American Black Duck Maps & Location Diaries

Bird & Map Capture Location Capture Date
36226 Pamunkey River, Elsing Green Marsh February 5, 2009
February 5, 2009 - April 5, 2009
Pamunkey River
This bird was captured in the marsh in front of Elsing Green Plantation on the Pamunkey River on February 5, 2009 along with several other birds. She is using the Pamunkey River marshes in front of Elsing Green Plantation, Old Towne Farm and the Pamunkey Indian Reservation. She has also used one of the smaller creeks that feed into the Pamunkey River, Jacks Creek, and a beaver pond area north of Jacks Creek.
April 6, 2009 - April 9, 2009
Willamsport, Pennsylvania
This bird departed the Pamunkey River on the night of April 5 and flew 250 miles north to the Susquehanna River near Williamsport, PA. She started her flight around midnight on April 5 and we received another location on her about 2 hours later when she was 110 miles further north. That means for the first 2 hours of her flight she was traveling at around 55 miles per hour. A check on the weather records for that night indicates that the wind was blowing about 12 miles per hour from the southwest, so she had a tailwind helping her along. It appears that she used some marsh areas along the edge of the river during her stay here.
April 9, 2009 - April 13, 2009
Montezuma, New York
She only stayed in Pennsylvania for three days before moving further north. On the night of April 9, she left the Susquehanna River and flew 120 miles further north to the Finger Lakes Region of New York State. She settled in at the head of Cayuga Lake at the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge. She is using the marshes and impoundments on the southern portion of the refuge.
April 15, 2009 - April 16, 2009
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
The last location we received from this bird at Montezuma, NY was on April 13. The next location we received from her was on April 15 and she had moved 130 miles north across Lake Ontario and into the Ottawa River Valley, east of Ottawa, at the Quebec-Ontario Border.
April 17, 2009 - May 30, 2009
Lac-du-Cerf, Quebec, Canada
From April 16 through April 18 she made a few small 10 mile flights north, and by April 18 was located on a small lake near Lac-du-Cerf, Quebec, about 60 miles north of Ottawa. She is in a forested region of Quebec that has many small lakes and streams.
89349 Presquile National Wildlife Refuge, James River, VA December 16, 2008
December 16, 2008 - April 14, 2009
James River, North of Hopewell, VA
This bird was captured on the Presquile National Wildlife Refuge on the James River near Hopewell, VA. She has used two distinct wetland areas during the past 3 months. One of these is the marsh and swamp of the Presquile National Wildlife Refuge, while the second area is a portion of White Oak Swamp near Elko, VA about 7 miles north of Presquile NWR. She appears to make almost daily trips between the two sites possibly roosting at one area and using the other as a feeding site.
April 15, 2009 - May 20, 2009
White Oak Swamp, Henrico County, VA
This bird has restricted her movements and is using White Oak Swamp almost exclusively and has not been back to the Presquile Swamp. She made one or two brief trips up to the Pamunkey River but came right back to White Oak Swamp within a day. She is the last of the transmittered birds still left in Virginia. She may be a local bird that is trying to nest here in Virginia.
May 21 2009 - May 30, 2009
Poplar Island, North of St. Michaels, MD
She moved north about 100 miles and is now in the area around Poplar Island, Maryland. She may have tried to nest in Virginia as she had restricted her movements to a relatively small area. But if she did, it appears that her nest was lost and she moved out of the area. She may have gone north to joins other birds to undergo her summer molt. Ducks become flightless during their molt and will often flock up with other birds to molt at the same time. This communal behavior is beneficial in detecting and avoiding predators - it's the safety in numbers approach. Poplar Island is an offshore island north of St. Michaels, MD that was eroding due in part to sea level rise. The island has been rebuilt using dredge spoil to create habitat for wildlife.
89350 Presquile National Wildlife Refuge, James River, VA January 22, 2009
January 22, 2009 - April 5, 2009
James River, North of Hopewell, VA
This bird was captured on the Presquile National Wildlife Refuge on the James River near Hopewell, VA on January 22, 2009. She has used a relatively small area around the Presquile Refuge both on Turkey Island and on the marsh west of Turkey Island.
April 6, 2009 - April 13, 2009
Lake Scugog, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
On the night of April 5, around midnight, this bird took off from the Presquile marsh and flew almost due north into Pennsylvania. At 4:00 am on April 6 we received a location from her in flight over central Pennsylvania nearly 275 miles north of her last location at Presquile. She was traveling at nearly 69 miles per hour during that 4 hour flight!! At 8:00am on April 6 she was located over Lake Erie, 170 miles further north. She continued north another 30 miles and stopped on Lake Scugog, about 25 miles north of Lake Erie and 25 miles west of the town of Peterborough, Ontario. She had traveled a total of 490 miles north of her capture location at the Presquile National Wildlife refuge.

Interestingly, 2 other transmitter equipped birds, bird 36226 and bird 89351 both from the Pamunkey River, also started their migrations north on this same night (see below).
April 14, 2009 - May 5, 2009
Huntsville, Ontario, Canada
She left the Lake Scugog area sometime between 10:00 pm and midnight on the night of April 13 and flew 80 miles due north to a small wetland east of Huntsville, Ontario. She is using a small drainage in a forested area at the southern end of Algonquin Provincial Park.
May 5, 2009 - May 30, 2009
Huntsville, Ontario, Canada
She is still in the Huntsville area and has restricted her movements to a relatively small area. We presume she is nesting and will stay in this area for several months to raise her brood.
89351 Pamunkey River, Elsing Green Marsh February 5, 2009
February 5, 2009 - April 5, 2009
Pamunkey River
This bird was captured in the marsh in front of Elsing Green Plantation on the Pamunkey River on February 5, 2009. She is making extensive use of several marshes in the area including the marshes in front of Elsing Green Plantation, Old Towne Farm and the Pamunkey Indian Reservation. She hasn't used many inland creeks but has stayed out in the bigger marshes of the river.
April 6, 2009 - April 8, 2009
Goshen, New York
Similar to birds 36226 (from the Pamunkey River) and 89350 (from Presquile Refuge), this bird also started north on the night of April 5. This was apparently a good night to migrate. Weather records indicate that there was a southwest wind blowing at around 12 miles per hour, with a clear sky and a bright moon. She left the Pamunkey River at around midnight on April 5, similar to the other two birds. At 4:00 am we received a location from her in flight over eastern Pennsylvania, about 205 miles north of her last location at midnight. She had averaged 51 miles per hour during this 4 hour flight. Later that morning we received a location from her on a small wetland near Goshen, New York, a small town about 50 miles north of New York City.

An interesting note is that although this bird (89351) and bird 36226 both left from the same area of the Pamunkey River on the same night, they didn't go to the same location. Bird 36226 went almost due north and stopped in central Pennsylvania while this bird (89351) went further east into New York State.

April 8, 2009 - April 16, 2009
Androscoggin River, Lewiston, Maine
This bird only stayed in New York for two days before moving further north. She left the Goshen, NY area at around midnight on April 8. We received a location from her at 4 am on April 9 in flight over New Hampshire, 200 miles from her previous location. She again had averaged 50 miles per hour during this 4 hour flight. We didn't receive another location from her until later that morning at 8:00 am and she had stopped 90 miles further northeast, at the Androscoggin River, about 15 miles north of Lewiston, Maine.
April 17, 2009 - May 2, 2009
Millinocket, Maine
On the evening of April 16 she left the Androscoggin River and started moving further north. The next location we received from her was at 3:00 pm on April 17 and she had stopped on the Penobscot River in northern Maine about 5 miles east of Millinocket. This is 130 miles northeast of her previous location near Lewiston.
May 3, 2009 - May 30, 2009
Millinocket, Maine
She has restricted her movements to a relatively small area about 12 miles north of Millinocket, Maine on a tributary of the Penobscot River. She is probably nesting in this location and may stay here for another several months.
89352 Fisherman's Island National Wildilfe Refuge December 18, 2008
December 18, 2008 - December 26, 2008
Fisherman's Island NWR, Cape Charles, VA
This bird was captured at Fisherman Island National Wildlife Refuge near Cape Charles, VA. This bird stayed on Fisherman's Island for about a week using the natural potholes, tidal creeks and salt marshes around the island and on the nearby mainland. On December 26 this bird was located on Fisherman's Island at 8:00 in the morning. The next time this bird was located was at 5:00 pm on the same day (Dec. 26) and she had moved 17 miles south across the Chesapeake Bay to Lynnhaven Inlet in Virginia Beach, VA.
December 26, 2008 - March 19, 2009
Lynnhaven River, Virginia Beach, VA
A cold spell in late December froze some of the ponds on Fisherman's Island and this bird flew 17 miles south across the Chesapeake Bay to the Lynnhaven River Inlet area of Virginia Beach, VA. She used three distinct areas here, one in the tidal marshes at the mouth of the river, a second in the western branch of the River and a third area in the reservoir near Little Creek Amphibious Base. She stayed in this area for about 3 months.
March 20, 2009 - April 2, 2009
Brookfield, MA
A warm front with southerly winds prompted this bird to start her migration north on March 20, 2009. She left Virginia and flew 420 miles north to Massachusetts. She settled in an area known as Great Swamp, near Quaboag Pond just south of Brookfield, MA.
April 3, 2009 - April 15, 2009
Lake Memphremagog, near Magog, Quebec, Canada
On April 2 at 8:00 in the evening this bird was still located near Brookfield, Massachusetts. At midnight we got a location on her in flight over northern Massachusetts. The next location we received from her was at 8:00 in the morning on April 3 and she was located on Lake Memphremagog, near Magog, Quebec, just north of the Vermont border. She had migrated 200 miles almost due north. Lake Memphremagog is a large narrow lake about 23 miles long that crosses the US-Canadian border. The town of Magog is at the northern end of the lake in Quebec and the town of Newport, Vermont is at the southern end.
April 16, 2009 - April 19, 2009
Drummondville, Quebec, Canada
She left Lake Memphremagog around midnight on April 16 and flew north about 60 miles to the St. Francois River near Drummondville, Quebec. The St Francois is a tributary of the St. Lawrence River. She stayed here for 5 days before moving further north.
April 20, 2009 - April 27, 2009
Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada
The last location we received from her at the Drummondville site was at midnight on the night of April 19. At 4:00 am on the morning of April 20 we received a location from her near Trios Rivieres, a town located midway between Montreal and Quebec City on the St. Lawrence River. She is using the marshes along the edge of the St. Lawrence.
April 28, 2009 - May 2, 2009
Central Quebec, Canada
She left the Trois-Rivieres area on the night of April 27. Over the next 2-3 days she made several short jumps north, each of about 50 to 100 miles, and is now located in central Quebec about 60 miles west of the town of Chibougamau. She is in the Boreal Forest region of central Quebec about 290 miles northwest of Quebec City.
May 3, 2009 - May 30, 2009
Central Quebec, Canada
She has restricted her movements to within a small half-mile area around the edge of a small lake (Opawica Lake) in Central Quebec. She is located about 72 miles west of Chibougamau. She is likely nesting in this area.
89353 Machipongo River, Quinby, VA February 19, 2009
February 19, 2009 - April 24, 2009
Machipongo River, near Quinby on the Eastern Shore of Virginia
This bird was caught in a small pond near the Machipongo River near Quinby, VA along with 2 other black duck hens that we also equipped with satellite transmitters, bird number 89360 and bird number 89358. She is using the marshes at the mouth of the Machipongo River and some of the tidal flats and oyster bars out in Hog Island Bay. She is likely feeding on invertebrates in these habitats in preparation for her migration north to the breeding grounds.
April 25, 2009 - May 2, 2009
Milo, Maine
She left the Machipongo River area around 7:00pm on the evening of April 24. We received a location from her 8 hours later and she was 517 miles to the north in flight over northern Vermont. She had traveled at an average rate of 65 miles per hour for the 8-hours period. She was helped by a strong southerly tailwind that was blowing at around 15 miles per hour that night. Over the next 24 hours, she moved north and then east into central Maine. She is located on the Piscataquis River drainage, just east of Milo, Maine, about 645 miles northeast of where she was caught near Quinby, Virginia.
May 4, 2009 - May 30, 2009
Amherst, New Brunswick, Canada
On the evening of May 4th, she left Maine and flew 230 miles east into New Brunswick, Canada. She is located at the head of the Bay of Fundy near the Town of Amherst. She has restricted her movements to a small marsh area along the coast and may be nesting here.
89354 Fisherman's Island National Wildlife Refuge December 18, 2008
December 18, 2008 - January 17, 2009
Fisherman's Island NWR, Cape Charles, VA
This bird was captured and marked at Fisherman Island National Wildlife Refuge near Cape Charles, VA, along with bird #89352. She stayed on Fisherman's Island using the island almost exclusively for over a month. She traveled back and forth from the salt marsh area to a couple freshwater ponds along the beach. The last signal we obtained from this bird was on January 17. There is no indication that the bird died, rather it appears that the radio just quit functioning.
89355 Machipongo River, Quinby, VA February 19, 2009
March 30, 2009 - April 9, 2009
Machipongo River, near Quinby, Eastern Shore of Virginia
This bird was caught late in the winter in a small pond off the Machipongo River near Quinby, VA, the same pond where we caught birds 89353, 89360 and 89358. She is using some of the small tidal creeks along the Machipongo River and some of the tidal flats and oyster bars out in Hog Island Bay.
April 12, 2009 - April 19, 2009
Syracuse, New York
The last location we received from this bird on the Machipongo River was on April 9. The next location we received from her was on April 12, and she was located on a small wetland just north of Syracuse, New York. She had migrated 390 miles almost due north sometime between April 9 and April 12.
April 22, 2009 - May 2, 2009
Laforce, Quebec, Canada
The next location we received from this bird was on April 22. She had moved 330 miles northwest to a lake near the small town of Laforce, Quebec. Laforce is 45 miles east of the Ontario border and the town of New Liskeard, Ontario. She is in the boreal forest region of Canada, an area dominated by spruce/fur woods and dotted with numerous lakes and streams.
May 5, 2009 - May 30, 2009
James Bay lowlands, Quebec, Canada
Between May 2 and May 5, this bird moved 230 miles further north and is now located just 30 miles south of the James Bay coast. She is using a small area surrounded by several small lakes. She hasn't moved much in the past couple weeks and may be nesting in this area.
89356 Presquile National Wildlife Refuge, James River, VA January 30, 2009
January 30, 2009 - April 17, 2009
Presquile National Wildlife Refuge, James River, North of Hopewell, VA
This bird was captured at the Presquile National Wildlife Refuge on the James River north of Hopewell, VA on January 30, 2009. She has used marsh areas on Presquile refuge, around Curles Neck Farm and around Jones Neck.
April 20, 2009 - April 27, 2009
Port Loring, Ontario, Canada
The last location we received from this bird at Presquile Refuge was on April 17. The next time we hear from her she had moved 610 miles, crossed into Canada, and had settled near the town of Port Loring, Ontario. She is located about 30 miles north of Georgian Bay, which is on the northeastern side of Lake Huron.
April 30, 2009 - May 29, 2009
North of Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
Between April 27 and April 30, this bird moved 63 miles further north and is now located on a small lake in interior Ontario. She is 42 miles northeast of Sudbury, Ontario. For the past several weeks she has restricted her movements to a small area around a forested lake. She is likely nesting in this location and may stay here for the next several months.
89357 Pamunkey River, Elsing Green Marsh February 5, 2009
February 5, 2009 - April 4, 2009
Pamunkey River Marshes
This bird was captured in the marsh in front of Elsing Green Plantation on the Pamunkey River on February 5, 2009 along with several other birds. She is making extensive use of several marshes in the area including the marshes in front of Elsing Green Plantation and Old Towne Farm. She has used the marsh adjacent to the Pamunkey Indian Reservation but to a lesser degree.
April 7, 2009 - April 23, 2009
Near Kington, Ontario, Canada
On the afternoon of April 4th this bird was still located on the Pamunkey River. The next location we received from her was on the afternoon of April 7th and she had migrated 475 north across New York State and Lake Ontario, and into Canada. She is currently located 13 miles north of Kingston, Ontario, into an area that has many small lakes and wetlands.
April 26, 2009 - April 27, 2009
Southeast of Val-d'Or, Qubec
On April 26 this bird was located in La Verendrye Provincial Wildlife Reserve, about 65 miles southeast of Val-d'Or, Quebec. She had moved 215 miles north from her previous location near Kingston, Ontario.
April 29, 2009 - May 3, 2009
Lake Tiblemont, Quebec
She moved another 60 miles to the northwest and is now located on a long narrow lake, Lake Tiblemont, about 25 miles northeast of Val-d'Or.
May 6, 2009 - May 29, 2009
East of James Bay, Quebec
Between May 3 and May 6 she moved 365 miles further north and is located about 100 miles east of the town of Chisasibi which lies along the east coast of James Bay. She is located in the boreal forest region, on a tributary of the Le Grande River.
89358 Machipongo River, near Quinby, VA February 5, 2009
February 5, 2009 - March 12, 2009
Machipongo River Area near Quinby on the Eastern Shore of Virginia
This bird was caught in a small pond near the Machipongo River near Quinby, VA along with 2 other black duck hens that we also equipped with satellite transmitters, bird number 89360 and bird number 89353. She used the marsh along the Machipongo River and some of the tidal flats out in Hog Island Bay for about 5 weeks before departing north.
March 13, 2009 - April 13, 2009
Spruce Run Reservoir, Clinton, NJ
This bird moved 225 miles north and stopped on Spruce Run Reservoir near the town of Clinton in Northwest NJ around March 13. This is a freshwater reservoir that is part of Spruce Run State Park. The reservoir is 1,290 acres and has 15 miles of shoreline. She was one of he first birds to move north but has stayed in this location for over a month. She is likely feeding on wetland vegetation and invertebrates in preparation for the rest of its migration north toward the breeding grounds.
April 16, 2009 - April 19, 2009
Quabbin Reservoir, Central Massachusetts
This bird left New Jersey sometime between April 13 and 16, and flew 180 miles northeast to Quabbin Reservoir in central Massachusetts. She only stayed here 3 days before continuing her migration further north.
April 22, 2009 - May 2, 2009
St. John, New Brunswick, Canada
She flew 360 miles northeast and is now located just south of the city of St John, New Brunswick, in St. John Harbor. She is using the salt marsh and tidal creeks here along the coast of New Brunswick. She is on the edge of the Bay of Fundy, know for having one of the highest tidal amplitudes in the world. The difference between high and low tide in the Bay of Fundy can be as much as 16 meters or around 50 feet.
May 5, 2009 - May 12, 2009
St. Lawrence River, West of Natashquan, Quebec, Canada
She moved north 390 miles and crossed the mouth of the St. Lawrence River. She stopped on the north shore of the river on the coast of Quebec. She is about 26 miles west of Natashquan, Quebec, not far from where birds number 89359 stopped for a couple of days.
May 15, 2009 - May 19, 2009
West of Goose Bay, Labrador, Canada
She continued north another 230 miles and is now located in central Labrador about 80 miles west of Goose Bay, Labrador.
May 21, 2009 - May 29, 2009
Southwestern Labrador, Canada
She move 90 miles southwest into the southwestern corner of Labrador. She is located about halfway in between Goose Bay and Labrador City
89359 Rappahannock National Wildlife Refuge, near Tappahannock, VA March 5, 2009
March 5, 2009 - April 2, 2009
Rappahannock River Refuge, North of Tappahannock, VA
This bird was captured on the Rappahannock River National Wildlife Refuge on March 5, 2009. She had stayed in the vicinity of the refuge for nearly a month since she was fitted with a satellite transmitter. She spends most of her time in a 2-mile stretch of tidal marsh along the north side of the River across from the town of Tappahannock.
April 5, 2009 - April 22, 2009
St. John River, New Brunswick, Canada
The last location we received from this bird on the Rappahannock River was on April 2. The next location we received was on April 5 and she had moved 770 miles northeast up the Atlantic Coast to the St. John's River in the Province of New Brunswick, Canada. She is near the town of Queenstown, about 35 miles upriver from the coast and the Bay of Fundy. The St. John is a large river that flows north through the State of Maine and then turns south through New Brunswick to the coast. She is using a large tidal bay on the lower portion of the river.
April 25, 2009
Natashquan, Quebec, Canada
Between April 22 and April 25, this bird moved another 390 miles to the northeast and is now located on the southern coast of Quebec in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, about 45 miles east of Natashquan. She is using some of the small islands just off the coast of Quebec.
April 28, 2009 - May 2, 2009
Southeast of Goose Bay, Labrador, Canada
By April 28, she had moved another 210 miles northeast and was located in interior Labrador. She is about 65 miles south of Goose Bay on Lake Melville, or about 110 miles from the Labrador coast.
May 5, 2009 - May 28, 2009
Southeast of Goose Bay, Labrador, Canada
She has remained in the same general area southeast of Goose Bay. She moved about 10 miles west of her original location here. She has restricted her movements to a small forested area surrounded by a number of small lakes where she may be nesting.
89360 Machipongo River, Quinby, VA February 5, 2009
February 5, 2009 - February 26, 2009
Machipongo River, near Quinby on the Eastern Shore of Virginia
This bird was caught in a small pond near the Machipongo River near Quinby, VA along with 2 other black duck hens that we also equipped with satellite transmitters, bird number 89359 and bird number 89353. She stayed in the Machipongo River area using the marsh along the river and some of the tidal flats out in Hog Island Bay until late in February.
February 28, 2009 - May 11, 2009
Barnegat Bay, New Jersey
This bird moved 180 miles north in late February and stopped on the south end of Barnegat Bay near the town of Barnegat on the coast of New Jersey. She is using the tidal salt marsh in this area which is comprised of salt marsh grasses (Spartina alternaflora and S. patens). She is likely feeding on invertebrates such as snails, marine worms and scuds (small aquatic crustaceans) while waiting to move further north toward the breeding grounds.
May 14, 2009 - May 29, 2009
Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland, Canada
Between May 11 and May 14, she moved 1,125 miles northeast and has stopped on the island of Newfoundland. Newfoundland is a large island off the east coast of North America. The island of Newfoundland and the portion of mainland Canada known as Labrador are part of the same Canadian Provence (Labrador-Newfoundland). She is using a pond and bog area about 12 miles east of the town of Grand Falls-Windsor.