Migration report - (first-hand)

[Anatidae]

5020.3 miles later and I can report this:

The blizzard in the plains referred to in another post - we left Portal ND (border crossing) at daybreak yesterday. Arrived in Minot, ND around 9:45 to discover Hwy 2 East was closed. I stopped for gas, coffee and a pee break. When I went to pay for the gas, the road opening was announced in the truck stop - effective @ 9:58. What luck!

We had driven along the Du Lacs River and Souris Rivers up to that point......mostly honkers - a few groups of snows - very few ducks.

From Minot to Devil's Lake was 40 MPH max on continuous ice. Snow plows at work. We saw more honkers and a major push of snows out of the Souris Valley into the Devil's Lake area. As we got to Rugby, road conditions improved - 50 MPH max. Snow continued, but very light - wind-driven, though. We saw ducks in open potholes and large bodies of water still open along Hwy 2 to Grand Forks, ND. The most frequently sighted birds and heaivest concentration was still around Devil's Lake. The lake itself was still open. Hunting conditions would have been brutal with that wind - temp was only around 23 - 26 F but the wind was consistently around 20-30 knots. Even pumping gas was a challenge.

It snowed from Grand Forks to Sioux Falls, SD. Visibility was limited for bird observation. We made Iowa border by sundown and saw a couple of groups of ducks dry-feeding in disced corn field. Biggest factor making it cold was the NW winds......they were relentless 'till we got to KC around 3:00 this morning. I did not see any birds after sunup from St, Louis - South.........until I got home. I was unloading the truck this afternoon and a group of snows flew over our house near Starkville.

So, here's what I think - North Dakota (west half) has 7-9" snow on the ground. East half crops are flooded through Iowa (still lots of corn and beans unharvested). Geese still feeding in snow-covered fields, but moving in large numbers.

I suspect this push got the snows and first waves of ducks across the border and into the Dakotas. Honkers were still in mid-latitude SK when we hunted Wednesday a.m.......(ooddles of'em). Not convinced honkers and ducks had arrived from Northern latitudes, but may have over-flown our location to hit and stage in Southern SK (Souris Valley) Thursday and Friday.

I think this front will lock-up most of small SK water, however there are still a lot of grain fields in mid-latitude SK accessible to ducks and honks. If the pattern continues, birds will depart for the Dakotas and find parts of them iced and snow-covered. The big push will probably hang around in the Dakotas for a couple of days and if conditions improve, they should stay there until pushed-out by the next weather event. If they worsen, Iowa and Missouri should see some flights arriving en-mass.

[duckkiller]

Welcome and thanks for the update. Now get some sleep and post up some pics when you can

[gamehog]

Welcome back. Saw the weather forecast from nodak and thought of y'all. Saw the snows this afternoon too.

[adame]

hopefully this front coming thru mid weak will put some birds in the air our way going scouting this weekend

[chopper30]

Thanks for the report!