Biologist's Journal 2002

September 30, 2002

No changes since last week. PTT 17553 and 17557 are likely failed, and 17530 and 17799 are trying to quit. This will leave only 3 active birds, one of which is at Lake Claire in northern Alberta, and 2 are in Alaska – one on the YK Delta at Bimiut and the other at Egegik on the Alaska Peninsula. If anything substantive occurs with these birds, such as a major southward movement, we will let you know. Otherwise, this will be the final installment of the Journal this year. Check back in December when we will be starting our fourth and final field season. At that time we will start trapping and PTT-tagging pintail hens in California, Texas, and New Mexico, in preparation for monitoring their spring migrations through 2003. Thanks for your attention and interest this year.

September 23, 2002

Welcome to the first full day of Autumn! We’ve only got 6 PTTs still active for sure, with one other that might still provide a few more locations. California bird #17530, which had been north of Kotzebue on the Agashashok River Delta all summer, last week moved to the Sulukna River, and this week moved down to the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta south of Akolmiut. Bird #17557, which had been at Eschscholtz Bay south of Kotzebue most of the summer, sometimes switching to Selawik NWR, just moved down to the Copper River Delta in southeast Alaska. Bird 17586 is still at Egegik on the Alaska Peninsula, and PTTs 08348 (last recorded on the YK Delta near Akolmiut) and 17799 (last recorded in the Yukon southeast of Dawson) appear to have failed, well past their programmed life. As far as the Texas birds, both 17513 and 17553 are in the Lake Claire vicinity in northern Alberta, and 12894 is still in Wyoming’s Thunder Basin (the PTT may be failing).

September 16, 2002

We have noticed some southward movement in pintail #17799. This hen had been on the Yukon Flats NWR all summer, and on the 13th we recorded her in the Yukon southeast of Dawson on the Stewart River along the Klondike Highway. Also, pintail #17530 has moved east from the Kotzebue area to the Sulukna River south of Nowitna NWR, east of the Nowitna River. The rest of the birds are in the same locations as last week. PTT #17840 has failed and a number are just hanging on with very low voltages, such as 17553 and 08348. Any data we get at this late date, however, is way beyond the programmed life of these transmitters.

September 9, 2002

Nothin’s news this week, except bird #17513, a Texas-marked pintail, moved south from the Northwest Territories a bit to northern Alberta, still west of the Slave River almost directly west of Fort Smith. The rest of our pintails are in the same locations as they have been for several weeks now. The PTTs on birds #17005 and #12888 have failed, and it is likely that by next week, a couple more will have failed (#17007, #08348). Ten PTTs are regularly giving locations at this point.

September 4, 2002

We are continuing to lose PTTs as they fail after reaching, or exceeding, programmed life. Birds with still active PTTs are: Texas - #12994 still in the Thunder Basin of Wyoming, #17513 west of the Slave River in the Northwest Territories south of Great Slave Lake, and #17553 on Lake Claire (Athabasca Delta) west of Lake Athabasca. California - #12896 in Alaska on the Yukon Delta near Bimiut, #17530 in Alaska on the Agashashok River Delta north of Kotzebue, #17557 in Alaska on Selawik NWR and Eschscholtz Bay, #17586 on the Alaska Peninsula at Egegik, #17799 in Alaska on the Yukon Flats NWR, and #17840 in the Yukon at Old Crow Flats. PTTs #17005, #08348, #12888, #17007, and perhaps #17553, have or are in the process of failing. We will probably run out of active birds by the end of September, if not sooner.

August 19, 2002

Pintail #17006, originally from North Texas, died in the Northwest Territories east of Birch Lake (southwest of Yellowknife). The PTT on bird #12894, also a North Texas bird, is failing. The remaining 13 birds with functioning PTTs are in the same locations as last week. For those of you checking in to the drought watch pages (accessed via the Migration Maps page), you may have noticed that precipitation in southern Alberta and southern Saskatchewan has been very heavy and well above average. This is right in the heart of good pintail nesting country when wetlands are full and uplands have enough cover to attract pintail hens. If this keeps up through the winter, we would expect a high proportion of pintails to stop in this region during spring 2003 and attempt to nest - our PTT-tagged hens should be right with them. Something to look forward to. Until next week.

August 12, 2002

Not much went on last week. Only one pintail moved, and that was a North Texas bird, #17513, which moved north from near Wood Buffalo National Park in the Northwest Territories (NWT), to just north of Yellowknife, NWT. All the other remaining birds stayed put. One interesting item, though, bird #17615, which had been off line since July 16, came back to life, at least briefly, and provided a location near Tuluksak on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in Alaska. This is the same location as on the 16th. It remains to be seen whether or not the PTT will now continue to give locations, or if this was a fluke. We now have 15 functioning PTTs, assuming 17615 will continue to work.

August 5, 2002

Most of our pintails are holding to areas they’ve used for quite some time. A couple of exceptions are bird #17006, which has moved south again, about 70 km, from along the Yellowknife Highway west of the North Arm of Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories in Canada to an area just east of Birch Lake. Bird #17513, originally marked in south Texas, moved the opposite direction, north, from Lake Athabasca in northern Alberta to just south of Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories on the border of Wood Buffalo National Park. The PTT on bird #12887 probably has failed, but not before confirming that the bird did indeed move south from Vancouver, B.C. to southern Oregon. We expect that over the next couple of weeks, additional movements will occur as the birds get ready to head south - perhaps a few of our PTTs will last long enough to record this return migration.

July 29, 2002

Nothing new to report this week. All of our remaining birds, 15 with active PTTs (1 NM, 6 TX, 9 CA), are in the same locations as last week. We didn’t hear from bird #12887 again after picking up a poor quality location in the Klamath Basin of southern Oregon on the 20th, so we haven’t been able to verify it. We’ll keep listening for another week or so. By perhaps the middle of August, the beginnings of fall migration might be noticeable as our hens make some moves south. Stay tuned.

July 22, 2002

Not much happening this last week. PTT # 17615 probably has failed, and a few are struggling to provide locations (12887, 12888, and 22983). Bird #17700 probably is dead along the shores of Kluane Lake in the Yukon, and 17708 is probably dead northwest of Churchill, Manitoba west of Hudson Bay on the Seal River. We’ll keep checking these locations in the days ahead to verify whether or not they are actually dead. One interesting movement that may or may not be valid, because the quality of the location data is very poor, is that 12887, which had been near Vancouver, B.C. for some time, and the PTT missing the last two reporting dates, was recorded along the Sprague River in the Klamath Basin in Oregon on July 20. We don’t put too much faith in this location yet, but it does suggest the bird has moved from British Columbia. Hopefully, this PTT will find enough power to give a couple of additional locations so we can verify or refute this movement. All other pintails are in the same general areas as last week.

July 15, 2002

We are losing the signal of #22983, with no locations since July 7, and 12887, with no location since July 10. Pintail #17513 moved north from north of Moose Jaw in southern Saskatchewan, to just south of Lake Athabasca in northern Saskatchewan. All the other Texas birds remain in the same locations as last week, although 12894 moved west within the Thunder Basin National Grasslands in Wyoming. Some California birds have shown some movement: In Alaska, bird #17007 moved north from the Bimiut area on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta to just east of Arovirchagk, and 17557 moved east from Eschscholtz Bay on the Seward Peninsula to the east side of Selawik NWR. Also, bird #17840 moved northeast from the Coleen River on Arctic NWR to the Old Crow River, still on Arctic NWR, just west of Old Crow Flats, which is in Yukon. In the Yukon, bird #17700 moved north from Wellesley Lake to Kluane Lake. Birds 08348, 12888, 12896, 17530, 17586, 17615, and 17799 remain in the same locations as last week.

July 8, 2002

All PTT-tagged pintails are in the same locations as last week. We are still getting location data from 1 New Mexico bird, 7 and maybe 8 Texas birds, and 12 California birds. On another matter of some consequence to pintails, heavy precipitation occurred in the southern prairies of Canada and in northcentral Montana during June! This can be inferred from the drought watch maps and other information available on the Migration Maps page of this website. Although severe drought had persisted in this region through the winter and well into May, dooming any chance of even modest pintail production this year, June rainfall completely changed the wetland situation, although too late for most ducks. Apparently, most wetlands of all sizes filled with water and carry-over water should persist until next spring. Perhaps this is a good start to erasing the long dry period in the heart of pintail nesting range in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, as well as eastern Montana. Let’s hope for continued precipitation through Autumn and lots of snow this coming winter.

July 1, 2002

Only one PTT-tagged pintail made a substantive move this past week. Bird #17513, originally marked in North Texas, moved north from the Upper Souris NWR area in North Dakota, to Saskatchewan north of Moose Jaw. All the other birds remained in the same areas as the week before. In summary, the one remaining New Mexico-marked pintail is in Wyoming/Nebraska west of Scottsbluff; one additional North Texas bird is in Wyoming’s Thunder Basin, one is east of Alliance in Nebraska, one is in the Northwest Territories north of Great Slave Lake, and one is in northern Manitoba just west of the Hudson Bay coast and northwest of Churchill; another North Texas bird, #17468, which we thought was dead a while back, is again providing locations from Alaska on Yukon Flats NWR. There is just one South Texas pintail still giving locations, and this one is in northern Alberta at Old Fort Bay on Lake Athabasca. There are 12 California pintails still giving locations, with 9 in Alaska, one in British Columbia near Vancouver, one in northern Alberta east of Peace River, and one in the Northwest Territories at Wellesley Lake south of Dawson. We anticipate more PTT failures in the weeks ahead because they were programmed to continue providing locations through June. Stay tuned.

June 24, 2002

We are coming to the end of the planned field season, as PTTs were programmed to give locations through June. We have lost a few additional units this week, but a fair number are still giving useful locations. The one New Mexico pintail, 22983, is in Nebraska west of Scottsbluff, but the PTT is failing. One North Texas bird, 17468, which we thought was on a dead bird, has shown signs of life again and the bird is still at Yukon Flats NWR in Alaska. As for the others, 12894 is still in Wyoming’s Thunder Basin, 17005 is still in Nebraska east of Alliance, 17006 is still in the Northwest Territories north of Great Slave Lake, 17008 moved from the Little Churchill River area to just west of Hudson Bay west of Churchill, and 17513 moved from Crescent Lake NWR in Nebraska to east of Lake Sakakawea near Roseglen in North Dakota. Only one South Texas pintail remains active, since 1755 2 has failed and 17537 probably has. Only 17553 is providing reliable data and she is still using Old Fort Bay on Lake Athabasca in northern Alberta. Only 11 California hens are providing data, as 8338 (Faber Lake in NWT), 12892 (Minto Flats in Alaska), and 17739 (Oregon south of Portland) have either died or the PTTs have failed. Bird 8348 is still in Alaska on the YK Delta at Toksook, 12896 and 17007 are still in Alaska on the YK Delta near Bimiut, 17530 is still on the Agashashok River Delta north of Kotzebue, 17557 is still in Alaska on the Seward Peninsula using Eshcscholtz Bay, 17586 is still near Egegik in Alaska, 17615 is still on the YK Delta near Tuluksak, 17799 is still on the Yukon Flats, 17840 is on Arctic NWR on the Colleen River, 12887 (PTT failing) is in British Columbia using a lake near Vancouver, 12888 is in northern Alberta east of Peace River on Lubicon Lake, and 17700 is in the Yukon’s Wellesley Lake south of Dawson.

June 17, 2002

Not much change this past week, except that PTTs continue to fail or birds are dying from unknown causes. Check out the lost birds list on the map page. One New Mexico bird remains, 22983, and it was last recorded north of Cheyenne, Wyoming. The 5 North Texas birds are in the same locations as last week: Thunder Basin in Wyoming, 2 in Nebraska (Alliance area and Bassett Ranch area), north of Waskaiowaka Lake in Manitoba, north of the Great Slave Lake in Northwest Territories (NWT), and at Yukon Flats in Alaska (17468, may be dead). The South Texas hens are still on the White River south of Dawson in the Yukon, Old Fort Bay on Lake Athabasca in northern Saskatchewan, and Old Wives Lake, in southern Saskatchewan (17552, may be dead). California pintails are largely in the same locations as last week, except 17739, which had been at Malheur NWR in eastcentral Oregon for so long, moved up to the Willamette Valley south of Portland. One hen is in the NWT at Faber Lake, 1 remains in the Yukon at Wellesley Lake south of Dawson, 5 are on the Yukon Delta NWR in Alaska (Toksook, Tuluksak, Hazen Bay [17730, may be dead], and Bimiut [2]), 1 is at Yukon Flats NWR, 1 is at Minto Flats west of Fairbanks, 1 is on the Seward Peninsula on Eschscholtz Bay, 1 is on the Agashashok River Delta north of Kotzebue (Seward Peninsula), 1 is still at Egegik on the Alaska Peninsula, 1 (18899, technical failure that gives a location occasionally) is at Dundas Island in British Columbia after being at Washington’s Grays Harbor for a time, another 1 (12887, probably technical failure) was in the Vancouver, B.C. area flying recently, and 1 hen (12888) is east of Peace River in northern Alberta. Our PTTs were designed to last through June this year, so we suspect that more units will start to fail soon, having reached the end of their programmed lives. On the weather front, we have learned that several inches of rain have fallen recently in southern Alberta; unfortunately, too late to help pintails initiate nests this year.

June 10, 2002

We lost several birds to mortality or PTT failure this past week, including 17009, 17468, 17616, and 17841. Additionally, a couple more may be dead: 17552 in south Saskatchewan and 12887 in coastal British Columbia. We’ll know by next week the status of these two birds. No major movements occurred this week, with birds in about the same locations as last week. The one remaining New Mexico bird, 22983, is still in an area southwest or west of Scottsbluff, Nebraska. There are 5 North Texas birds still giving locations: 2 are in Nebraska, 1 is in the Thunder Basin in Wyoming, 1 is north of Waskaiowaka Lake in northern Manitoba, and 1 is north of Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories (NWT). Three remain from South Texas, although 1 (17552) may be dead; the other bird is using Old Fort Bay on Lake Athabasca in northern Alberta. There are 18 California birds still providing us with location data. Twelve of these are in various parts of Alaska, including Yukon Delta NWR (4), the Seward Peninsula (3), and 1 each at Yukon Flats NWR, Egegik on the Alaska Peninsula, Innoko NWR, west of Delta Junction, and Arctic NWR. Two birds are in the Yukon (Donjak River and Kluane River) and 1 each are in the NWT (Mattberry Lake), British Columbia (Tsimpsean Peninsula - may be dead), Zamma-Hay Lakes in northern Alberta, and Oregon’s Malheur NWR.

June 3, 2002

New Mexico-marked pintails haven’t moved much, although 22983 moved from Colorado to Nebraska (sw of Scottsbluff). There was no change in the locations of North Texas-marked pintails over the past week, with 2 in Nebraska, and 1 each in Wyoming, Northwest Territories, Manitoba, and Alaska (this one might be dead at Yukon Flats NWR). The 2 South Texas-marked hens that have been in south Saskatchewan are still there, but 17537 in Alberta moved north from Castor to north of High Prairie. Some California birds have made some moves: 12892 moved north to Ladue River east of Tetlin Lake in Alaska from south of Dawson in the Yukon; 12893 moved north to Susitna River at Denali from the Glennallen area; 12896 moved west to Koyukuk NWR from Yukon Flats NWR; 17007 moved from Nikolai to Bimiut on Yukon Delta NWR; and 17730 moved from the Bering Glacier area to east of Trading Bay State Game Refuge in Cook Inlet, Alaska. All others are in the same locations as last week. Bird 17841 may be dead at Palmer-Hay Flats State Game Refuge north of Anchorage. No California PTT-marked hens remain in the Canadian prairies; one hen from South Texas (17552) does so in southern Saskatchewan. All the other birds have moved north of this area, undoubtedly reflecting the severe drought conditions in that region this spring.

May 27, 2002

I hope all of our visitors had a great Memorial Day weekend. We would like to use this opportunity to recognize and thank all U.S. servicemen and women for their sacrifices, past and present, that continue to keep our nation free.

No change in the location of the New Mexico pintails this week, but the Texas and California made some moves northward. North Texas: 17006 moved from Lake Claire in northern Alberta to north of Great Bear Lake in the Northwest Territories, and 17008 moved from northern Saskatchewan (Courtney Lake) to Waskaiowaka Lake in northern Manitoba; all other hens with active transmitters remain in the same locations as last week. South Texas: 17553 moved up to Lake Winnipeg and then to Swan Lake in Manitoba from south of Rocklake in North Dakota; 17537 is still near Castor in Alberta and 17552 is still in Saskatchewan south of Old Wives Lake. California: First, 17778, 17737, and 17488 are newly missing. #22984 is missing too, but a single location of poor quality received on May 22 suggests she may have moved. 12887 was recorded over the Ocean off of B.C., moving north from Lower Klamath NWR in Northeast California, and then turned up on the Tsimpsean Peninsula in coastal B.C. 12888 moved from Alberta north of Edmonton to north of Utikuma Lake in northern Alberta. 12893 is still on Teslin Lake, but moved from the B.C. portion to the Yukon section. 17530 moved from Peace River in northern Alberta to B.C. west of Ft. Nelson and then to Alaska on the Seward Peninsula near Kiwalik. 17557 moved from Minto Flats in Alaska near Fairbanks to Koyukuk NWR west of the Yukon Delta (YKD). 17615 moved from Zama-Hay Lakes in northern Alberta to Alaska’s YK Delta south of Bethel. 17616 moved from Grande Prairie in northern Alberta to the Tanana River near the junction of the Robertson River. 17700 also left Grande Prairie and headed north, to the Yukon northwest of Whitehorse and then on to the White River south of Dawson. 17739 is still at Malheur NWR in southern Oregon. Pintails do nest there. 18899 in still east of Washington’s Grays Harbor, but this seems to be an abnormal location for this time of year. Until next week!

May 20, 2002

No change in locations of the New Mexico-tagged pintails this past week. A north Texas hen (17468) moved from Alberta’s Grande Prairie region to Yukon Flats NWR in Alaska, and another (17006) moved from eastern Montana to Saskatchewan north of Saskatoon. One other, 17008, moved from southern Saskatchewan to northern Saskatchewan’s Courtney Lake. The others remain in the same locations as last week. Two south Texas hens moved north from North Dakota to southern Alberta near Castor and southern Saskatchewan near Old Wives Lake; 17553 remains south of Rocklake in North Dakota. California birds continue to move north of the prairies, and only 12888 and 17700, both in southern Alberta, remain in the traditional prairie nesting region. The two birds that had been in southern Saskatchewan (17488 and 18898) are either dead or their PTTs have failed. Here are some of the week’s movements of California birds: 8338 moved from Grande Prairie to the Northwest Territories near Great Bear Lake; 12892 moved from Vancouver Island in B.C. to the Stikine River Delta in southeast Alaska; 12896 and 17007 moved north from Alberta’s Grande Prairie to the Yukon Territory in Canada and then on to Alaska; 17730 moved north from Graham Island in the Queen Charlottes to se Alaska at Yakutat; 17778 moved north from Gull Lake near Red Deer in Alberta to Minot Flats in Alaska; 17799 moved from Dundas Island in B.C. to Pt. Manly northwest of Yakutat; 17840 moved north of Grande Prairie to Tetlin Lake in B.C. and then on to the Yukon Flats NWR in Alaska; 17841 left the Bering Glacier and moved to Palmer-Hay Flats State Game Refuge near Anchorage; and finally, 18899 made a short jump from the Oregon Coast at Sand Lake to Washington’s Grays Harbor on the southwest Coast. More PTTs have failed or birds have died, including 12897 from north Texas, and 17053, 17488, 18898, and 22982 from California. Check out the missing bird list on the migration page to get the whole list of missing birds.

May 13, 2002

The New Mexico PTT-tagged pintails are hanging tight in South Dakota near Chamberlain (17009, PTT may be failing) and in Colorado at Rio Grande SWA north of Monte Vista NWR. North Texas-tagged pintails are about where they were last week, except that 17005 moved down from south of Lake Sakakawea (Audubon NWR) in North Dakota to northeast of Alliance Nebraska, probably in response to heavy snow in North Dakota. The other hens are in Wyoming (east of Glendo Reservoir), Alberta (Lake Claire in the north and Grande Prairie), Nebraska (south Bassett Ranch), Eastern Montana south of Ekalaka, and Saskatchewan south of Yorkton. All three remaining South Texas pintails are in North Dakota (Upper Souris NWR, Carrington, Rocklake), and 22984 is missing. California birds are using coastal migration areas at a relatively high rate this year, including the coast of Oregon (2 birds: Tillamook Bay, Sand Lake) and coastal British Columbia (3 birds: Graham Island in the Queen Charlottes, Dundas Island north of Prince Rupert, north tip of Vancouver Island). Another bird in B.C. is at Nimpo Lake, inland from the coast. One bird is still in northeastern California at Lower Klamath NWR, 2 are in southern Oregon (Paulina Marsh, north of Malheur NWR), 7 are in southern Alberta, 5 are in northern Alberta (Grande Prairie area), 2 are in southern Saskatchewan (south east of Old Wives Lake, southwest of Weyburn), and 4 are in Alaska: 8348 moved from the Bering Glacier to Trading Bay State Game Refuge in Cook Inlet, 17557 moved from the Copper River to Tanana River southeast of Fairbanks, 17586 moved from Akumwarvik Bay in Cook Inlet to Egegik on the Alaska Peninsula, and 17841 moved from the Grande Prairie area in Alberta to the Bering Glacier. Bird 17611 is newly missing, and 17488 may be failing.

May 6, 2002

Here’s the scoop on the week just past. The 2 pintails tagged in New Mexico are still in South Dakota (Chamberlain; but may be missing) and in the Monte Vista NWR area (Home Lake State Wildlife Area north of Monte Vista) in Colorado. Seven North Texas birds are still providing data: 2 are in Wyoming (Glendo Reservoir, Thunder Basin), 1 is in North Dakota (just south of Audubon NWR on Lake Sakakawea), 1 is in Nebraska (Bassett Ranch area, NB Gazetteer page 46), 1 is in norther Alberta (east of Lake Claire in Athabasca Delta), 1 is in Saskatchewan (south of Yorkton) after moving up from the Willow City area in North Dakota, and 1 is on the B.C./Alberta border on Swan Lake south southeast of Dawson Creek, B.C. One of the lost South Texas pintails “came back to life” and provided a location on Upper Souris NWR in North Dakota on May first. This bird had been off line since February 27th. Remains to be seen if we will continue to receive locations. Two additional South Texas pintails are in North Dakota, as well, north of Carrington and south of Rocklake, and one is still in Kansas near Stafford. California pintails continue to be quite dispersed, but all have left the Central Valley. There are still 4 birds in southern Oregon (Chewaucan, Malheur) and 1 in northeastern California (Fairchild Swamp area). Two moved up to the northern Oregon coast, 1 at Tillamook Bay and one just south at Sand Lake. This is the first time we’ve recorded pintails on the Oregon coast. Nine birds are in southern Alberta (Edmonton south) and 4 are in northern Alberta (Grande Prairie area). One bird is at the northern tip of Graham Island in the Queen Charlottes and another is inland near Nimpo Lake. The North Dakota bird is still there near Ambrose, two are in southern Saskatchewan, and 3 remain in Alaska at similar locations as last week. Arrivals in Alaska seem to be delayed this year, and that might account for the use of the Graham Island and Tillamook Bay areas. One new bird has turned up missing, #17824, which was last recorded in Nevada in the Quinn River Valley.

April 29, 2002

New Mexico PTT-tagged pintails are still in South Dakota and Colorado, and both PTTs seem to be failing. Two North Texas birds are in Alberta, 1 southwest of Red Deer, having moved west from Saskatchewan, and the other in the far northern part of the province near Lake Claire at the west end of Lake Athabasca - this bird moved north from southeastern Saskatchewan. Two birds are in North Dakota, and 1 each are in Nebraska, Wyoming, and eastern Montana. Two South Texas pintails are still in North Dakota, and the bird that had resided for so long south of Kingsville Texas (#22984), finally moving up to north of Waco by last week, is now in central Kansas near Stafford. Three California pintails have reached Alaska, and these include 2 for which we got locations over the Pacific Ocean last time: 1 of these birds is using tidelands at the Bering Glacier just southeast of the Copper River Delta, 1 is just southeast of Yakutat at the Dangerous River in southeast Alaska, and 1 is in Kamishak Bay in Cook Inlet. Two birds are using what must be considered unusual coastal Oregon locations, based on the previous two years of the project: Tillamook Bay and Sand Lake (just south of Netarts Bay); with the addition of these 2 birds, a total of only 3 hens have migrated north using coastal embayments (excepting Puget Sound) in the “Lower-48" since the project began. One additional bird is in British Columbia (north of Nimpo at Anahim Lake) and another is west of B.C. over the Ocean migrating. Alberta is being used by 11 California-marked hens: many are in the Cardston to Calgary to Red Deer to Camrose areas and 1 has moved north to Grande Prairie. One bird is in Saskatchewan near Old Wives Lake, and 2 are still in North Dakota. Two birds are still in northeastern California (Lower Klamath NWR and Dead Horse Flat Reservoir near Fairchild Swamp), and 2 are in southern Oregon (Malheur NWR area and Chewaucan Marsh). Finally, the 1 bird in Nevada (Quinn River Valley) is probably still there, but either the PTT is failing or the bird has died, because signals are intermittent and of poor quality. By next week, I expect that several more birds will be in Alaska, and that at least a few of the birds now in the southern prairie provinces of Canada will have moved north owing to the generally dry conditions in the south.

April 22, 2002

Some interesting stuff this week. The New Mexico birds are still in South Dakota and Colorado. North Texas birds are in North Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, with all but 2 in the same areas as last week: Bird #12897, which had been near Reeder, ND, moved up to Weyburn, Saskatchewan, and #17468, which had been near Saskatoon, SK, moved west to southwest of Red Deer in Alberta. The three South Texas pintails remain in the same general locations as last week, 2 in North Dakota and 1 northwest of Houston. The California birds show a mixture of new moves, including several locations along active migration pathways, and remaining at old locations. In southern Oregon, there are 2 pintails in the Malheur NWR area, 3 at Chewaucan Marsh, and 1 each at Sprague River, Goose Lake, Klamath Forest NWR, and Upper Klamath (Modoc Point) -- all of these were in essentially the same locations last week. In California, #17730 remains in the Central Valley near Cosumnes Preserve in the Delta, but all the rest are in the northeastern part of the state. The birds still in places similar to last week are in Lower Klamath NWR (2), Fairchild Swamp (1), Nevada (1), Alberta (8), Saskatchewan (3), and North Dakota (1); 1 additional bird moved from Montana near Bozeman, to Alberta. We got locations on two birds flying during migration: #17557 provided locations while migrating through coastal British Columbia after leaving the area south of Wilbur in central Washington; and #17708 gave two locations over the Pacific Ocean west of the Queets River in Washington, after leaving Fairchild Swamp in northeastern California.

April 15, 2002

Canada here we come! Lots of movements by California pintails this last week, including a major push into Alberta (8 birds) and Saskatchewan (3). The Alberta birds arrived via western Montana (6), Nevada (1), southern Oregon (1), and directly from the San Joaquin Valley in California (1). In Alberta, the pintails are located near Kitsum, south of Red Deer, Lethbridge, east of Calgary, and the Milk River Ridge. The Saskatchewan pintails arrived via Alberta, Utah, and eastern Montana (1 bird each), and are in the southcentral part of the province. The rest of the California birds are in southern Oregon (9), northeastern California (4), western Montana (1), northern Nevada (1), North Dakota (1), Washington (1), and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in the Central Valley (1). The pintails marked along the Gulf Coast of Texas have made some moves as well. Two moved to North Dakota (wsw of Carrington and east of Medina), and the other has finally moved from the area south of Kingsville to an agricultural area northeast of Victoria. Three of the birds marked in northern Texas have also moved up to North Dakota (Reeder, south of Lake Sakakawea, Willow City), 1 is in Minnesota near Madison, 1 is still in Wyoming at Glendo Reservoir, 1 is in Nebraska near the Bassett Ranch, and, joining the Canadian migration, 1 is southeast of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. One of the New Mexico marked pintails is still at Monte Vista NWR and the other is in South Dakota near Chamberlain. With steadily warming temperatures in the midcontinent area, more pintails will be moving this next week. Check back next Monday.

April 8, 2002

Before I get to the migration news, I want to point out a new feature on our web site relating to snow cover in North America. Snow in the prairies is what drives spring wetland conditions, so some knowledge of snow cover and snow water content is important in predicting the upcoming nesting season for ducks. To get to the snow page, click on View drought watch maps from Canadian Prairies on our Maps page or just click on http://www.socc.ca/snow/snow_current_e.cfm now. This will send you to "State of the Canadian Cryosphere", and it is open on the "Snow" page. Here you can choose several links, including Snow cover in North America, Lake and river ice, Sea ice, Glaciers and ice caps, and Permafrost and frozen ground links. As well, the Snow page has 5 full color maps, including 1) Snow water equivalents for the Prairies, 2) Current U.S. and Southern Canada daily snow cover, 3) Current snow cover analysis for the World (includes sea temperatures too), 4) Current snow depth analysis, and 5) Most recent North American 6-week snow cover anomaly map. Several of these maps can be clicked to enlarge and improve readability. Have fun! Now for some migration updates. Here's the distribution as of today for California PTT-marked pintails: 1) California: Lower Klamath - 3 birds, Fairchild Swamp - 1 bird, and still in the Central Valley near the Cosumnes Preserve - 1; 2) Oregon: North side Goose Lake - 2 birds, Sprague River near the town of Sprague River - 1, Chewaucan Marsh - 3, Klamath Forest NWR - 1, Malheur NWR on Harney Lake - 1, west of Harney Lake north of Clusters Lake - 1, Upper Klamath NWR area on Modoc Point - 1; 3) Other U.S.: western Montana (several locations) - 5, eastern Montana (near Fort Peck Dam) - 1, central Washington (south of Wilbur) - 1, southern Idaho (Market Lake Slough Wildlife Area) - 1, Utah north Great Salt Lake (Public Shooting Grounds Wildlife Area)- 1, northern Nevada - 1, and South Dakota Lake Oahe - 1 bird; and 4) Canada: southern Alberta - 2. The two remaining New Mexico-marked pintails are still in Colorado, one still at Monte Vista NWR and the other farther north along the South Platte River. The north Texas birds have all left Texas and are distributed in several states: Minnesota near Marshall - 1 bird, Nebraska - 1 at Funk Waterfowl Production Area and 1 near the Bassett Ranch, Colorado Glendo Rervoir - 1, South Dakota - 1 each near LaCreek NWR, Faukton, and Huron. The south Texas birds have about played out, with 1 in Nebraska near Yankton, 1 still in south Texas (concern this bird may be dead), and another last heard from in South Dakota near Huron.

April 1, 2002

Lots of migration north this past week. One of the 2 New Mexico pintails that had been at Monte Vista NWR in Colorado (17009) was recorded flying west of Denver. North Texas birds have started moving north as well, with Blue Hole Wildlife Management Area on the Platte River in Nebraska a destination for #12897, LaCreek NWR in South Dakota the destination for 17005, and Glendo Reservoir in Wyoming the destination for 17006. 17568 is still at Cedar Bluff Reservoir and Wildlife Area in Kansas. The remaining 3 birds are still in north Texas (northwest of Buffalo Lake, south of Dalhart, sw of Dimmitt), and another bird (17003) has been recorded as dead. In south Texas, another pintail has turned up missing (17531), but 17552 moved on from Chickasha, Oklahoma to west of McPherson in Kansas, and 17553 is still near Cedar Bluff Reservoir in Kansas; 22984 is still being recorded southeast of Kingsville, Texas. The California group of pintails continues to move north, but one bird (08336) is missing. Presently, 6 pintails are in Northeast California (Ash Creek Wildlife Area, Tule Lake NWR, Honey Lake, Fairchild Swamp, Lower Klamath NWR), 12 are in southern Oregon (Sprague River, Klamath Forest NWR, Alvord Lake, Malheur NWR, Chewaucan Marsh, Upper Klamath NWR, Sycan Marsh), 5 are in western Montana (Yellowstone River near Miles City, Blackfoot River Valley, Madison River near Bozeman, Lee Metcalf NWR south of Missoula), and 1 each are in Idaho (near Idaho Falls), northern Nevada (near McDermitt), central Washington (south of Wilbur), and Great Salt Lake in Utah (Public Shooting Grounds Wildlife Area). Surprisingly, 1 bird is in the San Joaquin Valley and another in the Delta region, still in the Central Valley.

March 25, 2002

You may have noticed a bit of a delay in updating birds lately. The Project Leader was out of town on business until today. Hopefully, we are back on track. Also, we are working on providing more detail in the migration maps, such as cities; but, in the mean time you can use the interactive maps to zoom down to get more of those details. There are some interesting movements to talk about this week. First, both of the New Mexico pintails are now at Monte Vista NWR in Colorado. The north Texas bird that had been in Oklahoma (17003) moved up to Nebraska along the Cedar River near Pibel Lake State Recreation Area. Two others remain in the Cactus area, 3 near Dimmitt, 1 northwest of Buffalo Lake, and 1 east of Amarillo at Pampa. Two of the north Texas birds are on the missing list. Unfortunately, 6 of the south Texas birds are dead or the PTTs are no longer giving locations. Of the remaining 4, 2 are still south of Kingsville, 1 moved north to southeast of Waco than to west of Fort Worth and then south of Wichita Falls (17553), and 1 is in Oklahoma near Chickashaw (17552). All California PTTs continue to give locations and all birds are alive. Two remain in the San Joaquin Valley near San Luis NWR and Los Banos Wildlife Area, and 2 are in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta (Cosumnes River Preserve, Badger Creek Drainage). In northeast California, 1 is at Tule Lake NWR, 1 is at Ash Creek Wildlife Area, 4 are at Lower Klamath NWR, 1 is at Honey Lake Wildlife Area, 3 are in Fairchild Swamp on the Modoc Plateau, and 1 is at Horse Lake (east of Eagle Lake). In southern Oregon, 3 are at Malheur NWR or in the vicinity, 2 are in the Warner Valley, 2 are at Chewaucan Marsh, 1 is near Spaulding, and 1 is at Klamath Forest NWR and 1 is at Sycan Marsh. Two pintails, 17841 and 18898, are in southern Idaho at American Falls Reservoir, and 12896 moved up to Montana, from Malheur NWR, in the vicinity of Three-Forks south of Canyon Ferry Lake.

March 11, 2002

Few movements this past week of PTT-marked pintails. One New Mexico bird still remains near Monte Vista NWR in Colorado with the other hanging on at Elephant Butte Reservoir south of Bosque del Apache NWR. The other NM PTTs are no longer providing locations. In north Texas, one pintail is still in the Watonga area in Oklahoma, and the rest remain in Texas, in the Buffalo Lake NWR vicinity, east of Amarillo, and the Cactus area. In south Texas, the pintails continue to use areas south, southeast, and west of Kingsville, as well as north of Big Boggy NWR up the coast. We had indications of #17614 moving north to the Corpus Christi area (poor quality location data), but have since lost contact. By the end of the coming week, we should be recording several substantial northward moves by the Texas birds, because winter weather in the Plains is ameliorating.

March 4, 2002

Winter has returned to the midcontinent region of the U.S., probably holding up migration for a time. No additional northward migration of New Mexican pintails occurred this week, with one PTT-marked hen still at Elephant Butte Lake south of Bosque del Apache NWR and another at Monte Vista NWR in Colorado. The one north Texas pintail that had gone north to Kansas moved back south to Oklahoma, near Watonga, probably in response to poor weather. Of the remaining north Texas birds, 5 pintails remain in the general vicinity of Buffalo Lake NWR, 1 is east of Amarillo south of Pampa, and 2 are near the town of Cactus 50 miles north of Amarillo. In south Texas, 6 of the pintails are generally south of Kingsville, 1 is west of Kingsville, and 1 remains north of Big Boggy NWR. In the west, 21 of the 30 California-marked pintails have migrated north, while 3 still remain in the Sacramento Valley, 4 in the San Joaquin Valley, and 2 in the Delta. The large number in the San Joaquin Valley, all in the "Grasslands" area near Los Banos, is somewhat surprising, but they are accompanied by a large number of pintails marked with standard radio-transmitters. A recent aerial tracking mission over the Central Valley showed that the Grasslands area had the largest wetland area still flooded. So the birds have found the best habitat in contrast to the Delta and Sacramento Valley, which were quite dry. Of the birds that have migrated north, 1 remains in southern Idaho nearly Burley, but the other 20 are in southern Oregon or northeastern California. Specifically, in California: 3 birds are at Butte Valley Wildlife Area, 4 on various wet areas on the Modoc Plateau, 1 is at Tule Lake NWR, and 1 is using Lower Klamath NWR. In Oregon: 2 birds were on Swan Lake, 2 in the Warner Valley, 3 at Upper Klamath NWR, 2 at Chewaucan Marsh, and 2 at or near Malheur NWR.

February 25, 2002

More northward movement this week! From California, 8 pintails have moved to southern Oregon or northeastern California, and one is on the Snake River near Twin Falls, Idaho. More specifically, pintails are on the Pitt River lowlands and Big Sage Reservoir generally west of Alturas in northeastern California, the Warner Valley and north of Goose Lake in southeastern Oregon, and Upper Klamath NWR (Modoc Point) in southcentral Oregon. The remainder are in the Sacramento Valley, Delta, or Suisun Marsh in Central California. One pintail, which had been at Bosque del Apache NWR since being marked, moved north to Monte Vista NWR in Colorado, and one of the North Texas birds moved north to western Kansas (near Quinter). The remaining Texas and New Mexico birds remain in similar locations as recorded last week. More movements can be expected this week as well.

February 19, 2002

First pintails migrate from the Central Valley! Four PTT-tagged pintails have migrated north to northeastern California (Lower Klamath NWR) and southern Oregon (Upper Klamath NWR area and Warner Valley [Crump Lake]). The PTT numbers are: 12896, 17708, 17739, and 18899. Look for the migration updates on the web page this week showing the movements. The Texas pintails are still in the same general areas south of Kingsville and in the Buffalo Lake areas, and the 3 birds in New Mexico have not changed locations. We expect more pintails will join the northward push regularly from now on, but also, past history tells us that several may retrace their flights back to the Central Valley before heading north again. Pintails migrate northward in spring at the "edge of winter", and when conditions get too tough, they back track until weather improves. Stay tuned.

February 11, 2002

The status quo continues in California, Texas, and New Mexico. The distributions of PTT-tagged pintails in all three states are nearly the same as last week. Bird #17689 in south Texas stopped moving a week ago or so, and sensors indicated the PTT was immobile. Texas partners made a site visit where we had the last and best location, but found only a plowed field. However, this weekend a man’s dog retrieved the carcass, with the PTT still attached, near Bishop, Texas, and the dog’s owner phoned us with the news. We have obtained the transmitter and will attach it to another pintail if we get the chance before northward migration begins.

February 4, 2002

There have been few changes in location of PTT-marked pintails anywhere over the past week. Still 3 in New Mexico with 1 at Bosque, and 2 south of the refuge at Elephant Butte Lake. In north Texas, 9 birds are in the vicinity of Buffalo Lake NWR, many near Dimmitt, and 1 is on Bull Lake east of Muleshoe. In south Texas, 8 birds are still south of Kingsville and 1 is north of Big Boggy NWR. California pintails are widely scattered with most still in the Sacramento Valley (23) and the rest in the Yolo Bypass (1), Delta-Suisun (5), or San Joaquin Valley (1). We anticipate this pattern will hold for another couple of weeks before northward movements begin.

January 28, 2002

It snowed in the northern Central Valley this morning, and the white stuff was sticking from the Sacramento area northward. This is a rare event for us here and it remains to be seen if there will be any effect on pintail distribution. Probably not because it’s melting rapidly. The New Mexican birds continue to hold fast to previous locations at Bosque del Apache NWR (1) and Elephant Butte Lake (2), with another 3 PTTs out of service. In north Texas, 4 birds remain in the Buffalo Lake NWR vicinity, 4 moved south to an area near Dimmitt northeast of Muleshoe, and 2 PTTs now are out of service. In south Texas, 7 pintails continue to use the area south and southeast of Kingsville, 1 recently was recorded north of Kingsville, 1 is still in the Big Boggy NWR area, and 1 PTT is out of service. In California, there has been no northward movement. The Klamath Basin continues to get winter storms with significant snow and cold, so it will be awhile before pintails start to move into that area. The precipitation in the Klamath is welcome news after the severe drought of last year. The current distribution has our pintails in the Sutter Basin (4), Lower and midButte Basins (8), Upper American Basin (e.g., District 10) (5), Lower American Basin (4), Colusa Basin (3), the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and Suisun Marsh (5), and the San Joaquin Valley (1).

January 22, 2002

As of yesterday, the folks in Texas finally trapped a bunch of pintails and completed attaching satellite transmitters to the remaining 7 of our quota of 10 adult females. Congratulations to David Haukos and his crew. This group of birds has largely remained within the Buffalo Lake NWR marking area, but two have moved south a bit to areas northeast of Muleshoe NWR. The South Texas birds remain southwest to southeast of Kingsville, generally in the area of marking, but one is still farther up the coast at Big Boggy NWR. In New Mexico, we only have 3 working transmitters left; two of these birds are at Elephant Butte Lake and the other remains on Bosque del Apache NWR, where all were marked originally. In California, we have noted a fairly wide dispersal in response to the heavy rains in December. The Valley is drying out, but the birds remain dispersed in the Sutter Basin (4), Middle Colusa Basin (4), the Upper (2) and Lower American Basins (3), the Middle (4) and Upper Butte Basins (3), the Lower Colusa Basin (4), South Yolo Basin (5), and the South Grasslands of the San Joaquin Valley (1).

January 14, 2002

If you want to get an idea of pintail distribution for this week, check the Journal entry from last week! Nothing really important has changed. A few birds traded places in the Sacramento Valley, and the bird that had been in the San Joaquin came north to the Sutter NWR area in the Sacramento Valley, and one which had been in the Delta moved south to the San Joaquin. Birds continue to make use of the flood waters in the by-pass system, and rice fields in the Lower Colusa and Lower American Basins. In Texas, much the same lack of movement. Still one bird at Big Boggy NWR, but the others are south and southeast of Kingsville. The New Mexico-marked birds remain at Elephant Butte Lake, Bosque del Apache NWR, or in Mexico near Naica. Crews are still attempting to catch and mark 9 more female pintails at Buffalo Lake NWR in north Texas.

January 7, 2002

Welcome to 2002. Here’s the latest summary of pintail locations: New Mexico-marked birds, with one exception, have not stayed put at Bosque del Apache NWR where they were trapped and fitted with satellite transmitters (PTTs). Two moved south to Elephant Butte Lake, 1 is in northern Mexico near Naica, and 1 is still at Bosque. Unfortunately, 1 stopped giving locations shortly after release and another has failed to give locations since moving north to the La Joya State Wildlife Area in New Mexico. Texas-marked birds: Only 1 pintail has been PTT-marked in north Texas, at Buffalo Lake NWR, and it recently moved south to a wetland area sse of the town of Muleshoe, about mid way northwest of Lubbock and southwest of Amarillo. Ten pintails were marked along the Gulf Coast in south Texas, and 1 has stopped providing locations. Eight of the remaining birds are still in the general vicinity of where they were trapped and marked south southeast of Kingsville, and the other one moved northeast up the coast to an area east of Big Boggy NWR. California-marked birds: Thirty birds have been released and all are providing locations at this point. One bird moved south to Mendota State Wildlife Area in the San Joaquin Valley, 2 are in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta area, and the rest remain in the Sacramento Valley at various locations: 11 in the middle Colusa Basin, 7 in the lower Sacramento Valley, 4 in the upper Sacramento Valley, 3 in Lower Butte Basin, and 3 in the Yolo Basin. California has experienced heavy and continuous rain over the last month. As a result, local flooding and ponding of rainwater, along with flooding of the major flood bypasses, has provided abundant wetland habitat for pintails.

December 19, 2001

Today, we completed trapping our quota of 30 adult female pintails in the Sacramento Valley of California. We fitted each duck with a satellite transmitter (PTT) and released them at the capture sites, which were the Llano Seco Unit of Sacramento River NWR, the Sacramento Unit of the Sacramento NWR Complex, and the Howard Slough and Little Dry Creek Units of the Upper Butte Basin Wildlife Area. Texas crews also caught pintails south southeast of Kingsville, Texas, and fitted 10 adult females with PTTs. Ten more will be obtained soon from the Playa Lakes region of the Texas Panhandle at Buffalo Lake NWR near Lubbock. One of the New Mexico birds moved south into northern Mexico, near Naica southeast of Chihuahua, and another moved north to the Sevilleta NWR area near La Joya, NM.

December 10, 2001

This weekend, crews on the Texas Gulf Coast trapped and attached satellite transmitters to 10 adult female pintails in a flooded cotton field 10 miles south southeast of Kingsville (30 miles southwest of Corpus Christi). Also, we so-tagged the first 10 adult females caught in California on Llano Seco NWR southwest of Chico in the Sacramento Valley. We will be marking an additional 20 in the Valley, hopefully by the end of the week. All the PTT-tagged pintails in New Mexico are still on Bosque del Apache NWR or on Elephant Butte Lake south of the refuge. We have also begun marking additional female pintails with standard transmitters in support of the field work to begin in Southern Oregon/Northeastern California this spring.

December 3, 2001

New Mexico PTT-marked pintails continue to remain on or in the vicinity of Bosque del Apache NWR, where they were trapped and marked last month. Trapping in Texas was postponed because of the winter storm that froze up the Playa region. Crews are attempting to catch pintails on the Texas Gulf Coast this week, but few birds are present so far. There is some good news from the Alberta prairies for you drought watchers out there. November, although starting out warmer than normal, had well above average snowfall during the last week of the month, and ended with above normal snowfall for the month. Let’s hope this continues through the winter so that wetlands are brim full of water come spring.

November 26, 2001

We successfully trapped female pintails at Bosque del Apache NWR in New Mexico on November 12 and again on the 21st. We attached satellite transmitters (PTTs) to 3 adult females on each date and then released them back on the refuge. As of today, all 6 of these birds are still on Bosque. Stay tuned. We begin trapping pintails in northern Texas this week, and then during the first week of December, we will begin trapping on the Texas Gulf Coast and in the Sacramento Valley of California. Ten females will be fitted with PTTs at each Texas location, and 30 will be attached to hens in California.

November 12, 2001

Welcome to Discovery for Recovery 2002! We hope you enjoy the web site this year. Don’t forget to check out summaries from the last two years, and be sure to send us your thoughts and questions to the Forum about any aspects of the project.

We have incorporated some exciting changes to our Pintail spring migration study this year. First, we are including pintails from Texas and New Mexico to be marked with satellite transmitters (PTTs). Trapping has already begun at Bosque del Apache NWR in central New Mexico, a fall migration area, and we will be fitting 6 adult females with PTTs there. Leg-banding data suggest that these birds will continue south into Mexico to spend the winter, and we will track them north from there this spring. This work is supporting a graduate student research project in Mexico to track wintering pintails with standard telemetry. The PTT-marked birds will help the student locate the birds fitted with the standard transmitters for more localized work. In late November and continuing into early December, we will be trapping pintails at Buffalo Lake NWR in the Playa Lakes region of northern Texas and then along the Gulf Coast at Matagorda Island Wildlife Management Area. We will fit 10 adult females with PTTs at each of these locations. Texas Parks and Wildlife and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Southwestern Region 2 in Albuquerque have provided the funds for this aspect of our work. In California, again supported with the Tuscany Research Institute grants to Ducks Unlimited and California Waterfowl Association, we will begin trapping the first week of December at various locations in the Sacramento Valley, and we will attach PTTs to 30 adult females. We look forward to the comparative migration data provided by the three samples of pintails this spring.

The second big change this year, is that we are beginning the first of a two-year project to investigate in detail spring ecology of pintails in southern Oregon and northeastern California (SONEC), an area that satellite tracking the previous two years has identified as extremely critical to pintails during spring migration. We have learned that about 75% of pintails stop in SONEC after leaving the Central Valley before moving northward. About a quarter of these birds stay there about two months and then fly directly over the Pacific Ocean to Alaska about the first week of May. Others stay varying lengths of time before either flying directly to the prairies of Canada or to one or more destinations before crossing into Canada. The new project, funded from the Tuscany grant, U.S. Geological Survey, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, will use standard telemetry to examine detailed habitat use patterns in SONEC. This is particularly timely because the water delivery crises in the Klamath Basin portion of the area this year has markedly reduced wetland extent and acreage of grain important to fall and spring-staging waterfowl.