Migration Changes

[Bo D]

Bingo, there tells the story of the areas I’ve hunted over the years. Never put two and two together like that but it sure does make sense. Thanks for your input….

[longpointer]

I don't think it is just one thing that has changed why & how birds migrate but consider climate change, farming practices, urban sprawl, late season boaters, invasive species (phragmites/zebra mussels) and pollution (light and sewage, chemical) for starters ? I've seen how more and bigger marinas(more lights) with more and bigger boats allowing fishing late into the season has affected how the divers use the Inner Bay at Long Point and just recently the eradication of phragmites from the marshes in the Long Point area has opened up more waterfowl friendly areas for feeding and roosting. Duck hunting itself has evolved over time. Better equipment allows for more limits and more end of the season hunting. My Dad told me that shooting a Mallard was a prize back when he was young as the common ducks were Blacks and Gadwalls but now Mallards are the #1 bird .

[Sinker]

Everything is constantly changing in nature. I agree with a lot of what fenelon said, because I have also experienced the same. The skies would be black with ringers and bills.

I also have a beef with mud boats. They will burn out a marsh real quick and migrate birds right off a lake. I know all the mud boat guys will disagree, but I've seen it. They just don't realize what they're doing because they haven't experienced what I have. Running those boats thru the roosts day in and day out drives birds out.

There's still plenty of ducks, and more diversity of species I find. More wigeon and pintails than I remember ever seeing, and redheads seem to be booming.

Interesting discussion. It's been a long time since I posted or commented here but this one is a good topic.

S.

[longpointer]

Mud boats falls under the "better equipment" category and are almost a necessary way to get in and around The Unit at Long Point due to the changes caused by years of high water, storms and the eradication of Phragmites. Huge tracts of marsh floated away and the rest was rearranged leaving only some of the original channels that a regular outboard motor could use still intact. Between man killing off the Phragmites and Mother Nature cleaning house the marshes are actually in a much better state overall as it is more a 50/50 mix of water to vegetation which waterfowl prefer. We use boatblinds now which gives us a huge advantage over a stationary blinds but no matter how you cut it having roaring motors , people talking and lights flashing all over the marsh in the dark of morning or at night is not good for the birds.

[trimmer21]

We hunt Scugog and Rice Lakes exclusively. The first couple of weeks were fairly successful,but,that's typical of early seasons where only local flocks are around. The "northern" birds haven't arrived,yet,and the locals are rafting in the middle of the lakes to get ready to go or have already left. My boys have had some good Goose hunting at farmer's grain and corn fields in Northumberland County. Weather has been a big factor. It hasn't been cold and crappy enough to get the northern flocks down. Traditionally in the past,hunting hasn't really started in earnest until the last week of the Deer hunt to freeze up. Lots of time,yet.

[Fenelon]

Most of Goose Bay froze last night on Sturgeon Lake. This time twenty years ago there would have been easily 5000 birds on the lake. I drove the entire south shore and the west side of Pigeon. Absolutely nothing except the odd local Mallard, some Trumpeters, gulls and a few Loons. Not even worth buying a duck licence now. Even the geese numbers are maybe 1/5th of a normal year. Avian flu effects ?

[finsfurfeathers]

Most of Goose Bay froze last night on Sturgeon Lake. This time twenty years ago there would have been easily 5000 birds on the lake. I drove the entire south shore and the west side of Pigeon. Absolutely nothing except the odd local Mallard, some Trumpeters, gulls and a few Loons. Not even worth buying a duck licence now. Even the geese numbers are maybe 1/5th of a normal year. Avian flu effects ?

Still finding woodcock (Nov 19) used to be thanksgiving was the end who knows whats going on. Still going to buy a permit for next year.

[Bo D]

There are a few flocks of divers down here on Scugog but nothing like it use to be years ago. Probably 30-40 swans down by the causeway and that’s about it. The number of geese this summer and fall were as per usual and I’m guessing mostly local birds, but even those seem to have moved off to bigger waters.

Up at our hunt camp these past two weeks very few birds including divers where 4-5 years ago we’d have flocks of over 100 ringers coming in one after another. They have to have changed their migration route….

[zoli 16ga.]

After three hunts in the last three weeks, in a major marsh, didn't even see a bird, any bird. Even went scouting at last light the other day and only saw two mallards, and a hen and drake bufflehead. Plenty of swans though.

[punkrockerpj]

im in Big AG lands in huron county, not far from hullet. birds are just filling in now. last of the corn is starting to come off. seeing bigger goose flocks and more mallards finally as for the life of me, all i saw for some time were stupid mergs. cold front in now with a storm so its getting hot for waterfowling! so hard to put on the big blue snow suit to sit in the deer stand when i know its going to be a hot hunt on wednesday for birds!