A main driver behind what has allowed the waterfowl population to rebound and succeed in North America is the research and conservation efforts that take place behind-the-scenes. Split Reed recently sat down with Ryan Askren, a waterfowl ecologist, research associate, and PhD student at the University of Illinois to gain insight into those efforts. Ryan is involved in several goose research programs that are leading the way towards better understanding the behavior and habits of these birds and shared with us some of the insight he’s found from those studies.
Ben Buchholz for SPLIT REED; Photos Courtesy of Ryan Askren and Forbes Biological Station
SR: You recently attended the North American Duck Symposium, and looking at the agenda, you gave a few presentations while there. What did you present?
RA: One of the talks was focused around looking at post-breeding movement of Toronto nesting geese, which was working with Chris Sharp’s data. That study is very management-focused, looking at how these geese are moving around the city, how movements between successful and failed breeding geese differ. We’re trying to look at whether breeding success has any effect on the propensity to migrate south in fall or winter. Unlike the birds we’ve caught that nest in Chicago, a lot of Toronto geese still migrated down to parts of Virginia, North and South Carolina, along the Appalachians. I thought we’d have a few of his birds migrate along the Mississippi flyway, but we have not had any birds go further west than Ohio. We thought perhaps birds with goslings would be more likely to migrate out for the winter, but we really didn’t see that effect at all. Some of it could be our study design, as we’re monitoring with GPS transmitters, so we don’t know how much brood amalgamation, where they drop their goslings off with another pair and leave, is happening. So there are some things that could be compounding that, but there’s definitely not a signal of nesting success determining the winter departure of those city geese. This was the precursor to the nest manipulation study we discussed earlier. This all ties together to look at any and all movement following nesting, and the effects of that movement on survival and conflicts. So if they’re moving into areas where there are more issues, if they’re moving into parks, if they’re leaving the city to feed in agricultural fields where they could get shot, or whether they’re heading south and going to places where they can be hunted.
SR: It’s fascinating how quickly these birds learn to adapt and improvise, in order to avoid conflict and survive.
RA: It’s unbelievable. One of the stories I tell a lot of people, I had a bird marked around here that I was gathering behavioral observations on. It stayed in the city all winter, it never went anywhere it could be shot. The first day that it left the city, it got shot. Literally the first GPS location I got from it after it left town was at the goose pit. That’s just on occurrence but it suggests there is probably pretty strong selective pressure for them to stay in areas where they can’t get shot.
One of the big conversations I’ve had with a lot of other waterfowl folks is that we’ve got these booms in waterfowl populations but harvest really hasn’t followed. And I think a lot of it is how all waterfowl respond to hunting pressure. They’re able to adapt quickly and maximize their survival. I don’t know how you change that, or how you balance it to maintain healthy and huntable populations.
SR: You made a comment on booming populations, so we have to ask the big question! Shooting hens. Does it affect the population in a measurable way?
RA: I should preface this by saying I’m not an expert on population demographics or the effects of harvest by any interpretation. Lots of folks way smarter than I am working on some of these questions. Todd Arnold gave a really good talk on this at the Duck Symposium that I’ll talk about in a second, but until recently I felt that breeding conditions are what drives duck populations, harvest has little to no effect. I think there are a lot of people and a lot of interest right now to explore how hen harvest could affect duck populations. There’s some great work that’s been done on wood ducks by Ben Sedinger and Chris Nicolai out in Nevada. There are also some conversations about, “Well, we’ve seen these liberal limits, but it really hasn’t changed harvest or duck populations, and it still seems to be driven by breeding habit conditions.” With that being said, Todd Arnold did present some convincing data at the Symposium related to the legalization and invention of the spinning wing decoy and the effects on harvest. He talked about how that device has affected young hen harvest, where there’s a higher number of birds being harvested in those early age classes and not making it to the next nesting season. All of that to say, I really don’t know anymore! I used to be very convinced that it didn’t make any difference whatsoever. I’ve always personally liked shooting drakes because they make for prettier pictures, but on those slow days I’m letting steel fly at whatever comes in. I definitely need to do some more reading on this topic. Looking forward to seeing what others publish on the topic and listening to more discussions by people a lot smarter than I.
SR: One more question regarding the waterfowl population booms – why don’t Pintails seem to be following suit?
RA: They’re a tough one for me to figure out. Again I’m more of a goose guy than a duck guy, but they tend to nest further away from water and in fairly short cover, such as wheat fields. That’s why DU and Delta have implemented programs to protect them, like paying farmers to delay cutting wheat or hay until after the birds have hatched out. They’re definitely a lot more finicky than say BWT or mallards, which doesn’t help.
SR: For our readers/followers that are familiar with you on Instagram, you take some incredible waterfowl photos. Tell us a bit about how you got into photography and some of the gear you started with and are using now, and maybe a pointer or two for those getting started.
RA: My sister was a photojournalism major in college, so I lucked out and got a hand-me-down Nikon D70 or D80 in middle school, which was around the same time I was getting more serious into waterfowl and being able to drive around to scout for myself. I got my first job working up in Canada on a Snow Goose colony, with Environment Canada in high school. I got more serious with my photography once I started working those field research jobs, getting to go to all of these incredible places, and learning more about waterfowl ecology and these neat waterfowl areas around the country. It’s what I do when I can’t hunt. I’m trying to get better at doing some photography while I hunt. I still have a hard time putting the gun down and picking up the camera. I’m shooting a Nikon D500 and a Nikon D810 now for a full-frame body. I’ve been eyeing up a D850 but haven’t pulled the trigger. For folks wanting to start out, I’d suggest checking out the 200-500mm Nikon lens. I was pleasantly surprised with it and it’s my go-to lens out in the field. That being said, get whatever you can afford and work your way up. A good hide is critical no matter how big of a lens you have. It’s incredible how even in the spring, when they’re less wary than the fall, how quickly they’ll pick out even a well-brushed blind.
SR: Thanks for the time, Ryan. It was a pleasure chatting with you! Use this last response to say anything you want to the waterfowl world; what you’re up to next, what you want people to pay special attention to, anything. It’s your stage.
RA: I have to acknowledge all of the folks that put in the work to secure funding and plan out this project before I started. This research wouldn’t have happened without hunters and the Wildlife Restoration Act that uses revenue from gun and ammo sales to fund research and conservation efforts. I don’t think the general public understands how hunters and anglers are such strong proponents for conserving our natural resources. I also want to thank all of my collaborators, especially USDA – Wildlife Services for providing funding and working with me on my current project.
