The return migration is on

Paul Meisenheimer

Well-known member
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Last week I started seeing flocks of hundreds of lesser Canada geese in the fields around here. Yesterday I saw a flock of several thousand mallards milling around a section or two of fields. Looking back I notice this is consistent timing with the last three years. Time to break out the camera for a few pictures.
 
Must be in full force, cause the ducks ain't here!
In all my years in Mobile, I have never seen so few ducks here in late February.
Most years we still have hundreds of gadwalls hanging around the grass beds north and south of the I-10 bridge well into late March even April.
On my drive to work yesterday I saw 4 pairs. Today, none. Hardly any coots left either.

Good news is that with a warm winter and normal rainfall, our grassbeds should have another banner growing season.
 
Ice is almost all gone from the rivers, birds are back. We are seeing lots of ducks and geese every day now. Some birds never left as Lake Ontario never really froze over. Been a really mid winter here, feels like mid March. Temperature is 40 degrees and rising. D
 
Was I correct in reading that this was a near record low-ice year for the great lakes?
 
Yes that would be a correct answer, very little ice and snow in S/W Ontario this winter. I was just out on the dock and we have lots of birds flying by. This website keeps track on the pattern on the Great Lakes. https://coastwatch.glerl.noaa.gov/ Just to add to this post, we have had a lot of record breaking temperatures this spring. Dani
 
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Here in SD we had geese going over all the time this past week. A little hiccup in their quick return came through yesterday when the temps dropped 30 degrees and some snow fell. Looks like another snow coming through early next week. Many geese are actually north of this latest snow.

It's kind of been a crazy winter. We have had good snow and ice but we have also had several thaws. I can't remember a winter with both this many sub zero days and +40 days. It's either been arctic or Kansas type of weather.

Tim
 
Saw a lot of Canada's heading north of Watertown today.My Black ducks are back on the Saranac River as well. A bit early.

Our season setting Task force meeting is just 3 weeks away.
 
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