LITTLE ROCK - Earlier this month, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission biologists took the skies for their monthly aerial waterfowl surveys. What they found was a variety of habitat conditions around the state.
The Arkansas River Valley remained dry while northeast Arkansas was wet in many locations and dry in others, according to AGFC waterfowl biologist Luke Naylor. "Conditions were normal or drier than normal in the east central, southeast and southwest survey regions," Naylor said. "Landowners had flooded more agricultural fields since the November survey but the acreage flooded appears to be less than most years, possibly because of high fuel costs," he explained.
The statewide total duck count of 550,905 was 65 percent increase from last year’s count of 333,294 and the highest count since 2004. Although the numbers were high, they were still below the 1985-2007 December survey average of 828,988 ducks. "This December’s mallard count of 338,893 is a 95 percent increase from last year’s count of 173,510 and, like total duck numbers, is the highest count since 2004 but remains well below the long-term average of 528,447 mallards," Naylor said. The majority of the mallards counted during this survey were in the northeast and eastcentral survey regions.
Snow goose numbers were nearly double last month’s survey total and much higher than the December 2006 count. Counts of white-fronted geese declined since the November 2007 survey, but the December survey total of 36,750 is greater than the December 2006 estimate of 25,325 white-fronted geese.
Although the December 2007 survey totals are up markedly from 2006 they remain below long-term averages, Naylor noted. "The good news for waterfowl hunters is that mallard numbers increased substantially from last month and this month’s survey total is the highest December total duck and mallard count since 2004. Several migration events have occurred in conjunction with cold fronts during the past month even though cold weather has come and gone quickly," he said.
Recent waterfowl counts conducted by Missouri Department of Conservation staff indicated approximately 750,000 mallards on surveyed public lands, so many birds remain just north of Arkansas, Naylor said. "Recent winter storms currently impacting Kansas City and St. Louis and more cold fronts that keep temperatures low for an extended period of time may provide the necessary incentive for some of these birds to move south," Naylor predicted.