Oregon's

Waterfowl

There is no more impressive sight in nature This movement, probably a part of the than the movement of a large flock of mother's effort to protect her young also waterfowl. And it's more than just the sight. results in the young birds learning the lay of Their arrival and departure touch the the land. An intimate knowledge of the human soul in ways that are hard to surrounding topography will be very understand. Their vibrant calls strike a important when it is time for them to find chord in us all, and we find ourselves their way back to their natal area to raise thinking, "Hurry back, hurry back." young of their own.

Fossil records show that waterfowl Waterfowl tend to be migratory, nesting in appeared approximately 50 million years northern climates during the warmer months ago, slowly developing the characteristics and traveling south for the winter. Distances which now make them distinct from their traveled range up to 3,000 miles and land-based cousins. One of the most demonstrate an instinctive capacity for important of these distinctions is the navigation that staggers the human advanced stage of development of imagination. Several species of waterfowl waterfowl young when they hatch. Instead have shown the ability to alter their historic of being blind, naked and helpless like destinations or routes in response to hunting many land birds, waterfowl hatchlings pressure, environmental changes and typically arrive protected by a warm, changes in food availability. This flexibility downy covering and with their eyes open. suggests that doing what comes naturally is They are usually capable of feeding secondary to doing what comes easiest. themselves within a day of leaving the egg. Waterfowl undergo a molt or change in Waterfowl are almost always good plumage twice a year. The prenuptial or communicators. The refinement of their before breeding molt creates the brightly- communication skills is begun when the colored plumage of the males, so important youngsters make repeated calls to their in the mate selection process. Mate selection mothers, while still unhatched within the occurs upon arrival in the nesting area. eggs and the mothers talk back! Real Females, never as colorful as the males, training in communication begins upon become even more drab after the prenuptial hatching, and the resulting efficiency of molt, a color change that aids in their hiding calls helps the young birds remain within and protection of young during the nesting the brood during that difficult period cycle. between hatching and their initial flight, or The second, or post-nuptial molt, occurs fledging. about the time the young fledge. At this time both sexes receive the eclipse, or non- Waterfowl broods tend to move around a breeding plumage. great deal both before and after fledging.

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife 1 Migration patterns have been a source of Waterfowl departure and arrival dates are wonder to mankind for thousands of years. highly variable according to species and The reason for migration seems simple weather conditions. Some, like mallards enough. Waterfowl must migrate to and canvasbacks, are reluctant to leave the survive. They cannot winter in the cold nesting grounds, while other species seem country and they can't raise young in the to prefer the warmer climates and head summer heat of their wintering areas. south as early as possible. A fair However, having answered the why, some population of resident ducks that do not of the other questions get tougher. For migrate exist in western Oregon. instance, how? Highly-restrictive and well-standardized This ability to navigate year after year hunting seasons and bag limits have helped between the same two locations to protect waterfowl from further depletion. undoubtedly combines several finely tuned The loss of feeding, nesting and resting senses, not the least of which is inherited habitat continues, but strong efforts are memory. Experiments have shown that being made to stop the loss and to provide juvenile birds released after the adults' high quality habitat where possible. The departure still found their way to the creation of national wildlife refuges and historic wintering grounds alone. state wildlife management areas has been a very large step in the right direction. Waterfowl undoubtedly use visual landscape clues as well. This theory is Oregon has national wildlife refuges borne out by the tendency of migrating established throughout the state to help flocks to make adjustments to their flight improve the survival of migratory paths when over easily recognizable waterfowl. The Malheur National Wildlife landmarks. Waterfowl arealso known to Refuge near Burns was one of the first in overshoot their destinations when flying the refuge system. The three-refuge above cloud layers. William L. Finley complex in the Willamette Valley was created primarily to In addition, these birds probably use star, provide wintering grounds for dusky sun and moon sightings to help establish Canada geese. National wildlife refuges their direction, since radar trackings have also exist in the Klamath Basin and along shown them capable of flying all night the Columbia River. above a cloud layer and still maintaining an The Oregon Department of Fish and accurate heading. Some research has Wildlife has also established 17 wildlife suggested that waterfowl posses an internal management areas throughout the state. awareness of the earth's magnetic field. All provide protective cover and feed for a Knowledge of such a process is sketchy at variety of birds. Some, like Sauvie Island, this point, however. Summer Lake, Ladd Marsh, Fern Ridge and the Klamath wildlife management They migrate at any altitude from a few areas, were created with a waterfowl feet above the sea up to 20,000 feet, emphasis. These refuges signify a depending upon species and weather statewide commitment to provide feed, rest conditions. Pilot reports and radar tracking and protection to migratory waterfowl. A indicates that the farther the flight, the small price indeed, t o preserve one of our higher the likely altitude. most cherished resources.

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife 2 Based on physical characteristics and Geese feeding habits, ducks divide themselves neatly into three separate categories, dabblers, divers, and perching ducks.

Perching Ducks Perching ducks have sharp claws that enable them to sit comfortably in the branches of trees. Only one species of perching duck is native to the United States and Canada, the wood duck. This most colorful of waterfowl came very close to extinction in the early 1900s.

Wood duck Canada geese, brant, snow geese, Ross' geese, white-fronted geese.

There are eleven subspecies of Canada geese, of which seven are found in Oregon. These include the dusky, Taverner's, lesser, cackling, Vancouver, Western, and occasionally, the Aleutian. Geese are slower to mature than are the smaller ducks. Although they may form pairs when they are a year old, most geese do not breed until the age of three.

Prior to 1918, unrestricted hunting and Should both male and female remain healthy, destruction of woodland habitat had the pair bonds are maintained for life. Should reduced the wood duck numbers to the one of the partners be lost, however, the point that their survival was in question. A survivor will waste no time in finding another ban on hunting was the first step. The mate shortly after returning to the nesting construction and placement of thousands of grounds. nesting houses in wood duck habitat helped to ensure the bird's reproduction and Unlike drakes, which show an almost universal survival. disregard for family responsibility, the ganders, or male geese, demonstrate a deep-seated In its natural setting, the wood duck prefers devotion to mate and young. Ganders will cavities high in trees, preferably with small remain nearby even after the eggs are laid to entrances that help to keep out raccoons, stand guard while the females incubates. In which are a serious predator. A day or two fact, ganders take an active role in the rearing of after her eggs hatch, the hen calls to herb the young. young from outside the tree. With only a moment's hesitation they jump to the Although both adults are fiercely protective of ground one at a time from heights of up to their young, little concern is shown for keeping 60 feet. The young are almost never the family unit cohesive. Young Canada geese injured in this process. The female then frequently change families simply by waddling leads her brood to water. next door. No one seems to mind.

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The larger birds, like geese and swans, Tundra swan normally hatch a high percentage of their eggs. Unfortunately, this success does not always mean a high percentage of young raised to adulthood. In some cases, like that of the dusky Canada geese that winter in the Willamette Valley, an unprecedented event causes the problem. An earthquake upheaval raised the duskys' nesting grounds on Alaska's Copper River Delta, making it much more accessible to predators and resulting in significant reductions in the dusky population.

But it doesn't take an earthquake to cause significant losses to the young of the larger waterfowl. The worst threat to their survival is weather. Geese and swans require up to four months for the young to fledge, compared to only one and one half months for mallards. This extended period leaves the Tundra swans, once called whistlers, are goslings and cygnets vulnerable to the early winter visitors to Oregon. Most rest for a onslaught of winter and to the long, arduous while in Malheur and Klamath Falls migration, which the larger birds tend to before continuing on to their primary accomplish by flying both day and night with wintering ground on the Sacramento infrequent rest stops. Delta in California.

Geese feed primarily on vegetation and have developed serrated bills capable of clipping More and more are now seen in the vegetation off close to the ground. This Willamette Valley and in the Sauvie capability has not endeared Canada geese to Island Wildlife Area along the Columbia the grass seed farmers of Oregon's River northwest of Portland. A few Willamette Valley. But eating the grass isn't tundras also winter along the Oregon the worst part. The geese actually do more Coast.

damage with their feet, trampling the grass Tundras nest in the arctic and subarctic into the mud as they try to feed. tundra of Alaska and Canada. They build their nests on elevated hummocks which Swans rise above the watery marsh of the Swans are the largest of North American nesting grounds. This gives them a a waterfowl. Like geese they mate for life and good view of the surrounding area. The both sexes aid in the rearing of young. Both female does most of the incubation, but tundra and trumpeter swans can be found in the male will sit on the nest while she Oregon. eats.

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife 4 Trumpeter swan Shoveler

Wigeon

Trumpeter swans are found in Oregon mainly in the Malheur Wildlife Refuge, where a small flock was transplanted from the Red Rock Lakes region of Montana. This flock, although healthy and slowly increasing in numbers, does not seem to be spreading out much, perhaps because of an inherent timidity on the part of swans to establish new territory. Dabblers Blue- Wing Teal Mallard Male

Pintail

Mallard Female

Mallard, gadwall, wigeon, green-wing teal, blue-wing teal, shoveler, pintail

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife 5 The dabblers are shallow water ducks known for their ability to land and take off most vertically from small areas of water or land. Dabblers tip up or dip their heads into the water to find food in the shallow waters they inhabit. Dabblers' legs are set nearly at the mid-point of the body, giving them good balance on and and the ability to walk comfortably. A brightly-colored wing speculum is also characteristic of the dabblers. Mallards are the most abundant and widely Redhead distributed of the dabblers ranging from the arctic to the subtropics in Europe, Asia and the Americas. One of the largest of the dabblers, the mallard male is particularly easy to recognize with its green head and white collar. They need shallow water for feeding areas but will nest in almost any sort of cover from the subarctic Bufflehead

to the high deserts.

Mallards breed in their first year, pairing up upon their first return to the nesting grounds. Unlike the larger waterfowl, they do not mate for life, but normally break up and reform new pairs each nesting season. The male usually deserts the female shortly after incubation begins; showing his lack of Goldeneye enthusiasm for the giant baby-sitting job ahead. He then hides in heavy cover and undergoes the post-nuptial molt. The female molts just after the young fledge.

Mallards are among the last ducks to leave the nesting grounds and the first to return. Flocks of mallards returning to nest in the spring often arrive before winter has relinquished her hold, and are sometimes forced to beat a hasty retreat before a late Lesser Scaup(Greater Scaup not pictured) season.

Divers Greater scaup, lesser scaup, redhead, canvasback, ring-necked duck, goldeneye, bufflehead, ruddy duck

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife 6 The scaup is the most numerous of the diving ducks in Oregon. It has a black head, neck and chest, while much of the rest of the body is speckled black and white, creating a gray appearance. The female is brown overall with a white breast and white mask on the face.

Greater and lesser scaup winter in Oregon, the greater along the Oregon Coast and the lesser in the eastern Oregon marshes. Canvasback Scaup are late breeders in Canada and Alaska and are thus among the last of the ducks to arrive here.

Scaup are well-known for their tendency to form rafts or large groups with hundreds or even thousands of ducks floating together on a lake, river or bay. These rafts will drift along while some of the birds feed on mussels, clams, mollusks and plants and others just rest.

Management Ring-necked

Until the early 1900s, ducks and geese were so numerous that most people thought they could not be over hunted. The impact of market hunters, who often killed hundreds of birds in a single day for sale to restaurants and grocery stores, brought many species to the brink of extinction. Deadly as the market hunters were, a more serious long-term threat to waterfowl is the drainage and conversion of marshes and wetlands to create more farm land, roads Ruddy and cities.

As the name implies, diving ducks dive for The migratory nature of waterfowl made their food. They are usually found along the the recovery efforts of individual states coast or on deeper inland lakes. Their legs are ineffective, however. Work to recover and designed for swimming and are set well back improve the nestling, resting and feeding on the body. This design causes a bit areas had to be conducted all along the awkwardness on land since they will often fall birds' migration pattern to have any hope of forward on their chestswhile attempting to success. walk. In fact, divers often do not walk at all but scoot themselves forward on their chests by pushing with their feet.

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife 7 As a result, wildlife authorities developed the concept of management by flyway, which takes into account the migratory patterns of the waterfowl and coordinates the efforts of management organizations in different states, provinces and countries.

Did you Know?

Some studies suggest that accumulation of fat deposits triggers migration. Waterfowl might not leave until they have enough stored fat to get them safely through a long and difficult trip.

The destiny of wood ducks is directly related to the numbers of nesting cavities in the area. Where adequate numbers of cavities are not available, female wood ducks have learned to compensate. They do what is called dump nesting. Dump nesting refers to the deposit of eggs by a female in a nest where eggs have already been laid. The second female may not even help incubate the eggs.

Geese usually mate for life but if a mate dies, the survivor will usually find a new mate within hours of its next arrival at the breeding grounds.

Swans will pluck vegetation from around their nest for 15 feet in all directions, creating a moat that potential predators must cross while in full view and vulnerable.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife prohibits discrimination in all of its programs and services on the basis of race, color national origin, age, sex or disability. If you believe that you have been discriminated against as described above in any program, activity, or facility, please contact the ADA Coordinator, 3406 Cherry Ave. NE. Salem, OR 97303. 800-720-6339.

This material will be furnished in alternate forma for people with disabilities if needed. Please call 503-947- 6002. (voice) or 503-947-6339 (TTY) for request.

Department Region Offices Northwest 17330 SE Evelyn St. Clackamas, OR 97015 503-657-2000 Southwest 4192 N Umpqua Hwy, Roseburg, OR 97470 541-440-3353 High Desert 61374 Parrell Rd, Bend, 97702 541-388-6363 Northeast 107 20th st. La Grande, OR 97850 541-963-2138 Salem HQ 3406 Cherry Ave. NE, Salem, OR 97303 503-947-6116

Web Site address: www.dfw.state.or.us

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