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A waterfowl survey airplane prepares to take off, Maryland DNR photo by Stephen Badger.
Aerial survey teams of pilots and biologists from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have completed their annual population estimates of ducks, geese, and swans along the state’s Chesapeake Bay, tidal Potomac River and Atlantic coast shorelines.
This year, the teams counted about 705,300 waterfowl, which was higher than both the 593,200 birds observed in 2024 and the most recent five-year average of 624,300 birds.
“Wintering waterfowl distribution and abundance is influenced by many factors, including weather, food availability, annual changes in population, and habitat quality,” said Wildlife and Heritage Director Karina Stonesifer. “The midwinter waterfowl survey allows our biologists to measure distributional changes and long-term trends of wintering waterfowl in Maryland.”
Overall, estimated numbers of dabbling duck (126,000) were higher than the 2024 count of 91,300 birds. The number of mallards (62,300) and black ducks (47,600) were higher than their respective 5-year averages (54,740 and 27,840).
The 2025 midwinter survey was conducted during the first two weeks of January. Biologists counted 414,200 Canada geese in the 2025 survey, which was higher than both the 350,500 geese counted in 2024 and the 5-year average of 354,760. Overall, higher dabbling duck and Canada goose numbers likely reflect the cold weather observed in December and January.
The Midwinter Waterfowl Survey has been conducted annually since the early 1960s and covers most of the tidal shorelines and near-shore waterfowl habitat in Maryland.
Results of the past five surveys are below. The survey was not conducted in 2021 due to the COVID pandemic.
| Midwinter Waterfowl Survey Results (rounded to the nearest 100) | |||||
| Species | 2020 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
| Mallard | 56,000 | 53,500 | 56,800 | 45,100 | 62,300 |
| Black Duck | 21,000 | 24,600 | 21,800 | 24,200 | 47,600 |
| Gadwall | 10,800 | 6,800 | 3,400 | 2,600 | 2,000 |
| Widgeon | 1,100 | 300 | 1,900 | 500 | 3,800 |
| Green-winged Teal | 2,000 | 6,900 | 6,200 | 17,500 | 8,900 |
| Shoveler | 300 | 900 | 200 | 100 | 100 |
| Pintail | 1,800 | 4,600 | 3,300 | 1,300 | 1,300 |
| Total Dabblers | 93,000 | 97,600 | 93,600 | 91,300 | 126,000 |
| Redhead | 10,600 | 7,000 | 12,800 | 10,000 | 5,700 |
| Canvasback | 46,900 | 7,700 | 57,800 | 18,800 | 28,500 |
| Scaup | 59,000 | 29,500 | 74,000 | 28,400 | 36,900 |
| Ring-necked Duck | 3,000 | 2,100 | 6,200 | 7,000 | 5,900 |
| Goldeneye | 300 | 100 | 400 | 300 | 300 |
| Bufflehead | 11,400 | 10,600 | 16,800 | 16,300 | 13,200 |
| Ruddy Duck | 18,500 | 22,400 | 22,300 | 39,500 | 9,700 |
| Total Divers | 149,700 | 79,400 | 190,300 | 120,300 | 100,200 |
| Scoters | 5,700 | 1,300 | 3,400 | 1,800 | 4,200 |
| Long-tailed Duck | 200 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 500 |
| Mergansers | 2,300 | 1,400 | 1,700 | 1,900 | 2,400 |
| Total Ducks | 250,900 | 179,800 | 289,100 | 215,400 | 233,300 |
| Brant | 900 | 200 | 400 | 1,100 | 800 |
| Snow Goose | 40,900 | 13,600 | 12,500 | 16,100 | 40,200 |
| Canada Goose | 327,200 | 361,100 | 320,800 | 350,500 | 414,200 |
| Tundra Swan | 7,100 | 7,400 | 7,300 | 9,600 | 12,900 |
| Total Waterfowl | 627,000 | 563,800 | 632,200 | 593,200 | 705,300 |
A waterfowl survey airplane prepares to take off, Maryland DNR photo by Stephen Badger.
