Shoveler duck survey results are in

Fish & Game staff have completed their annual survey of shoveler ducks. 

Shoveler are highly regarded by game bird hunters and are treated as a trophy species.

Left: Shovelers coming in to land on the West Coast.

The survey, the 18th to be run, is carried out every August by officers in all 12 Fish & Game regions, helped by volunteers including Ornithological Society members.

 The aim of the survey is to ensure the Australasian shoveler populations are properly monitored and managed.

Senior Fish & Game Officer Matthew McDougall who has just crunched the numbers says that 245 sites around the country were surveyed and a total of 14,723 birds counted.

That’s up on last year’s count of 11,781 – and shows a continuing long term trend of stable shoveler populations.

Check out this video of West Coast staff undertaking the survey.