Thanks to about 15 people covering most geographical locations in the southern half of the state, I am confident in saying the spring waterfowl season was poor, at best, in much of southern Minnesota.
>From the information I received, duck numbers were near average in the east and SE areas and well below average in the central and SW areas of the state. Canada and cackling geese were reported near normal in most areas. Swans were near normal in some areas and well below normal to essentially absent in S central MN. (And if you were lucky enough to be near a staging area, they were plentiful). Everyone commented on the absence or low numbers of snow, Ross, and white fronted geese. One report I received from a DNR official stated the over-all lack of waterfowl was a topic of discussion at a recent statewide meeting in Bemidji. Another reporter stated the LACK of white fronted geese in SW Mn was amazing. Another stated goose and swan migration in the SC part of the state was "abysmal." Perhaps the best summary came from one of the state's top listers who said it was the "poorest waterfowl migration in 60+ years of birding" (in Minnesota). Maybe shorebirds, sparrows and warblers will be awesome! Randy Frederickson Willmar ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
