Kentucky duck numbers are expected to be strong during the 2015-16 winter season, according to Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.
“This year, we’ve had the highest counts of ducks as a whole by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Canadian Wildlife Service,” said John Brunjes, migratory bird coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “It is the highest counts ever with 49,522,000 ducks as well as 11,643,000 mallards, also a new record.”
Green-winged teal populations are at their all-time high with just over 4 million birds and numbers of gadwall numbers are also exceptionally high with 3,834,000 birds.
Cold weather could push northern duck populations into Kentucky. “The migration maps show many ducks in the upper Plains and upper Midwest,” Brunjes explained.
Popular areas for viewing waterfowl in Kentucky include Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge, numerous state parks, and private refuges.
