Green-Winged/Blue-Winged Teal
Good to excellent numbers of teal (mostly green-winged teal) were seen throughout their range during the past few years, especially in the Mid-Atlantic region. During years when winter's weather is relatively mild, such as the winter of 2005, their migratory pattern appears to be widely dispersed and sporadic. However, when winter slams the Northeast to an unusual extent, the migration south seems to take place considerably earlier and the birds are more concentrated. Hindman said teal populations, both blue-winged and green-winged teal, look to be relatively stable; he doesn't anticipate any changes in seasons or bag limits for the 2006-2007 seasons.

Wood Ducks
The wood duck population also seems to be relatively stable throughout much of its range. The birds are widely dispersed, and although loss of wetlands in developmental areas has reduced nesting sites to some degree, these ducks tend to adapt well to changing environmental conditions and find new nesting locations. Additionally, many conservation organizations spend countless hours and huge sums constructing nesting boxes for the species, which tends to keep production high, especially during abnormally cold, wet spring weather. Hindman does not anticipate any changes in wood duck seasons or bag limits for the 2006-2007 seasons.

Mallards
Mallard duck numbers look to be down slightly, and their overall trend tends to show slight decreases in average population figures throughout their range. While the 2001 through 2005 averages are still relatively high at just over 149,000 birds, there has been a significant decline nearly every year since 1955 when the average was nearly 296,000 birds.

In some jurisdictions, local populations of mallards may influence winter survey numbers to some degree, thereby making the overall population appear to be somewhat higher. Hunter success with mallards tends to be high, but Hindman said it is unlikely that there will be any changes in season or bag limits for the species this year. If the upcoming winter survey for mallards shows similar declines in the overall population, this may paint a bleak picture for both the species and for waterfowl hunters.

Canvasbacks
While canvasback numbers are up slightly from the previous year, their 2001 to 2005 average remains lower than anytime since 1955. Currently, the Atlantic Flyway population stands at 58,980 birds, while the five-year average is 65,766. When compared with the 1955 total survey count of 302,035 canvasbacks, it becomes painfully obvious that their population has plummeted to a point where slight changes in environmental conditions could devastate the remaining population.

NEW SURVEY METHODS
Since 1961, estimates of waterfowl harvest, hunting activity and success in the United States have been derived from the USFWS' Waterfowl Harvest Survey. This is a two-part survey including a mail/questionnaire survey (MQS) of individuals who purchased duck stamps with the intention of hunting waterfowl, and a waterfowl parts collection survey used to determine harvest by species, age and sex. Problems with using duck stamp purchasers as a sampling frame for harvest estimation led to the complete phasing out of the MQS in 2001 and the beginning of a new survey design in the mid-1990s.