REGIONAL— Last year’s extreme drought across much of northern Minnesota appears to have impacted waterfowl populations heading into this summer’s breeding season. Based on spring population surveys, conducted by the Department of Natural Resources, waterfowl numbers were down almost across the board.
Only trumpeter swans, now estimated to number 25,000 in Minnesota, saw an increase in their population. The latest swan count represents a new record high for this species and is further evidence of the remarkable success of the reintroduction of the trumpeter swan in Minnesota. In the U.S. only Alaska is home to more trumpeter swans than Minnesota.
The 2022 breeding population estimates for other species include:
• Mallards – 231,000, which is 19 percent below the 2019 estimate and unchanged from the long-term average.
• Blue-winged teal – 161,000, which is 28 percent below the 2019 estimate and 24 percent below the long-term average.
• Other ducks, excluding scaup, (such as ring-necked ducks, wood ducks, gadwalls, northern shovelers, canvasbacks, redheads and buffleheads), 175,000 which is six percent below the 2019 estimate and three percent below the long-term average.
• Total breeding duck abundance (excluding scaup) – 567,000, which is 18 percent below the 2019 estimate and 9 percent below the long-term average.
• Canada geese – 115,000, which is similar to the 2019 estimate and 27 percent below the long-term average.
Overall, it was a very late spring across the state, especially in the north. It is likely that some blue-winged teal, a species that migrates relatively late in the spring, were still south of Minnesota when the survey began. As a result of the late spring, nesting effort and the number of young produced is expected to be below average for both ducks and Canada geese.