Snow cover on Canadian and northern U.S. wetlands in 2019

Apparently, a 'moderately weak' el Nino pattern has established for a long enough interval in the Pacific long enough to now become official. Whether this will develop to an extent to displace the Jetstream further south is still speculative. Should this intensify over the course of the summer, the northern plains will heat up and dry out, with the extremes exacerbated by climate change influences.
 
Iowa/Nebraska border currently being hit hard by flooding as this melt progresses. The last bomb cyclone layered another swath of moisture across the previously drought afflicted areas of the Dakotas. Pond numbers and levels should be high this spring as birds arrive.
 
Good news to hear, Rick. Thank you for that coverage that will hopefully hold a goodly number of ducks for this upcoming breeding season.

That bomb cyclone you talked about went through here first and we received some great rains in our area. That is always good to have. I am just thankful that the shingles on our roof are still there. The southerly winds were horrific as they headed northward into Colorado. We have had unusually cold weather since the middle of November.

This week will be a good start for some warmer temps---fingers crossed.
Al
 
Al good to hear that you came through intact!

How is your surface water situation, compared to previous years, this early spring?
 
We had something occur last year that I have never seen, nearly our entire flight of redheads and scaup, through the eastern U.P., was non-existent; weeks of zero birds resting at the strait of Mackinac. Pat Gregory mentioned in a PM that they, too, missed getting into redheads in numbers when he was in Canada earlier that 2018 season.
 
If that "no show" of birds happens again. I'm selling my boats and hundreds of decoys... I hope my kids don't read this. They'll want the family discount!

BUT, I still enjoyed the experience in truth despite the lack of migration...I guess that's what makes us passionate waterfowlers. More important than a limit.
 

If all goes well, and there is enough nesting cover for some waterfowl, could be a bumper crop of ducklings.

Bad news for upland birds though, but that's the way it goes.
 
Yes the flooding will be very hard on the upland birds in the Dakota and i suspect on the birds in Southern Saskatchewan as well. Time will tell. It will help fill up the pot holes. The last couple years have been pretty bad for farmers and birds in Southern Sask so this should bring renewed life to all!
 
Kyle -

Years ago when my hunting partners and I first began our trips "Out West USA and Canada"". There was real fear that Devils Lake would dry out, the drought situation was that bad.

There was little water anywhere, limits were small, but yet we still found waterfowl after lots of road hours. Not many waterfowl hunters due to unfavorable conditions. We made many new friends with folks that lived where we would go.

Sharptails were aplenty, as were some Huns in places. Pheasants were all over SD, and on the western side of ND.


When the drought broke, all hell broke loose and flood replaced bone dry conditions. Dikes had to be built around Devils Lake to save the town, can you imagine that...

That is the way it has always been past, present, and future.

No matter the conditions we still go, and do what we love and hold dear to us and our life style.


I hope you have a enjoyable season this year.


Best regards
Vince
 
Vince Pagliaroli said:
Kyle -

Years ago when my hunting partners and I first began our trips "Out West USA and Canada"". There was real fear that Devils Lake would dry out, the drought situation was that bad.

There was little water anywhere, limits were small, but yet we still found waterfowl after lots of road hours. Not many waterfowl hunters due to unfavorable conditions. We made many new friends with folks that lived where we would go.

Sharptails were aplenty, as were some Huns in places. Pheasants were all over SD, and on the western side of ND.


When the drought broke, all hell broke loose and flood replaced bone dry conditions. Dikes had to be built around Devils Lake to save the town, can you imagine that...

That is the way it has always been past, present, and future.

No matter the conditions we still go, and do what we love and hold dear to us and our life style.


I hope you have a enjoyable season this year.


Best regards
Vince
Click to expand...

Vince,

I definitely always have a good time. I did meet some new waterfowlers last year as in some areas there was only one roost to watch!
 
Kyle -

Thought that your might enjoy these, by my hand.


Snow Goose hunting is above and beyond any other type of waterfowling in my opinion. It boarders on insanity...

The sign was made to honor my best gunning partner, who met his demise way to soon.

The watercolor on cardboard, is of a sly, but not sleeping (a veteran of many migrations) Blue Goose field decoy.

I am a somewhat recovered Gooseaholic... Every season is a struggle.


Best regards
Vince





View attachment Gone Hunting.jpgView attachment goose decoy 2014.jpg

View attachment Gone Hunting.jpg
 
If you click on the links in the OP now they are updated to reflect the snow impacts from the passage of the last bomb cyclone through the upper Midwest. Duck country, as Vince observed, will do well. Upland bird populations likely took a major hit in the Dakotas. Decent snow cover now exits in the last drought cells west of southern Lake Winnepeg. Spring production should be good. Mallards have been pairing-off and staking out small wetlands here in the UP for about a week, despite snow depths.
 
I heard one hunter say the late snow cover killed early nester's eggs and that will have significant impact on the population. BS or a real concern?
 
This will provide a more detailed response to your concerns, Eric, than I can. It's been forty years since I took Harold Prince's Migratory Waterfowl course. From what I do remember, Pintails are among the weakest in terms of re-nesting efforts.

https://www.ducks.org/...l-nesting-chronology

Considering that the waterfowl survey was actually developed initially to count mallards, it will likely reflect whether this storm impacted breeding success accurately. A friend from Mandan said he had dead pheasants scattered all over the landscape on his family's property east of there. Denny owns just under 900 acres.
 
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I think it would of had to been some really really early nesters, I don't think spring had really arrived yet prior to this last storm, there was lot of ice left in many areas yet prior to the storm.
 
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