Starting in late winter, throughout spring, and so far this summer we’ve had lots of rain. Just the other night a heavy thunderstorm dropped 2 inches of rain. The downside to all this rain has been the suspected flooding of local rivers (they don’t call them flood-plains because it sounds neat).

But, the increase of rainfall has meant massive numbers of frogs. We mean LOTS! {Side note: when we say “frogs” we mean “frogs and toads” - sorry, we’re not herpfreaks…yet}

With the abundance of frogs, Great Blue Herons lined up to feast at what must’ve been similar to an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Great Blue Herons (with a Lesser Yellowlegs barely visible)

Not to miss out on the action, a couple of Great Egrets joined the Great Blues for dinner.

Great Egret coming in for a landing with onlookers

With the numerous flooded farm fields (sorry farmers) the upcoming months have the potential to be extra good for shorebird migration.

When it comes to Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp (Duck Stamp) sales certain states stand out. As expected, states with lots of wetlands and hence, lots of duck hunters, lead the way in total duck stamps purchased since 1934. But as we know, the Duck Stamp has morphed into one of the nation’s best ways to conserve land, so if there is land to protect in your state, it doesn’t matter how many hunters are there.

Disclaimer: These rankings have nothing to do with our opinion of the states themselves or the people who live in them. We love each and every state and feel that all states are responsible for bird conservation.

Top Five

#1 - Minnesota - Having a relatively low population and leading the way in total sales, 9.13 million, Minnesota is the clear winner when it comes to Duck Stamps. Benefiting from many many lakes full of waterfowl helps, but stamps = conservation and Minnesota = great!

#2 - Louisiana - The Pelican State has sold 5.72 million stamps and has the fourth most NWRs of any state.

#3 - North Dakota - With the most National Wildlife Refuges of any state, North Dakota has sold 2.6 million duck stamps. With seemingly more prairie potholes than people, this is one of the best birding places in the U.S.

#4 - South Dakota - With only a few more people than North Dakota and roughly the same amount of stamps sold - 2.6 million - the home of Mount Rushmore has been pulling its weight when it comes to buying stamps. There are plenty of places to bird in South Dakota and more on the way!

#5 - Wisconsin - Our second home and northern neighbor, the Badger State has sold over 1 million more stamps than Louisiana (6.78 million) but with over a million more people. Wisconsin has an extremely active birding community and a wide range of habitats, which means a lot of great birds can be found!

Fact: 34 states have sold over 1 million Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamps

The Slackers

#1 - Florida - In a state full of warm weather and great birds, nearly all of the 18+ million residents should be birders. Sadly, this is not the case and the Sunshine State has only sold a meager 1.61 million stamps. There is definitely room for improvement here and the rewards will be worth it!

#2 - Arizona - One of the most birdiest states in the country, Arizona has only managed to sell around 554,000 stamps. This is the 8th lowest amount even with a population of over 6 million people.

#3 - Hawaii - While not known for ducks or duck hunters, Hawaii still has a good amount of NWRs and a relatively large population for its size. However, the Aloha State has sold the least amount of duck stamps of any state, only 8,752!

Final Thoughts

Our home state of Illinois ranks somewhere in the middle. We have a high population (due to the Chicago area) and 4.91 million duck stamps sold. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of National Wildlife Refuges in our state and the best ones are a fairly long drive away (in southern Illinois).

But it doesn’t really matter where you live or how many refuges are nearby, duck stamps do more than save ducks or give you the ability to hunt ducks. These stamps are a bird conservationist’s best friend, so buy a few now. They make great gifts!

The American Bird Conservancy is working to restore land around decommissioned mines. Partnered with the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, the goal is to manage habitat for breeding Cerulean Warblers, Wood Thrushes, and other mature forest birds.

Golden-winged Warbler

In addition to mature forest restoration the land is being managed for more open area species such as Henslow’s Sparrow and Golden-winged Warbler.

Read about the Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture

“Saving Living Space for Living Things” through protection, restoration and stewardship of land, conservation of natural resources, and education. - Citizens for Conservation

This is the mission of Citizens for Conservation (CFC), an organization located in Barrington, Illinois in Lake County. Their goals are to protect, inform and restore native plant and wildlife communities in the Barrington area.

CFC relies on volunteers and donations to acquire, restore and manage land. They have many programs for volunteers, Eastern Bluebird and Wood Duck house monitoring, bird, butterfly, and frog monitoring, and river, plant and tree monitoring. These programs track species of concern, alert to new problems, and also show the success of restoration efforts.

The CFC is a great example of local conservation that makes a real difference.

We hope that the success of CFC will become a model for other communities to enrich their areas through individual involvement. We are lucky to have a county full of wonderful preserves and natural areas, but we know it could be better. The more people that care, the more land that will be conserved.

Jay N. “Ding” Darling

Brush and ink drawings of Mallards by Jay N. “Ding” Darling, a famous cartoonist and noted conservationist. The artist was chief of the Biological Survey, a precursor of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, from 1934 to 1936. “Ding” conceived the idea of using duck stamps to raise money for the purchase of wetlands. (Deceased)

–U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

1992-1993 stamp featuring Spectacled Eider

The Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp has been in place for 75 years, starting back in the 1934-1935 season with a Mallard. Since then, the stamp has changed a lot in quality and price. But one thing that has not changed is that 98% of the cost of the stamp goes to conservation, a truly remarkable thing.

Some facts:

• 44 species of ducks, geese, and swans have been featured
• Mallard, Canvasback, and Northern Pintail have been featured the most, 5 times each
• The Canvasback was featured as a decoy on the 1975-1976 stamp
• All regularly occurring waterfowl species have been featured except Cackling Goose, a newly split bird from Canada Goose
• The 1959-1960 stamp featured a Black Labrador Retriever (holding a shot Mallard)
• You can view all previous stamps at The Federal Duck Stamp Program

The five Northern Pintail stamps, including the current one

The American Bird Conservancy has recently launched a new campaign “Act For Songbirds” in an attempt to provide better funding for migratory birds. The sole purpose is to pass Bill H.R. 5756 which would reauthorize the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA) at higher funding.

This bipartisan, worthy bill would allow for more conservation projects to be funded. The American Bird Conservancy has set up an easy, fully automated form that allows you to put your name towards getting this bill passed.

The more dollars that can go to bird conservation, the better!