Black Bellied whistling Duck in Wisconsin

Z

zane Every

Well-known member
I found this interesting so thought I would share.



https://ebird.org/atlaswi/news/first-confirmation-of-black-bellied-whistling-duck-nesting-in-wisconsin?fbclid=IwAR19IlFErt4PzM-fsx9qZwxtEqtPlZ6omnkVYSoZF25tP-dUqGGza3G5m68
 
Thats pretty cool!
I will say their range map is very out of day. BBWD are breeding along the whole Gulf coast and i believe Georgia and South Carolina.
 
How very cool!!!! I keep trying to entice the black bellies to the across the street pond....not enough grasses there though
 
We have a small pond and big field by our rec league ball fields. Yesterday, I saw strange looking bird flying while watching my sons game, next thing, another, two black bellied had flown up and perched in a pine tree..

Central Ga.
 
Carl said:
Thats pretty cool!
I will say their range map is very out of day. BBWD are breeding along the whole Gulf coast and i believe Georgia and South Carolina.
Click to expand...

I'm not really familiar with these birds. Do they have a healthy population?
 
Healthy and steadily expanding.
They were normally only seen in south Florida and south Texas but then started moving north from both directions about 25 years ago.
New Orleans parks now have a huge populations.
About 15 years ago they started showing up & breeding in Alabama. Now just about every golf course pond in south Baldwin County has a breeding pair or two. And they are using nest boxes all over the lower Mobile-Tensaw River Delta.
And like noted, they've moved north into coastal Georgia and South Carolina.
The ones at the colder fringes of the range seem to move south in winter. Very few stuck around into duck season in Alabama and I never saw one while in the blind.
Here in FL, and in water climates, they are year round residents.
They seem to be oppurtunistic breeder, prefer nest boxes but will also nest in just about any sheltered area, even on the ground. Back in Alabama, one nested in a bucket under the boat shed at the Freshwater Fisheries office!
 
My vote is very lost.
They are spreading north and are known to be wanderers!
 
I'll have to look for it but somewhere I have a picture of black bellies standing sentry on old palm trees. On the east coast, they loooove old dead palm trees to roost in and in the evenings you can see them silhouetted standing sentry on the tops of the palm trees.
 
Carl said:
Healthy and steadily expanding.
They were normally only seen in south Florida and south Texas but then started moving north from both directions about 25 years ago.
New Orleans parks now have a huge populations.
About 15 years ago they started showing up & breeding in Alabama. Now just about every golf course pond in south Baldwin County has a breeding pair or two. And they are using nest boxes all over the lower Mobile-Tensaw River Delta.
And like noted, they've moved north into coastal Georgia and South Carolina.
The ones at the colder fringes of the range seem to move south in winter. Very few stuck around into duck season in Alabama and I never saw one while in the blind.
Here in FL, and in water climates, they are year round residents.
They seem to be oppurtunistic breeder, prefer nest boxes but will also nest in just about any sheltered area, even on the ground. Back in Alabama, one nested in a bucket under the boat shed at the Freshwater Fisheries office!
Click to expand...

Good to hear a success story! Birds every type are having a tough time these days.

Like George said....they must be lost. It will be interesting to see how they make out up North.
 
Dani said:
I'll have to look for it but somewhere I have a picture of black bellies standing sentry on old palm trees. On the east coast, they loooove old dead palm trees to roost in and in the evenings you can see them silhouetted standing sentry on the tops of the palm trees.
Click to expand...

Dani, If you find the picture post it up. I'd like to see it. They are cool looking birds.
 
First of all. Delicious! Good ducks to eat. We shoot a lot of them in S Florida. They're really geese if you asked me. BBs are very much like Canadas in their behavior. Of course they use nest boxes, hang out on roofs, etc. So that's not like Canadas but they will find conditions suitable and begin living there. I've had people send me pics of them in NJ, and Michigan.

Somebody here posted some in a Kansas feed lot a year or two ago also.

Wandering vagrant or escapee are both good guesses. My .02 cents.
 
Gene and I did a bunch of hunting Black Bellied Tree ducks down in South Texas with our buddy, Fred Bremner.
Fred was in charge of the PHD program at Trinity University in San Antonio and had been doing research on those birds for some time.
He was successful in setting up 5 self sustaining colonies of BBTD's in South Texas. Cool Birds.
LouView attachment BBTD01.jpg
 
John, now you are just SHOWING OFF!!!! Not turning green at all...nope...not one bit....

Zane, BBWDs are DEEEEEEELICIOUS. Lighter duck meat....still dark meat but one of the lightest ducks I have come across. Their legs are scrumptious. Very meaty and cook well on the grill. I would put it up there flavor wise with teal I think.
 
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