State Parks
Hunting
Fishing
Wildlife Diversity
Law Enforcement
Office of Land And Streams
Administration
Publications
State Wildlife Center
Disability Services
go Wild!
License Plate
Fun Zone
Administration Home News/Information Contact Us DNR Home   

Joe Manchin III, Governor

Frank Jezioro, Director

News Release
For release:
January 31, 2005

 

Hoy Murphy , Public Information Officer (304) 558-3380 hoymurphy@wvdnr.gov

Contact: Steve Wilson, Wildlife Resources Section (304) 637-0245 wildlife@wvdnr.gov

 

West Virginia's Mid-winter Waterfowl Survey Completed

 

  West Virginia wildlife biologists conducted the 2005 mid-winter waterfowl survey during the first week of January. A total of 5,253 ducks and 1,145 geese was counted, according to Steve Wilson , Waterfowl Biologist for the Division of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Section.

 

  “The number of ducks observed was near average after two years of below average counts while the number of Canada geese observed was well below average,” Wilson reported. The absence of snow cover and ice on smaller waters allowed Canada geese to remain scattered throughout the area on feeding fields or smaller water bodies reducing their overall count. “The total count for ducks would also have been down for these same reasons but one unusually large concentration inflated the total,” Wilson noted.

 

  Individual state totals typically vary considerably between years because of weather conditions before and during the survey. The real value of the mid-winter survey is the long term trend over broad areas. West Virginia 's data will be combined with counts from other states to obtain regional and national totals that provide reliable indicators of overall waterfowl population trends.

 

  As usual, Canada geese, mallards and black ducks were the top three species in this year's survey. Other duck species observed include: scaup, goldeneye, wood duck, bufflehead, ruddy duck, pintail and mergansers. Two mute swans were observed this year.

 

  The following waters were surveyed on January 3, 6 and 7, 2005: Kanawha River (Nitro-Pt. Pleasant); Ohio River (Huntington-Parkersburg); Tygart Lake/Pleasant Creek Marsh; West Virginia portion of the Shenandoah River ; and New River from Hinton to the Virginia line, including Bluestone Lake .

**DNR**

 

MID-WINTER WATERFOWL SURVEY

 

Area

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

 

Ducks

Geese

Ducks

Geese

Ducks

Geese

Ducks

Geese

Ducks

Geese

Kanawha River (upper)

180

17

160

302

452

14

338

693

1,042

659

Kanawha River

(lower)

85

135

617

559

747

31

2,290

524

3,321

823

Ohio River

(lower)

687

265

817

2,077

231

490

945

1,144

5,394

541

Ohio River

(middle)

4,193

536

627

936

636

2,830

2,580

4,347

10,222

7,976

Tygart Lake/Pleasant Creek

17

5

18

19

93

24

86

150

44

134

Shenandoah River

15

123

64

790

56

61

58

652

245

235

Bluestone

Lake/New River

76

64

86

0

398

273

387

156

511

35

TOTAL

5,253

1,145

2,389

4,683

2,613

3,743

6,684

7,666

20,779

10,403

10 Year Average

6,447

5,232

6,301

5,557

-

-

-

-

-

-

 

 




HOT TOPICS...
 | goWILD |  WV State Parks |  Wonderful WV Magazine |  State of West Virginia Home Page | 
 | Law Enforcement |  Wildlife Diversity | 
Contact Webmaster
© 2003 West Virginia Division of Natural Resources