Migration Alert: Central Flyway Early Teal Preview

It may not feel quite like fall yet, but the arrival of September means the start of early teal seasons across portions of the Central Flyway. According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2026 Waterfowl Population Status Report released this week, blue-winged teal numbers in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) was down this spring compared to last year’s estimate and the long-term average. Not captured in the spring survey, however, was the arrival of much-needed moisture across portions of the PPR in late May and June.

Those timely rains provided a crucial boost to brood-rearing habitats across parts of North Dakota, says John Palarski, migratory game bird management supervisor with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. “The rains were good news for all the ducks that settled here this spring, but the moisture was particularly helpful for late-nesting species, including blue‑winged teal,” Palarski says, adding that a state brood survey in mid-July captured a 43 percent increase in the number of blue-winged teal broods observed compared with last year.

South Dakota was on the receiving end of similar rain events, says Rocco Murano, head waterfowl biologist with the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks, and observations from field staff in recent weeks suggest that the state should be adding a fair number of blue-winged teal to the fall flight. “Those areas that received the rain appear to have produced a pretty decent crop of ducks, including bluewings,” Murano says.

Nebraska’s Rainwater Basin serves as an important first stop for many teal after leaving the breeding grounds to the north, and a state survey of wetland conditions in late August found improved water levels across the region. In addition, the survey also noted an abundance of moist-soil plants in many wetlands. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and its partners will pump additional water into the region’s shallow basins in preparation for early teal season, and this combination of new water and food should provide the perfect blend of conditions needed to attract teal and provide opportunities for hunters.

Habitat conditions in Kansas are somewhat mixed, explains Tom Bidrowski, migratory game bird specialist with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. “We started off the summer in a weather pattern that delivered moisture across parts of the state, which helped improve water levels and gave our moist-soil plants a good boost,” Bidrowski says. “In recent weeks, however, we’ve settled into a pattern of very warm, dry weather, and our wetland basins and reservoirs have taken a hit. We’ll be watching for this pattern to shift, hopefully, in the next couple of weeks. The food is out there; we just need some water.”

A shift in the weather should also help deliver the first major flight of blue-winged teal into the state, Bidrowski adds. “Outside of the ‘calendar ducks,’ those adult male bluewings are the first to come down the flyway, and we just haven’t seen much of a migration event,” he says. “That first crisp, cool night with a north wind blowing down from the breeding grounds should deliver some teal.”