Migration Alert: Late-Season Weather has North Carolina and Virginia Hunters Optimistic

Hunters in southern portion of the Atlantic Flyway are getting the type of weather they often dream about but haven’t experienced in recent years. Many northern and midwestern states are frozen and an Arctic blast continues to push down into the Mid-Atlantic region. This means ducks and quality gunning for hunters who enjoy access to choice spots in North Carolina and Virginia.

Ed Farley, DU’s manager of conservation programs for Virginia, Georgia and the Carolinas, says he believes ducks may be at peak numbers right now, especially in the Tarheel State. “The cold weather has helped,” Farley says. “And we have lots of ducks in the area—both divers and puddle ducks. The usual hot spots on the coast all seem to be holding birds. There are good numbers of divers on the Pamlico Sound, and the Outer Banks have been good lately for redheads and pintails.”

Farley is also happy with the numbers of geese he is seeing, noting he has observed more Canada geese in the Mattamuskeet area than he has seen in several years. “It's nice to have some Atlantic population birds back around,” he notes.

Hunter Morris, waterfowl biologist with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, has been traveling and hasn’t had a chance to hunt or check on the state’s impoundments but he says a mid-winter aerial survey scheduled to begin next week will help reveal the full migration picture. He notes that North Carolina hunters had a generally good first half of the season but birds had gotten a little stale. The recent cold weather will hopefully get birds moving again.

“There is still plenty of opportunity to get out and fill a tundra swan tag for those who haven’t yet,” Morris adds.

Hunter Collins, DU’s new regional biologist for Virginia and the Carolinas, has been on the road a lot recently, traveling Virginia’s southeastern Tidewater region and the Eastern Shore. He reports seeing large numbers of divers, especially buffleheads and ruddy ducks, around the James River. He is also seeing thousands of Canada geese on agricultural fields near the James River National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) and the Brandon area in Prince George County.

“Flights of this magnitude have been missing over the last eight years or so,” Collins says. “Similar-sized Canada goose flocks have been using fields farther west along the James in Chesterfield County, Virginia, close to Presquile NWR. Geese were also feeding in small flocks in fields surrounding the Great Dismal Swamp.”

Collins also cruised the Mattamuskeet NWR in Hyde County, North Carolina, and saw impressive numbers of tundra swans and ducks. “That is the only time I have ever seen 300 to 400 ruddy ducks at one time,” he says. “Wigeon and gadwalls were plentiful, and the refuge staff noted higher numbers of Canada geese.”

In short, the outlook is bright for South Atlantic Flyway waterfowlers heading into the final weeks of the season. Another Arctic outbreak, with some snow, is anticipated this weekend in Virginia. The Outer Banks are expecting a chilly rain.

The weather has Collins optimistic for another push of birds this weekend or early next week. “It all depends on how this next storm affects southern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland,” he says.

Farley sums it up, noting, “As long as the cold weather persists, it should be a good tail end of the season.”