Love is in the air for ducks at Camas Wildlife Refuge

The romance was on. A girl chased a boy until he could no longer ignore her advances and turned to call her bluff. The nuzzling, snuggling and mouth-to-mouth followed as those eating nearby tried to not see the public display of affection.

No, it was not some spring induced BYU-Idaho students waiting in line at Costa Vida on Friday night, but a pair of Northern Pintail ducks at Camas National Wildlife Refuge migrating to northern Canada.

The Northern Pintails are one of the first migrating waterfowl to head north. In early March thousands showed up at Deer Parks Wildlife Management west of the Menan Buttes. Several weeks later tens of thousands invaded the fields west of Roberts as the snow receded, with the melting snow creating puddles for them to feed in. In the last week, huge flocks still could be found in the Mud Lake and Camas National Wildlife Refuge areas where a storm had flooded ponds followed by receding waters creating mud flats.

When migrating, pintails join other species of ducks with mallards and green-winged teal being their favorite traveling partners. Northern pintails are named for the shape of their tail feathers.

About half all North America’s pintails winter in the Central Valley of California with a few going all the way to the west coast of Mexico. Another large number of pintails winter along the Gulf Coast and Louisiana, but use the Central Flyway instead of the Pacific Flyway. Most of Idaho’s migrants are those from California with a few adventurous romantics slipping in from the Central flyway.

With a circumpolar breeding pattern, Northern Pintails migrate to Northern Canada and Alaska for their breeding and nesting. They prefer open terrain in the tundra and prairies with semi-permanent wetlands and sparse vegetation nearby.

Flirting begins during the migration when a group of males chase a single hen in flight. One by one the drakes will give up the chase until only one is left. A union is formed for the breeding season, and a few will nest in southeastern Idaho who cannot wait to fly further north.

By the end of migration most couples have been formed and nesting begins in earnest with seven to nine eggs per nest. Only about half the chicks will reach maturity as predators love a veal-duck dinner.

Northern pintails are one of the first to head south in the late summer and early fall with migration starting soon after the young can fly. Late July and August will find many of the flocks heading for a warmer climate but in the fall they rarely stop in southeastern Idaho.

Pintails can be found worldwide with some very adventurous souls. One duck was tagged in Labrador, Canada and killed by a hunter in England nine days later. Exercise must have been his hobby. Several pintails marked in Japan have been recovered in Utah and Mississippi. A few will even winter in Hawaii after the cold summer in the north.

Once one of the most populous species of ducks in the world, their numbers have diminished greatly. The use of lead shot which was eaten by these dabbling ducks, loss of habitat and nest destruction has led to the decline. A study in Canada showed half all the pintail nests in one area were destroyed by farming activities.

With the tens of thousands of Northern Pintails moving through the Upper Snake River Valley to the Arctic Circle to raise their families, we get to observe and enjoy these wonderful birds. It is amazing how many times we see ourselves in their habits and actions when nature kicks in.