Post by Decatur on Feb 4, 2009 9:34:11 GMT -5
DNREC Releases Black Ducks with Satellite Transmitters
This morning, five adult female American black ducks lifted off into cloudy skies and light flurries over Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge near Milton, DE. The ducks carried with them newly-fitted satellite transmitters and the hopes of wildlife biologists and researchers with DNREC, Ducks Unlimited and the University of Delaware (UD), who hope that by tracking the birds’ migratory and breeding habits that they will gain insight into the apparent decline of this species of conservation concern along the Atlantic Flyway.
The release of the black ducks this morning marked Delaware’s entry into a three-year, regional research project that also involves other high density areas for wintering birds in New Jersey, Virginia, New York and Ohio. From 2007-2009, a total of 68 ducks from the five states will be fitted with solar powered transmitters, which may transmit data for up to three years to tell researchers where the birds are going during spring and fall migration, how long they stay and when and where they return.
In Delaware, UD is partnering with DNREC and overall project partner Ducks Unlimited, which has project analysts assigned to monitor the transmitters from its Great Lakes Atlantic Regional Office in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Ducks Unlimited also planned and secured funding for the project.
“We know that there’s a decline in the number of birds we’re seeing on traditional wintering grounds, but there’s a lot we don’t know about their migration routes, movement, habitat use and breeding, and how all of that ties together,” said DNREC Wildlife Biologist Matthew DiBona, who released the birds with UD graduate student and Ducks Unlimited biologist Kurt Anderson. “We’re hoping this project will provide some insight so we can make informed decisions about species management, habitat conservation and other factors that may have bearing on the decline of the black duck.”
The cause of these game birds’ decline in the western and southern portion of their range has been the topic of considerable debate. Five possible factors top the list for wildlife professionals and researchers: harvest, competition and/or hybridization with mallards, loss or damage of non-breeding habitat potentially affecting non-breeding survival, loss or damage of breeding habitat potentially affecting reproduction, and disease and/or parasites.
“We believe a combination of these factors may be the cause of the decline. We hope this study will tell us where we need to concentrate our efforts,” said Anderson, a UD Master of Science candidate who will be compiling and analyzing the data from the project into a final report and thesis next year under the guidance of Dr. Jake Bowman in the UD Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology.
This morning, five adult female American black ducks lifted off into cloudy skies and light flurries over Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge near Milton, DE. The ducks carried with them newly-fitted satellite transmitters and the hopes of wildlife biologists and researchers with DNREC, Ducks Unlimited and the University of Delaware (UD), who hope that by tracking the birds’ migratory and breeding habits that they will gain insight into the apparent decline of this species of conservation concern along the Atlantic Flyway.
The release of the black ducks this morning marked Delaware’s entry into a three-year, regional research project that also involves other high density areas for wintering birds in New Jersey, Virginia, New York and Ohio. From 2007-2009, a total of 68 ducks from the five states will be fitted with solar powered transmitters, which may transmit data for up to three years to tell researchers where the birds are going during spring and fall migration, how long they stay and when and where they return.
In Delaware, UD is partnering with DNREC and overall project partner Ducks Unlimited, which has project analysts assigned to monitor the transmitters from its Great Lakes Atlantic Regional Office in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Ducks Unlimited also planned and secured funding for the project.
“We know that there’s a decline in the number of birds we’re seeing on traditional wintering grounds, but there’s a lot we don’t know about their migration routes, movement, habitat use and breeding, and how all of that ties together,” said DNREC Wildlife Biologist Matthew DiBona, who released the birds with UD graduate student and Ducks Unlimited biologist Kurt Anderson. “We’re hoping this project will provide some insight so we can make informed decisions about species management, habitat conservation and other factors that may have bearing on the decline of the black duck.”
The cause of these game birds’ decline in the western and southern portion of their range has been the topic of considerable debate. Five possible factors top the list for wildlife professionals and researchers: harvest, competition and/or hybridization with mallards, loss or damage of non-breeding habitat potentially affecting non-breeding survival, loss or damage of breeding habitat potentially affecting reproduction, and disease and/or parasites.
“We believe a combination of these factors may be the cause of the decline. We hope this study will tell us where we need to concentrate our efforts,” said Anderson, a UD Master of Science candidate who will be compiling and analyzing the data from the project into a final report and thesis next year under the guidance of Dr. Jake Bowman in the UD Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology.
