Delta Waterfowl Research

2017

Good waterfowl and wetland management should always be based on sound science. That philosophy has been at our foundation since Aldo Leopold first advised Delta’s early conservation leadership. To this day, Delta carries on a very strong research program focused on ducks and duck hunting issues in North America. Decades of research has shown that duck numbers are overwhelmingly influenced by breeding season events, so Delta continues to focus research and management on the breeding grounds – especially the Prairie Pothole Region. However, Delta is expanding to include research and management projects in California, the Great Lakes and southern wintering areas.

The following pages highlight Delta projects where active field work is being conducted. The descriptions of each project are rather brief, but we also have available individual project sheets that describe in detail the research goals and expected outcomes. Feel free to contact me to receive a copy of any of the research sheets or visit www.deltawaterfowl.org/research to download.

Dr. Frank Rohwer | Delta Waterfowl, President and Chief Scientist | 701.471.6185 | frohwer@deltawaterfowl.org

Drones for Upland NestsUsing drone-mounted thermal cameras to find nesting birds: dabblers, pheasants, songbirds and rare plovers.

Roald Stander, M.S. student and Dr. David Walker, University of ManitobaThe goal with this project is to test the efficacy of a heat-sensitive thermal infrared camera for detecting wildlife. In particular, we will focus on finding birds on nests for dabbling ducks, pheasants, grassland songbirds, and endangered sage grouse and piping plovers. We will also test the feasibility of using the drone and thermal camera to count broods of pheasants and plovers. In all of our tests, we will collaborate with other researchers so we can test the drone and thermal camera in association with ongoing research projects. This will make field work efficient in time and cost.

Canvasback ProjectTesting predator management for over-water nesting waterfowl.

Michael Johnson, M.S. student and Dr. Todd Arnold, University of MinnesotaCanvasback, redheads, ring-necked ducks and other over-water nesting ducks are the ignored species on the prairies. Predator reduction has been proven to be effective and efficient for increasing production of dabblers, but prior to this study had never been tested in the parkland habitats of Canada where divers such as canvasbacks nest. This project tests whether seasonal predator reduction that focuses on both medium-sized mammals (especially raccoons) and ravens, crows and magpies can result in higher nest success and brood counts of divers, and lead to increases in the population size on trapped sites in subsequent years.

Canvasback Drone ProjectDrone and thermal technology focused on diving ducks and predator management – detecting nests, predator abundance and broods.

Jacob Bushaw, M.S. student and Dr. Kevin Ringelman, Louisiana State UniversityThis drone work is tied directly to the canvasback project. Searching for nests of canvasbacks and other divers is brutally intensive, time-consuming, and costly work because of the need to hire large nest-searching crews. So if a drone and thermal camera can detect over-water nests, then this technology will revolutionize diver research. A second major component of this work is to test the efficacy of using the drone to measure predator abundance. In spite of 20 plus years of intensive study of predator management, Delta researchers have never had an efficient or effective way to measure the seasonal population reduction in predators. These nocturnal animals are difficult to see and count, but the thermal camera might make predator detections simple and efficient. Likewise, the drone might greatly improve our success with counting elusive duck broods, many of which stay out of view in the cover of wetland margins.

Alberta TrappingTesting the efficacy of predator reduction for increasing dabbling duck nest success in Alberta.

Emily Blythe, M.S. student and Dr. Mark Boyce, University of AlbertaLethal predator reduction has consistently and dramatically increased duck nest success in eastern segments of the Prairie Pothole Region. However, this management option has not been tested in the western half of the PPR. Predator management in eastern areas has mostly been tested as large-block trapping, where we reduce predators over an entire township-sized (36-square-mile) block. In many areas, including much of parkland Alberta, it might be far more feasible to trap only the “hotspot” areas – great fields of nesting cover interspersed in intensively farmed land. We are testing a hotspot trapping approach in Alberta, where a professional trapper targets nesting fields in a region with high duck pair density.

ND Oil StudyEffects of oil and gas development on duck nesting in the Bakken Region of North Dakota.

Cassandra Skaggs, M.S. student and Dr. Kevin Ringelman, Louisiana State UniversityThe Bakken in North Dakota is known for oil, but the area also has some of the best duck habitat in the PPR. Energy development causes loss of habitat to well pads and equipment lots, fragments the habitat with new or improved roads, and creates disturbance from traffic and pump activity. The impacts of these activities on waterfowl production are not known. Our goal is to assess the effect of energy development on waterfowl nest density and success. The study is part of a larger assessment in conjunction with DU, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and N.D. Game and Fish that looks at how oil development influences ducks during the entire breeding season.

Pintail 1 - PPR Carrying CapacityAssessing ducks in the PPR – Has carrying capacity changed due to wetland drainage and reduced cover?

Dr. David Koons, Colorado State UniversityDelta will work with Dr. Koons to assess long-term changes in the breeding populations in the traditional survey area by reviewing trends at the transect scale of the May population and habitat surveys. The goal is to see which regional groups of pintails have increased, decreased or remained stable. The pair data will then be overlain with wetland loss data and changes in perennial nesting cover to tie population changes to large-scale habitat changes. The goal is to understand how pintail carrying capacity has changed, because this metric plays a central role in pintail harvest models. Pintails are the initial focus, but all dabbler species will be examined in this research.

Pintail 2 - Has production declined?Using detailed harvest data to evaluate changes in pintail age and sex ratios over time.

Dr. Todd Arnold, University of MinnesotaPintail populations continue to be a focal point, especially in light of a recent USFWS regulation change to lower the bag limit to one daily based on shrinking breeding populations. Dr. Arnold will review pintail age and sex ratios using USFWS Parts Collection Survey data to document how age ratios (number of juveniles in the fall flight) and sex ratios (assessment of female fraction of the population) have changed since 1961. This work is a key first step in improving the pintail harvest models, which are under increasing scrutiny with the recent decline in bag limits for sprig.

Ring-necked Duck TrackingUsing implant GPS transmitters to monitor movements and habitat use of Ring-necked Ducks.

Dr. Mark McConnell, University of GeorgiaThe goal with this project is to implant female ring-necked ducks during the winter with satellite telemetry units to monitor migration paths, discover breeding areas, and monitor habitat use and movements during the entire annual cycle. These transmitters collect multiple GPS-accurate locations per day. The units store the data until they are in range of a cell phone tower, whereupon they download the data. Ringnecks are of interest because they are important in the harvest – the only diver consistently in the Top 10. Moreover, ringnecks have increased more steadily than any other duck since surveys began in 1955. Delta hopes that studying ringnecks will teach us important lessons from one of the most successful ducks we have monitored over the past 60 years.

California MallardsQuantifying the nest density and nest success in temporary cover created by idled rice habitat in California.

Dr. John Eadie, University of California, DavisCalifornia produces nearly 70 percent of the mallards harvested in the state, but mallard numbers in California have declined precipitously in recent years. Data suggests that vetch planted in midwinter on rice land that has been seasonally idled is highly attractive to nesting mallards and has high nest success — perhaps because predators are slow to utilize this temporary cover. We will quantify nest density and success in temporary vetch habitat. If success is high, then we can advocate for an incentive program to plant cover on land that is idled due to temporary water transfers.

Mallard ConditionUnderstanding how hunting affects mallard physiology and body condition.

Jerad Henson, Ph.D. student and Dr. Stephan Schoech, University of MemphisThe ability of waterfowl to deal with stressors in their environment can directly affect reproduction and survival. One of the primary seasonal stressors mallards endure is the hunting season. This study aims to determine how mallards alter their physiology and behavior during times of stress to minimize the effects on body condition during the winter. Body condition of hens can influence the timing of spring migration and energy available for egg production. Females that arrive on the breeding grounds earlier and in better condition have greater reproductive output.

Surgical ImplantsTesting the effects of implanted transmitters on ring-necked duck behavior.

Dr. Karen Machin, University of SaskatchewanThis work tests the effects of surgical implants on the behavior of ring-necked ducks. It is counter-intuitive, but surgically implanting small radio transmitters has shown far fewer negative effects on other ducks than attaching the radio externally. In the fall, Delta starts a major study of ring-necked duck movements and migration, so this work is the precursor to test for radio effects. This work occurs in association with the canvasback project, which helps by locating nesting birds that will be the focal animals.

Canvasback BandingCanvasback, redhead, and mallard banding at the Delta Marsh to estimate annual survival and harvest rates, and to refine derivation analyses.

Mr. Frank Baldwin, Manitoba Conservation Stewardship Dr. Jim Leafloor, Canadian Wildlife ServiceDr. Frank Rohwer, President and Chief Scientist, Delta WaterfowlThe Delta Marsh is probably the most consistently used staging marsh for canvasbacks in prairie Canada. The goal was to band up to 1,800 canvasbacks yearly to estimate survival and harvest rates. Year One of the 5-year project revealed exactly why fewer than 200 cans have been banded on the breeding grounds per year for decades. Crews only caught a handful of canvasbacks in 2016, despite substantial effort. However, more than 400 redheads were captured, so the scope of this project has been expanded.

Working WetlandsUnderstanding farmers’ perceptions of the Working Wetlands program.

Dr. Cheryl Wachenheim, North Dakota State UniversityDelta Waterfowl, in partnership with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, initiated the working wetlands pilot project to test a new approach to the conservation of small wetlands in cropland. In partnership with North Dakota State University, we are undertaking survey work of the program’s participants to elicit insights on the program and to learn how we can better serve farm operations and protect small wetlands. The goal of this research is to inform large, landscape-scale program development that we can work to incorporate in the U.S. Farm Bill to help conserve wetlands across the U.S. Prairie Pothole Region.

Delta Waterfowl has supervised and supported more than 300 graduate students and published 600 peer-reviewed scientific papers. This body of research has had a profound influence on how we and our conservation partners manage waterfowl, wetlands and annual harvest.

This research has also provided technicians, biologists and young scientists the opportunity to gain the hands-on experience and guidance to become leaders in waterfowl and wetland conservation.

Delta Waterfowl is extremely proud that our former students and technicians are working for various government and non-government agencies, as well as universities, to ensure that the tradition continues. Thank you to all of the donors, members and volunteers who have supported these endeavors and opportunities.

Delta Waterfowl Foundation1312 Basin Ave.

Bismarck, ND 58504

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