Wood Duck Population Expansion in Northern Montana

Authors

Dwain M. Prellwitz, Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge
John R. Little, Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks
Larry R. Rau, Bureau of Land Management
Christopher J. Hoff, Bureau of Land Management

Date of this Version

1995

Comments

Published in Prairie Naturalist 27(1 ): March 1995. Used by permission.

Abstract

We monitored wood duck (Aix sponsa) population expansion into the Milk River Valley in north central Montana during 1975-1993. First -ever observations of wood ducks in isolated pairs or groups occurred on or near the Milk River in Blaine, Phillips, and Valley counties during 1975-1979. Broods seen east of Nelson Reservoir in 1975 and near Malta in 1980 were the first-ever verification of production in this area. Natural pioneering was supplemented with the transplanting of 35 first-year wood ducks near Dodson and at Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in August 1980. Wood duck population expansion into tributaries of the Milk River occurred during 1985-1987, and at Bowdoin NWR during 1988-1990.