2016 Midwinter Waterfowl Survey Results Released
Each winter, aerial survey teams of pilots and biologists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources make visual estimates of the ducks, geese and swans along the Chesapeake Bay shoreline and Atlantic coast. This year, the teams counted approximately 663,000 waterfowl, lower than the 855,500 birds observed during 2015 and less than the five year average of 759,460.
Biologists attribute much of the year-to-year variation to weather conditions. The abnormally warm weather the eastern United States experienced through the fall and early winter delayed waterfowl migration to the Chesapeake region, lowering the amount of birds in the region during the survey.
“Due to this warm weather, some birds, especially geese and canvasbacks, were very late arriving in the state,” Department of Natural Resources Wildlife and Heritage Service Director Paul Peditto said.
Overall, dabbling ducks were less abundant (69,800) compared to last winter (90,800). Diving duck numbers (246,000) were higher than those observed last winter (192,000).
Survey teams observed more scaup (91,800) and ruddy ducks (88,000) in 2016 compared to counts of 55,600 and 20,000 respectively last year. Scaup and ruddy ducks were concentrated in the lower Chester River and along the Calvert County bay shoreline.
The Canada goose count (293,800) was one of the lowest in recent years and below the five year average of 423,040.
The Midwinter Waterfowl Survey has been conducted annually since the early 1950s. The Maryland survey results (see table below) are ultimately pooled with results from other states to provide a measure of the distributional changes and long-term trends of waterfowl wintering in the Atlantic Flyway.
Maryland Midwinter Waterfowl Survey Results, 2012 – 2016
Figures rounded to the nearest hundred