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The Institute's biologists have searched for ways to efficiently and accurately answer critical questions about the mallard life cycle.

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Anatomy of the Research Project

The Chain Gang

The sample of nests found by tracking the mallard hens is insufficient for many of the parameters that must be measured in the research, so biologists use cable and chain drags to flush hens from their nests to increase the number available for study. The chains are stretched between two all-terrain vehicles that are driven in a parallel course over likely duck nesting habitat. When the hens are flushed, the nests are marked and their exact locations are pinpointed using a Global Positioning System unit which beams the precise site of the nest from orbiting satellites. This, and subsequent information on the fates of the nesting broods, all helps biologists determine the success and future directions of Ducks Unlimited's habitat programs.

Nest Searches

To increase the precision of hatching rate estimates in specific habitat types and to estimate hatching rates for other species of ducks, an additional sample of nests is needed. These nests are located using several "traditional" techniques. One of these techniques involves using 2 all-terrain vehicles to drag a long cable with loops of chain attached through potential nesting cover. The cable-chain rides up on the vegetation and flushes nesting hens as it passes over their heads, revealing the location of the nests. Other nests are located by "beating" potential nesting cover along fencelines and the edges of aspen bluffs with long willow switches.

The Field Crew

Each year a small group of people are hired for each research site to help with data collection throughout the nesting and brood rearing seasons. Generally the crew is split into two groups for the summer. Half of the crew are responsible for taking the daily telemetry locations on radio-marked hens. The other half are involved with searching for waterfowl nests on the study site, locating predators and classifying wetland and upland habitats. The entire crew often work long hours under all sorts of weather conditions. From snowy conditions and icey ponds during decoy trapping in the spring to beautiful summer days during nest dragging in June. The field crews generally start in late March and work through July. The men and women on these crews come from all across North America. Generally, these individuals have extensive experience in wetland ecology and/or waterfowl biology complemented with some secondary education in a related science. To date, close to 200 men and women have been hired to work on these field crews. This research could not occur without their perseverance and dedication.

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