Flyways.us

In 1995, the Central Flyway Council (CFC) determined that large "holes" in the data existed - places where few ducks had been banded - that raised serious questions about the characteristics of ducks (primarily mallards) that breed in the Central Flyway (CF). In fact, there was not a good data set that allowed managers to tell if mallards from a certain region stayed in the CF or slipped quickly to the Mississippi Flyway. Given the differences in hunting regulations and harvest characteristics between the two flyways, this is an important question.

In 1996, the CFC undertook its own six-year banding study. The bandings would contribute to the national database but additional flyway objectives were identified. During the six years ending in 2001, over 139,000 ducks were banded including over 31,000 mallards, nearly 94, 000 blue-winged teal and 10,000 pintails. The study cost over $218,000. More information about the banding study is available on the current projects page. A smaller, operational program was implemented in 2002 to continue to add to the database and detect changes that might occur over time. It is now part of the larger cooperative Preseason Banding Program. Three maps of recoveries for mallards and blue-winged teal are available.