Delta Waterfowl Sumter

05/29/2026

04/16/2026

Mallard tracking! This map shows the movements of three Mallard drakes tagged near Lake Marion at the beginning of March. Each color on the map is a different duck. They were captured with a rocket net, banded and measured, and fitted with a solar-powered GPS tag worn as a small backpack between their wings. They’re part of a study aiming to better understand the migration routes of the wild Mallards who winter in South Carolina.

During migration, Mallards fly up to 50mph – or faster with a tailwind! The first of these three ducks to move north set off sometime after midnight two days after he was tagged. By 8am, he had made it to Ohio, and his tag was charging so efficiently as he flew that it started taking extra position fixes (the line of overlapping dots just north of the Ohio border) to avoid damage to its battery from overcharging. He then spent a little over a week at a small wetland in central Ohio before moving on up to Canada. The other two ducks (yellow and blue) spent quite a bit longer on the edge of Lake Marion before setting off on their different routes.

03/20/2026

We will open up registration at 5am at the landing. Preregistration ends today. Tell your friends and family to come out. Hope to see everyone there in the morning.

03/19/2026

03/19/2026

Delta Waterfowl announced a new milestone for its First Hunt program, which has now introduced 100,000 people to duck hunting: https://trib.al/K80gKRp