Biologist's Journal 2003

Every week on this page, our biologists will update you on the latest information uncovered as we collect and analyze the satellite data for the marked pintails. You can visit the other pages on our website to look at maps or to get more detailed information about trapping or tracking. But on this page we'll give you general information about how the project is going. We'll also try to point out and describe some interesting characteristics about the birds we're tracking or the habitat that the satellite data tells us they're traveling through. Check here weekly to find out what's new.

September 2, 2003

This will be the final Journal entry for this year. There are too few active PTTs available now to provide legitimate proportionate distributions. We have enjoyed providing you with migration information for the past four years, and be sure to check out the summary pages for each year to get some idea of annual variation and commonalities. We hope you all maintain your interest in the northern pintail and will support conservation efforts to restore large populations of this important species.

Present bird distribution: The last New Mexico bird, #17689, is still near Last Mountain Lake in Saskatchewan. The PTTs are failing on Texas birds #39505 (last location on Mackenzie Delta in Northwest Territories) and #39510 (last location in northwest North Dakota). PTTs are failing on California birds #39529 (Apokak on YKD in Alaska), #39535 (north of Selawik NWR in Alaska), #39541 (west of Selawik NWR), and #39549 (Seward Peninsula, Cape Rodney in Alaska). Bird #39527 is at Last Mountain Lake in Saskatchewan very near New Mexico bird 17689, and #39531 is south of Bethel on the YKD (this PTT is very erratic).

August 27, 2003

Not much going on this past week, except PTTs continued to go off line. New Mexico is down to 1 PTT (#17689), and the bird remains in Saskatchewan at Last Mountain Lake. Two PTTs are active in the Texas cohort, 1 on the Mackenzie Delta in the Northwest Territories (#39505) and one at Hutton NWR south of Laramie, Wyoming (#39508). Only 3 California PTTs are reliably giving locations: #39527 west of Last Mountain Lake in SK, and #39529 and # 39531 on the YK Delta in Alaska. Birds #39528, 39535, and 39541 are intermittent, and #39549 revived after two weeks to give a location at Cape Rodney on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska, where it has been for several weeks. Next week will be the last Journal entry, because the field season ends and we are just plain running out of birds to track. We will create a summary page on our web site this fall for the 2003 data to go along with the summaries for the first 3 years.

August 18, 2003

New Mexico pintails: #17689's PTT is still strong and the bird is still at Last Mountain Lake in southern Saskatchewan; #24898 revived for a location in far northern Alberta on Lake Claire (west end of Lake Athabasca), after having been in southern Saskatchewan near Kindersley. North Texas birds: #39505 is still on the Mackenzie Delta in far northern Northwest Territories; #39510 is still trading back and forth between northwest North Dakota and northeastern Montana; #39508 moved up to near Laramie, Wyoming from southeastern Colorado; and #39511's PTT failed. South Texas: All PTTs are inactive. California: Only 6 -9 PTTs operated over the past week - Bird #39527 remains at Last Mountain Lake in southern Saskatchewan; #39528 moved west from southeast of Hanna to south of Wetaskiwin (south of Edmonton); #39543 revived for 2 locations northwest of Old Wives Lake in southern Saskatchewan; #39550 revived near Kindersley, SK; and long-time absent #39551, last recorded in eastern Montana west of Malta on 5 June, revived after having moved to Lake Claire in far northern Alberta. The New Mexico and California birds could have gone up there to molt.

August 11, 2003

It’s been two weeks since the last Journal, but our sample of PTT-tagged hen pintails has not moved much. There is only one New Mexico hen remaining, #17689, in Saskatchewan at Last Mountain Lake. The North Texas hens are essentially in the same locations as a couple of weeks ago, with #39505 on the Mackenzie Delta in NWT, #39509 south of Faulkton in South Dakota (PTT failing), and #39511 near Kaminuriak Lake in Nunavut (PTT probably failed); however, #39508 moved north from Neehoshe Reservoir in southeastern Colorado to near Laramie, Wyoming (bird may have been flying). Hen #39510 seems to oscillate between North Dakota south of Ambrose (or east northeast of Grenora) to eastern Montana north of Medicine Lake NWR. All South Texas PTTs have stopped providing locations. There’re only about 10 California PTTs still giving locations and some are intermittent at best. Of these, 4 are in the prairies in Saskatchewan (Old Wives Lake, Kindersley, Last Mountain Lake) and Alberta (Wetaskawin area south of Edmonton). Of most interest, we detected #39551 in northern Alberta on 31 July and again on 10 August at Lake Claire on the western end of Lake Athabasca; this bird had not produced a location since June 5 when it was in eastern Montana, so we cannot tell exactly when it might have made the move. One bird, #39546, remains south of the Ross River along the Prevost River in southeast Yukon (PTT failing), and the remaining 6 are in Alaska, either on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta (n = 3; PTT failing on #39532)), the North Slope south of Prudhoe Bay (n = 1), Seward Peninsula at Cape Rodney (n = 1), or Noatak River north of Selawik NWR (n = 1).

July 28, 2003

New Mexico birds: #17615 after having been at Last Mountain Lake in Saskatchewan for some time, turned up at Lake Claire (Athabasca Delta at west end of Lake Athabasca) in northern Alberta. #17689 is still at Last Mountain Lake, and #24898 has gone dormant again. North Texas birds: #39505 remains on the Mackenzie Delta in far northwest Northwest Territories. Of special interest, #39508 moved south from Nebraska to the Queens State Wildlife Area vicinity (Neehoshe Reservoir) in southeast Colorado - this hen visited this same area on the way north back in late April to early May! Bird #39509 missed the most recent report date, but was in its long-term use area south of Faulkton in South Dakota on the 22nd. Hen #39510 is in northwestern North Dakota near Grenora, and #39511 is still in Nunavut near Kaminuriak Lake. All South Texas PTTs have gone off line. Only 8-11 PTTs are still active on California pintails: #39527 moved south from the north end of Last Mountain Lake in Saskatchewan to north of Old Wives Lake; #39528 missed the last report date on the 25th, but was in Alberta southwest of Hanna previously; #39529 also missed reporting on the 25th, and was on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta (YK Delta) previously; #39531 is on the YK Delta south of Bethel; #39532 is on the south YK Delta south of Apokak, but missed the last report date on the 26th; #39533 went offline for some time but revived on the 27th with a location on Alaska’s North Slope along the Kigalik River; #39535 is also on the North Slope, south of Prudhoe Bay; #39541 is on the Noatak River in Alaska, north of Selawik NWR; #39543 missed the previous report date (25th), but was north of Old Wives Lake in Saskatchewan previously; #39546 missed the previous report date, but has been south of the Ross River in southeastern Yukon; finally, #39549 has been shifting between Cape Douglas and Cape Rodney on the Seward Peninsula for some time. At the rate PTTs are going off line, we might be down to a few “hangers-on” by mid-August. Due to staff vacation, there will be no update next week. Check back again in two weeks!

July 21, 2003

New Mexico birds 17615 and 17689 are still at Last Mountain Lake (north end) in Saskatchewan; these are the only 2 active PTTs at this point, and 17615 missed the last 2 report dates. Texas birds are still in the same general locations as last week, with 39505 (Mackenzie Delta in the NWT) and 39511 (Kaminuriak Lake in Nunavut) still in the far north, and 39508 in Nebraska just south of Crescent Lake NWR, 39510 in eastern Montana north of Medicine Lake NWR, and 39512 intermittently reporting from near Mitchell, SD. California pintails are in similar locations as last week as well, with 39527, 39528, 39543, 39544, and 39550 in the prairies of Alberta and Saskatchewan, 39546 in the southern Yukon near Ross River, and the remainder in Alaska. There could be as few as 10 and as many as 13 active CA PTTs at this point. Many PTTs seem to be on their last legs, with low voltage sensor readings and a majority of poor quality locations being common.

July 14, 2003

A couple of PTT-tagged hens from the Texas contingent made some moves this past week: #39508, which had been in South Dakota west southwest of Wall moved south into Nebraska Sandhills country east of Alliance. This is an often-used region during spring migration. Bird #39510, which had been in North Dakota southwest of Ambrose near Grenora moved west into eastern Montana west of Goose Lake and north of Medicine Lake NWR. The PTT on bird #39511 is failing - the bird is located in Nunavut on Kaminuriak Lake. Bird #39505 is still on the MacKenzie Delta in the far northwest of the Northwest Territories. The PTTs on birds 39509 and 39512 revive occasionally, with the former still in the Faulkton, SD area, and the latter still southeast of Mitchell, SD. The two active New Mexico pintails are still located at the northern end of Last Mountain Lake in Saskatchewan, and #24898 revives occasionally and it’s northeast of Kindersley, Saskatchewan. There are 12 California hens with active PTTs, with 1 or 2 reviving occasionally to give a location. At this point, there are 2 birds in southern Saskatchewan, 2 in southern Alberta (#39528, which had been thought dead or with a failed PTT, revived near Hanna, where it had been previously), and 1 other, #39544 near Kindersley, Saskatchewan, which revived for 1 location on the 11th. There are 6 California birds in Alaska regularly giving locations, and a couple of others do so occasionally. Two of the acitve birds are on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, with one other that occasionally gives a location, 2 are on the North Slope, 1 is on the Seward Peninsula at Cape Douglas, and the other is north of Selawik NWR along the Noatak River. These are all long-term locations. We are getting an increased number of occasional locations from a few birds because warming summer temperatures warm up the batteries in the PTTs and boost power output just enough to give a location, usually of poor quality, once in awhile. Under these circumstances, it is often difficult to determine if the bird is still alive.

July 7, 2003

This week marks the end of programmed life for our satellite transmitters, but a good many are still giving locations. The 2 New Mexico birds are still at Last Mountain Lake in Saskatchewan. The Texas birds are still in the Northwest Territories (n = 1), Nunavut (n = 1), South Dakota (n = 3; 39509, though gone, revived to record a location near it’s old position south of Faulkton, and 39512 [South Texas bird] has given a couple of locations lately east southeast of Mitchell), and North Dakota (n = 1). California birds have not moved, but PTTs continue to dwindle. Two birds are in Saskatchewan, 2 in Alberta, 1 in the Yukon, and 5 in Alaska. Additionally, #39540 revived long enough to give a position or 2 near Apokak in Alaska on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, but we’re unsure of these; #39532, which had been offline for some time, revived to give 1 position at sea west of the YKD. Lastly, #39534 was last heard from in western Montana near Lake Francis on July 2nd, but this was a poor quality location and we haven’t heard from this bird since then. Most hens will have hatched out broods by now and males will have departed for molting lakes, some of which have perennial botulism problems. Some of the hens have shown some movement from long-time use areas, but the location qualities have been poor, so we can’t yet be sure the movements are real. If we can get a few more locations out of these birds, we’ll be able to render a decision.

June 30, 2003

PTTs continue to falter as they reach the end of their programmed life (5 July). The 2 New Mexico birds are still at Last Mountain Lake in southern Saskatchewan, while the 4 Texas hens are on the Mackenzie Delta in far northwestern NWT, in South Daktoa southwest of Wall, in North Dakota southwest of Ambrose, and in Nunavut at Kaminuriak Lake (1 at each location); PTT #39509 stopped giving locations during the past week and 39510 is showing signs that it will quit shortly. The California birds are in the same locations as last week, but PTT 39527, 39530, 39532, 39534, and 39538 are all showing signs of imminent failure, having not given a location recently. Current distribution of just the PTTs giving up-to-date locations includes 7 in Alaska and 3 in the prairies of southern Alberta and Saskatchewan. If we allow for the possibility that the PTTs currently intermittent or off-line will give some additional locations, then the distribution might be 9 in Alaska, 1 in the Yukon, 1 in North Dakota, and 5 in the Canadian prairies. I’d like to remind everyone to check the related links button on the Pinsat web site home page and take a look at pintail migration from South Carolina, as well as migration of surf scoters from San Francisco Bay. Both of these projects are using satellite tracking technology. Have fun!

June 23, 2003

Both of the remaining New Mexico pintails are at the north end of Last Mountain Lake in southern Saskatchewan, #17615 having moved over from west of Old Wives Lake. The distribution of Texas hens has not changed, with 1 on the Mackenzie Delta in the Northwest Territories, 1 near Kaminuriak Lake in Nunavut, 2 in south Dakota, and 1 in North Dakota. California marked pintails, of which only 16 remain active, are located in Alaska (n = 10), southern Saskatchewan (n=4), southern Alberta (n = 1), and near the Ross River in the Yukon (n = 1). Unfortunately, we continue to lose contact with more transmitters, with technical failure and bird mortality both playing a role. We have obtained enough data, however, to show that CA, TX, and NM pintails responded in large numbers this year to the much improved wetland conditions in the southern prairies; interestingly, despite these good conditions, smaller groups of CA birds, as previous years when the prairies were drier, went directly to Alaska over the ocean or blew through through Alberta to Alaska or other northern areas. Underlying the general pattern of pintail migration we have discovered over the course of this project, is an array of complexities intertwining in time and space that preclude simple prediction of pathways and settling patterns based on habitat conditions alone. It appears that fidelity to previously used routes and nesting regions plays a key role, in association with habitat conditions, in the selection of migration routes during any given year.

June 16, 2003

We continue to lose transmitters, and only 2 remain active from New Mexico, 5 from Texas, and 14-16 from California. The New Mexico birds are both in southern Saskatchewan (SK), one near Old Wives Lake and the other at the north end of Last Mountain Lake; The Texas birds are in the Northwest Territories on the Mackenzie Delta, in Nunavut at Kuminuriak Lake, in South Dakota near Wall and south of Faulkton, and in North Dakota southwest of Ambrose. Three new California birds are missing (39528, 39533, 39551). The remaining birds are in SK, with 2 around Old Wives Lake and 2 generally north of Swift Current; whereas, 2 are in Alberta, with 1 in the Cypress Hills and the other north of Brooks. Eight birds are in various parts of Alaska, including primarily the YK Delta, Cape Douglas on the Seward Peninsula, and the North Slope. One additional bird is in the Yukon near the Ross River (might be dead). In other news, the annual May Survey of North America’s waterfowl and habitat conditions has been underway since the beginning of May in the southern prairies and will end within about 10 days in the northern regions. We will post results here for pintails when available.

June 9, 2003

We’ve lost more New Mexico PTTs this week, and we are now down to 2 active ones: 17615 west of Old Wives Lake in southern Saskatchewan and 17689 at the north end of Last Mountain Lake, also in Saskatchewan. There are 5 Texas PTTs still active, all from North Texas, with 3 in the Dakotas (39508, 39509, and 39510), 1 on the Mackenzie Delta in northwestern Northwest Territories (39505), and 1 at Kaminuriak Lake west of Hudson Bay in Nunavut (39511). We’re down to about 17 or 18 active PTTs in the California contingent (some go off line and then revive): Six or 7 are in the southern prairies in AB and SK (39527, 39528, 39530, 39534, 39543, 39550 -- 39524 was in s. SK when it last recorded a position on June 3), 8 are in AK (most on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta [39529, 39532, 39538, 39540, 39549]), 1 is on the Mackenzie Delta (39533), 1 is in the southern Yukon east of the Ross River (may be dead) (39546), and 1 is eastern Montana west of Malta (39551). The proportion of California birds present in the prime prairie nesting region is still holding at about twice the level of the previous years, this as a result of the excellent wetland conditions this year; largely as a result of this, a lower percentage is present in Alaska now than at this time in previous years. It looks like PTTs are going to continue to fail, so our sample size will shrink even further over the next month.

June 1, 2003

Welcome to June. Pintails have pretty much dispersed to nesting regions, north and south, and any significant moves now would be related to renesting efforts or flights to molting lakes. We are down to only 3 active PTT’s from New Mexico: 17615 and 17689 are in southern Saskatchewan (Old Wives Lake area and Last Mountain Lake), and 24898 is in southern Alberta near Oyen. Bird 24906 gave one location south of Weyburn in Saskatchewan after being quiet for 13 days. North Texas pintails are located in the Northwest Territories on the Mackenzie Delta (39505), Nunavut at Kaminuriak Lake west of Hudson Bay (39511), South Dakota near Shearer Lake (39508) and south of Faulkton (39509), and Eastern Montana south of Bowdoin NWR (39510 - moved west from southwest of Ambrose in North Dakota). Another Texas bird, 39512, continues to give intermittent locations in South Dakota east of Mitchell. We are down to 19 active PTTs from California: 6 are in southern Saskatchewan, 2 in southern Alberta (maybe 3 if 39528 revives), 4 on the YK Delta in Alaska, 4 in other parts of Alaska (2 at Selawik NWR, 2 in Cook Inlet - Redoubt Bay and Susitna Flats), 1 in the Northwest Territories on the Mackenzie Delta, and 2 in the Yukon - 1 on Old Crow Flats in the north and 1 along the Ross River and Field Lake in the south. Loss of PTTs, either through technical failure or bird mortalities, continues to be a problem.

May 27, 2003

I hope you all had a relaxing Memorial Day weekend. Many of our PTT-tagged pintail hens are making some moves and, unfortunately, several PTTs are failing or birds have died. The New Mexico PTTs have been especially hard hit over the past 10 days or so, with confirmation of PTT failure/bird mortality for #’s 12889, 17008, 17537, 17611, and probably 24906, and perhaps 17614. The remaining birds are in southern SK (17615, 17689) or southern Alberta (24898). North Texas inactive/failed PTTs include #’s 39502 (new), 39503, 39504, 39506, and 39507. Active birds are distributed in the Northwest Territories (39505 north of Mills Lake), Nunavut (39511 on the west coast of Hudson Bay), South Dakota (39508 near Wall and 39509 south of Faulkton), and North Daktoa (39510 southwest of Ambrose). No South Texas PTTs are functioning; we get intermittent locations from #39512 in the Mitchell area. California birds are in many different places, but the two most heavily used areas still are Alaska and the prairies of Saskatchewan and Alberta. Specifically, #’s 39524, 39527, 39530, 39534, 39543, and 39544 (might be dead) are in southern SK; whereas, #’s 39528, 39548 (intermittent only), and 39550 are in southern AB. Additionally, #39551 is providing intermittent locations in eastern Montana west of Malta and Bowdoin NWR. One hen, #39522 has bucked the prairie trend and is now in northern Manitoba at Kitchen Lake northwest of Churchill. Other northern midcontinent birds include #’s 39535 and 39546 in the Yukon, and 39533 in the Northwest Territories west of Fort Good Hope west of the MacKenzie River. The remaining hens are in various locations in Alaska, including #39529 along Nushagak Bay (Clark’s Point), 39531 on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta (YKD) at Gufmut, 39532 on the YKD south of Apokak and then Togiak NWR, 39536 on the Yukon Flats (might be dead), 39538 on the YKD at Hazen Bay, 39540 inland of the Copper River Delta along Rude River, 39541 and 39545 at Selawik NWR, 39542 southeast of Palmer (probably dead), 39549 at Redoubt Bay State Critical Habitat Area on Cook Inlet. We are disappointed with the large number of bird mortalities/PTT failures, but this seems to be a common occurrence at this time of year. Mortality seems to occur during the migrations and then again during the nesting period. The PTTs are very reliable, so we attribute most of the inactive units to mortality; however, we will make definitive conclusions only once the field season is completed at the end of August.

May 19, 2003

New Mexico pintails continue to hold on in the prairies, with 4 in southern Saskatchewan (2 others that might still be there - 12889 and 17008 - have not provided new locations since 12-13 May). One bird, 17611, is in the Northwest Territories as of 13 May but has provided no new locations since; 17614 is in North Dakota at J. Clark Salyer NWR. North Texas pintails are in North Dakota (2), South Dakota (2), northwest British Columbia (1 southeast of Kotche Lake), and northern Manitoba (1 east southeast of Lynn Lake). No South Texas birds are giving consistent locations, but 39512 is probably still in South Dakota west of Sioux Falls (16 May) and 39521 might still be in southwest Saskatchewan south of Cypress Lake. Ten California pintails are now in various parts of Alaska, including the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta (2), Nugashak Bay/River in southwestern Alaska (2), Yukon Flats (1), Stony river of western Alaska (1), Copper River Delta (2), central Alaska north of Tanana, and Bering Glacier forelands (1). Two birds each are in the Northwest Territories and the Yukon, 1 is in far northern Manitoba near Kitchen Lake northwest of Churchill, and 7 are in the southern prairies of Alberta and Saskatchewan, and 1 is in eastern Montana. Lost/missing California birds include 39523, 39525, 39526, 39537, 39544 (very intermittent), 39547, and 39548.

May 12, 2003

There has been much snow on the prairies, and this should be a good production year for pintails, unless more snow or ill-timed cultivation disrupts things too much. At any rate, there will be a large number of May Ponds this spring and the conditions are set to produce lots of ducklings. All but one New Mexico PTT-tagged hen are still in southern Saskatchewan except for one at Lake Claire (Athabasca Delta) in northern Alberta and one in North Dakota. The North Texas birds are distributed in North Dakota (2), South Dakota (1), and Saskatchewan (2), as well as southeast Colorado (1). We’ve lost contact with the last active South Texas bird (#39521), which last moved from South Dakota to southwest Saskatchewan. California birds are in many different areas: 1 in northern Manitoba south of Churchill (39522), 5 in southern Saskatchewan, 5 in southern Alberta, 3 in northern Alberta, 1 in the Yukon at Kluane Lake (#39545), 1 in eastern Montana still, and 7 in various parts of Alaska, including the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Susitna Flats, Copper River Delta, Yakutat, Yukon Flats, and north of Iliamna Lake. Unfortunately, we are losing or have lost contact with several: #39524 which last reported from Sauvie Island in northwest Oregon on the 2nd, 39537 which last reported from over the ocean off southeast Alaska on the 3rd, 39547 which last reported from Egegik on the Alaska Peninsula on the 4th, and 39548 which last reported from “Easy Coulee” in southern Alberta on the 29th of April; 2 other failed to report when last expected on the 8th and 10th respectively, #39524 and 39551. We expect these will give locations next time.

May 5, 2003

All active PTTs (8) from New Mexico are now in Canada: 7 in south Saskatchewan and 1 in northern Alberta (Lake Claire - #17611). There are 2 North Texas PTTs in southern Saskatchewan, 2 in South Dakota, 1 in North Dakota (had been in southern SK), and 1 still in southeast Colorado near Thurston Reservoir. The 1 South Texas PTT still routinely active moved from South Dakota to southwestern Saskatchewan south of Cypress Lake, and the intermittent bird is still in South Dakota way west of Sioux Falls (south of Chamberlain). There are 6 California PTTs in Alaska now, 1 on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta (YKD), 1 north of Glennallen, 1 at Susitna Flats, 1 at Egegik (might be dead), and 1 still in Taylor Bay; we recorded the other migrating over the ocean off southeast AK. There are 7 CA birds in southern Saskatchewan, 5 in southern Alberta, 4 in central to northern Alberta, 1 in eastern Montana, 1 in coastal British Columbia (will turn up in Alaska at some point), 1 at Sauvie Island in northern Oregon, 1 at Lower Klamath NWR in northeastern California, and 1 north of Malheur NWR in southern Oregon. Three CA birds are dead or have failed PTTs (#39544 just declared inactive - had been in southern SK north of Swift Current).

April 28, 2003

Many pintails are moving to Canada, where as it turns out, wetland conditions are good, especially in southern Saskatchewan. New Mexico birds: 3 are in the Old Wives Lake vicinity; 1 is southeast of Saskatoon; 1 is east of Macklin; 1 is in North Dakota north of Lostwood NWR; and 1 was recorded in southern Colorado. North Texas birds: 3 are in southern Saskatchewan, with 2 in the Estevan-Weyburn region and 1 east of Regina; 1 is in North Dakota north of Wildrose; 1 is in South Dakota south of Faulkton; 1 is in southeast Colorado at Thurston Reservoir. South Texas birds: Bird 39512 revived for a location in South Dakota west of Sioux Falls, the same location as the last record on April 5th; the other bird is still in Nebraska south of York. California birds: 3 birds have arrived in Alaska, with #39531 now north of Egegik on the Nushagak River, 39547 at Egegik on the Alaska Peninsula, and 39549 at Taylor Bay in southeast Alaska; 7 birds are in southern Saskatchewan in good pintail nesting country, 4 are in southern Alberta in what could be considered to be typical pintail nesting country there, 2 are in southern Alberta in the Parklands (not thought of as good pintail nesting), and 6 are in northern Alberta in the Grande Prairie-High Prairie-Peace River region and probably on their way to Alaska; 1 bird is west of Malta east of Havre, Montana in good nesting country. Additionally, 4 birds are still in southern Oregon (1 at Chewaucan, 1 north of Malheur, 1 at Upper Klamath, 1 in Warner Valley), and the final bird moved from Tulelake in northeast CA to Sauvie Island in the Columbia River near Portland, OR. If these latter marked hens are going to migrate to Alaska over the ocean, they likely will depart soon.

April 21, 2003

Some southern Alberta prairie pintails from California have moved north into the Grand Prairie region (Latitude 55o N), and the Old Wives Lake vicinity in southern Saskatchewan is holding birds from New Mexico and California. The first Texas hen moved north into southern Canada. Here’s the specifics: New Mexico pintails are now distributed in southern SK (4 ducks all in the Old Wives Lake region), southern AB (1 at Many Island Lake in far southeast part of province), North Daktoa (1 south of Ambrose), South Dakota (1 south of Chamberlain), and northern New Mexico (1 north of Stinking Lake). North Texas birds are distributed in North Dakota (1 south of Ambrose, 1 west of Tioga), South Dakota (1 south of Faulkton), Nebraska (1 northeast of Holdrege), Colorado (near or at Neenoshe Reservoir), and southeast SK (1 northeast of Weyburn). The lone remaining South Texas hen is in Nebraska near Fairfield. California pintails are located in southern OR (6 among Chewaucan, Upper Klamath, Malheur, and Warner Valley) and northeast CA (2 - Tulelake and Pitt River), eastern Montana west of Malta (1), southern Alberta (8 among Hanna, Calgary, Edmonton, Stavely, Dinosaur Provincial Park, Brooks, and Red Deer vicinities), norther Alberta (3 in Grande Prairie area), and southern Saskatchewan (7 among Old Wives Lake [3], Swift Current, west of Saskatoon, and Frontier). An accounting shows 15 hens, or about 54%, are still in pintail nesting range in southern Canada, although the birds up near Edmonton could be considered to be north of prime territory for nesting; the hen west of Malta is in nesting habitat as well. All birds in the Dakotas must be considered to be in prime pintail nesting range. We expect that within 10 days, the birds heading for Alaska will be recorded there.

April 14, 2003

A large proportion of California pintails migrated last week, and there are now 20 PTT-tagged hens distributed between southern Alberta and southern Saskatchewan, which is 71% of our sample. The other 8 hens remain in northeastern California or southern Oregon (SONEC), and these, or at least some portion of them, will be the ones to migrate directly to Alaska over the ocean if history repeats itself. In summary: The following hens are in southern Alberta – 39528 (se of Hanna), 39530 (w of Castor), 39533 (moved directly from the Sacramento Valley to (Milk River Ridge), 39535 (se of Lethbridge), 39536 (w of Buffalo Lake), 39538 (se Red Deer), 39539 (sw Camrose), 39540 (n Lethbridge), 39541 (n Brooks), 39545 (e Red Deer), 39546 (se Calgary), 39548 (se Dinosaur Provincial Park), 39550 (n Brooks), and 39551 (e Stavely); the following are in southern Saskatchewan – 39522 (e Frontier), 39524 (w Old Wives Lake), 39527 (n Fife Lake), 39534 (nw Frontier), 39543 (nw Moose Jaw), and 39544 (nw Sidewood); the following are still in SONEC – 39525 (Lower Klamath NWR), 39529 (Warner Valley), 39531 (Pitt River lowlands), 39532 (Chewaucan Marsh), 39537 (Upper Klamath NWR), 39542 (n Malheur NWR), 39547 (Chewaucan Marsh), and 39549 (Lower Klamath NWR). New Mexico-tagged hens also started to move into southern Canada, with all three settling in southern Saskatchewan: 12889 has been in the Old Wives Lake area for some time, 17611 near Frontier, and 17689 north of Swift Current; 17008 is intermittent but appears to still be in Colorado in the Greeley vicinity, 17614 is in Colorado nw of Monte Vista NWR, 17615 is in South Dakota south of Chamberlain, 24898 is in North Dakota on the Little Missouri National Grassland, and 24906 is still in northern New Mexico in the Stinking Lake vicinity; bird 17537 has died. All North Texas PTT-tagged pintails are still in the U.S: 39502 in North Dakota (Watford City), 39505 and 39509 in South Dakota (Belle Fourche, s Miller), 39510 in Nebraska (s Kearney), 39511 in Kansas (west of Garden City), and 39508 alternating between southwest Oklahoma and northern Texas (Stratford, Conrad, Texahoma). Only one South Texas hen is still giving locations, 39521, and it moved north from Salt Plains NWR in Oklahoma to west of Beatrice, Nebraska. Note: It appears that the prairies of southern Canada are in pretty good shape as of right now. Even though the drought maps might indicate normal or slightly below normal water conditions, last summer’s heavy rain along with a good “frost seal” this fall/winter in wetland basins, a quick snow melt this spring, and continuing precipitation has set the stage for a good production year. We will have to wait for the official “May Pond” count to verify, but keep your fingers crossed.

April 7, 2003

New Mexico birds still pretty much in the same places as last week: 1 in southern Saskatchewan south of Old Wives Lake; 1 in Colorado south of Greeley; 1 in Oklahoma north of Wewoka; 1 at Bear River marshes in Utah; 2 in South Dakota, 1 south of Chamberlain and 1 west of Pierre; 1 in North Dakota on the Little Missouri National Grassland, and 1 still in New Mexico at Stinking Lake. North Texas birds are in similar locations as well: 1 in North Dakota northeast of Watford City; 2 in South Dakota, 1 east of Belle Fourche and 1 south of Miller; 1 in south Oklahoma east of Conrad; 1 in Nebraska southeast of Holdrege; and 1 in Kansas south of LaCrosse. One of the South Texas birds, #39512, that had been silent for quite some time resurrected long enough to give a location west of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; the other south TX bird is still in Oklahoma at Salt Plains NWR. California birds are continuing to head north: 1 bird is in western Montana in the Lake Francis vicinity and another is in eastern Montana near the Canadian/North Dakota borders northeast of Havre; the bird that had been in Nevada apparently moved north to the Red Rock Lakes NWR vicinity, but the location quality was poor; 4 birds are still in Northeast California at Lower Klamath NWR (2), along the Pitt River west of Alturas, and near Burney (probably flying); 2 birds are still at Bear River marshes in Utah; 11 birds are in southern Oregon at Chewaucan Marsh (6), Warner Valley, Upper Klamath NWR area, Klamath Game Management Area, and Malheur NWR (2); 1 bird is still along the Okanogan River in northcentral Washington; and 1 bird remains in the Sacramento Valley. Five California birds are located in southern Alberta (southeast of Hanna, Milk River Ridge, Little Bow Reservoir, northeast of Brooks, and southeast of Dinosaur Provincial Park); 1 is west of Frontier in southern Saskatchewan.

March 31, 2003

New Mexico PTT-tagged pintails haven’t moved much in the last week. There are 3 birds in Colorado (Monte Vista NWR and south east of Greeley), 1 in Saskatchewan west of Estevan, 1 at the Bear River refuge in Utah, 1 west of Garden City in Kansas, 1 near Faulkton in South Dakota, and 1 still at Stinking Lake in New Mexico. North Texas bird 39508 came back to far northern Texas near Stratford from just over the boarder near Conrad, Oklahoma. Bird 39502 moved up to just south of Lostwood NWR in North Dakota from near Mobridge in South Dakota. In Nebraska, 1 bird is just south of Ainsworth, another is on Harlan County Lake, and a third is near Holdrege. The last bird is in Kansas just west of Cedar Bluffs Reservoir, having come north from west of Garden City, Kansas. Only 1 PTT from South Texas remains active, and the bird is near Enid, Oklahoma. California pintails are distributed roughly as they were last week. There are 12 hens in southern Oregon (Chewaucan marsh, Upper Klamath NWR, Klamath Game Management Area, Malheur NWR, Warner Valley), 6 in northeastern California (Pitt River lowlands, Modoc Plateau, Lower Klamath NWR), 2 in Utah (Bear River refuge) and Washington (Okanagon River, Turnbull NWR near Spokane), 1 in Idaho (south of Crane Prairie Reservoir)and Nevada (Dixie Valley west of Carson Lake), and 2 still in the Sacramento Valley (near Palermo, near Beale AFB). Several PTTs are giving signals of upcoming PTT failure and some others are giving only poor quality locations. Such technical problems should not be happening this early in the migration.

March 24, 2003

First PTT-tagged pintails reached Canada over the weekend. A New Mexico bird, #12889 is west of Estevan in southeastern Saskatchewan having migrated up from South Dakota. California bird #39548 is now just east of Dinosaur Provincial Park in southern Alberta northwest of Brooks after a moderate flight from Upper Klamath NWR in southern Oregon via McKay NWR in northern Oregon. The remainder of the New Mexico birds are in Colorado (4 birds), Utah (1 bird), Kansas (1 bird), and Nebraska (1 bird at Crescent Lake NWR). North Texas birds are distributed in Nebraska (3 birds), South Dakota (1 bird), Colorado (1 bird), Kansas (1 bird) and Texas (1 bird). The South Texas birds are in South Dakota (1 bird) and Oklahoma (1 bird). We are getting only intermittent poor quality locations on #39515, and the most recent location (23 March) was at Sabine NWR along the Gulf Coast. Three California birds are still in the Central Valley. Northeastern California accounts for 6 birds (Lower Klamath NWR, Pit River west of Alturas, Tulelake NWR, Big Sage Reservoir, Boles Meadows). Southern Oregon accounts for 12 birds (Chewaucan Marsh, Warner Valley, Lower and Upper Klamath NWRs, Klamath Game Management Area, Spring Lakes, Malheur NWR). Two birds are in Washington State, 1 is in northern Idaho, 1 is in Nevada, and 2 are in Utah. We suspect that many additional birds will reach Canada before too long, as we are hearing reports of small flocks of pintails showing up in the southern prairie provinces.

March 17, 2003

The present distribution of New Mexico birds is moving northward. Bird #12889 moved from the Dodge City, Kansas area to northeast of Vermillion, South Dakota. #17611 is still at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Utah. #17614 and #17689 are still at Monte Vista NWR in Colorado, and #24898 moved north from Limon, Colorado to near Sterling, Colorado. #17615 is still in the Garden City, Kansas area, and #24906 is still in the northern part of New Mexico at Heron Lake. It is likely that PTTs have failed on birds #17008 and 17537, or the birds have died. Only 6 North Texas PTTs are still providing locations. #39502 and #39509 are still in the Amarillo area, #39505 is west of Stratford in far northern Texas on the Rita Blanco National Grassland, and #39508 remains in the Lubbock area. Something new, though, is #39510, which moved north from near Hereford, TX to east of Stockton, Kansas; additionally, #39511 is still in the Garden City, Kansas area. The PTT on #39506 is failing, giving only sporadic locations. Only 2 South Texas birds remain: #39512, which had been on the Gulf Coast near Palacios, TX for some time, moved north a long distance, to Desoto NWR on the Missouri River in far eastern Nebraska (or could be on the Iowa side). Bird #39521 moved from Indianola, TX where it had resided since marking, migrated toOklahoma, first to Stillwater, then to north of Kingfisher, and then on to Salt Plains NWR. Bird #39515 is now providing only sporadic locations, east of Houston, and the PTT is probably failing. California birds continue to gang up in the Southern Oregon-northeastern California area, and several are moving north of there. Just this week, 2 birds wound up in eastern Washington, one near Wannacut Lake-Okanagon River in the northcentral part of the state (#39551), and another at McNary NWR in the Tri-Cities area along the Columbia River in the southeast (#39528). Other movements include: #39524 moved west from Carson Lake in NV to Washoe Lake south of Reno. Bird #39529, which last week we thought had moved north to Idaho (poor location quality, confidence in the location was poor), probably did not, as she turned up in the Warner Valley of southern Oregon, having been at Lower Klamath NWR before that. #39531 moved from Reservoir “N” to Modoc NWR in northeast CA. #39534 moved up from the Yolo Bypass near Sacramento to Honey Lake in northeast CA. #39535 moved from Big Valley in northeast CA to Catlow Valley in southern OR. #39537 moved from Lower Klamath NWR to Upper Klamath Lake. #39543 is still east of Lewiston, Idaho. #39546 moved north from the Llano Seco area in the Sacramento Valley to Upper Klamath NWR in southern OR. #39547 moved from Upper Klamath to the Sprague River in southern OR. The complete distribution: Northeast CA - 9 birds; Southern OR - 10; Utah - 2; Washington - 2; Idaho - 1; and NV - 1; Still in the Central Valley - 2. The PTT on bird #39522 is failing, and this bird was still in the Sacramento Valley when last recorded on 9 March.

March 10, 2003

New Mexico birds are on the move this week. Bird 12889 moved to Dodge City, Kansas from Elephant Butte Reservoir in NM, and 17615 is in the Garden City, KS area. 17008 is still in Mexico north of Nuevo Casas Grande, and 17537 is still west of Amarillo, TX. Bird 17611 is still at Otter Crest Reservoir, UT, but may be dead there. Both 17614 and 17689 are at Monte Vista NWR in Colorado, 24898 moved from Estancia, NM to south of Limon, CO, and 24906 moved up to Heron lake in northern NM. North Texas birds haven’t moved much and are still scattered between Amarillo and Lubbock, except 39511 is still near Garden City, KS. South Texas birds are down to only one bird giving reliable locations (39521 near Indianola) and two yielding intermittent ones (39512 and 39515 along the Gulf Coast). California birds continue to trickly north, but one bird, 39533, which had gone north to Lower Klamath NWR, came back and is now near the Cosumnes Preserve south of Sacramento. We lost #39523 to bird mortality or PTT failure. Seven birds are still in the Sacramento Valley and the remainder are distributed as follows: Northeast California - 10 birds, most at Lower Klamath NWR, with one each at Honey Lake, Big Valley, Butte Valley, and Fall River Valley; Southern Oregon - 8 birds, located at Upper Klamath NWR/Agency Lake, Warner Valley, Poe Valley, and Malheur Basin (Harney Lake/Silver Creek). Additionally, one bird migrated east to Utah’s Bear River NWR (39536) and another followed a similar path but stopped short at Carson Lake in Nevada (39524).

March 3, 2003

California pintails are on their way north in large numbers. Eleven are in Northeast California, mainly at Lower Klamath NWR, but also at Butte Valley State Wildlife Area, near Ash Creek Wildlife Area, and west of Honey Lake Wildlife Area. Three are at Upper Klamath NWR near or on Agency Lake in southern Oregon. More could have moved, but we did not get locations on 8 birds on February 25th as the result of data delivery problems at Argos (we hope to get these locations back-filled). The remaining California birds are in the Sacramento Valley at various locations, and the Yolo Bypass. The one bird in the San Joaquin Valley may be dead and one in the Sacramento Valley may be dead or PTT failing. We expect that most of the remaining California hens will migrate this next week. New Mexico birds are distributed at Nuevo Casas Grande in Mexico, Elephant Butte Reservoir and near Sevilleta NWR in New Mexico, Kansas near Garden City, Texas near Amarillo, Utah at Otter Creek Reservoir (probably dead), and Monte Vista NWR in Colorado (n = 2). North Texas birds largely have not moved much, mainly up a bit from the Lubbock area to Amarillo. One other bird is in Kansas, also near Garden City. Bird 39506 is likely dead or the PTT is failing, leaving 6 active. Only 2 birds remain from the 10 marked in south Texas, 1 near Indianola and 1 east of Houston.

February 24, 2003

Lots of bird movements occurred this past week. The New Mexico birds, in particular, made some important northward moves. #17008 remains north of Nuevo Casas Grande in Mexico, but 12889 moved back up to Bosque del Apache NWR from Elephant Butte Reservoir. #17537, after leaving Mexico, moved to Vega, just west of Amarillo, TX. #17614, which early on seemed to be dead, cast that conclusion aside and headed north to Monte Vista NWR in Colorado! #17615 moved to southwestern Kansas west of Garden City. The remaining 3 birds are along the Rio Grande River north of Sevilleta NWR. One North Texas bird, 39511, left the Lubbock, Texas area and landed in southwestern Kansas north of Liberal. The others are still in north Texas in the vicinity of Amarillo (39502, 39509), Lubbock (39505, 39506), and Dimmitt (39508, 39510). Only 3 birds remain alive or with active PTTs from the 10 we marked and released in South Texas, and all are along the Gulf Coast: 1 southeast of Palacios, 1 near Indianola, and 1 southeast of Houston at McFadden NWR. Seven California birds have migrated north to southeastern Oregon (39532, 39542, 39548) or northeast California (39528, 39539, 39540, 39549). Bird 39523 is dead and 39523 might be. The remaining 21 birds are scattered around the Sacramento Valley as before, including areas in the vicinity of Sacramento NWR, Llano Seco NWR, Howard Slough and Little Dry Creek Wildlife Areas, Gray Lodge Wildlife Area, Sutter NWR and bypass, District 10 northeast of Marysville, Butte Sink, and the Lower American Basin north of Sacramento.

February 17, 2003

Some additional movements this past week. New Mexico bird #17537, which had been near Pedernales in Mexico for some time, moved northeast to west of Amarillo, Texas near Vega; the other Mexico birds are in their same locations as previously. The other New Mexico group is spread out among Bosque (n = 2), Elephant Butte Reservoir (n = 2), and La Joya State Wildlife Area (n = 2). Of the 7 North Texas birds, 5 are still in the Lubbock area, mostly north, and 2 moved up to southeast of Dimmitt. Only 4 South Texas PTTs remain active, with 1 in south Louisiana near Lacassine NWR (this PTT may be failing), 1 east of Houston, 1 southeast of Palacios, and 1 in the area of marking near Indianola. In California, 24 of the birds are spread out at various Sacramento locations, including Butte Sink, District 10 northeast of Marysville, Howard Slough and Little Dry Creek State Wildlife Areas, Sutter Bypass and NWR, Lower American Basin, Upper American Basin, Llano Seco NWR, and Sacramento NWR. One of the Sacramento Valley birds moved up to southern Oregon near the Wood River Wetlands near Agency Lake (Upper Klamath Lake), and 2 others still remain on Lower Klamath NWR. One bird is in Suisun Marsh (#39541), and another is still in the San Joaquin Valley on San Luis NWR. The PTT on this latter bird is giving signals that either the bird may be dead or the PTT may be failing. Stay tuned.

February 3, 2003

Not much additional movement this past week. Three New Mexico birds are still in Mexico at the same locations, 1 is at Bosque del Apache NWR, 3 are at Elephant Butte Reservoir, and 2 are at the Bernado Wildlife Management Area just north of Sevilleta NWR along the Rio Grande north of Bosque. All but one of the North Texas birds are in the Lubbock area; the other is farther north east of Dimmitt. One bird, 39504, is missing from this group. In South Texas, 2 birds are still along the Gulf Coast, 1 southeast of Palacios and 1 near Indianola. Another is in the rice prairies west of El Campo, another is northeast of Houston, and the last is still in the Lacassine NWR area in south Louisiana. All but 4 of the California birds are in the Sacramento Valley at various locations. Of the remainder, 1 is in the San Joaquin Valley in the north Grasslands near Los Banos, 1 is in northeast California on Lower Klamath NWR, and 2 are in the Delta - 1 is on the Consumnes Preserve and the other is in the south Yolo Bypass. Two birds are missing (39545 and 39551).

January 27, 2003

Some birds made significant moves this past week. South Texas bird #39516 flew east from Eagle Lake, Texas to Lacassine NWR in south Louisiana. This is the first such move we have documented. In California, bird #39528 made the first move north by migrating to Lower Klamath NWR in northeast California. This is part of a region we call “SONEC”, which stands for southern Oregon and northeastern California, and is an area where up to 87% of all pintails stop first after having left the Central Valley. This area includes the Klamath Basin. Also, in California, bird #39523, which had flown south to Kern NWR, moved back north to San Luis NWR near Los Banos. All other hens are in about the same locations as previously: New Mexico - 3 birds still in Mexico, 3 at Elephant Butte Reservoir, 2 at Sevilleta NWR or vicinity, and 1 still at Bosque del Apache NWR. North Texas - All birds still in the Lubbock vicinity. South Texas - 1 southeast of Palacios, 1 west of El Campo, 1 east of Houston, and 1 near Indianola. California - All still in the Sacramento Valley.

January 20, 2003

Still 3 New Mexico birds in Mexico, and one of these, 17611, moved south of Nuevo Casas Grande to the vicinity of Buenaventura. Two birds are at Elephant Butte Reservoir and one at Bosque del Apache NWR. The other two moved a bit north of there, one to Rio Puerco and the other at the La Joya Wildlife Area. North Texas birds are still in the Lubbock area, largely, but one is southeast of Dimmitt. In south Texas, one bird was shot west of El Campo (39519), and we haven’t heard from 39514 for some time. Of the 5 remaining active, two are southeast of Palacios on the Gulf Coast, and the others are in the rice prairies in the Eagle Lake - El Campo - Beamont areas. California pintails have shown little movement, with all but one bird in the Sacramento Valley at various locations. The odd bird out, 39523, moved way south to Kern NWR.

January 13, 2003

It has continued to rain moderately in California and birds are still spread throughout most wetland areas. Most of the California hens are still in the Sacramento Valley (n = 25), with 2 in the Delta region; 1 bird is missing and another may be dead (#39533). We’ll have a better estimate of this bird’s status on the next location. The New Mexico pintails are distributed similarly as last week, with 3 in Mexico, 4 at Elephant Butte Reservoir, and 2 at Bosque del Apache NWR. The North Texas hens are all in the Lubbock area, except that one moved a bit north to southeast of Dimmitt. In South Texas, 5 birds are in the rice prairies in the area of Eagle Lake, El Campo, and Beaumont, and 2 are on the Gulf, 1 at Palacios and 1 at Indianola.

January 6, 2003

Happy New Year! We made a large catch of pintails at Llano Seco NWR on New Year’s Day and obtained enough hens to reach our California quota of 30 birds marked with satellite transmitters. Currently, California pintails are spread throughout the Sacramento Valley, with a couple farther south in the Delta and south Yolo Bypass areas. The Sutter and Yolo Bypasses are flooded, providing a vast wetland area for use by waterfowl. There are 3 New Mexico-marked hens in Mexico now, as one that had been south of Elephant Butte Reservoir moved south to near Nuevo Casas Grande. All hens with active PTTs in North Texas are in the Lubbock area. In South Texas, birds are located at Indianola, El Campo, Eagle Lake, Palacios, and Houston.

December 30, 2002

Still having trouble catching pintails in California. Continuing storms, wind, rain, and rising creeks flooding trap sites are giving us fits. We still need to attach PTTs to 7 more hens. The new year is fast approaching, so maybe this will give us the fresh start we need! The distribution of marked pintails hasn’t changed too much. The New Mexico birds are still in Mexico (2), Elephant Butte Reservoir, Caballo Reservoir, and Bosque del Apache NWR. The north Texas birds are still in the Lubbock vicinity. South Texas hens have moved some, with one near Palacios Bay, 2 west of El Campo, 1 west of Beamont, 2 near Eagle Lake, and one still near Indianola. Bird 39520 is missing. The California birds are distributed throughout much of the Sacramento Valley, with 9 in the Sacramento NWR vicinity, relecting our recent catch there on 24 December, and the remainder in District 10 northeast of Marysville, Butte Sink, Sutter bypass, Howard Slough Wildlife Area (3 caught and released there on 26 December), and the Lower American and Lower Colusa Basins. Bird 39526 is missing. Have a safe New Year’s Eve.

December 16, 2002

Big windy and rainy storms moving through California since the end of last week have flooded many parts of the Sacramento Valley. This has really complicated our trapping efforts because several of our sites our underwater and pintails are spread out all over the valley in the newly flooded rice fields, flood bypasses, and other lands. We do have 10 marked with PTTs and 8 of them were still in the Sacramento NWR area just before the storms, where we trapped them, and the other 2 had moved east to the Butte Sink area. The birds in north Texas are still using playas in the area north of Lubbock, but a couple of the south Texas hens moved northeast to rice prairies west of El Campo; the rest remain in the Indianola area. Two of the New Mexico birds are still in Mexico, 6 are at Elephant Butte Reservoir south of Bosque del Apache NWR, and two are still in the vicinity of the refuge.

December 2, 2002

Not much to report this week. Still two New Mexico-marked hens in Mexico, one on the West Coast near Obregon and the other at Laguna Bustillos west of Chihuahua. All but one of the others are at Elephant Butte Reservoir south of Bosque del Apache NWR, and one remains at Bosque (might be dead). The Texas birds are giving data now. In north Texas, all the birds are still in the area of marking in Playa lakes north of Lubbock near New Deal. In south Texas, all the marked hens are still in the area of marking near Powderhorn Lake and Indianola south of Port Lavaca.

November 25, 2002

All pintails (n = 10) have been trapped, fitted with satellite transmitters, and released along the Gulf Coast near Indianola and Powderhorn Lake in south Texas, and in the Playa Lakes region of north Texas (n = 10). Congratulations to the trapping and marking crews, headed up by David Haukos of the Fish and Wildlife Service in Lubbock, who worked very long hours to complete this task. Current distribution of New Mexico pintails: 2 in Mexico (17537 on Laguna Bustillos west of Chihuahua and 17008 at Obregon on the West Coast of Mexico), 2 still at Bosque del Apache NWR where marked and released (1 may be dead), and 5 at Elephant Butte Reservoir south of Bosque. Happy Thanksgiving to all of our visitors!

November 18, 2002

The New Mexico PTT-tagged pintails have distributed themselves between the area of marking at Bosque del Apache NWR (n = 2), Elephant Butte Reservoir south of Bosque (n = 6), and west of Chihuahua in Mexico (n = 1). #17614 is still showing signs of immobility, which would indicate a mortality, but #17008, which I had thought might be dead, is showing signs of life after all. This week, we will be taking delivery of the PTTs that we will be attaching to hen pintails at two locations in Texas (Playa Lakes near Lubbock, Gulf Coast rice prairies) and in the Central Valley of California. We plan to start trapping and marking during the first week of December at all of those locations.

November 12, 2002

Welcome to Pinsat 2003! We have started early this year because the New Mexico pintails at Bosque del Apache NWR had to be caught and marked by the first of November to try and get birds that would be heading south to Mexico for the winter. We were successful in this effort. David Haukos of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, graduate student Colin Lee, and the staff at Bosque caught enough adult female pintails on October 27 for us to achieve the planned sample of 9 females tagged with satellite transmitters. They have been moving around after release. A few have moved to Elephant Butte Reservoir south of Bosque, a heavily used area last year as well, and one has already gone on to Mexico. We recorded this bird in flight (PTT #17537) so we don’t know where it will settle yet. Two birds may have died already, but we need more data to be sure.