Most producers will be happy to bird watch this fall, even if the flocks are in their fields.
Prairie crop insurance corporations report that claims for crop damage caused by waterfowl are down this year compared to last, and all say the early harvest is the reason.
Saskatchewan producers made about 2,000 depredation claims in 2005 and about the same number the previous year.
Early fall frost in 2004 and a wet fall in 2005 delayed harvest, leaving crops more exposed to waterfowl. Due to the early harvest this year, only about 400 claims have been made.
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The situation was similar in Alberta, where producers claimed 152 cases of depredation this year compared to 455 in 2005 and 684 in 2004.
“The end of September is usually about the time that we’re starting to get into waterfowl claims, but in Manitoba this year most of the crops that (the birds) would normally be feeding on were in the bins,” said Craig Thomson, manager of claims services for Manitoba Agricultural Services Corp.
Manitoba producers claimed 46 depredation cases as of the end of September, down from 245 in 2005.
Ducks Unlimited reported that waterfowl populations are up across Canada. In Saskatchewan, Brian Hepworth estimated 10 million birds are in the province this year, 26 percent more than last year.
The timing of harvest has a bigger impact on depredation than bird numbers, he added.
“I don’t think you can really make a population connection to depredation issues.”
Waterfowl migration patterns vary in the fall. Some birds go south in early September, while pintails, mallards and arctic nesting geese tend to stay until it gets too cold, ponds freeze over or food becomes scarce, Hepworth said.
Ducks Unlimited’s website at www.ducks.ca lists various waterfowl viewing sites on the Prairies.
