R. M. Kaminski

Aquatic invertebrates provide protein-rich foods for dabbling ducks (Anatini) and other waterfowl throughout their annual cycle. During winter, some species (e.g., mallard [Anas platyrhynchos]) undergo molt and acquire body reserves for migration and egg formation, which increase protein demands met primarily through consumption of invertebrates. Habitat managers often flood unharvested agricultural crops to increase energetic carrying capacity for waterfowl. However, few studies have estimated abundance of invertebrates in flooded croplands. In Mississippi in January 2009, we used a...

Nearctic dabbling ducks (Anatini) use varied wintering habitats. Spatial and structural variability among these may translate into differing capabilities of habitats to meet behavioral and physiological requirements of ducks. Our study was conducted on the Santee River Delta (SRD) in South Carolina, an important wintering area for dabbling ducks in the Atlantic Flyway. Our objectives were to determine (1) activities of dabbling ducks wintering on the SRD, (2) if different habitats within managed wetlands had differing functional values (intra-and interspecific), based on dabbling duck...

Approximately 41,375 ha of catfish ponds in Mississippi attracted as many as 150,000 waterfowl and American coots (Fulica americana) during winters in the mid-1980s. We evaluated relationships between numbers of northern shoveler {Anas clypeata), ruddy duck (Oxyura jamaicensis), scaup (Aythya affinis, A. marila), and American coot and habitat features of catfish farms in west-central Mississippi during winters 1983-1986. All species tended to use large clusters of ponds with other ponds nearby. High waterfowl use also occurred on pond clusters near the Mississippi River. Although catfish...

A stratified random survey design proposed to increase the efficiency of estimating numbers of waterfowl wintering on Mississippi catfish ponds was evaluated. The optimally allocated sample generally produced estimates with coefficients of variation <50%, similar to those obtained from a completely random design used previously. Coefficients of variation were not associated with survey date. Stratified random sampling reduced the number of catfish pond clusters surveyed and flight time, compared to completely random sampling. We recommend using the stratified random design to estimate...

Aerial surveys integrating probability-based sample designs have been implemented successfully to estimate relative abundance of wintering ducks in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Missouri, but these approaches have not been evaluated in the Atlantic Flyway except for American black ducks (Anas rubripes) along the Atlantic coast. Furthermore, these surveys have not been used to index abundance of other nonbreeding waterbirds. Given elimination or reduction of resources allocated to the Midwinter Waterfowl Survey in the Atlantic Flyway and elsewhere, the South Carolina...