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MESSAGES IN THIS FORUM ARE PRESENTED AS NEWEST TO OLDEST.

Concerning Spec's comments about shooting more drake sprig. Delta Waterfowl has proposed it. Based on this the Grassland Resource Conservation District asked CDFG's help in getting it recommended. DFG reviewed a past study that showed an increase in hen harvest when more drakes are allowed. Based on this they would not support increasing the limit on drake sprig.

Moderator's Response: Thanks, Mike, for your information.

I just found this site so excuse me if this question has already been asked but were you concerned with the number of birds that died during migration?

Moderator's Response: Hi Barry, In a word, yes. But we were unable, in many instances, to absolutely ascertain whether a bird died or the PTT failed (or fell off). Using all backpack radios next year will, at least, eliminate one source of variation and will allow us to get a better handle on this loss. Remember, though, that spring migration might be a time of high mortality because of stress associated with long distance migration. This is an important area of research needing some attention.

Why is it that all these years of our history with all the money we hunters and our government spend on waterfowl projects throughout our US that the country of Mexico gets to slaughter ducks with no restrictions on limit quantity or is it 25 ducks per day or what is it?? I think we need a president or someone to step in and tell congress no more dealing with Mexico unless we can get them to put a cap on their inhumane slaughtering of the ducks. Please tell us what is the story on this subject? Is there a recourse in stopping their slaughter or can u point me to resources that explain just what is the situation about ducks entering Mexico.

Moderator's Response: Hi Dan, Actually, ducks are quite safe in Mexico! Sport harvest was quantified recently and the total take was very small (less than 100K on the west cost of Mexico). The limits have been reduced substantially in recent years as well. Contact Bob Trost, who is the Pacific Flyway Representative and a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service biologist, in Portland, Oregon if you want to discuss this issue (503-231-6162; robert_trost@fws.gov). Good luck.

When are you going to update the sprig data on current locations?

Moderator's Response: Hi Greg, We have updated all active pintail PTTs through August 31, and we will not be posting anymore updates. In the mean time, we are working on an addition to the web site that will summarize the major migration routes we documented this year. We will begin the second year of our project in December, so check back then. You might be interested to know, however, that the Russian pintail returned to Alaska on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta a few days ago!

I have enjoyed the site all summer. Have you heard any discussion of a similar study on the Atlantic Flyway. My perception is that we know even less about east coast pintails than we do about Pacific Flyway pintails. Thanks, William Hester

Moderator's Response: Hello William, No, we do not know of any plans to follow Atlantic Flyway pintails. Wintering populations have declined markedly there since the 1970s, and over 50% are found in the Carolinas. There is certainly much that could be learned with a project on these birds, as leg banding data would suggest they are weakly associated with Prairie Canada. Identification of specific nesting areas might shed some light on reasons for the decline.

I mentioned this before: I hope that you can band a few birds in the San Francisco Bay next time. There are numerous sprig there all season. Thanks for the site it has been fun to watch. Bill

Moderator's Response: Hi Bill, Unfortunately satellite tracking is an expensive business. Unless separate funds can be obtained, we will be restricting our sample to the Central Valley. San Francisco pintails may be separate from the others, and deserving of study. We would like to find money to satellite track pintails from Mexico and other California areas as well as San Francisco Bay. If you locate funding for your area, please let us know.

Thank you for the reports. They were fun and interesting. I will miss them. I will look forward to December. Mike Corker

Moderator's Response: Hi Mike, There will be plenty of birds to follow next year! Will be interesting to compare migration routes with this year's birds. See you in December.

It is really weird how time flies when you enjoy something. I was just wondering how long we might be able to track these birds before their battery's will run out?I really want to be able to follow our Russian friend! I have a friend who's uncle guides for geese and ducks on the Texas coast and he says he has already seen pintails, with the teal!Anyways..thanks for all the info and hard work you guys have put into this project! It has been extremely fascinating!

Moderator's Response: Thanks for your kind words! The batteries are about gone, and we are following only about 6 birds (some are intermittent). The Russian bird has returned to the US, and she is on the north Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in Alaska on the Pastolik River Delta near the town of Kotlik. Check us out again beginning in December when we'll have a new batch of PTT-marked pintails to follow.

In the last several years of hunting in the Sacramento valley I have seen more bull sprig then hens is the ratio that much off with more drakes than hens or is this something that goes on this time of year during duck season! some times we see 8 to 10 times more drakes!and during courtship we always see many more drakes than hens! This is what has many hunters wondering why we can only shoot 1 sprig why can't we shoot more drakes!Will this make a impact on the amount of breeding birds?

Moderator's Response: It is normal for there to be more males than females in duck populations. In late winter in the Central Valley, pintail flocks are typically about 52-55% males. When you see more than a couple of males to every hen, you are seeing courtship flights. It is not only unmated males that take part, but paired males do as well. They return to their mates after participating in the flights. You need to direct your questions on hunting regs to the Fish and Wildlife Service or California Dept. of Fish and Game.

I'm new to the site (very interresting by the way) so you've probably been asked this question a million times but why were the Sprig limits here in California a few years ago 2 birds,then 3 birds the next year and then like now back to just 1 bird? Were the counts off???

Moderator's Response: Hello Mike, You should direct your question to the USFWS in Portland (503-231-6162) or CDFG in Sacramento(916-653-8709). But, in a nutshell, the counts were not off. Bag limits and season lengths are determined using adaptive harvest management which is based on pond counts in the Northern Great Plains (US & Canada), and breeding population size continent-wide (estimated in May. Essentially, when population and pond counts decline, seasons are restricted. When better wetland conditions and higher populations prevail, seasons are liberalized. The system can sometimes produce wide annual fluctuations in regulations. The pintail population is well below object levels now, and pond numbers have been low since 1997.

I was wondering if any data was obtained on the death or failure to transmit data. Is there any way to determine what happened to the transmitor? Is it possible that the bird wearing the transmitor lost it and is still alive. I would be interested in learning what killed the birds? Aren't you?

Moderator's Response: We did determine the fate of several PTTs. Rapid temperature drop coupled with normal voltage sensor (indicating strong battery power) and little or no movement (as determined with activity sensor data) shortly after the bird's release suggests death. PTT failure is usually predicted based on marked drop in voltage/battery power. And yes, PTTs could be shed by the bird after several months. If these fall in water, or antenna is flat on ground, we lose contact. I am very interested in learning what killed the birds, especially those in the far north. We have shown that predators play an important role in the Central Valley. To find out about this during migration will take much effort over a very large area.

Mike, talk about the complete circle for that hen back in California...That's great! I guess we can assume she did not nest..I've always wondered if those pintails that show up in the delta and the Suisun Marsh around the 15th of August each year were the early non-stop arrivals from Alaska..It appears that at least the study birds havn't left as of today. Also, is it true that many hens will flock with other hens from their northern molt or nest areas then fly south to mix with the drakes at a much later date, say in the Klammath area or even further down the flyway?

Moderator's Response: Frank, It is difficult to assign location of origin of fall migrants. Remember, the early arrivals here in California are overwhelmingly adult males that come south after the wing molt. There are some hens (about 5%) mixed in, but they (and the young) come south later. We have, as you know, marked only adult females. We don't know too much about hen behavior after nesting/molting and how this might relate to success, or lack thereof, in raising a brood to flight stage.

While hunting this last season my friend shot a banded bull sprig. We were hunting near Chico, CA and figured the bird had been banded locally because the band was so shiny! Couple of months later he got the info back and it had actually been banded in August of 1999 at a refuge in Arkansas and we captured it in January. What would have this bird be doing in Arkansas in August?

Moderator's Response: Wow! Pintails are a very mobile species and have been known to make some very rapid movements, even between flyways like the one your friend shot. Pintails, mostly adult males, begin to arrive on wintering areas in early August. Head on out to a Central Valley refuge anytime after the first week of August and you'll see lots of brown pintails, >98% of them will be males in their "eclipse" plumage. I'm not sure why a sprig would leave Arkansas and head to California....but being a duck hunter in California I'm not complaining!

Can I obtain any info of the current findings as to what the population problem is leaning towards? Is it a winter habitat, short grass prairie, or staging area (Rainwater Basin) problem? With all of the waste grain from north to south, pintail hens have to return to breed in GREAT shape?! Can you possibly help me?

Moderator's Response: Great Question! Abundant, high-quality breeding, wintering and staging habitats are all crucial for healthy waterfowl populations. For pintails, most evidence is pointing towards inadequate upland nesting habitats as the main problem. This may be why even in recent wet years on the Canadian prairies pintail populations have not bounced back like in the past. Also, because pintails, especially females, have high fidelity to wintering areas, high harvest in some areas may be depressing local populations. We hope this project will help provide some answers. See "Wildlife Society Bulletin 1999 27(3):788-800 in the library for more information.

I just read your post of Aug. 7 and it appears that with all the movement of #17586 she may not have nested this year. If this is likely, what might be the possible reasons? MJ

Moderator's Response: We'll have to take a closer look at the timing of #17586's movements but its possible she attempted to nest but had her nest destroyed by a predator or other cause and moved on. There are several reasons why a pintail may not nest including poor habitat conditions and/or poor body condition.

What percentage of pintails migrate to Calif? I suspect that you did your tracking survey by where the major concentration of wintering pintails are located. In the future are there going to be studies on pintails that winter along the Gulf coast?

Moderator's Response: Most all of North America's pintails migrate to either California, Mexico or southeastern states, with small numbers to the southern Atlantic Coast. Band recoveries indicate that their are relationships between breeding and wintering areas. For instance, nearly all pintails banded in Alaska winter in the Pacific Flyway whereas pintails banded in Saskatchewan are found in both the Pacific and more eastern flyways. Thus, although pintails show relatively high fidelity to wintering areas (i.e., most return to the same wintering area year after year), the percentage of the total population that winters in each area varies somewhat by size of the population breeding in each area as well as habitat conditions on breeding and wintering areas.

I was just wondering if this is the only year that the Tuscanny project was going to be done or is going to e repeated next year..or till the money runs out. I found this site through Ducks Unlimited and I am truley excited to see all the movements of these wonderful and exciting birds.Pintails are an obession to many a waterfowler and this study puts a new prospective on these magnificant birds.

Moderator's Response: Hello Charles, Glad you found us! Our project is funded for a total of four years, and we are busy planning next years work. We have learned a great deal about spring migration strategies that Pacific Flyway pintails use to reach potential nesting regions. With larger samples of radio-marked birds in the years to come, we will be learning even more that will be of direct benefit to conservation programs to help pintails. Thanks for your continued interest.

Hello from the Southern Hemisphere. I am fascinated by the tracking technology you are using, do you know if the same will work down here or do we lack the satellite coverage? I am actually writing to request a very different favour: I'm trying to track an article dealing with toxicity to ducks from a pesticide called sodium monofluoroacetate or 1080. Authors Temple, Edwards "Toxic Ducks-- 1080 residues in Game Birds An exercise in applied toxicology" Vet Hum Toxicol, 1985;27:20-21. Can't seem to get it locally, any ideas? Please feel free to contact me in New Zealand at kulisse@doc.govt.nz. Best of luck with the pintails! Your program has added a lot of punctuation I did not intend...oh, just unknown!

Moderator's Response: Hello Keith: Welcome. Yes, satellite tracking will work in the southern hemisphere. The satellites have a polar orbit north to south. I'll see if I can locate the article for you.

The science is great, but the biggest impact to me is sharing what just has to be the magnificent experience of migration. You just KNOW those birds are having fun, regardless of the dangers. Poetry aside, thanks so much for this fascinating project! -- Re Siberian nesting, if you ever need any Russian language help, please let me know. (My Russian is a bit rusty, but I used to translate/interpret professionally.) Also you probably know that there was an arctic goose symposium several years ago that involved Russian biologists. An old boss of mine recently ran across one of the Russians, and I could reestablish contact if you want. --TA

Moderator's Response: Hi Tony: Thanks for the offer to help! In fact, we could use some. We are looking for photographs, slides preferably, of the Anadyr-Kanchalan River Delta, which #17553 has been using. Aerial shots or taken from the ground. A long shot, but let us know if you can obtain some.

As you stated in a previous question, "Russian pintail would need to be surveyed annually, and the proportion known that migrate back to North America in the Fall, before USFWS could include them when determining hunting regulations. We have shown, as Henny only suspected, that some pintails migrate directly to Russia, by-passing the prairies." What do you think the realistic chances are that USFWS will survey these pintail in the future? If the answer is no, is it a funding issue, international authorization, not in USFWS's paradigm, etc.? Any light you can shed would be appreciated.

Moderator's Response: Hi Mike: Well, the obvious answer to your question is, You'll have to direct your question to USFWS! I believe, however, that if pintail management would be markedly enhanced by developing a survey in eastern Russia to account for pintails that will return to North America in Fall, it probably will be considered. Dealing with the costs and assigning responsibility for conducting the surveys, and overcoming significant logistical and political difficulties working in that region, will be major hurdles. Getting a good estimate of the proportion of spring migrants that settle there is the first step, the one our project is contributing to.

Mike: The breeding population trend report is out, and the Alaska-Yukon-Old Crow pintail estimate is 1.45 million, up 42% from last year. This is out of a total estimate of 2.9 million pintails (down from 3.06 million [5%] last year, this change is not statistically significant). Number is the Canadian bush also increased slightly. Looks like about half of the surveyed pintails were with your study birds in Alaska or northern Canada. Breeding conditions on Wrangel Island were reported as good for snow geese so lets hope that similar conditions lead to some recruitment of pintail from Siberia.

Moderator's Response: Hi Brad: Thanks for the update on pintail breeding population estimates. Given the distribution of some of our PTTs in unsurveyed regions, including Russia, probably more than 50% were in the north. But, this seems to be a typical "drought year on the prairie" scenario. Do you think USFWS will want to include Russian pintails in BPOP counts in the future? We'll need a better estimate of numbers and proportion returning to North America in Autumn first, I assume.

First let me say this is a phenomenal web site. I have been following it intently for months. As an East Coast transplant it helps connect me to my roots in S.E. Washington state (McNary and Umatilla NWRs), besides providing interesting and valuable information. I commend everyone for all the hard work. I do have one pressing question: Are the constant movements of some of the ducks this late in the Spring, signs of continued nest failures or are some of these hens being particularly choosy? At what point do they stop attempting to nest in order to ensure that the brood has sufficient time to mature and fatten up for migration? Thanks for your time

Moderator's Response: Eric: Thanks for your interest in the project. I suspect that continued movements imply failed nest attempts or continued movement to areas in which the birds will sit out the season before molting and returning south in the Fall. If the birds are nesting or are with their broods, the PTT locations shouldn't vary too much, even with the inherent imprecision of some of the satellite locations. If they aren't nesting by now, they won't nest this year. Wing molt comes next, and hopefully there will be enough PTTs active to tell us where those locations are, and some of the birds might be near those spots now.

I returned yesterday from Prudhoe Bay where I implanted 20 spectacled eiders with satellite transmitters. We saw many pintails, but none had antennas evident. Your visitors might want to check out similar projects tracking scoters: http://www.state.ak.us/local/akpages/FISH.GAME/wildlife/waterfwl/scoter.htm and king eiders: http://www.mb.ec.gc.ca/nature/migratorybirds/kingeider/dc21s00.en.html. Some of those birds seem to be going to places similar to your birds. Keep up the good work!

Moderator's Response: Dr. Mulcahy: Thanks for the heads up! We wish you good luck with your projects. I urge all pintail watchers to check out these other web sites. They are very interesting and informative on these species, which have received additional research priority of late as populations have struggled.

In recent years the rumors have had as many as 3 million pintail migrating to the USSR. One of the transmitter fitted birds has now crossed the Bering and another 6 are about as close to the USSR as one can get. Will this finally prompt USFWS to start counting Russia's pintail populations and figuring them into the equation when setting the pintail bag limit for the Pacific Flyway? It is quite obvious that many of these birds never ventured east of the Klamath Basin and head straight to Alaskan or possibly Russian breeding grounds. Is it possible these adult birds have never been to Alberta and recent droughts have set up a different and distinct migration route?

Moderator's Response: Mike: Biologists have known for many years that pintails do migrate to Russia from California and other North American (and Eurasian) wintering grounds. The following paper provides more detail: C.J. Henny. 1973. Drought displaced movement of North American pintails into Siberia. Journal of Wildlife Management 37(1):23-29. Russian pintail would need to be surveyed annually, and the proportion known that migrate back to North America in the Fall, before USFWS could include them when determining hunting regulations. We have shown, as Henny only suspected, that some pintails migrate directly to Russia, by-passing the prairies. Considerable genetic mixing among pintails probably precludes separate prairie and Alaskan populations (supported with leg banding).

Do you think that there are many more birds like #17553? For some years there has been rumors about large groups of nesting Pintails that come down the Pac. Flyway each year but there has been little or no way to prove this that I have heard of (Banding practice?). I guess my question is do you think the proof that there are pintails that nest in Russia and migrate too central California will effect the bird count totals in the future. Especially knowing that these birds do in fact takes the inland route.

Moderator's Response: Hi Adam, Well, I suspect that #17553 represents a lot more pintails that headed over to Russia, and previous leg banding information suggests movement in that direction can be expected, especially when North American prairies are dry. This bird, of course, did not go through the prairies, so there probably are regular migrants to Russia. The proportion of pintails in Russia that return in the fall has not been estimated. If the count would turn out to be significant, then adjustments to annual population counts could be made.