It is the sights and sounds of waterfowl overhead that perhaps best exemplify fall. Biologists have long recognized predictable seasonal migrations of birds from their breeding grounds to non-breeding grounds, or what we would generally refer to as wintering grounds. They have also come to recognize four basic routes — or flyways — for migratory waterfowl in North America.
North Dakota is located within the Central Flyway, which lies between the Pacific Flyway to the west and the Mississippi Flyway to the east. The Central Flyway basically covers Saskatchewan, and parts of Alberta and Northwest Territories, North Dakota southward to Texas, and parts of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico.
It has been estimated that over one half of the migratory waterfowl in North America use the Central Flyway. North Dakota’s prairie potholes are critical for nesting waterfowl and a wide array of flora and fauna. But please know that many of the migrating waterfowl that pass through the state during the spring and fall migrations are coming down from their breeding grounds further north.
As such, wetlands, Waterfowl Production Areas, and National Wildlife Refuges such as J. Clark Salyer, Lostwood, Des Lacs, Souris, and others not only serve as important breeding grounds, but also important stopover habitat where migrating waterfowl and other migrating birds can rest up and fuel-up for the next leg of their journey.
So how are waterfowl seasons and bag limits set? Each flyway has a technical council which is composed of wildlife managers representing each state and Canadian province and territory. There is also a technical committee that evaluates waterfowl populations and habitats, etc., that makes recommendations to the council concerning seasons and bag limits. The final decision is made by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Remember: Peak viewing for Orionids Meteor Shower
Don't forget that the peak viewing period for the Orionids Meteor Shower is on now and will peak on or about the night of October 21. Twenty or so meteors may be observable during the peak period. Although the meteors may be observed anytime during the night, best viewing is expected to be in a dark area after midnight.
