Scoters on Mississippi Sound

Carl

Carl

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Staff member
Was down on Mississippi Sound today doing work for my former agency. Surprisingly did not see a single redhead, scaup or buffy. But did see 3 scoters. Which I assume were white wings.
 

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Carl said:
Was down on Mississippi Sound today doing work for my former agency. Surprisingly did not see a single redhead, scaup or buffy. But did see 3 scoters. Which I assume were white wings.
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They look like Skunkheads/Surf scoters...if that's a white patch on the back of their head.
 
I couldn’t see distinct white patches. But the sun angle was horrible.
 
Eric Patterson said:
Carl

Crazy how the Mobile Delta has just died for ducks. Back in the 80s and early 90s it was very productive.
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I drove the bayway twice. Bet I didn’t see 100 ducks. Very few blinds.
Back in the late 90s there would have been thousands of ducks along the bayway by this time.
 
I don't think you can blame hunting pressure on it. There must have been an unfavorable change in available food since then. Maybe some ducks will arrive in the coming weeks with colder temps.
 
It changed after hurricanes Ivan and Katrina followed by two years of drought killed back the grassbeds. Ducks stopped coming. then the winters got warmer by time the grassbeds recovered. There is tons of food now but the ducks never returned.
 
Well then one good cold winter could turn it around. Imagine being the hunter that didn't give up hope and kept all their gear. When the time comes they will have the bay to themselves and it will be like turning back the clock decades.
 
Or I should say never returned in the numbers we had from 97-2003.
 
Carl said:
I couldn’t see distinct white patches. But the sun angle was horrible.
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Tough to tell in the photo. At full size I thought there was white, zoomed in a bit and it may be the lighting.

We're seeing the same change in duck migration patterns. The birds are bypassing us for the most part, I think much of it is changes in weather and agriculture rather than fewer birds overall. Different fertilizers ( liquid vs. manure) and corn everywhere change the route and timing. No ice up north let's them sit tight until later in the season than the good old days.
 
Spent last weekend in SE Louisiana at camp with our oldest son. Nearly 75-80 degrees every day and we didn't even bother to hunt the first 3 days at camp. This isn't September early teal season, this was the second week of big duck season, we are barefoot and wearing shorts. We had a HUGE time fishing, crabbing and shooting a few BWT but this was the worst duck hunting I've seen in 25 years down there. The most coots we saw in one pond were 10. Where are the ducks????

Are calendar, photo period ducks a thing of the past?

Heading back to camp for a week after Thanksgiving, hoping and praying for ducks to make it South.
 

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I have yet to see a bluebill on Tampa Bay or the local stormwater retention ponds.
Latest since I moved here in spring 2019.
 
Carl said:
I have yet to see a bluebill on Tampa Bay or the local stormwater retention ponds.
Latest since I moved here in spring 2019.
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Carl,
I'm on the Indiana / Michigan border. I have yet to shoot a puddle duck. Three weeks ago my first ducks in the boat were a Drake Bluebill (lesser) and Drake Bufflehead. Flight birds are just starting to show up, both puddlers and divers. Local geese are highly educated and we have not seen the Northern Canada geese in our area yet. Always hopefull.

RVZ.
 
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