Preseason 2023

[Deltaman]

Thanks Darren! I just ordered a copy, and look forward to reading it. A hotel on Cat Island.........I'd a never thunk it, and love the history of the area. Spent a few nights on Horn Island years ago, and what a neat place! Know the MS coast was a favored area for mobsters back in the day.

[DComeaux]

Good read..... It's a FB post from a site called Bayou-Diversity

Bayou-Diversity (4 February 2024) LACASSINE VISIT More than forty years ago I was a fledgling wildlife biologist on one of the most spectacular wildlife areas in the country. Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge, comprising almost 35,000 acres in southwest Louisiana, contained some of the most beautiful, biologically rich, freshwater marshes anywhere. Established in 1937, more than 3,000 acres of natural marsh is an officially designated Wilderness Area, but the jewel of this national treasure is Lacassine Pool, a 16,000-acre impounded and managed marsh. During my tenure one could stand on the levee of Lacassine Pool on a winter evening at sunset and observe a wildlife extravaganza unique in North America, as more than 700,000 waterfowl flew in and out of the Pool on foraging missions. The sensory overload of such scenes evoked in me the idea that this is what pristine nature looked like before humans altered our world for good.
A few years ago I had an opportunity to revisit Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge and ponder three decades worth of changes. Nothing in the natural world is static, and some of us who occasionally long for the good old days should know better. We realize that natural phenomena, such as plant succession and wildlife population fluctuations, are normal. Even the changes caused by Hurricanes Rita and Gustav are natural in the long-term scheme of things. It’s the negative human-induced changes, intentional or otherwise, that stick in the craw.
Gliding down the bayou that transects the refuge in a bateau, the first thing that jumps out at me is that the marshes look weedier. Chinese tallow trees, which have been here a long time, are now more abundant and have been joined by new insidious, invasive species like common salvinia and witch grass. They take the places of native plants and are up to no good. A hundred foot oil-drilling derrick rises up out of the pool, something that formerly never occurred in winter when ducks and geese were a priority in an inviolate sanctuary. Instead of a million waterfowl, we see a few thousand, which has been the norm for a while, and yet the hunting seasons are longer and the bag limits more liberal now. The birds are not somewhere else, as some believe.
We saw positive changes too: fewer exotic nutria, more roseate spoonbills, a prairie restoration project, and a new wildlife drive. Overall though, the biological integrity of Lacassine has declined both because of and in spite of human actions—an ominous dividend of the political, economic and social trends in recent years. (USFWS file photo)

Comments.
Paul Yakupzack
Kelby is correct. I followed Kelby at Lacassine as Asst Refuge MGR. . i personaly observed between 500K and 750K ducks and geese on aerial surveys observed by me and verified by LDWF ON Lac Nwr. More recently those numbers are usually less than 50k. poor regulations allowing high limits and long seasons have decimated nesting ducks on severely impacted prairie pothole nesting areas. results are recorded in official USFWS DATA. LOWER breeding populations and severely reduced harvests.

Miriam Davey
Some of the younger adults coming along simply don't have as long a personal experience with spectacles of avian abundance and diversity. In the 70's and 80's, when I was a young adult and an avid birder, evenings especially, near most Louisiana wetlands of any decent size, both North and South, there would be many lines and V's of ducks in the sky. Now...not so much. It's not the same, at all. In the least. Many happy hours spent birding the Southwest LA marshes from Lake Charles to Cameron and Holly Beach, over to Creole and Abbeville. Ducks by the million, far as the eye could see. Later, was fortunate to be appointed to the White Lake Commission, and for several years, heard and participated in the in's and out's of managing a wonderful publicly owned coastal wetland and balancing the needs of the resource, and the public need for harvest. Hubby was until recently a once-avid public lands duck hunter. Last few years, there have not enough ducks in NELA for him to buy new waders every other year. We live shouting distance from Big Branch National Wildlife Refuge at our fishing camp, and raise Wood Ducks in our boxes, both north and south, every year. We've had as many as 200 Wood Ducks visit our 2 acre pond in North LA, at one time, in recent years. And we remember when seeing a Wood Duck was a "write up" bird, for the Louisiana Ornithological Society records, their populations had declined so much because of irresponsible pesticide use. Theirs is a recovery story that other duck species have not shared. So I'm not just some old lady spouting an uninformed opinion. Kelby knows what he is talking about, even more than I do. Listen to him, and heed his words

Miriam Davey
I feel the day and age of unlimited (other than bag limits) public waterfowl hunting is coming to a close. Private waterfowl hunting preserves limit the number of hunts and hunters, via high $ fees, or, limited to landowner & guests. That might be what public hunting opportunities will need to consider, sooner or later. Birds that experience daily pressure, move elsewhere.

Scott Cararas
Bayou-Diversity I’m afraid the waterfowl resource isn’t managed anymore to provide maximum population. Rather maximum hunter satisfaction and days afield. Mallard population has declined from 11.793 million breeding pairs in 2016 to a low of 6.1 million in 2023. Yet here we are still in liberal season framework.

Kelby Ouchley
Scott Cararas It was never a goal to manage for maximum populations (If that was the case, any hunting would be counter-productive), but rather to regulate for sustainable ones at high levels. Sadly, the politically driven regulations of the last 30 years have yielded anything but sustainable populations. And you are right; here we are with plummeting populations and liberal regs.

Scott Cararas
Kelby Ouchley there is a camp of biologist that say harvest doesn’t affect population. I don’t totally agree, especially when you have a low population, it definitely hurts to send back less to nest. You are spot on about the regs being politically driven.

Author
Bayou-Diversity
Scott Cararas Yes, that old school thought of compensatory mortality is taking a heavy hit these days.

Thomas Morris
Your story while moving and in some ways correct has many errors.
The ducks are still here in the millions.
There are just more pools for them to gather in . Refuges created and expanded after Laccasine.
And the oil drilling is not new.
It has been continuously done since before the pool was donated by the oil company.
I am a regular visitor to all the areas and a certified Master Naturalist !

Author
Bayou-Diversity
Thomas Morris I'm afraid LDWF & FWS biologists conducting aerial surveys and ground truthing would beg to differ with you regarding your declaration of "millions." And so would the bulk of duck hunters in that area. As for the oil drilling, you are correct that it was ongoing before the refuge was established. However, drilling in the pool was very restricted during the period of time when wintering waterfowl were present.
Thomas Morris
Bayou-Diversity if you go to the Federal reserves at pintail loop and The west pools there are millions of ducks.
We have pictures of the pools thick with ducks and the skies so crowded you can barely see sky.
This after a devastating drought and planned drawdown for weed control.
And our Master Naturalist group includes multiple LDWF field agents and biologists who would disagree with your assessment .
I live here. Where do you live.
Is your observation based on a single trip to one pool.

Bob Boccaccio
Thomas Morris Southwest Louisiana – 716,000
The estimate for southwest Louisiana is 56% above the December estimate of 458,000, but 42% lower than last January’s estimate (1.23 million), and 39% and 46% lower than the most recent 5-year, and 10-year January averages, respectively for the region. For the first time since 2015, the January duck estimate in southwest Louisiana was lower than the southeast marshes (Figure 3). Gadwall and green-winged teal were the most abundant species in the southwest, together making up 52% of the duck total. https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/.../Louisiana_Aerial...

[Darren]

Thanks Darren! I just ordered a copy, and look forward to reading it. A hotel on Cat Island.........I'd a never thunk it, and love the history of the area. Spent a few nights on Horn Island years ago, and what a neat place! Know the MS coast was a favored area for mobsters back in the day.

There's a book on Cat Island as well, I've read that one. "Cats" being what early French explorers mistakenly called the abundant raccoons on the island.

[Deltaman]

Thanks Darren, and I just started reading "The Last Island", and that is pretty funny about the cats being identified as Raccoons on Cat Island. Gotta wonder who put the cats out there, because we know they didn't swim there, and they propagate like rabbits. Bet the shorebird population on that island took a hit!

[Darren]

Thanks Darren, and I just started reading "The Last Island", and that is pretty funny about the cats being identified as Raccoons on Cat Island. Gotta wonder who put the cats out there, because we know they didn't swim there, and they propagate like rabbits. Bet the shorebird population on that island took a hit!

It's actually raccoons that were prolific on the island, but the French called them cats because they had no raccoons in France at the time of that discovery, interestingly enough.

[Deltaman]

Ah, thanks for clarifying Darren!

Dave,
Thanks reports info!!!!!

[DComeaux]

Anyone want a little Tasmanian devil? She comes with a free bag and a half of Purina puppy formula 30/20 and two crate beds. One set of shots remaining for the year.












JK

[Duck Engr]

I’d be willing to pitch in and make that a two-fer deal.

[DComeaux]

We're starting to get a lot of info from the waterfowl.

50 Ducks
1d
·
How Far Can Ducks Migrate in a Day?
Today we explore an incredible 26-hour segment from the migration of a Northern Shoveler banded by Tierra De Aves, named "Scoop" by a group of inspired middle school students.
This exceptional journey, which began just west of Mexico City at 1:54 AM local time on March 25th, highlights the vast energy expenditures of migrating waterfowl. Scoop covered an astonishing distance of 1,434 miles next touching ground in the Otter Creek State Wildlife Area in Ottumwa, Kansas, showcasing the remarkable capabilities of ducks in motion.
Reaching an altitude of 17,319 feet above sea level, with a peak flying height of 16,800 feet above ground near Los Lomas, Texas, Scoop's ascent from his starting point at 7,270 feet in Mexico marked an impressive additional climb of 10,000 feet. For six of the 26 hours recorded, he soared above 15,000 feet, utilizing wind currents for efficient migration, and only dipped below 10,000 feet three times.
Scoop's recorded flight speeds in order, were as follows: 28, 32, 42, 42, 47, 56, 48, 50, 53, 61, 66, 60, 65, 61, 89, 91, 80, 68, 66, 80, 85, 50, 70, 34 mph. This variation in speed throughout his journey illustrates the incredible endurance required for such migrations. Unsurprisingly, after this arduous journey, Scoop did not embark on any significant migratory movements for 26 days, using this period to recuperate and regain weight before the next phase of northward migration.
This deep dive into Scoop's migration not only highlights the physiological wonders and resilience of ducks but also ignites curiosity and learning about the natural world. Stay with us for more stories that celebrate the fascinating journeys of avian migrants.
Head over to 50ducks.com to see this journey for yourself!

[5 stand]

Thanks, DC

Scoops a Dandy... 91 mph...

[DComeaux]

Good read on El Nino and La Nina for this upcoming year.

​https://theconversation.com/el-nino-is-starting-to-lose-strength-after-fueling-a-hot-stormy-year-but-its-still-powerful-an-atmospheric-scientist-explains-whats-ahead-for-2024-223013



Looking at this graph, the El Nino spikes sort of corelate with our dry years. I remember it being dry in the 2010 time frame. Salt water intrusion prevented many from flooding "harvested" rice fields and crawfish ponds in the Gueydan area, similar to what we had this year, just not as early and with the extended period as this year.

el-ni-o-and-its-opposite-la-ni-a-1950-2023.png

[Deltaman]

What an incredible 26 hour journey for Scoop and I would've never believed they flew at such altitude, but apparently it has a lot of benefit for flying such a long distance.
Interesting info on the el nino/la nina patterns, and fingers crossed for our upcoming hurricane season Dave!

[Darren]

Very cool, go Scoop go!

[DComeaux]

Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Aerial Waterfowl Survey Report

January 19-20, January 25-February 1, 2024


Arkansas Game and Fish Commission staff Jason Carbaugh, Jason Jackson, Cameron Tatom and Alex Zachary
conducted the final aerial waterfowl survey of the 2023-24 wintering period in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley
(Delta), Arkansas River Valley and southwest Arkansas. Biologists conducting transect-based surveys in the
Delta estimated 250,401 mallards and 752,293 total ducks (Table 1), while duck population estimates in the
Arkansas River Valley were 76,764 total ducks, including 38,321 mallards (Table 2). Biologists performing cruise
surveys in southwest Arkansas reported an estimated 22,830 ducks with 5,455 mallards (Table 2). Arctic goose
population estimates totaled 645,607 light (lesser snow and Ross’s) geese and 189,406 greater white-fronted
geese in the Delta.
Throughout the last survey period of the season, biologists faced challenging weather conditions to conduct
surveys. During our typical survey week mid-January, Arkansas was hit with the arctic blast, leaving few days to
fly. Crews began surveying January 19 when shallow water was still frozen and saw clustered distributions of
birds. Crews had to take a break the following week as the state began to thaw due to dense fog and low
ceilings. It is important to note majority of the Delta was flown between January 25 and February 1, 2024, at
which point the state had thawed out and began to receive a lot of rain providing better habitat conditions
across the landscape, while the Arkansas River Valley was flown during the arctic blast while most small bodies
of water were frozen.
The Delta mallard population estimate was 531,850 mallards below the 2009-2024 late January long-term
average and the lowest late January survey estimate on record since the start of transect based surveys. Total
duck population estimates were nearly 480,000 birds below the long-term average, largely due to the low
number of mallards (Figure 1). On average, mallards account for about 55% of all ducks in the Delta during late
January surveys. During this survey period, mallards made up only 33% of the total duck estimate. Biologists
estimated over 40,000 mallards in three survey zones: Black-Upper White, Cache, and the Lower White. These
survey zones accounted for 66% of the MAV-wide mallard estimate and 63% of the total duck estimate. The
highest total duck estimates also came from the Black-Upper White, Cache, and Lower White survey zones.
Hotspot maps indicate several key duck concentration areas primarily in the central portion of the Delta, but
also good distribution throughout the northeast part of the state (Figures 3 and 4).
Arkansas River Valley mallard estimates were 2,900 mallards shy of the late January long term average and
total duck estimates were 17,400 ducks above the long-term average (Figure 2). During the late January survey,
mallards typically make up 63% of the total duck estimate in the Arkansas River Valley, but accounted for 50%
this survey period. A majority of the mallards were estimated in the Holla Bend and Pt. Remove-Plumerville
survey zones (57%). Total duck estimates were highest in the Holla Bend, Pt. Remove-Plumerville, and East
Dardanelle Reservoir survey zones and the highest late January total duck estimates since 2018. Hotspot maps
highlight key concentration areas in these survey zones and show a more clumped distribution than that
observed during the midwinter aerial survey (Figures 5 and 6). Southwest Arkansas cruise survey counts
showed slightly below average number of total ducks and mallards, with about two-thirds of all mallards
observed along the Red River from U.S. Highway 82 to the Sulphur River.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dY7H8CdscneC9-sRh_KUbpQrolOkZeSq/view

[Duck Engr]

I had been eagerly awaiting this. Bummer it took more than a week to complete due to weather. Hunting was good, but duck numbers were bad!

[jrock75]

Surprising that with the bulk of the survey done post-freeze, the numbers were still so bad. The overall numbers in our area of SE TX didn't seem to change but I figured that AR mallards would.

[DComeaux]

One of our local TV meteorologist shared this video yesterday afternoon of waterfowl migration. It's was taken by a student meteorologist studying in Monroe LA. I've asked as to the area this video was taken as she lives in Lafayette but I haven't received a response, but I'm fairly certain that this is in Louisiana. It looks like we're are having a large migration back to the north. I assume they're taking advantage of the strong south winds we've had over the last few days. I haven't seen this in quite a few years, something that used to be pretty common in the fall and late winter down here.

Student Meteorologist Jobie Lagrange
I’ve gotten lucky the last few mornings to catch large amounts of birds on their journey! It’s amazing when you see their formation as far as the eye can see.
The nice overcast deck made a great backdrop to watch them on!


https://www.facebook.com/61555705880106/videos/1047505562978687/

[Deltaman]

WOW, cool sight! That's more ducks than I saw here all season this year.

[Rick]

Call and I had gotten quite used to the company of nearby geese on our morning runs, and it was downright eerie after they all seemed to have left a week or so ago. But a little string of 30 or so blues seemed to go out of their way a dip down over us yesterday to prove me wrong after I'd noted that somewhere the day before. Might have just been saying "See ya."

[DComeaux]

She just responded and told me she filmed this about 20 miles north of Lafayette, multiple days in row.

[Darren]

She just responded and told me she filmed this about 20 miles north of Lafayette, multiple days in row.

They came, they saw, they thankfully lived to do it again next fall, bringing along youngins.

[DComeaux]

After a couple of months of lost sleep I decided last week that Remi was ready to go outside and room with Ellie. I found this little quick set up kennel at tractor supply and set it up in Ellies kennel on Saturday. It feels good to sleep with no interruptions again. I don't miss the clean up, either.

20240224_132603.jpg

I've learned a lot about her personality during her short time with us (She's on her 14th week of life this week) and I've determined that she has been and is a little more independent minded than most, apparently a little earlier than "normal" from what I've read. She's very aggressive on retrieves, and she is a ball of energy. I can't wait for her little razor blades to disappear. I'll have to keep her away from Ellie, so Ellie doesn't. Remi is way to ruff with my old girl.

We're working on sit and stay and a few other things when I can hold her attention. Mostly roaming, and smelling, and seeing new things. It looks like a 50' check cord is in her future, she knows how to avoid me. I also need to purchase some new bumpers and I'm thinking of purchasing a dummy launcher once we get started with the serious training. I've already introduced her to water, and she found a narrow too deep to walk ditch by accident. I was concerned for just a second but she claimed up the other side, looked back wide eyed and jumped back in submerging herself again, she never missed a beat and I laughed.

[5 stand]

Thanks for the picture DC, and the update... It's neat to see what others do with their dogs...


Today I was sitting around the house and thought about Blake, how is he?
Hopefully he has things fully headed in the right direction, bye now...

[DComeaux]

Thanks for the picture DC, and the update... It's neat to see what others do with their dogs...


Today I was sitting around the house and thought about Blake, how is he?
Hopefully he has things fully headed in the right direction, bye now...

Blake is good and back in the saddle. He's all healed up.

[Duck Engr]

Great news on Blake, DC!

I too have debated on purchasing a dummy launcher although Beau at 5 years old is almost old enough to launch dummies for me. I’ve been known to pinch a penny or 5, so I’ll probably wait on his arm strength to improve.

[Rick]

Got a kick out of Remi's cabana, and isn't it great to get a real night's sleep again?

Re: hand-held dummy launchers, I couldn't do without one. World's best bird boy: always ready to work and will do so where humans won't or simply can't. Even used an early, if not the original, model as far back as my second pointing dog. (Maybe my first, as well, but i only remember sending the second, a setter, off into the Ohio River with one's help.)

Currently, however, working through a never before encountered introduction glitch with my wild child, Call. Have been conditioning him to loud noises, up to and including bird canons, since the day he joined us, and have fired scores of the same .22 blanks that power the launcher through a NEF starter pistol on our outings. To include doing so in conjunction with hand-thrown bumpers once I had him sitting remotely (to protect his hearing) on whistle and remaining seated until released to retrieve, which went more smoothly than expected.

But I apparently overloaded Call's haywire circuitry when I substituted launcher for pistol and launched a bumper, rather than the familiar thrown one. He launched when it did and went on one of his patented manic wilding sprees that have, most thankfully, become more rare as he matures. Resisted coming when called and couldn't be sat for more than a few seconds before racing off to nowhere again and again. So back to our foundation steps we went until he was solid on them again.

Pulled the launcher out of its bag again yesterday, thinking I'd pop it, instead of the pistol and toss a bumper, instead of launching one - but he blew up and out into the crawfish pond, as if frantically searching(?) for he knew not what, at the very sight of it. Grrr...

So I bit my whistle and continued along our circuit around a friend's farm with the launcher in hand and without the wild child until he eventually regained his composure and joined me. For the first few hundred yards, he'd periodically note the launcher and nearly launch himself again before eventually ignoring it enough that I deemed it safe to start occasionally firing it, and after several hundred more yards, could fire it with him looking on and remaining steady until sent to retrieve bumpers hand-thrown in conjunction with it.

We're about to head that way to "rinse and repeat" again and, perhaps, OK, likely, again and again and again before actually trying another launch...

[DComeaux]

Got a kick out of Remi's cabana, and isn't it great to get a real night's sleep again?

It's a portable fold out day kennel and the roof cover I don't need, but I had to install it as it seems to be engineered into the stability of the kennel.

Re: hand-held dummy launchers, I couldn't do without one. World's best bird boy: always ready to work and will do so where humans won't or simply can't. Even used an early, if not the original, model as far back as my second pointing dog. (Maybe my first, as well, but i only remember sending the second, a setter, off into the Ohio River with one's help.)

Currently, however, working through a never before encountered introduction glitch with my wild child, Call. Have been conditioning him to loud noises, up to and including bird canons, since the day he joined us, and have fired scores of the same .22 blanks that power the launcher through a NEF starter pistol on our outings. To include doing so in conjunction with hand-thrown bumpers once I had him sitting remotely (to protect his hearing) on whistle and remaining seated until released to retrieve, which went more smoothly than expected.

But I apparently overloaded Call's haywire circuitry when I substituted launcher for pistol and launched a bumper, rather than the familiar thrown one. He launched when it did and went on one of his patented manic wilding sprees that have, most thankfully, become more rare as he matures. Resisted coming when called and couldn't be sat for more than a few seconds before racing off to nowhere again and again. So back to our foundation steps we went until he was solid on them again.

Pulled the launcher out of its bag again yesterday, thinking I'd pop it, instead of the pistol and toss a bumper, instead of launching one - but he blew up and out into the crawfish pond, as if frantically searching(?) for he knew not what, at the very sight of it. Grrr...

So I bit my whistle and continued along our circuit around a friend's farm with the launcher in hand and without the wild child until he eventually regained his composure and joined me. For the first few hundred yards, he'd periodically note the launcher and nearly launch himself again before eventually ignoring it enough that I deemed it safe to start occasionally firing it, and after several hundred more yards, could fire it with him looking on and remaining steady until sent to retrieve bumpers hand-thrown in conjunction with it.

We're about to head that way to "rinse and repeat" again and, perhaps, OK, likely, again and again and again before actually trying another launch...

Wild child is what I have as well. There are too many distractions at home with my cousins roaming chickens and the cats I have so I load her in the truck box and we head down the road to some open land without the scents and distractions I have in my yard. We work on the basic stuff until I see she's losing interest and then I just let her tire herself out exploring. I'm going to introduce her to my ponds in the near future, where we'll be spending a lot of our time. I plan to build a mock up of the blind scenario we hunt and do a lot of work from there.
A week or so ago we were on this other property doing a walk around when I noticed her wind something as she lifted her noise to the sky. She began to head in the direction of the scent and plunged into a briar thicket. As she got deeper in I saw a large cottontail exit the other side as it hightailed it down the fence line. I thought for sure I'd have a chase on my hands but to my relief she came to me when called. I'm glad she didn't see it as I'm fairly certain that would have been a full blown chase, as she does with the cats.

I'm looking at launchers now, and new bumpers.

[Rick]

Sounds like a plan. All went well with Call this morning, as we stuck with hand-thrown bumpers after firing the launcher. But we live on skates these days and will give it a couple more mornings of that before our next launched bumper attempt.

[Deltaman]

Sounds like all three of y'all have your hands full, but oh what satisfaction due in time!

Dave, Happy to hear that Blake has recovered, and know it was a tough road for him!

Of note, after reading the "The Last Days of Last Island" and looking thru the names, there were several Comeau's mentioned, and wondering if you are related, and if so, had heard tales of the event thru family.

[DComeaux]

Of note, after reading the "The Last Days of Last Island" and looking thru the names, there were several Comeau's mentioned, and wondering if you are related, and if so, had heard tales of the event thru family.

We may be related somewhere down the line but I have not heard anything of last Island from any of my relatives. Those Comeau's had settled further east than we did.