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Duck Blind Licensing For Waterfront Property Owners Opens
Deadline for Applications is June 1.

Duck Blind Licensing For Waterfront Property Owners Opens

Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Annapolis, MD --(AmmoLand.com)- The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Wildlife and Heritage Service announced that shoreline license applications are now being accepted from riparian (waterfront) property owners.

Anyone owning riparian property, or persons who have the permission of the riparian property owner, may license their shoreline for the purpose of establishing stationary blinds or blind sites for hunting waterfowl, or to prevent others from licensing the shoreline at a later date.

All applications and fees must be submitted by mail or in person and received by the close of business June 1, 2010. Riparian property owners may now license their shoreline for a period of one year ($20) or three years ($60). Landowners who miss the June 1 deadline may participate in the “open” licensing process that begins August 3.

Applications and information on laws related to shoreline licensing for riparian property owners are available at the DNR website www.dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/riparian.html or by calling the Wildlife and Heritage Service at 410-260-8540, toll free at 1-877-620-8DNR (8367).

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2009, is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 467,000 acres of public lands and 17,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland’s forests, fisheries, and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic, and cultural resources attract 12 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland’s effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state’s number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov

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Annual Mid-Winter Waterfowl Survey Completed

Pintail Ducks

Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife

Maine - -(AmmoLand.com)- Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife conducted its annual mid-winter waterfowl survey early in January 2010 and recorded numbers identical to or lower than 10-year-average figures.

The mid-winter waterfowl survey is conducted at the same time each winter in every state in the Atlantic Flyway. MDIFW wildlife biologists Brad Allen and Kelsey Sullivan and U.S. Geological Survey biologist Dan McAuley flew with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service pilot John Bidwell for nearly 40 hours to conduct the low-level survey between January 4 and January 16.

This year, the team counted slightly more than 56,000 ducks and geese, a figure significantly lower than the latest 10-year average count of 69,000.

According to Brad Allen, leader of MDIFW’s bird group, this year’s count likely was low because of the relatively mild, ice-free coastal conditions encountered during the survey. In years when the survey is preceded by cold, harsh weather conditions, waterfowl become concentrated along the coast and are more likely to be counted. In years when the weather is mild, waterfowl are either along the coast or are dispersed in freshwater sites near the coast that remain ice free. These inland areas are not searched by the survey team.

Despite the mild conditions, a relatively good number of black ducks were recorded at 16,388 birds. This figure is nearly identical to the latest 10-year average for this species.

The most disappointing numbers recorded this year were for the sea ducks, according to Allen. Fewer than 1,000 scoters were encountered during the survey. Long-tailed duck numbers also were low at 1,253. Common eider numbers were the lowest ever recorded during mid-winter waterfowl survey flights. The survey team tallied fewer than 15,000 eiders, well below the latest 10-year average of 26,500 for this species.

Other numbers recorded for waterfowl in Maine in early January 2010 were as follows:

• Mallards: 2,778
• Scaup: 232
• Goldeneyes: 7,549
• Buffleheads: 6,561
• Mergansers: 2,613
• Ruddy ducks: 107
• Harlequin ducks: 24
• Canada geese: 3,286

While Maine’s numbers were relatively low this year, the overall status of winter populations cannot be determined until Maine’s data are pooled with the other state’s numbers from Maine to Florida. Collectively, these data provide a relative index to the abundance of all waterfowl species and their distribution within the flyway.

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