Welcome to Frank's Field Notes, a semi-regular look at what’s happening across the Prairie Pothole Region during spring migration and breeding season.

Part field journal, part migration report, and part window into duck country, Delta Waterfowl Chief Scientist and President Dr. Frank Rohwer offers firsthand observations from the field on ducks, geese, weather, habitat conditions, and the annual return north.

Not long on the wing

8/20/2026

This young female Shoveler has probably been on the wing for less than three weeks.

Different migration schedules for the sexes

8/18/2026

Male ducks don’t do much parental care, so they molt earlier than females and are ready to migrate south earlier than females.

Several large broods at the MERP cells

8/18/2026

Some broods look like they lost no ducklings from the time of hatch.

Error yesterday - 15 bird bag limit

8/17/2026

Special seasons designed to reduce populations typically have liberal limits.

Opening morning

8/16/2026

Canada Geese were shot out of North Dakota, but rapid recovery started in the 1990’s.

Another great figure by Todd Arnold

8/15/2026

Blue-winged teal have a “faster” life cycle than Pintails or Mallards.

More great stuff from Delta Science Forum

8/14/2026

Reproduction drives duck numbers FAR more than survival or other factors.

Molt status matters - at least we think it does

8/12/2026

The photo shows the three options for wing molt

Delta Science Forum - cool new results

8/11/2026

Day 1 of the Delta Science Forum is in the bag.

The food for half the birds at Delta Marsh

8/10/2026

Males fly in huge groups that the girls briefly join, get a boy, mate, and lay eggs.

Pintail males are lecherous

8/9/2026

Forced extra-pair copulation is an even more prevalent male reproductive tactic in Pintails.

Great picture - but most duck hunters would fail t...

8/8/2026

The top, middle male is a hybrid between a Scaup and a Ring-necked Duck

Turkeys nest late

8/7/2026

Mixed age turkey broods are common in North Dakota.

California breeding ducks down

8/6/2026

California Game and Fish released their statewide spring breeding duck count this week.

Marbled Godwit

8/5/2026

Marbled Godwits stay in the prairies to nest in grassland habitats.

Smallest grebe in PPR

8/4/2026

Pied-bills may be slightly smaller than all others in the PPR, but they are surprisingly aggressive.

Banding is off and running

8/3/2026

Delta started a banding station several years ago.

Reprise on White-faced Ibis

8/2/2026

Fun info – the first ND breeding record was 1999 at Lake Alice NWR by our own Joel Brice.

Good news - brood index up a lot

8/1/2026

Results from the July wetlands and brood counts conducted by NDGF staff were just released.

White-faced Ibis expanding north

7/31/2026

White-faced Ibis nest in colonies of dozens to hundreds of birds.

Beneficiaries of waterfowl dollars

7/30/2026

Upland Sandpipers have greatly benefited from duck dollars.

Day three of eiders

7/29/2026

King Eiders are good looking birds with a circumpolar breeding range.

Beautiful eiders

7/28/2026

Steller’s Eiders are the smallest of the 4 eiders.

Three days of eiders

7/27/2026

These are Spectacled Eiders. They nest in Alaska and Siberia.

Flightless male Mallard

7/26/2026

This male Mallard has recently dropped the major flight feathers (primaries) and probably most secondaries.

Record numbers fledges in Louisiana

7/25/2026

The reestablished resident Whooping Crane population in southwestern Louisiana fledged 10 young this year.

The benefit of late rains

7/24/2026

The prairies started fairly dry this spring, but most areas got well above average rainfall in June.

The ones we see - not our enemy

7/23/2026

Richardson’s Ground Squirrels are the most common ground squirrel in the PPR.

Small trouble

7/22/2026

Franklin’s Ground Squirrels are a major problem for upland nesting ducks.

Banding geese in the arctic

7/21/2026

We band to get population estimates and survival rates

White-fronted Geese (aka Specs)

7/20/2026

Our Dr. Jay VonBank is up in the arctic banding geese