Black Belly Whistler's

John Van Houten

Active member
Although a normal occurrence around here, these ducks are really building a giant size flock. They literally walk down the road like chickens, going from one bird feeder to the next. Nothing to see 150 in the yards. About mid January there will be thousands within a 1 mile radius. Not a easy bird to hunt either. They come off the lake early morning and go back at dusk. You have to pattern them and hopefully they fly late or early. These pictures were from this morning. They are fun to watch.20221202_074235.jpg20221202_074110.jpg
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I see them all the time in the stormwater detention ponds here in Tampa.
 
Some of the ponds around here we get them nesting and raising babies. If I could entice them to my pond across the street, I would. It is just too open or not enough corn/birdseed. Here too they frequently leave just before shooting light and return after shooting ends.

I wouldn't mind blackbellies around....maybe not spending all day pooping on my roof but I wouldn't mind my own flock to feed
 
Fun duck to hunt! We seem to be more successful on foggy mornings when they fly best at shooting time vs. 30 minutes before.

Numbers are building by the 1000's, prolific breeders, incredible parenting skills too! I put up duck boxes behind our camp in S Louisiana and they use them every year.

My son harvested a few BBWD's a couple weeks ago when we were at camp. This past week my boys both shot Fulvous Whistling ducks, one beautiful drake!
 
Hootie - Great pics! The way whistling ducks come in with their feet down always reminds me of geese. They change their pattern near me right around the beginning of October. They seem to be less spread around in family groups. Where they're gathering in numbers is difficult to guess. Here's a pic from behind the house last Summer.



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