Still some Ducks Down South

Carl

Carl

Well-known member
Staff member
I was out on Mississippi Sound yesterday for work, looking at some potential marsh restoration sites.
I was really surprised by the number of ducks still here, hanging out around the beds of Ruppia. With our 70+ degree weather I figured they would have headed north.
I saw a pile of buffies, couple groups of bluewings (on the open sound, in the salty water!), a few bluebills and some sawbills. Never got close enough for any pictures.
 
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Dave thats because he got out of bed facing East. If you do that, North becomes South ( ; )

I don't think it was bad beer.
 
I started seeing new ducks including some black and white ducks on the flooded fields last Monday. So they're starting to move a bit. Good news as almost all of our snow piles are gone and the fields are mud. Maybe it's finally spring but I almost hate saying it for fear I'll anger the snow god again and we'll get dumped on one more time.
 
The ducks have started coming back north from my observations. Walking my future hunting partner today (15 week old black lab) I saw a pair of ruddy ducks for the first time ever and about 4 dozen ringnecks. I just about fell over when I saw the ruddy ducks and got out my DU field guide to make sure I was seeing what I thought I was seeing. I've been duck hunting here in CT for 30 years and have never seen them here before. It made my day but of course 'Jet' was more interested in chasing the robbins. I don't think he has figured out where to look for ducks yet.
 
We're seeing more and more ducks and geese up here too. They like the flooding fields and sheet water when it is liquid during the day. Still freezes up pretty solid at night tho' I saw a flock of snow geese last week, which I suppose isn't all that unusual, but I don't often see them over my way in the spring. I thought they liked the lake corridor (the fields they were using were closer to the mountains).
 
Pete thats good to hear. We still got snow on the fields and twenty + inches of ice. A few open places on the river where there is current. This is the warmest day so far. What a difference two hundred miles makes.
 
I know what you mean. A buddy has lived in Wausau for years and is always behind us. I figure a week for every 100 miles farther north you go.

Today has been the nicest all spring so far. Did my last pheasant/chukar hunt this morning - great to be out.

Pete
 
flocks in the thousands of snows few over lake champlain tuesday. whistlers, mergs, mallards, blacks and canadas have been seen. the lake is starting to really open up where ever there are bridges.

T minus 27 days until the turkeys die.

eddie
 
In central Texas large numbers of BW teal arrived last week. Black Belly Tree Ducks showed up about 3 weeks ago. They nest and summer here along with some of the wood ducks. A fair number of Gadwall are still around and even saw a flock of Redheads in my wetlands. They seemed out of place in 6" of water. Last but not least, the Hollywoods are thick too. Sure do look good this time of year. Come first part of May the migrants are gone from our country.
 
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Ya'll never guess what I saw yesterday here in Southeast Texas... In between Bridge City and Port Arthur (Tx./LA. border on the coast) I saw four Greys. What are they still doing here?? I saw them clearly so they weren't Black Mallards(Mottled Ducks). That's kinda weird; it's in the 80's here.
 
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Enright, your post caught my eye when you mentioned the Ruddys. I to seen A perfect spring plumage Drake chasing two female at alocal lake this past weeek. I have never seen a drake in the spring, WOW! Only in fall when they all look alike. Then you have to flip them and push thier pecker out. Also seen 4 Shellducks fighting over a hen. Wish we had 1 day in the spring to hunt just drakes. I'd paint every deke I own brown.

Gene R.
 
Yes Gene, He was beautiful. Sometimes just seeing is better than shooting - but not always. We had a heavy rain and very high wind that acutlally blew a shingle off my house two nights prior to their arrilval. I'm thinking maybe they lost their way temporarily. Glad they don't have GPS or I may never have seen them!
What is a shellduck? Never heard of that before.
 
Just slang for red breasted merg. I don't see many of them during season in N.E. Ohio. Course I don't see many in fall where I see them in spring. I think they short hop back to the north.
You wanta talk about birds losing there gps/blown off course. We had 5 sand hill cranes hanging around local waterfowl staging area in N.W. PA during season last year. They flew over blind so low I filmed w/cell phone video to show Game Warden. Oh, and to ask if they were legal. Doesn't hurt to ask.

Gene R.
 
Well, my mind said north and my fingers typed south. Cold and allergy meds will do that to you sometimes.!
 
Round here I see lots of common mergansers and we just call them Mergansers. Not sure if I've ever seen a shellduck but thanks for the info.
 
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