The news from the breeding ground just keeps getting better. More rainfall across much of the Northern Tier states and Canadian Prairie has much of the breeding ground in prime shape for the breeding season.
Hello, folks, and, as always, welcome to Waterfowler.com.
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And now on to the Breeding Ground Report.
Rain has returned to the breeding grounds. After several weeks of on-and-off precipitation across the prairies, it looks as though the conditions for nesting waterfowl are in much better shape than the last two breeding seasons.
May Pond Counts are underway and early reports indicate a better showing than last year, with many seasonal wetlands making an appearance for the first time in several breeding seasons.
While the news from the breeding ground is good so far, more rain will be needed in most areas to keep the water levels suitable for nesting waterfowl. With a week of drier weather ahead, the extent of evaporation and ground absorption should become clear. Timely rains over the coming weeks and months should be able to maintain, if not improve, water levels as the bulk of breeding birds get on with the tasks of nest selection and bringing off a hatch.
With that in mind, keep your fingers crossed. We are now entering a crucial period of the nesting season. Rains now wield a double edged sword, too much or too violent and nest loss will occur, not enough and the critical seasonal wetland can dry up, leaving nests too far from a regular water source.
Early teal and goose seasons are less than four months away, and while we enjoy our summer vacations, the world of waterfowl will be busy doing their “homework” hatching and raising the next generation of birds that will greet us in the marshes and on the lakes in the months ahead.
