Lake level, weather affect how long ducks stick around

The number of ducks and geese flying around Utah's marshes this year will be comparable to numbers seen last year. One thing that will be different, though, is the level of the Great Salt Lake.

The general duck season will open Saturday.

Two factors determine how long ducks stay in Utah: the level of the Great Salt Lake and the weather — and right now, the Great Salt Lake is nearing its lowest level since 1963.

"Ducks use the lake as a place to escape hunters," said Tom Aldrich, migratory bird coordinator for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. "They rest on the lake during the day and then fly back into the marshes in the evenings and in the mornings to feed.

"Because the amount of surface water on the lake has decreased so much, the ducks have fewer places to rest. And that increases the chance that they'll leave the state early."

In addition to providing ducks a place to rest, two freshwater areas of the Great Salt Lake — Farmington Bay and Willard Spur — are important feeding areas.

"Both of these areas are drier than we like to see," Aldrich said. "I'm not sure how much food they'll provide ducks this year."

As important as the Great Salt Lake is, the biggest factor in keeping ducks in Utah is the weather.

"Good numbers of ducks will stay in Utah into late November or even early December if the weather stays warm and calm," he said. "But if lots of big storms hit and the temperature gets cold, the ducks will start to leave."

Many of the nesting areas in the Intermountain West and up into southern Alberta were drier this past spring, but they weren't dry enough to have a big effect on the overall number of birds.

"Also, some of the ducks that are the most plentiful in Utah, such as green-winged teal, nest in west-central Canada and Alaska. Alaska provides good nesting conditions almost every year because the conditions in Alaska rarely change," he said.

The condition of the marsh will depend on the management area.

"The Farmington Bay and Ogden Bay (management areas) are fed by major rivers. They receive good amounts of water every year, and they'll be in great shape again this season," Aldrich said. "At the other end of the spectrum are (management areas) that we don't have secure water rights for or that are fed by springs.