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>> ALONG THE LENGTH
OF THE TEXAS COAST,
THE MINGLING OF LAND AND WATER
CREATES A MOSAIC OF
PRAIRIE AND MARSH.
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THIS HABITAT SUPPORTS
AN AMAZING ARRAY OF PLANT
AND ANIMAL LIFE.
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WATERFOWL ARE ONE OF
THE MARSH'S MOST CONSPICUOUS
INHABITANTS,
DUCKS IN PARTICULAR.
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MOST DUCKS MIGRATE FROM
NORTHERN BREEDING GROUNDS
TO WINTER IN WARMER
SOUTHERN CLIMATES.
THE NORTHERN SHOVELER NESTS IN
CANADA BUT WINTERS IN TEXAS
AND AS FAR SOUTH AS
CENTRAL AMERICA.
THE SAME CAN BE SAID
FOR THE AMERICAN WIDGEON.
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TEAL SPECIES LIKE THE GREEN
WINGED TEAL AND THE BLUE
WINGED TEAL TRAVEL EVEN
FARTHER FROM THE ARCTIC
CIRCLE DOWN TO THE EQUATOR.
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THIS IS THE MOTTLED DUCK.
IT STAYS PUT AND SPENDS ITS
WHOLE LIFE IN TEXAS.
>> THE MOTTLED DUCK IS UNIQUE
IN THAT IT'S NON-MIGRATORY,
ESSENTIALLY,
IT WILL TRAVEL ALONG THE COAST,
WITHIN THE GULF COAST
BUT THEY DON'T MAKE
EXPANSIVE MOVEMENTS UP INTO
THE BREEDING GROUNDS THAT MOST
OTHER WATERFOWL WILL DO,
UP INTO THE PRAIRIES.
>> ANOTHER DIFFERENCE IS THE
MOTTLED DUCK'S COLORING.
WITH MOST DUCKS THE DRAKES ARE
MORE COLORFUL THAN THE HENS,
LIKE THESE PINTAILS OR THIS
CINNAMON TEAL.
THE SAME IS TRUE FOR SHOVELERS.
THIS PAIR OF MOTTLED DUCKS
LOOKS ALMOST IDENTICAL
EXCEPT FOR THEIR BILLS.
THE DRAKE IS THE ONE IN FRONT.
HIS BILL IS A GREENISH YELLOW.
SINCE MOTTLED DUCKS ARE SO
LINKED TO THEIR HABITAT,
THEY'RE AN EXCELLENT INDICATOR
OF THE HEALTH OF THE MARSH.
>> IF YOU HAVE A HEALTHY MARSH,
YOU HAVE GOOD PRODUCTION
OF THE MOTTLED DUCKS.
THIS YEAR'S A PRIME EXAMPLE,
WE HAVE PRETTY
POOR HABITAT CONDITIONS,
AND CONSEQUENTLY VERY,
VERY LITTLE NESTING SUCCESS.
>> A DECLINE IN THE NUMBERS OF
MOTTLED DUCKS PROMPTED
BIOLOGISTS TO MONITOR
THEIR POPULATION BY BANDING
CAPTURED BIRDS.
>> YOU GET ANNUAL SURVIVAL
INFORMATION, YOU GET
MOVEMENTS FROM EAST TO WEST
AND ALL UP AND DOWN THE COAST.
YOU GET INFORMATION ON
SURVIVAL OF THE DIFFERENT
AGE CLASSES.
>> WE'RE STUDYING THE
REPRODUCTIVE ECOLOGY
OF MOTTLED DUCKS.
THE WAY WE'RE DOING THAT IS
BY CAPTURING FEMALE MOTTLED
DUCKS AND IMPLANTING RADIO
TRANSMITTERS IN THEM.
WHAT THAT ALLOWS US TO DO IS
MONITOR THEIR DAILY MOVEMENTS
AND THEIR ACTIVITIES,
NEST SITE SELECTION AND THINGS
LIKE THAT WE CAN LOOK AT THEM
REAL CLOSELY AND SEE WHERE
THEY'RE NESTING AND HOW
SUCCESSFUL THEY ARE IN THEIR
NEST AND THEN HOW SUCCESSFUL
THEY ARE IN RAISING THEIR
DUCKLINGS.
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BIOLOGISTS CATCH MOTTLED DUCKS
IN A VARIETY OF WAYS.
ONE OF THE MOST DRAMATIC IS
THE ROCKET NET.
(rocket net fires)
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>> THE TEAM MOVES IN QUICKLY TO
REMOVE THE CAPTURED DUCKS.
DUCKS THAT HAVE BANDS ALREADY
OR THAT WON'T BE FITTED WITH
TRANSMITTERS ARE IMMEDIATELY
RELEASED.
>> WE'RE IN OUR 6TH YEAR
OF BANDING,
ACTUALLY STARTED OUT AS A FIVE
YEAR PROGRAM,
WE STARTED IN '97 JUST AS
A TEST RUN ON IT TO SEE
HOW THE DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES
WORKED AND THIS IS ACTUALLY
THE FIFTH YEAR OF
COMPLETE BANDING.
>> HENS FOR THE TELEMETRY STUDY
ARE TAKEN TO A NEARBY
ANIMAL CLINIC.
>> THIS IS A NEAT PROJECT, RICH.
ARE YOU GONNA DO IT AGAIN
NEXT YEAR?
>> UH, PROBABLY NOT.
>> YA DON'T THINK SO, HUH?
>> THE HENS ARE GIVEN AN
ANESTHESIA AND THEN A
VETERINARIAN SURGICALLY
IMPLANTS THE TRANSMITTERS.
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THE SURGERY DOESN'T LAST LONG
AND THE HENS QUICKLY RECOVER.
>> IT'S A TRAUMATIC PROCEDURE,
THERE'S NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT,
BUT THE RECOVERY HAS BEEN
QUITE WELL.
AND WE HAVE SEEN SOME LONG
DISTANCE MOVEMENTS THAT INDICATE
THAT IT'S NOT A GREAT HINDRANCE
TO THE BIRD.
MOST EVERY BIRD WE'VE IMPLANTED
HAS FLOWN OFF AS THOUGH YOU
WOULDN'T KNOW ANYTHING
HAS HAPPENED TO IT.
THE ONES THAT DIDN'T RECOVER.
I GUESS THE WAY TO LOOK AT IT
IS IT'S THE BEST TECHNOLOGY
WE HAVE AT THE MOMENT.
IT'S NOT PERFECT
BUT IT SEEMS TO WORK.
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>> ALL OF THIS GENERATES DATA,
WHICH, COMBINED WITH COMPUTER
ANALYSIS, GIVES US A GLIMPSE
INTO THE DAILY LIFE OF THE
MOTTLED DUCK.
>> SHE CROSSED OVER;
THIS IS THE BRAZORIA RIVER.
SHE WENT INTO A LITTLE CATTAIL
MARSH HERE FOR ABOUT FOUR DAYS,
LOOKS LIKE.
AND SHE MOVED OVER INTO OUR
FRESH WATER IMPOUNDMENT HERE ON
PEACH POINT,
WHERE IT LOOKS LIKE SHE SPENT
THE REMAINDER OF HER TIME IN
THERE UNTIL FLEDGING.
THAT PRETTY MUCH SHOWS WHERE
SHE WAS.
>> MOTTLED DUCKS AND THE MARSH,
YOU CAN'T SEPARATE THE TWO.
THEIR FATES ARE LINKED
AND THEIR FUTURE, UNCERTAIN.
>> WE FOUND A PRETTY STRONG
CORRELATION BETWEEN WATER
CONDITIONS AND NESTING
SUCCESS AND BROOD SURVIVAL.
WE FOUND THAT IN DRY
CONDITIONS THE BIRDS,
THEY JUST DON'T MAKE IT.
>> HABITAT LOSS IS CERTAINLY,
WOULD BE MY BIGGEST CONCERN.
THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT
HAVE BEEN GOING ON WITH FILLING
OF WETLANDS,
ALSO URBAN EXPANSE IS CERTAINLY
AN ISSUE SO THERE'S BEEN A LOT
OF HABITAT LOSS,
AND ALSO HABITAT DEGRADATION TO
SOME EXTENT.
>> THE MARSH IS A NATURAL
FILTERING SYSTEM FOR WATER,
AND IT'S VERY PRODUCTIVE
FOR INVERTEBRATE LIFE,
AND ALSO FISH,
AND CRABS, SHRIMP.
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MIGRATING WATERFOWL USE
IT VERY EXTENSIVELY,
SHOREBIRDS AND OTHER
WATER DEPENDANT BIRDS.
>> IT'S A PRETTY GOOD INDICATOR
OF WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE ON
THE TEXAS COAST,
IF IT'S NOT A HEALTHY
ENVIRONMENT FOR MOTTLED DUCKS,
IT'S PROBABLY NOT GOING TO BE
HEALTHY FOR US, EITHER.
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