Ducks and geese are starting to show up in decent numbers across parts of Kansas.

As of Wednesday, Jeffrey Energy Center near Delia reported to the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism as having 20,000-plus snow geese on its auxiliary lake with 500-plus white-fronted geese mixed in, as well as 150 Canada geese and another 500-plus mixed ducks, though few were mallards.

Perry Wildlife Area in Jefferson County reported 15,000 ducks on Wednesday, mostly mallards with a good number of pintails, as well. However, there were also a number of other species in the area including Northern shovelers, gadwall, wood ducks, redheads, goldeneyes and buffleheads.

In the Manhattan area, Tuttle Creek WA counted 4,900 ducks but no geese as of Wednesday.

Milford WA near Junction City on Thursday noted 4,000 to 4,500 ducks, consisting of mallards, pintails and a few other species, with about 300 to 350 geese observed.

Cheyenne Bottoms in Great Bend on Thursday reported up to 100,000 geese, mostly snows and specklebellies, with 20,000 to 30,000 ducks.

Glen Elder WA in Mitchell and Osborne counties reported 20,000 to 25,000 ducks, with 10,000 to 15,000 mallards and 30,000 to 50,000 snow geese as well as 3000 to 5,000 Canada geese.

In the northwest, Cedar Bluff WA in Ellis tallied between 15,000 and 16,000 total ducks, with roughly 6,000 mallards, 2,200 widgeon and 2,500 gadwalls, as well as smaller numbers of teal, pintails, wood ducks, shovelers, ringnecks, redheads, canvasbacks and ruddy. It also reported approximately 800 Canada geese but few light geese or specks.

As of Tuesday, Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge in Forest City, Mo., counted 98,761 total geese — 36,300 white-fronted geese, 61,800 snow geese and 661 Canada geese — and 59,692 total ducks — including 25,535 mallards, 17,330 ring-necked ducks and 12,025 pintail. The refuge is on the border of Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska, and many of those birds fly over to the Kansas side during the day.

https://www.leavenworthtimes.com/spo...or-oct-30-2020