops in the south, and from Quesnel in the east to Anahim Lake in the west. With its numerous productive marshes and fens amongst rolling grasslands, forests and shrub lands, this area is home to some of the best waterfowl breeding habitat in the province.

Mallards continue to be the most abundant waterfowl species, accounting for approximately 105,000 breeding birds or one in five ducks counted in the overall survey. Other species such as ring-necked ducks, buffleheads and green-winged teals were also abundant.

“While we were flying, the conditions appeared to be the driest since the survey started four years ago,” observed Bruce Harrison, the other DUC biologist participating in the study, “although the landscape looked wetter the farther north and west we flew.”

According to Harrison, “Many of the semi-permanent wetlands which were highly productive in past years had little water (and no birds) this year. However, this seemed to have little impact on overall bird numbers.” He speculates that birds may have continued their journey northward until they found breeding habitat in more permanent water bodies.

The survey is part of the larger collaborative study led by the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service and Canadian Wildlife Service which has been monitoring breeding waterfowl populations across North America since 1955. Ducks Unlimited Canada biologists from across the country annually participate in the study. The biologists count all species of waterfowl on established sampling units – called transects – to estimate the annual breeding population size. The findings of this survey help drive DUC’s conservation planning and annual programming.

The 2010 survey took place prior to the cooler, wet conditions experienced during much of May and June in parts of the province.  From a waterfowl perspective, more water on the landscape is a good thing.  Broods have a better chance of surviving in wetlands with higher water levels because more food and cover are available.  Cover is important to protect young birds from predators.