Indiana Duck Migration Report 2026

Duck observations in Indiana usually climb from the week of Oct 19 and reach their fall high around the week of Oct 26; they stay above the halfway mark between their July level and that high through the week of Dec 21. That is from ten years of research grade iNaturalist observations, 2016 to 2025, counted as a share of all bird observations so the growth of the app does not skew it.

The nearest count flown this fall on the Mississippi Flyway is the INHS Waterfowl Aerial Inventory, Illinois River in Illinois, run by Illinois Natural History Survey (Forbes Biological Station), counted on September 23, 2026 (11,915 ducks, 810 mallards). In Indiana itself, this week's iNaturalist observations are the running record.

In Indiana, blue-winged teal climb first, from around the week of Aug 24, and redhead come last, from around the week of Nov 30. That is the week each species' share of bird observations first passes the halfway mark between its July level and its fall high; the species chart shows all of them week by week.

Indiana is in the Mississippi Flyway. The continent's busiest duck corridor, following the Mississippi River system. The freeze watch for Indiana reads forecast lows at the Mississippi Flyway's northern staging areas: Bemidji, Fergus Falls, Green Bay, Alpena, Saginaw Bay.

The 2026 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service breeding survey estimated 33.4 ± 0.6 million birds, 6% below the long-term average of 35.4 ± 0.09 million. That is the fall flight's starting point for every state, Indiana included.

Season dates, zones and bag limits for Indiana are set by the state wildlife agency inside the federal frameworks and are listed on the Indiana waterfowl season page, linked below.