Vermont Duck Migration Report 2026: Counts and Timing

Q: When do ducks migrate through Vermont?

Ducks make up as large a share of Vermont's bird observations in July and August as at any point in the fall, so its iNaturalist record shows no fall climb to date. 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.

Q: Where is the nearest duck count to Vermont?

The nearest published count on the Atlantic Flyway is the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge Ground Waterfowl Survey in Maryland, run by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, counted on March 19, 2026 (469 ducks, 62 mallards). In Vermont itself, this week's iNaturalist observations are the running record.

Q: Which ducks come through Vermont first?

In Vermont, green-winged teal climb first, from around the week of Oct 5, and common goldeneye come last, from around the week of Nov 16. 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.

Q: What flyway is Vermont in?

Vermont is in the Atlantic Flyway. The eastern seaboard corridor, Maine to Florida, inland to West Virginia. The freeze watch for Vermont reads forecast lows at the Atlantic Flyway's northern staging areas: Presque Isle, Lake Champlain at Burlington, Watertown.

Q: How many ducks are on the continent this fall?

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, Vermont included.

Q: When does duck season open in Vermont?

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

469

Nearest count, Maryland

ducks, March 19, 2026; about 410 miles away

Atlantic

Flyway

freeze watch below

The agency counts

The nearest counts to Vermont on the Atlantic Flyway

The nearest agency counts on the Atlantic Flyway are in Maryland (about 410 miles away) and Delaware (about 380 miles away), measured center to center, so read them as the flyway’s trend rather than a count of Vermont’s own birds.

Counted through the season

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge Ground Waterfowl Survey

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge · Maryland · about 410 miles from Vermont

Last season’s count, March 19, 2026

469 ducks

62 of them mallards

In the agency’s words

Winter 2026 ... 3/19/2026 ... Mallard MALL ... 62 ... total waterfowl ... 621 ... total duck ... 469

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, March 19, 2026. Read it at the source

Ducks, geese, swans and other water birds on Blackwater NWR on Maryland's Eastern Shore, by species, from the ground, plus a January aerial survey

How often: Roughly weekly
Season: November to March
Highest published count: 5,613 ducks, January 2026
Counted at: Blackwater, Barren Island, Bishops Head, Smith Island, South Marsh and Bloodsworth Island

The agency’s survey page The report this count is from Read October 8, 2026

Midwinter survey

Aerial Waterfowl Survey

Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Division of Fish and Wildlife · Delaware · about 380 miles from Vermont

Last published midwinter survey, January 2026

59,709 ducks

18,363 of them mallards

22,649 American black ducks, the most in any January flight in the dataset since 1978, and 24,174 snow geese against 248,322 in 2025

Total added up from the published species counts

In the agency’s words

{"year":"2026","sum_atlantic_brant":"74","sum_canada_goose":"84257","sum_snow_goose":"24174",...,"sum_american_black_duck":"22649","sum_mallard":"18363","sum_northern_pintail":"5190"

Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Division of Fish and Wildlife, January 2026. Read it at the source

Ducks, geese and swans across the eastern half of Delaware from the Pennsylvania line to the Maryland line, by species and survey zone, from the air; the January flight is the statewide Midwinter count and the fall flights cover the bayshore zones only

How often: Fall flights in October, November and December over three bayshore zones (zones 5 to 7), then one statewide January Midwinter flight over every zone
Season: October to January
Counted at: Zone 1, Pennsylvania State line south to the Delaware Memorial Bridge
Zone 2, Delaware Memorial Bridge to the C&D Canal
Zone 3, C&D Canal to Liston Point and Kenton
Zone 4, Liston Point to Route 6 Smyrna
and 7 more

The agency’s survey page The report this count is from Read October 8, 2026

Observations this week

Vermont against a normal year

Observations this week in Vermont

Counting this week’s research grade observations.

Observations this week in the Atlantic Flyway

Duck observations here usually reach their fall high around the week of Nov 9. Counting this week’s research grade observations.

Which ducks come through Vermont, and when

Each row is one species’ share of Vermont bird observations by week from August to July, darkest at its high point, from research grade iNaturalist observations 2016 to 2025. The last column is the week each species first comes four fifths of the way from its July level to its August to December high.

SpeciesAugSepOctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulUsual fall high

Mallarddabblingno fall rise; as common in summer

Green-winged tealdabblingweek of Oct 12

Blue-winged tealdabblingtoo few fall records

Northern pintaildabblingtoo few fall records

American wigeondabblingtoo few fall records

Gadwalldabblingtoo few fall records

Wood duckdabblingno fall rise; as common in summer

Redheaddivingtoo few fall records

Lesser scaupdivingtoo few fall records

Greater scaupdivingtoo few fall records

Ring-necked duckdivingweek of Oct 26

Buffleheaddivingweek of Nov 9

Common goldeneyedivingweek of Nov 23

What moves the birds

Freeze watch up the Atlantic Flyway

When the shallow water at the northern staging areas locks up, dabbling ducks move south to open water. These are the National Weather Service seven day forecast lows there, with nights at or below 28°F marked.

Freeze watch on the Atlantic Flyway

Reading the seven day forecast lows at Presque Isle, Lake Champlain at Burlington, Watertown.

Two ring-necked ducks swimming in dark open water along the edge of a sheet of ice — Ring-necked ducks on the open water left at the ice edge, Lake Andes National Wildlife Refuge, South Dakota. When the shallow pools lock up, the birds that feed in them have to move. “Ring-Necked Duck in Winter Lake Andes National Wildlife Refuge South Dakota (54202161621)”, USFWS Mountain-Prairie (Liz Julian), Public domain

Vermont duck migration questions

When do ducks migrate through Vermont?

Where is the nearest duck count to Vermont?

Which ducks come through Vermont first?

What flyway is Vermont in?

How many ducks are on the continent this fall?

When does duck season open in Vermont?

More for the Vermont season

Duck migration on every flywayEvery agency count, the freeze watch and this week's observations, flyway by flyway.Vermont waterfowl seasonDuck season dates, zones and limits for Vermont.Vermont pheasant seasonOpening day and the agency's own outlook for Vermont.Fall bird migrationThe songbird and raptor migration, state by state.Eagle watchingWhere bald eagles gather at open water in winter.Hunting licensesWhat a license costs, and the duck stamp that goes with it.

Duck migration in other states

Agency counts read up to October 8, 2026, each from the page linked on its card, and the agency’s own report is the one that governs. Observation curves from iNaturalist research grade records 2016 to 2025; this week’s figures and the forecast lows are read when the page opens. Every state is on the duck migration report.