Wildfowl_-_September_2019

A solid understanding of duck habitats will

make you a better land manager.  By Brad Fitzpatrick

Wetlands 101

DUCKS DON’T EXIST within a

vacuum. They rely on complex

wetland ecosystems that provide

them with food, shelter, and nest-

ing habitat, and that’s an important

consideration for private land man-

agers trying to attract more birds to

their land. If you’re serious about

increasing the number of birds on

your property in the long term you

need to have a basic understand-

ing of wetland habitats and the role

ducks play in a much larger natural

system.

Dr. Craig Davis is the Bollenbach

endowed chair of wildlife manage-

ment at Oklahoma State University

specializing in wetland ecology. His

30 years of experience in wetland

habitat research and his background

as a waterfowl hunter give Dr. Davis

a unique perspective on what works

and doesn’t work when it comes

to land management for ducks and

geese, and while he supports efforts

to preserve critical wetland habi-

tat, he advises land managers that

focusing solely on birds may be

counterproductive.

“Wetlands are dynamic systems,”

Dr Davis says. Over a season or over

several years, wetlands will natu-

rally dry and fill up, and as they go

through these wet and dry cycles the

plant structure and composition of

Duck country

32 WILDFOWL Magazine | September 2019 wildfowlmag.com

...on the same planting routine

than theirs.