Cooperative Waterfowl Research - W-88-R 
Vol, 25, Wo. 9 
Page 5 
F.C. Bell rose, S.P. Havera, 
G.A. Perkins, H.K. Archer 
QmAli 1 !?? , I t S i 9 H» }n 1 J 1 if >° ls of* the fall waterfowl migration Is the arrival of 
°I b Ue ' wln 9 ed teal usually In late July Bluewlngs leave thilr 
In ^° U i h ‘ Central Canada and nor th~central U.S. and stop briefly 
20,500 and 10,000 bluewings were observed In the Illinois and Mississinol r Lr 
valleys, respectlvely-approxlmate.y twice as many as were obs^^d ti?s yeir? 
w Du [ ln ® * he fa J ,s of 1973 through 1981, bluewing numbers peaked in the 1st or 
2nd week of September. The average peaks for 1978-1981 were 37 000 and ic inn 
birds in the Illinois and Mississippi valleys, respect'v^ Hl'ghwaruJefs 
during most of the summer of 1982 in the Illinois Valley left mudflats L,nd*lL 
and limited the growth of moist-soil plants which produce seeds fol'blue-winoed 
ea to feed upon. Recent low river levels have exposed vast mudflats but the 
Ist^HshlJ d™ Water , Cond i tio "s left a growing season too short “or ?Je 
food cond^rth^f^f?: t 
tba b Juewing breeding population estimate, determined by the U S Fish md * 
" Servi f (JjSFWS), was down » in i 9 82 from the l 9 “ value; he 3 2 
avaMain* p£ £« 
^alwM protracted^ha^that ^of^he^l ue-w?nged'tea??'^reenwing^numbers 1 " 
faf^n C ° Ct L ber °/ e f rl X ^ ovember during the falls of l 9 78-8l. Average 
n Inn 6 ^ " umber \ for *978-81 were 16,000 birds In the Illinois Valiey and 
!olal!d 9 5o S in n tte e |U i Si ? Si R- i Va "?r ° n 'f, September 1982. greenwing numbers 
suh«o„M.?i . H "J '! R ’ ver val,e V and WO In the Mississippi River valley 
RIvar^? y er th ?" ? he 6 ' 3 °° and 5 - 800 for *•» Illinois and Mlsslssipp 
^pufaMon Ve V ’ ° r the S3me dote ln 1981 • The USFWS breeding- 
” — — m 
w-sras*- r, h -:r:“; rasTwis “ 
concentrate at Goose Pond (near Hennepin) and Rice Pond, as well as Peki^’ Snrina 
ms^sfppHXC C th ,n ; Bi9 Prair i e> MeredOSla - Fla ‘> -d Swan in & 9 ‘ 
Mississippi Valley, the largest teal concentrations are in the Dallas Citv to 
Fort Mad,son segment of the river and the refuges such as Cannon IndBalchtown. 
valleys ^ "" n ° iS ^ .. PP ‘ ' ,W 
