INTRODUCTION

The Federation of New York State Bird Clubs has conducted an annual midwinter waterfowl count (FWC) almost every year since 1955 (Rising 1955) except for a brief hiatus in 1968-1972 (Jones 1980). Each January, participants visit lakes, rivers and shorelines throughout New York State to count waterfowl (ducks, geese and swans) and associated water birds (e.g., loons, grebes, cormorants and coots). Whenever possible, counts are conducted during a 9-day count period beginning on the second Saturday after New Year’s Day, with a target date of the first Sunday in that period. (Note: this was incorrectly listed as the first Saturday after New Year’s Day in last year’s report.) Most counts are conducted during the first 3 days of the period, but in some cases additional time is needed to complete the counts.

WEATHER CONDITIONS

Official weather data for January 2003 were not available, but Regional compilers reported severe winter weather conditions across the state. High temperatures were at or below freezing for several weeks before the count, and temperatures were generally lower during the count. Significant snowfalls occurred in early January, and additional light snow fell during the count in some areas. Snow cover and ice persisted through the count period, and strong winds (15-30 mph) were common, making waterfowl viewing difficult. As a result of this weather pattern, most small inland waters and some larger lakes were completely frozen. Many larger lakes, rivers, and coastal bays had significant shoreline ice that limited waterfowl use.

RESULTS

A total of 320,665 birds, comprising 46 species, was counted in 2003 (Table 1). The 2003 total was 28% below 2002 (Table 2), but 19% above the 28-year (1973-2000) average of 268,763 birds (Table 3). Less than 2% of the total count was recorded outside of the scheduled survey period.

Comparison of 2003 counts with 28-year (1973-2000) averages shows 7 of 13 major species or taxa at least 10% above average, and five species or taxa more than 10% below average (Table 3). Canada Goose (111,988) declined 47% from the record high of 211,191 in 2002, and accounted for most of the decrease in total counts between years. All major dabbling ducks, sea ducks and swans declined from 2002, whereas most diving ducks increased. Counts of most other water birds declined also, except for Double-crested Cormorant. New high counts were not established for any species, unlike 2002 when records were established for seven species. Lower counts of most dabbling ducks and geese probably reflected the extensive ice cover over most shallow waters in the state. Nonetheless, the low Snow Goose count (11) was surprising given the tremendous abundance of this species in recent years

Total waterfowl numbers in the Atlantic Flyway (Maine to Florida) were down 17% from 2002, and were 19% below the 10-year (1993-2002) average (Serie and Raftovich 2003). Flyway counts of dabbling ducks were down 16% from a year ago, diving ducks declined 24%, and sea ducks decreased 40%. Flyway counts of Snow Geese, Canada Geese and Brant were all within 10% of a year ago. Annual changes in relative abundance in New York often do not mirror flyway trends because state counts reflect distributional shifts in response to weather as well as population changes.

Highlights of Regional reports included a King Eider in Lake Ontario in Niagara County (Region 1), a single Ross’ goose at Fair Haven (Region 5), reports of Tufted Duck in three Regions, and Barrow’s Goldeneye in four Regions (Table 1). Numbers of Long-tailed Ducks in Region 1 declined sharply from recent years, perhaps due to the recent outbreak of Type E botulism in that Region, which killed several thousand of this species in fall 2002. Numbers of Greater Scaup and Hooded Merganser in Region 7 were record highs for the FWC in that Region.

FUTURE COUNTS

The FWC is a valuable long-term population monitoring program for waterfowl and other water birds wintering in New York State. The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has discontinued aerial surveys of waterfowl wintering in New York, so they now rely on the FWC as the standard survey. It is important that member clubs and individuals maintain complete and consistent coverage of areas surveyed in the past to ensure that results are comparable from year-to-year and over the long-term. Future counts are scheduled as follows:

2004 - January 10-18 (target date - Sunday, January 11)
2005 - January 15-23 (target date - Sunday, January 16)

Please note that the dates for 2005 were listed incorrectly last year.

For more information about the FWC, visit the Federation's Waterfowl Count page.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I wish to thank all of the approximately 285 observers who participated this year, especially for enduring very cold winter weather during the 2003 count. A special thanks to the following Regional Compilers who coordinated the efforts of all those volunteers:

LITERATURE CITED

Jones, M. 1980. The New York State waterfowl count - a quarter century report. Kingbird 30:210-216.

Rising, G. R. 1955. The January waterfowl count. Kingbird 5:34-36.

Serie, J. R. and R. V. Raftovich, Jr. 2003. Atlantic Flyway Midwinter Waterfowl Survey 2003 - Final Report. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Migratory Bird Management, Laurel, MD. 3 p.

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