Ducks delay migration as climate warms » Yale Climate Connection

Every fall, duck hunters wait for the birds to fly south and duck season begins. But some ducks are extending their summer vacation.

Barbara Frei is a researcher at Environment and Climate Change Canada, a government agency. She found that as the climate warms, some waterfowl begin migrating along the Atlantic Flyway later in the fall and even spend the winter further north.

Frey: “They're taking advantage of the warm weather. Why move if they don't have to?

The change occurs among species that time their migrations based on temperature and precipitation signals rather than changes in day length, she said.

For example, the peak of mallard migration is delayed by about 18 days every decade.

Frey: “So they stayed in our northern climate for a long time before traveling further south.”

Frey said some hunters have noticed a decrease in bird numbers.

Frey: “They're planning their trip or outing to a place where they've seen a lot of ducks in the past, maybe with their father or grandfather or friends, and they get there and year after year, there seems to be less of them.”

So she said hunting regulations may need to be adjusted. She hopes hunters who have long been committed to conservation will also pay attention to climate change.

Report source: Ethan Freedman / ChavoBart Digital Media