Migratory Waterfowl

Migratory Waterfowl is a 1:24,000-scale, polygon feature-based layer that depicts the concentration areas of migratory waterfowl at specific locations within Connecticut. Paul Merola, former DEP Wildlife Biologist, and Greg Chasko, DEP Wildlife Biologist, identified the migratory waterfowl concentration areas based on the Northeast Coastal Areas Study, Joseph Dowhan, 1991 (see Supplemental Information) as well as by using midwinter surveys, breeding surveys and personal observations. The concentration areas are primarily found along the shoreline and the lower tributaries and wetlands of major Connecticut rivers. In addition to depicting the concentration areas, the potential waterfowl species associated with each polygon have been identified and are listed in the attribute table as boolean values indicating their presence or absence. The intent of this datalayer is to assist in the identification of migratory waterfowl resource areas in the event of an oil spill or other condition that might be a threat to waterfowl species. This layer identifies conditions at a particular point in time. It is not updated and it is not a complete representation of all areas of migratory waterfowl in Connecticut.