Sprig Tales

Newsletter Written by
Elisa Fernandes-
McDade,
Intern,
UC Davis
Rennett Stowe / CC BY-SA 2.0

America’s Top Dog Table of Contents

The Labrador Retriever has
been rated the most popular
dog in America for 24 years
in a row—and for good rea-
son. Labs are fairly easy to
train, and they make good
hunting dogs as well as loyal
family companions.
Page 2: Article: The
Thirsty State
Page 3: Article: The Big 10
Page 4: Activity: Bagel
Birdfeeder

Where Are They Now?

John and Karen Hollingsworth / USFWS / CC0 USFWS /CC BY-SA 20

At first, the Arctic tundra may seem to be nothing more
than one long, empty field, but to waterfowl, it is para-
dise. Starting in early April, millions of ducks, geese,
and swans make the journey north to raise their young
in Arctic breeding grounds in Alaska and Canada.
The prairie potholes region is a patchwork of wetlands
and gently-rolling hills stretching all the way from
South Dakota to southern Canada. These shallow pools
provide critical habitat for breeding waterfowl and are
especially important to Blue- and Green-winged Teals.

“BlankMap-North America-Subdivisions” by NuclearVacuum / CC BY-SA 3.0 /Wikimedia Commons

 The Thirsty State

The number of breeding water-

fowl decreased by 12% in 2014.

Less snow in the mountains

means less water in rivers.

Rice fields provide surrogate

wetlands for migrating waterfowl.

Water levels at reservoirs

hit record lows

Hunters repair and build guzzlers for

deer and other animals in the desert.

Lack of rainfall and unusually-high temperatures have caused a serious drought

that is affecting all parts of California. As the environment changes, humans and
wildlife are transforming how they live, which is leading people to come up with
ways to use water better. In the Central Valley, rice farmers flood their fields in
time for waterfowl migration, and in southern California, local hunters repair rain-
water collection tanks called “guzzlers” for thirsty animals in the desert.

Picture Credits (clockwise): Simon Pierre Barrette / Wikimedia Commons, Walter Siegmund / Wikimedia Commons, David
Bailey / Wikimedia Commons, Amadscientist / Wikimedia Commons, National Park Service
Center California map: Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC
 The Big 10
Every year, waterfowl biologists
come together to count all of the
1 Mallard
individuals of the ten most common
duck species in North America. It is Gadwall 2
3
part of a project called the
American
Waterfowl Breeding Population
Alan D. Wilson Wigeon
Survey, which measures how

4
Green-
healthy duck populations are by winged
tracking whether the number of in- Teal

5
dividuals in a species is increasing Blue-
or decreasing. To count every single winged
Teal
duck is no small task. First, two
teams of people are assigned to a
single area. Then, one team counts
Northern
Shoveler 6
7
birds from an airplane (flying at an
altitude of 150 feet) while another Northern
team counts from the ground,
Pintail
making sure the other team did not
miss any ducks and that their final Redhead 8 Kevin Barcow

9
numbers match up. The final counts
from the survey tell us which spe- Canvas
cies populations are stable and help
-back
set bag limits for the next year.
Scaup 10
 Materials Needed
1) 1 bagel (sliced into halves)
2) 1 string (minimum 12 inches
long)
3) Peanut butter
4) 1/2 cup sunflower seeds or bird
seed mixture
5) 1/2 cup peanuts
6) 1/2 cup chopped raisins
1) Spread the peanut butter over
one of the bagel halves.
2) Roll bagel in seeds, peanuts, Paula D. / the glorified tomato

and raisins so that dried fruit and nuts cover the peanut butter side.
3) Loop the string through the bagel hole and tie the ends tightly
together.
4) Hang the string up on a branch.
5) Watch for birds!

For more information on our education programs or to get involved, contact Sabreena Britt, Education Coordinator at
(916) 648-1406 Ext. 102 or sbritt@calwaterfowl.org

For more information and our calendar of events go to www.calwaterfowl.org

Roseville, CA 95678-7032
1346 Blue Oaks Boulevard
California Waterfowl Association