Maryland DNR Partners in Atlantic Flyway Pintail Project


Maryland Partners with Atlantic Flyway Council and Five Other States Chesapeake Bay Pintail Project Overview Northern pintails were once one of the most common waterfowl species in North America. However, over the last 30 years, breeding population estimates of northern pintails have declined. Currently, the species’ breeding population estimate remains below its long-term average and the goal established by the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. Pintails primarily nest on the prairies of the north-central United States and Canada. While pintail populations have always fluctuated with the drought cycle of the prairies the species did not respond to favorable nesting conditions during the last wet period. In contrast, almost all prairie-nesting waterfowl species rebounded to average or above-average numbers. Some species even reached record population levels. The highest densities of wintering pintails occur in the Central Valley of California, the coasts of Mexico and the Gulf Coast region of Louisiana and Texas. However, a smaller population does exist in the Atlantic flyway, with a large percentage of the birds wintering in South Carolina. This population of birds also has exhibited a decline similar to the continental population. Why northern pintail populations have not increased remains an enigma to waterfowl biologists and researchers. There is a need to more fully understand pintail population dynamics and determine what factors may be limiting pintail populations. One aspect of pintail ecology that is poorly understood is migration corridors and identification of breeding areas, especially with regards to the birds wintering in the Atlantic flyway. Our objectives are to determine migration chronology and important staging areas, migration routes, and breeding areas of female pintails wintering in the southern portion of the Atlantic flyway. Northern Pintail Distribution Maps Read more about Northern Pintails... Pintail Action Group Newsletter Capture & Tracking Northern pintails were trapped with a rocket net. Once the birds were fitted with satellite transmitters, they were released at the capture location and their movements will be tracked for up to one year. Five female northern pintails were captured at Buck Range Farm near Cambridge, Maryland. Each female pintail was fitted with a back-pack style satellite transmitter attached with a Teflon ribbon harness. The transmitters weigh about 20 grams, which is less than 3% of the bird’s body mass. Instrumented pintails were released at the capture location with drakes pintails also captured. Microwave Telemetry has programmed the transmitters to send a signal every 65 seconds for eight hours every six days. After each cycle, the 8-hour period is shifted forward to the next 8-hour period. This routine conserves battery power and should allow researchers to track the pintails for up to 1 year, which would encompass spring migration, breeding, and subsequent fall migration. An Argos receiver attached to several NOAA polar-orbiting weather satellites receives the transmitter signal. Pintail locations are estimated from a Doppler shift in the signal as the satellite approaches and orbits away from the transmitter. The data is relayed down to earth where it is interpreted. Four good signals from a transmitter are needed during a satellite pass to obtain an accuracy of less than 1000m. Data is sent electronically to the USGS-Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Cornell University where it is processed and forwarded to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and other cooperating states for mapping. Migration Maps We want to provide you with the latest information learned as we collect and analyze the satellite data for the marked pintails. We will post information weekly, or as the data become available. These maps will show current locations for all of the marked pintails captured in Chesapeake Bay, as well as those originating in the other states. Narratives describe where the birds are located and other general information. Check back often to travel with the pintails through the seasons. Pintails on the Move Click on State Below to Preview Maps December 7, 2004 Up-date: We have 4 pintails still going. 1 from MD, 1 from NJ, and 2 from NC. All 4 have now made their way back to the state where they were banded. Three had returned prior to last week. The last one to return home was a bird from NC and she returned early last week. Maryland New Jersey Virginia North Carolina South Carolina Florida
Funding Partners U.S. Geological Survey New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Cornell University	Cooperators Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Buck Range Farm, Cambridge, Maryland
Other Satellite-Telemetry Projects Discovery For Recovery: An International Pintail Recovery Initiative (Leaves DNR Website) Ecology of the Atlantic Brant (Leaves DNR Website) Atlantic Flyway Eastern Tundra Swan Project This site, hosted by Cornell University, was created for efficient dissemination of Tundra Swan migration data to participating biologists and other interested parties. Satellite Tracking of Long Points Tundra Swans - Photograph of male Pintail duck courtesy of John White

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This page up-dated December 07, 2004