Migration Alert: Winter Weather Needed to Shake Things Up Around Chesapeake Bay

Freezing weather north of the Mid-Atlantic states has pushed waterfowl into the Chesapeake Bay watershed, but hunting action has slowed with a recent warming trend, according to sources around the massive estuary.

Kayla Harvey, waterfowl project leader for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, says many impoundments are holding more water than a month ago, but the improved habitat does not seem to be attracting more ducks.

“Canada geese are plentiful around the area, but dabbling ducks not so much,” Harvey says. “A few bunches of mallards and black ducks are in the traditional spots, but they are not widespread. There are some pockets of divers—scaup and canvasbacks—around, but I have not heard of much success from hunters.”

Chip Heaps, a retired DU director of development and avid waterfowler on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, offers a somewhat disappointing update. “To put it bluntly, things are looking pretty bleak around here for ducks, but most folks I've talked to had pretty good luck with geese the first split,” he reports.

Heaps says the prolonged drought continues to hamper waterfowl habitat conditions. “Judging by the success at four different very successful clubs, rather limited success is occurring with ducks. I think we are lucky the first goose split went out Saturday as the full moon has been shining, and the geese have been spending a lot of time on the water during the day.”

“Pretty much every duck hunter that I've talked to has been struggling terribly,” Heaps adds. “In areas that are holding ducks, birds are arriving 20 minutes after legal shooting time. I do have a friend who has a farm outside of Easton who has done pretty well, so there are exceptions. I have no idea why.”

Brian Boutin, deputy refuge manager at the Chesapeake Marshlands National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Complex, says cold weather in late December seemed to coincide with a decent push of birds at Blackwater NWR.

“Numbers of some species on the refuge are starting to approach what we expect to see this time of year, with over 12,000 Canada geese, about 1,900 mallards, and about 1,600 northern pintails in the most recent count,” Boutin says. “Icy conditions prior to the thaw these last few days had most waterfowl seeking areas of open water or fields. Though water levels in managed impoundments continue to remain low due to dry conditions, usage has increased with the ice retreating, which has exposed forage.”