It's important to pay attention to recent trends in the population of
red-breasted mergansers in Ohio. Their decline has been apparent in the
memories of those of us living, and the alarm it sounds is loud.
        In his recent post on this topic, Vic Fazio refers to a RBM record in
Milton Trautman's "Birds of Western Lake Erie" (1996), which reminds me
to point out that Trautman, up to his death nearly twenty years ago, was
the foremost authority on Ohio waterfowl, consulted by national experts,
publishing studies and amassing records, and contributing to innumerable
data-collection efforts by wildlife managers. He reports in this same
source, by the way, the only RBM nesting record for the state. His
treatment of waterfowl inland in "The Birds of Buckeye Lake" (1940) is
exemplary, with information found nowhere else. He was an eager
waterfowl hunter as well, with all the extra experience that entails.
        You can find in his writings a lot of other information on population
trends of Lake Erie waterfowl. Take the the cousin species the common
merganser, for example: I was reading some of Trautman's letters today,
where he called it an abundant migrant before 1940, so abundant that
"sportsmen were attempting in many ways to reduce their numbers," but
later "something happened," and their population dropped drastically.
        He says ruddy ducks were most often seen in large numbers in the
spring; he relates a record of 26,000 seen from an airplane in 1960, and
his papers include an estimate of ~25,000 near Port Clinton later in the
'60s. Today we expect the large numbers, though seldom over a thousand
or two, in the fall, and more often inland these days.
        Buffleheads, whose numbers now can number in the thousands, were
apparently seen in numbers no more than 300 during a day's observations
in Trautman's time; in 1903, Lynds Jones's time, they were more common
in spring, and today big counts are made in fall. The wildlife agencies
used to run "Swan Days" in the spring in the northwest marshes; now,
when they do them at all, it is in the fall. Black ducks used to far
outnumber mallards. Canvasback numbers have oscillated wildly.
Long-tailed duck numbers declined steeply decades ago, and now they are
hot-line birds. Goldeneyes have increased significantly over the past
century.
        Lake Erie waterfowl numbers have varied a lot over the past century. No
doubt the reasons for these variations are themselves varied, and
sometimes difficult to evaluate. Because the overall trends of nearly
all these numbers is downward however, it's important to seek out the
possible causes--such as those Skye Hass mentions--and if nothing else
to deal with those we may be able to influence.
Bill Whan
Columbus

p.s. Vic also mentioned records from 2002-3 from the Ohio Cardinal:
        Fall 2002: "Appeared in customary--i.e. huge--numbers through the
period, with the highest estimate 20,000 at Eastlake 21 Nov (G. Meszaros)."
        Winter 2002-3: "High count came from 5 Jan, when 5274 passed LSR (J.
Pogacnik). V. Fazio counted 4600+ over a couple of miles of lakefront in
Erie Co. 9 Jan. Numbers fell off drastically as the Lake froze thereafter.
        Spring 2003: "At LSR, 3480 passed 23 Mar, then 143 on 11 May (J.
Pogacnik)."
        Fall 2003: "Unexpected were 14 as early as 5 Sept off HBSP (L. Rosche),
but this did not augur an early migration, as four-figure numbers came
only in Nov, with J. Pogacnik counting 1335 the 8th and 2679 the 15th
off LSR."
        Winter 2003-4: "The accustomed multitudes included 5000+ at Eastlake 11
and 20 Dec (both L. Rosche), 11,000 off the Old Woman
Creek estuary in Erie 7 Jan (V. Fazio), and 11,040 off LSR as late as 22
Feb (J. Pogacnik)."
        Spring 2004: "...Four-figure numbers persisted into May on Lake
Erie, with 1193 off LSR the 1st (J. Pogacnik)."




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