Eastern Waterfowl Survey (EWS25)

The Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) Eastern Waterfowl Survey (EWS) uses helicopters to annually survey breeding waterfowl on square plots located either systematically (Ontario and Québec) or semi-randomly (Atlantic region) within the breeding range of the American Black Duck. The initial goal of the EWS was to address objectives specific to the American Black Duck under the Black Duck Joint Venture (BDJV, a component of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan), while also surveying and generating reliable indices for trends of all waterfowl species with similar breeding phenology nesting within the Black Duck’s range in eastern Canada. Following pilot surveys from 1985-1989, EWS was initiated in 1990. The survey design (plot size, number, and survey frequency) changed multiple times in the early years. From 1990-1992, the survey design included 202 10x10 km (100 km²) plots surveyed annually. From 1993-1994, the number of 100 km² plots in Ontario and Québec were reduced by nearly half based on an optimal allocation technique, leaving 143 plots to be surveyed annually. In 1995, the number of 100 km² plots was further reduced to 92 for an annual survey. Beginning in 1996, the…

Publisher

Environment and Climate Change Canada

Resources

10

Catalogue metadata updated

2026-09-10