Buffalo Ornithological Society
Birding Western New York and the Niagara Peninsula of Ontario

Rough-legged Hawk - © Sue Barth

The New York State Ornithological Association (NYSOA) conducts an annual waterfowl count each January throughout the state’s 10 assigned regions, to assist the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) in monitoring long-term population changes, bird conservation planning and environmental reviews. The Buffalo Ornithological Society has been participating in this effort since the project’s inception in 1955. The count area includes the Niagara River and adjacent waters of Lakes Erie and Ontario, and any productive open interior bodies of water.

The count period always begins the Saturday just before Martin Luther King Day (the third Monday in January) and ends the Sunday of the following weekend. Whenever possible the ideal "target date” is the first Sunday of the count period.

Final results of the waterfowl count in Western New York are published in The Prothonotary. Final state-wide results of the waterfowl count will be published in “The Kingbird” and will also posted on the NYSOA website at: http://www.nybirds.org/ProjWaterfowl.htm.

The last 6 years of count history can be seen here: Region 1 Waterfowl Count History 2020 - 2025

From year to year, there are fluctuations in local waterfowl numbers, while there are also some clear trends in species occurring more or less regularly. Milder winters have influenced the numbers and diversity of our January waterfowl counts, as we now typically have much less ice on Lake Erie and more open water area-wide in January. Regular wintering species that have increasing trends include Canada Goose, Tundra Swan, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Hooded Merganser, and Red-breasted Merganser. Long term decreases among regular wintering species include American Black Duck and Common Merganser. Numbers for Mallard, Canvasback, Greater Scaup, and Bufflehead have generally increased but with a lot of annual variation. Tundra Swans are now regular in winter on the Niagara River, while relatively few were recorded on the waterfowl count prior to the late 1990s. Hooded Merganser is much more regular in winter in recent years, and we also seem to be in a recent upswing in wintering Gadwall.

To find out how you can help with the count, contact the Waterfowl Count Compiler, Debbie Suggs, at: [email protected].

Although the January Waterfowl Count in New York State no longer overlaps with the National Mid-winter Bald Eagle Survey, we were asked by the DEC to report any eagle sightings noted during the waterfowl count. The DEC, in turn, contributes the combined New York State census to the national Mid-winter Bald Eagle Survey, which is now coordinated nationally by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Final results of the Bald Eagle survey in Western New York are published in The Prothonotary with the waterfowl count summary. You can follow the DEC’s winter eagle research on the Internet at http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/9381.html.

For each Bald Eagle sighting, the DEC requests the following information: Date, time, location, number of individuals, observer name & contact info.