West Virginia's Mid-winter Waterfowl Survey Completed Duck and Geese Numbers Up from 2009

            Wildlife biologists counted 2,868 ducks and 7,789 Canada geese during the annual mid-winter waterfowl survey in early January, according to Steve Wilson, Waterfowl Biologist for the Wildlife Resources Section of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources.

            “The numbers of both ducks and geese were higher than 2009, with ducks up 41 percent and geese up 138 percent,” Wilson said.  “The real value of this survey is analysis of long-term data across broad geographic areas, rather than annual fluctuations within individual states.”

            Weather conditions during and immediately prior to the survey strongly influences waterfowl movement.  When snow cover and frozen waterways force birds to move south and congregate on larger rivers and lakes that are not frozen-over, waterfowl counts in West Virginia usually increase.

            Canada geese, mallards and black ducks, as usual, were the most commonly observed species in the 2010 survey.  Other observed waterfowl include:  canvasback, scaup, ring-necked duck, gadwall, bufflehead, goldeneye, mergansers and tundra swan.  Eleven bald eagles and one golden eagle were also observed.

            The survey was conducted on January, 5, 8 and 11, 2010 and included portions of the Kanawha, Ohio, Shenandoah and New rivers as well as Tygart and Bluestone Lakes.