Welcome to Frank's Field Notes, a semi-regular look at what’s happening across the Prairie Pothole Region during spring migration and breeding season.

Part field journal, part migration report, and part window into duck country, Delta Waterfowl Chief Scientist and President Dr. Frank Rohwer offers firsthand observations from the field on ducks, geese, weather, habitat conditions, and the annual return north.

Harvest rates

11/5/2026

Here are the averages for the top 5 harvested ducks in Mississippi and Central Flyways combined.

Snow geese

finally

11/4/2026

The snows also just started to arrive – way late compared to other years.

Common Eiders

Great photo from Alaska

11/3/2026

This is a lovely photo of Common Eiders fling over sea ice.

How many for a full duck?

11/2/2026

Today back in ND I shot a pheasant that was full of soybeans.

Young Gadwall

still in ND, but not for long

11/1/2026

We raise a lot of Gadwall here in prairie North Dakota.

Buffleheads

parkland nesters and north

10/31/2026

Buffleheads are showing up near Bismarck on the larger wetlands.

red-breasted Merganser

looks good, tastes not so good

10/30/2026

A male Red-breasted Merganser in full breeding plumage is certainly handsome.

Cranes on Platte river

Early migrants

10/29/2026

Cranes are large birds that surprise me with their early migration.

tundra swan

Seems easy, but not so much

10/28/2026

Tundra Swans have that lovely yellow spot at the end of the bill.

Filoplumes on goose breast

Filoplumes

10/27/2026

Those tiny hair-like feathers with the forked ends on this plucked goose breast are filoplumes.

coots

Kleptoparasitism

10/25/2026

That is the ridiculous jargon for when coots try and steal vegetation that the Tundra Swan has pulled up from the bottom.

tundra swans flying

few juveniles

10/24/2026

There are lots of migrating Tundra Swans that are stopping on the large wetlands.

sunset with ducks flying

Weather change - birds moving

10/23/2026

Lovely sunset was enhanced by ducks moving

They like cattail ponds too

10/22/2026

North Dakota pheasants really like wetlands.

little late to molt

10/21/2026

Looks like a young male at the Delta Marsh.

Swans with cygnets

This reflects rapid population growth

10/20/2026

Trumpeter Swans released in Minnesota have shown remarkable population growth.

Canvasback in flight

nice looking Redheads and Cans

10/19/2026

While working at the edge of Long Island Bay (Lake Winnipegosis) it was impressive how many birds we saw – thousands.

Springers

Happy Springers

10/18/2026

My two spaniels were in heaven.

Wigeon

adult males

10/17/2026

There are lots of Wigeon at the Delta Marsh this fall using the diked areas with shallow water

Young Gadwall

Surprising

10/16/2026

Gadwall and Wigeon males surprise me.

Pheasant Feathers

pheasants follow same rules

10/15/2026

Just like in ducks – display feathers are grown last.

White throated sparrow

Sparrow migration

10/14/2026

Many other species are also passing through Delta – like White-throated Sparrows

Fall in ND is glorious

10/13/2026

Cool fall colors, magnificent animals, and amazing scenery.

blackbird flock

flocking blackbirds

10/12/2026

We got a whisper of cold temperatures and that seems to have inspired the blackbirds to really flock up.

Pheasant in flight

Opening weekend

10/11/2026

For the first time in 13 years in North Dakota I made opening day for Pheasants.

Mallards in Flight

relatively late to molt

10/10/2026

This is an interesting time of year because of the variation in molt that is apparent in male ducks.

Monarch Butterfly

What a migration

10/9/2026

We all love the waterfowl migration, but the Monarch migration is really something.

3 flying male pintail

early fall Pintails

10/8/2026

You can clearly see the wings and see they are three adult males.