Searching for the duckies

Posted 6/24/10 (Thu)

Searching for the duckies
DU press release
Residents near Garrison and Minot, N.D. may wonder what people on All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) are doing driving around in winter wheat fields. Crews of research technicians, employed by Ducks Unlimited (DU), this summer are searching the fields for duck nests. They will monitor the nests to determine whether the hens successfully hatch their eggs.
“This study will show us how beneficial winter wheat is to nesting waterfowl,” said Dr. Scott Stephens, DU director of conservation planning. “With the knowledge we gain from this research, DU and its conservation partners can design programs that provide economic benefits for landowners while maintaining healthy duck populations.”
Earlier research by Ducks Unlimited Canada found that nests in winter wheat were 24 percent more likely to hatch than nests in spring-planted crops. This new research effort looks to confirm similar nesting success in the United States. The project is part of the Winter Cereals: Sustainability in Action initiative, a comprehensive effort between DU and Bayer CropScience to promote planting winter wheat in the Dakotas.