Written By
Walt Rhodes and Chris Cain, Division of Migratory Bird Management, Kylie Tierney, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, Vladimir Kovalenko, Montana Ecological Services Office, Grace Gernes, Nebraska Ecological Services Field Office, USFWS
Waterfowl habitat conditions in the Eastern Dakota survey area have exhibited a south-to-north gradient in recent years, and 2026 was no different. After some ground reconnaissance around Mitchell, South Dakota, the survey began on May 5. Habitat conditions remained dry on the southernmost transects around Lake Andes and northward through Mitchell. The usual prairie species of mallards, blue-winged teal, gadwalls, northern shovelers, and northern pintails were present but not in large numbers. A few Canada goose broods were observed within the first day or two of surveying.
A slight improvement in habitat conditions was noted moving north through South Dakota. Our notes indicated slightly better conditions around Brookings and Madison but conditions again dropped off once west of Huron. The term slight was just that. Some wetlands that had been seeded in 2025 were too wet to seed this spring, but surface water remained well below what would be present in an average year. The Prairie Coteau remained a brighter spot, but wetland water levels were reduced there as well. An incrementally slight improvement in conditions again was noted as we progressed up through Mansfield and Aberdeen, South Dakota, but wetland levels were still below average.
The drought conditions eased further as we crossed over into North Dakota. The Missouri Coteau remained in good condition. While the Drift Prairie was improved over 2025 it remained in fair condition. In some areas we could see where farmers had attempted to move machinery through wetlands that were farmed in 2025 but had encountered slightly wetter conditions. Some of those wetlands had unharvested, standing crops in them and we observed species such as redheads, gadwalls, and mallards moving amongst the stubble. The Red River Valley in eastern North Dakota was wetter but the lack of suitable habitat in that heavily drained area limits waterfowl production. With the exception western portions along coteau, the two northernmost transects in North Dakota appeared drier than farther south but not so much as to be rated poor.
It was evident that drought appeared to ease around the North and South Dakota border. We did observe quite a few northern pintails settled in this region, and although conditions varied across the crew area gadwalls seemed well scattered from stock ponds through semi-permanent wetlands and the deeper, more consistent coteau habitats. I would expect nothing more than average to below-average production across the Dakotas in 2026.
had received slightly below-average precipitation since the fall of 2025. Though not
considered to be in a drought condition, many wetland basins were dry or substantially
drawn down and conditions were considered fair for breeding waterfowl, May 2026.
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