Q.2-12: Restoring a Large Freshwater Coastal Wetland on the Prairies; Waterfowl Response to Common Carp Exclusion at Delta Marsh, Manitoba
by Dale Wrubleski, Institute for Wetland and Waterfowl Research, Ducks Unlimited Canada, Stonewall, Manitoba, et al
Presented by Dale Wrubleski - Email: d_wrubleski@ducks.ca
Delta Marsh is an important mid-continent waterfowl staging area in Manitoba. However, the marsh has been degraded by an artificially regulated water regime, eutrophication and invasive species, all of which have contributed to declining waterfowl nu...
Q.2-13: The Efficacy of Marsh Terraces for Enhancing and Restoring Gulf Coastal Wetlands
by Madelyn McFarland, Mississippi State University, Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mississippi State, MS, et al
Presented by Madelyn McFarland - Email: mbm391@msstate.edu
"Marsh terracing is a restoration technique that uses in situ sediment to construct
segmented ridges in open water areas of coastal wetlands. Marsh terraces are constructed
primarily to: 1) reduce wave fetch and associated wave energy; 2) miti...
Q.2-14: Use of moist-soil management for wintering waterfowl in fallow rice fields on the upper Texas coast
by Michael D. Whitson, Department of Natural Resources Management, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, et al
Presented by Michael D. Whitson - Email: michael.d.whitson@ttu.edu
Abstract: Wetlands on the Texas coast provide important winter habitat for millions of waterfowl, crucial stopover sites for migrating shorebirds, year-round habitats for mottled ducks (Anas fulvigula), and summer breeding habitats for a variety of ...
Q.2-15: Assessment of rapid seed yield monitoring protocols to assess foraging habitat quality in moist-soil wetlands on National Wildlife Refuges in the Southeast
by B. Cody Martin, University of Arkansas, Monticello, AR 71656, USA, et al
Presented by B. Cody Martin - Email: bcm22830@uamont.edu
Moist-soil wetlands in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley and Southern Coastal Plain provide essential foraging habitat for migrating and wintering waterfowl. National Wildlife Refuges focus resources on managing and monitoring moist-soil wetlands to ma...
Q.2-16: Geographic Differences in the Wintering Sites of the Atlantic Population of Black Scoters
by Hannah M. Plumpton, Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA, et al
Presented by Hannah M Plumpton - Email: hplumpt@clemson.edu
Habitats used across a species range can vary spatially on a longitudinal and latitudinal gradient. For migratory species, such as black scoters (Melanitta americana), whose range encompasses a variety of habitats, it is especially important to obtai...
Q.2-17: Habitat Assessment for Wintering American Black Ducks in the Chesapeake Bay Refuge System.
by Alicia M. Berlin, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD, et al
Presented by Alicia M. Berlin - Email: aberlin@usgs.gov
American black duck (Anas rubripes) utilize marshes throughout the Chesapeake Bay and are considered an indicator species of the ecosystems health. Thus, conserving and increasing black duck habitats will subsequently benefit the general health of th...
Presented by Aidan J. Flores - Email: aflore06@syr.edu
Agricultural grains are an energy-dense food eaten by granivorous waterfowl throughout North America. Waterfowl make extensive use of waste corn following harvest and standing corn that is intentionally flooded. Chopping standing corn after the close...
Q.2-19: Occurrence and drivers of neonicotinoid concentrations in Missouri floodplain wetlands
by Kyle Kuechle, Ducks Unlimited, Inc., Bismarck, ND 58503 , et al
Presented by Elisabeth B. Webb - Email: webbli@missouri.edu
Widespread use of neonicotinoid insecticides in North America has led to frequent detection of neonicotinoids in surface waters. Despite frequent surface water detections, little is known about neonicotinoid concentrations in floodplain wetlands. Thu...
Q.2-20: A rake sampling method to estimate biomass of submersed aquatic vegetation for waterfowl in managed South Carolina coastal wetlands
by C. Sharp, Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation, Clemson University, et al
Presented by Nick Masto - Email: nmasto@g.clemson.edu
Managers of impounded brackish wetlands in coastal South Carolina manipulate water depth, hydroperiod, and salinity to promote growth of widgeongrass (Ruppia maritima) and other submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV) as forage for waterfowl. Researchers ...
Q.3-01: Fecal biomarkers of stress in mallard ducks
by Breanne Murray, Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, et al
Presented by Breanne Murray - Email: bam170@mail.usask.ca
Waterfowl populations are expected to decline because of anthropogenic and environmental changes (stressors such as altered habitat and food supply, climate change, etc.). These stressors can trigger the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis to r...
Q.3-02: Does Diet Composition Influence Plasma-Lipid Metabolites Concentrations in Lesser Scaup?
by Eric J. Smith , Department of Biological Sciences, Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL 61455, USA, et al
Presented by Cheyenne R. Beach - Email: cr-beach@wiu.edu
Lipid reserves are important energy stores for endurance flights and egg production in wild birds. Plasma-lipid metabolites have been useful in assessing habitat quality for avian species during migration, particularly for wetland-obligate species. ...
Q.3-03: Evaluating the Physiological Response of Sub-lethal Infections of Sphaeridiotrema spp. and Cyathocotyle bushiensis Trematodes in Captive Lesser Scaup
by Cheyenne R. Beach , Department of Biological Sciences, Western Illinois University, Macomb, Illinois , et al
Presented by Cheyenne R. Beach - Email: cr-beach@wiu.edu
During fall and spring migrations throughout the upper Midwest, U.S., thousands of lesser scaup (Aythya affinis) die from Cyathocotyle bushiensis (Cb) and Sphaeridiotrema spp. (Ss) intestinal infections after consuming exotic faucet snails (Bithynia ...
Q.3-05: Body Condition of Spring-migrating Green-winged Teal
by Samuel T. Klimas, Illinois Natural History Survey, Bellrose Waterfowl Research Center and Forbes Biological Station, Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois, Havana, IL 62644 , USA, et al
Presented by Samuel T. Klimas - Email: sklimas@illinois.edu
Resource availability during spring migration may limit body condition of dabbling ducks at mid-latitude wetlands used as stopover sites. Body condition can impact stopover length and ability to reach breeding grounds which may affect reproductive e...
Q.3-06: Evaluating Diet and Body Condition of Dabbling Ducks in the Rapidly Changing Landscape of the Suisun Marsh, California
by Jacqueline M. Satter, Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, CA 95616, USA, et al
Presented by Jacqueline Satter - Email: jmsatter@ucdavis.edu
The Suisun Marsh is an estuarine system adjacent to the San Francisco Bay at the confluence of rivers that drain Californias Central Valley. Historically, it supported large numbers of wintering waterfowl with current peak counts approaching 60,000. ...
Q.3-07: Hematological Values Across Ten Species of Diving Ducks
by Elizabeth Schell, Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, et al
Presented by Elizabeth Schell - Email: elizabeth.r.schell@miami.edu
Results for several hematological characteristics are presented for ten species of diving ducks (n=81) and three species of dabbling ducks (n=16). Samples were collected in March 2019 from Kodiak, Alaska, and in May 2019 from around Fairbanks, Alaska...
Q.3-08: Seasonal and annual variation in body condition among four diving duck species wintering in the San Francisco Bay
by Mason A. Hill, University of California Davis, Davis, CA , et al
Presented by Mason A. Hill - Email: mahill@ucdavis.edu
As the largest estuary on the Pacific Coast of North America, San Francisco Bay (SFB) is a critically important waterfowl stop-over and wintering area. Diving ducks account for up to 75% of the waterfowl observed during the midwinter survey in SFB an...
Q.3-09: Species-specific true metabolizable energy of California waterfowl foods
by Rob Blenk, Graduate group in ecology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, et al
Presented by Rob Blenk - Email: RHBLENK@UCDAVIS.EDU
Energetic carrying capacity is an integral element of winter waterfowl management at a population level. Understanding the total amount of energy available to waterfowl is dependent not only on knowing the distribution of food on the landscape, but a...
Presented by Joshua T. Ackerman - Email: jackerman@usgs.gov
During the fall and winter, waterfowl body condition fluctuates considerably because of habitat conditions on the wintering ground and species-specific life history strategies. Using hunter-shot birds in 3 regions of northern and central California ...
Q.3-11: Gastrointestinal parasites of Lesser Scaup wintering on Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana
by Sydney L. Cottingham, School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University AgCenter, Baton Rouge, LA, et al
Presented by Kevin M. Ringelman - Email: kringelman@agcenter.lsu.edu
High intensities of helminth infection have been documented to cause direct mortality or induce morbidity during the non-breeding period in waterbird species of conservation concern. One such species, the Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis), suffers from ...
Q.3-12: Blood-lead concentrations in mottled ducks (Anas fulvigula) in the Louisiana Chenier Plain
by Joseph R. Marty, Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, Coastal and Nongame Resource Division, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Grand Chenier, LA, et al
Presented by Joseph R. Marty - Email: jmarty@wlf.la.gov
The Western Gulf Coast is home to approximately 90% of the worldwide population of
mottled ducks (Anas fulvigula), a nonmigratory species that must satisfy its annual cycle needs within a small geographic range. Population survey data suggest the W...
Q.4-01: Bluebills and bayou bivalves: hurricane-driven trophic cascades affect wintering abundance of Lesser Scaup in Louisiana
by Clay M. Stroud, School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University AgCenter, Baton Rouge, LA, et al
Presented by Kevin M. Ringelman - Email: kringelman@agcenter.lsu.edu
The estuaries of Louisiana overwinter a continentally-significant proportion of Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis; colloquially, bluebills), a species of conservation concern since population declines began in the 1980s. Thirty-eight years of aerial wate...
