Historic, archived document Do not assume content reflects current scientific knowledge, policies, or practices. ® Washington, D. C. May 10, 1923 MIGRATION RECORDS FROM WILD DUCKS AND OTHER BIRDS BANDED IN THE SALT LAKE VALLEY, UTAH. By ALEXANDER WETMORE, ASsistant Biologist, Division of Biological Investigations, Bureau of Biological Survey. CONTENTS. Page. 7 GrOduchOnia = 2 ee Se if Cinnamon’ teal 3. ee ee Migration and occurrence records_-_ 3 Sheveler, ‘or spoonbill________ Bs SUE WAS YS | Be ca ee eg a 4 bails Sees ra Coe Pee pee TAG Se enya eee ee ee ee ee ) i -nedhead) 3 ae ee ee ie de ae Green-wanged. teal. 2-222 be 6y)) Other birds)... 2 ots 2 ee Ema - al INTRODUCTION. The Bear River marshes at the north end of Great Salt Li 2, Utah (Pl. I, Fig. 1), a region highly attractive to wild ducks a d other waterfowl, are known as one of the great centers where such birds gather in the West, so that information regarding the migratory movements of the large numbers of birds that visit this region is of interest and importance. In the period from 1914 to 1916, the writer, while engaged in the study of an alkali poisoning prevalent among waterfowl in the Salt Lake marshes, had opportunity to band and release a considerable number of ducks and other birds (Pl. I, Fig. 2), a fair proportion of which were killed subsequently in oth: regions. Reports already published! have dealt with the so-called duck sickness, and have detailed methods by which a considerable number of the birds affected were cured. Before such individuals were set at liberty each was marked with a numbered band, and record made 1 Reports made on the author’s investigations of the duck sickness in Utah are con- tained in bulletins of the United States Department of Agriculture as follows: No. 217, Mortality among Waterfowl around Great Salt Lake, Utah (Preliminary Report), 10 p., 3 pls., 1915; and No. 672, The Duck Sickness in Utah, 25 p., 4 pls., 1918. Other reports based in part _on investigations then made are contained in Bulletin No. 7938, Lead Poisoning in Waterfowl, 12 p., 2 pls., 1919; and No. 936, Wild Ducks and Duck Foods of the Bear River Marshes, Utah, 20 p., 4 pls., 1921. Note.—This bulletin is a report on a study of the migratory movements of waterfowl and other birds, based on banding operations carried on in Utah from 1914 to 1916. It is for the information of sportsmen, ornithologists, and others interested in bird migra- tion and the protection of game birds, 27252°—23 = on 2 BULLETIN 1145, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. of the number, the species of bird, and the date of release. In addi- tion to wild ducks, numbers of young of other marsh birds were marked in a similar manner before they were able to fly. The re- lease of these banded birds was given publicity, and reports on bands recovered have been received from widely scattered sections in the United States and even from Canada and Mexico. An account of these records is presented in detail in this bulletin. 2 Bands were placed on 1,241 individuals of 23 species of birds of large or medium size belonging to various families, the majority on wild ducks of 9 species. The bands used were of two kinds, both made of alumi- num and manufactured originally for use in marking poultry. In each style a serial num- ber was stamped on one side. The reverse of one was marked, “ No- tify U. S. Dept. Agt., Wash. D. C.,” sand "os the other, “ Notify Bio- logical Survey, Wash- ington, D. C.” In the case of birds that had been at liberty for more than a year the bands returned were badly worn, and those received after two years’ wear had be- come thin and friable. One band more than four years old was re- covered, but it is prob- able that on most birds that survived beyond a period of three years ‘ the bands had become i poiiam worn until they were Bret de aan tore ae See ere broken Hie tae aati WEL ine nindattbaniae ition, (bande en aes and release is marked by a cross (position indicated sat, : Ee Pei Mpun operas meer ec dot in some cases TapTeRen Epa several returns, as thick as those ordi- narily used for poultry. The thicker bands are now being employed by the Biological Survey in its extensive bird-banding operations. All birds banded as a basis for the present study were released near the Duckville Gun Club, at the mouth of Bear River, Utah, save for a few that in 1916 were given to the State fish and game commission for exhibition at the annual State fair in Salt Lake City; these were subsequently released near Geneva, Utah, on the shore of Utah Lake. Of the 1.241 birds that were banded, 182 returns have been received, or somewhat more than 14 per cent. MIGRATION RECORDS FROM WILD DUCKS AND OTHER BIRDS. 3 Of the whole number banded, 994 were ducks, of which 174 were recovered. The number of returns from birds of this group, a little more than 17 per cent, indicates the results that may be obtained from work in banding birds of this family. In considering these records it is to be borne in mind that many of the birds banded at the mouth of Bear River, Utah, were individuals that had not bred there. Drake pintails and a few mallards begin to come in to that region after the first week in June and continue to gather, perhaps from points far distant, from then until late in fall. Migration out to other points begins about the first week in September, and there is a constant shifting of the waterfowl population during the fall as birds arrive from the north or leave for other points. The Bear River bays begin to freeze about Thanksgiving time, and in normal years by Decem- ber 1 ducks are forced out of this region, although an occasional open winter may permit their sojourn until in January or later. A few remain to winter in Utah in sloughs or channels kept open by spring water, but the majority perform extended flights to other regions. Some of the wintering mallards pass a short distance northward into the Snake River drainage in Idaho. Returns from all the records cover a vast area (see Fig. 1) extend- ing from western Missouri and Kansas west to California, and from southern Mexico (Guerrero) to Saskatchewan, Canada. A study of the results indicates one general line of flight to the west from the Salt Lake Valley to California, a route followed by green-winged teals and shovelers and part of the mallards and pintails. Another line of flight, taken by a group of birds that includes cinnamon teals, redheads, pintails, and mallards, crosses to the Great Plains region and thence south into Texas. Indications are that some of the birds last mentioned fly north and east to cross the divide separating Snake River from the headwaters of the Missouri and follow down east of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains; that all pursue such a route is doubtful, since there is nothing to prevent a direct flight to the east or southeast across any of the mountain passes. There is also a third general migration southward over the Rocky Mountain Pla- teau, prébably by a comparatively small number of birds, that carries the snowy herons and some of the ducks through the scattered lakes and ponds found in central and southern Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona. MIGRATION AND OCCURRENCE RECORDS. / Following is a list of species from which there have been no re- turns, with figures to indicate the number of individuals banded and set at liberty: Banas Westenmeconenes fatty Mlat fo TG (hs Freie Oye Pee AT EE Uses i 4 Pied-billed grebe______-_--__ Ei 2 9 acer ee ee ee DS ee Se 4 COSA TTR 5-21 1 BS sane a SERRE SRY OCR a Bes packets 1 | ULE OGG. SU bee 2 oN ee oe jaunt os aft Baldpate, or American widgeon pe FRIES ES ns er DAS A a EeLOy ecUGke iT ct eT LYE ee, a at AD, 1 7 6 4 1 PRS TUCO LEPC T IN ae 05 see woah PS lA ee a Dae pe ge eee be phick-crownedrnieht Meronts: se ey lee SRST Esa 8 RS SPs AN VN ie UB: 8S i A pag em Prem MCeKOte SEN betes rr ere Ame a eR ER, VL RAM PAS Be AILS, Mine leOE SOC wie te Tk STL te ees pert ny tia) a 4 BULLETIN 1145, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, Species from which returns have been received are as follows, the | numbers in the first column following each indicating the number of individuals banded, and in the second the number recovered and reported upon: | Banded. Returned. Pouble-crestéd: cormorantae i435 Bone i, aA iL 1 WU BD Ee oo eee Ea ore te ey a A eg Np Me 22 G21 iyi esi eaves 2 le a as MA) an ag spe Ba Pos ped al ile 4 Green-winged: Cecily se wl ard kM NANA AM Muha ed OR Ml 336 49 Cinnamon) ted are PO Poe ie RC a PUN EY a 45 5 Shoveler, OF) Spoonby ey | uy) Aye LN os A es ea 48 d Evi) 011521) hacer Mle LSE cA ATE NL LMI RIA eave Sueeielane URS ST NO 221 34 exe {6 HY =Y2 16 nettle il reba ie tase Mir) Dig ea aL onl ele nt Noi 239 51 Wihite-faced ‘2lossy Ibis! ye ee AAG: 104 1 Greatublue heron. ioc) ee eon 8 ee ete” |e 4 Snowy berome levee eet be pe ae | aero ae aa a ete 83 4 FASTA CP UCIT: COO Ei 8 RE SAL OME sa Oh nO a a 18 1 MALLARD. In comparison with some of the other species of ducks, the number of mallards handled was comparatively small, as only 72 were banded and released during the three seasons in which this work was carried on. Of these, 22—a little more than 30 per cent—were killed and reported subsequently (see Table 1). Seven were secured near the mouth of Bear River within a few miles of their place of release, 6 of them, and possibly 7, during the fall in which they had been marked. The other 15 individuals divide into two main groups, one of birds that remained until late fall or winter in the same general re- gion as the mouth of Bear River, and the other of birds that made extended migrations to other regions. In October two mallards marked during the preceding month were taken on Bear River near Tremonton, not far in an air line from the mouth of the stream. During November these ducks may wander more extensively, as, though several were taken during this month near the mouth of Bear River and one a short distance from Tremon- ton, others were reported in the sloughs near Great Salt Lake, west of Salt Lake City, and on Utah Lake, near Provo. In addition to these, late in November one was secured near Logan, Utah, and an- other on Snake River, in Fremont County, Idaho. Records for De- “cember are more widely scattered. One bird was killed on Bear River, near Collinston, December 13, and another on the Logan River, in Cache Valley, December 28. In the same month a drake was shot far to the south, on the Sevier River, north of Delta, Utah. During January one was taken near Pebble, Bannock County, Idaho, on the 14th, and another near Stone, in the same State, on the 19th. The latter bird was free from June 17, 1915, to January 19, 1917. From this account it would seem that a number of mallards remain in ponds and channels kept open by the inflow of spring water after more extensive bodies of water are closed by ice. Such birds pass north in suitable localities as far as the Snake River in Idaho. Return records from other States are notable more for their wide scattering than for anything else. One banded bird secured near Bishop, in Owens Valley, Calif. (in the Great Basin), on October 16, does not necessarily indicate an early migration from the Salt Lake Valley, for it had been at liberty for two years, so that there is no certainty that it had come from Utah the year it was killed. MIGRATION RECORDS FROM WILD DUCKS AND OTHER BIRDS. 5 A second bird was taken about March 1 in southeastern New Mexico. and a third on December 28, west of Houston, Tex. Part of the mallards from Salt Lake Valley, therefore, go west into California and part into the drainage basins leading into the western part of the Gulf of Mexico. TaBLe 1.—Record of returns for banded mallards. | Place recovered: Date released.! Date recovered. State. Locality. Sept. 16, 1914....... Fall, 19142........ (Wirelibers Hoo he ee Mouth of Bear River.’ Sept soo Old OS oslo GAT Beth ape tad Si A isceidiitecson Do. Sept. 17, 1916....... Nov328; 1916225-22|55. 2% Got sass es Do. Sept. 28, 1916....... Nov. 127498625 55 2 5 dOeee ee ema Do. DOSY 292.2% oei5| ss 5: Go. 2s ssS LE eee douse tek Do. Oct 2371916 Ss c42 = INOV. 15191622 see oe dO. e535 536D. Do. Sept. 16, 1914....... Deer2s,10it= eee lane ee See a8 On Logan River, Cache Valley, near Logan. Sept. 23, 1914....... Oct..9, 19145... 2S sce BO -.5535.5)5,2 OER 2 miles east of Tremonton. Sept. 25, 1914....... Now. 205 19145 lees GO Se cine SE At Utah Lake, 3 miles southwest of Provo. Sept. 5, 1915........ INOV= 4; LOLS eases sae dos -2kiso2. 188. 2 miles south of Thatcher. Sept. 14, 1915....... NOV226, 1915 see: eas dO. ois a5-80- 5 miles southwest of Logan. SANTI E 21 OIG! Se 5 oc DecrslelGl Gs naan Goes Soe ee On Sevier River, 7 miles north of Delta. Sept.@, 1916 - os.42.- OchsOslOlG=s 25st. oe GO1916252. tee dose. ee ene Do. Sept. 17, 1916......- Oct. 20, 1917 2... ..]....- 05. Sg Do. Sept. 20, 1916. ....-- Octo 251916. F252 pe se 0.2535 ae Do. 1D (eee gee Octs 2h 1916 Wee Sees Ff Got 8 ee. Peek. Do. Sept. 25, (916-. ..-.. Oct ZO 191624 soi bis 2 GO... pea Do. Sept. 29, 1916... -=- Oct. QNIGIGE Hse L. oss. Do. Oi. SE Oct. 45191 6sentients 4.4 do. eee. Do. Sept. 30, 1916. ....-- OchitOS19162 262 ie) Se dos... eee Do. Oc SHG! 2S Novet6: 1916 255.55 GO. 2s eee Do. Oct-15, 1916-25. - 2: OcEs2g S196 ==) 3-20 ee iG peeps Sent os Do. Octs2k 1916--22-2.2 Nov. 20, 1916 2.....1..... do}. . ces . ae cet Do. ! Nepusl i, tlGs <52.~ Nov. 18, 1916 Near Hot Springs, Boxelder County. Sept.) 4, 1916. ...... Oets 29, 1016! eee]. eS. Mouth of Weber River. DOs rae. Stas: Oct 202191 he Bh Near Syracuse, Davis County. Pepin, 1916 a2’. Och It io Ae. Do.3 Obeester ct deciles. ss donee Hho sede : eae? ore Do. Aug. 28, 1916....... Och 2, 10lo-- ee (st id .| Sloughs west of Salt Lake City. Sept. 4) 1916.10.64 00224 WOES EES. ZI Do. f Aug. 27, 1916 .......|. Nov. 14, 1916 ..| Vicinity of Magna, near Salt Lake City. Aug. 22,1915 222. . | Dee. 24, 1915. 2. Narrows of Jordan River, 20 miles south of ; Salt LakeCity. . AUP Moen = ose | OC. As Old. eee. Ca Las Eee aprtentes o 3 miles west of Gunnison. ATI. 27, 1916.22. Oct yt, 1916: 505 idaho 453 e roe Mud Lake, near Hamer. Aug. 20, 1916....... (DSO eae) Cia acetal (alee Te ial ae ree Tanner Field Lake, Bingham County. Sept. 4,1916....... Ochs 1916s care Ose eee Black oot Swamp, 12 miles north of Soda rings. Sepi 21 1 91Ge oc. ce INOW 27 pL OLG 5 52 @oloradoz--2..-42- Ones Lakes, near Ordway. Ane 205 191602 oo Apa li Oia. sre MIANSAS= << aac2 cece Near Nashville, Kingman County. Och 231 1916s. 2. NOVve22, 19162525.) PR Sie ke se Near O’ Donnell, Dawson County. Wall, 19164... <<. Jan./25, 1919. =) ATIZONAIS Sool eek Florence Reservoir, near Florence. 1 All banded and released at the mouth of Bear River, Utah. 2 Approximate date. ‘ : 8 This bird and the one following were banded and released at the same time and when killed were stillin company. 4 Released between August 27 and September 27. RETURNS FROM OTHER BIRDS. aod of five species of other families of birds may be considered riefly. An immature double-crested cormorant that was banded on July 3, 1915, was shot near the Jordan River, 12 miles northwest of Salt Lake City, on October 10 of the same year. Of 11 great blue herons marked in 1916 while in the nest, a return came from one bird, an individual banded July 3, 1916, and killed November 1, 1916, 4 miles southwest of Billings, Mont. The indi- cated northward movement after the breeding season is in accordance 14 BULLETIN 1145, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. : wile similar habits recorded for little blue herons and egrets in the ast. An American coot, one of 18 marked on August 20, 1916, was shot on December 5 about 75 miles south, near Lehi, Utah. As this species is not hunted extensively in the West, nothing was heard from others. Though 104 young white- faced clossy ibises were banded in rook- eries where they nested in company with snowy herons, return has come from but 1 individual. This bird, marked July 3, 1916, and found sick on the shores of Tulare Lake, Calif., on October 22. 1929, indicates a migration movement from the Salt Lake V alley toward the southwest. The snowy heron nests in colonies in the lower Bear River marshes, and on July 3 and 14, 1916, 83 nestlings were marked with bands. In March, 1917, a peon at Mexcaltitan, Territory of Tepic, Mexico, brought a bit of aluminum to a Japanese labor contractor, saying — that he had found it on the leg of a heron that he had killed and eaten. The band had been preserved out of curiosity, as the peon was unable to read, but chance had brought a return on one of the snowy herons that was marked in Utah ‘the previous year. About June 1, 1917, another snowy heron killed on the Papagayo Lagoon, in Guerrero, Mexico (long. 99° 48’ W., lat. 16° 48’ N.), was re- ported through the State “Department by the American consul at Acapulco.