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Beginning in late winter, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries,
and Parks will begin an exciting new program to track migratory waterfowl. Approximately
30 mallards will be trapped and outfitted with small backpack Global Positioning
System transmitters.
The transmitters weigh less than an ounce and allow birds to move freely with
a minimal amount of stress. Battery life of the transmitters is about a year,
which will allow daily monitoring of the satellite-tracked mallards during the
migration north to the nesting grounds and the return trip down the migration
corridor to over-winter, hopefully again in Mississippi.
The mallards will be trapped on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services refuges and
on several state Wildlife Management Areas across the state. Mature female mallards
will primarily be used in this study. Mature birds will be monitored to take
advantage of their migratory experience as they complete their over-wintering
activity in Mississippi and begin their migration back to the breeding grounds
in the north. Females are less desired in the bag for many waterfowl hunters
and will subsequently have potentially greater survival rates.
Much can be learned during this study relative to migration chronology, nesting,
and over-winter habitat selection. One of the most exciting segments will be
the ability to log on to www.mdwfp.com and actually see where individual ducks
are, anywhere they fly.
Companies, conservation organizations, and even private individuals will have
the opportunity to sponsor one or more of the satellite-tagged mallards. Numerous
benefits will accompany the sponsorship, including the naming of the sponsored
bird. Anyone interested in more information can contact Larry Castle at 601-432-2196
or by e-mail: larryc@mdwfp.state.ms.us
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