Creating A Wetland Complex
Wetland complex from above
In the previous posts we covered some of the specifics to managing for waterfowl. In this post we will bring all those elements together to create what is commonly referred to as a ‘wetland complex.’ A wetland complex can be defined as an area where multiple wetlands exist with different management regimes.
On the WingSelect Farms property, these different wetlands can be categorized as follows: seasonally flooded bottomland hardwoods, moist soil wetlands, shrub/scrub swamps, microtopography/depressions, emergent marshes, and deep open water. A wetland complex is having all these habitat types within approximately 12 miles[1]. So how can we create a wetland complex on our property or lease? Not all properties will have all the elements of a wetland complex. However, small tracts can contain a tremendous amount of diversity and the implementation of various management regimes can enhance the productivity of wetlands for waterfowl.
Our neighbors land outside of our property boundaries matter as well. Ducks may be roosting on the neighbor’s buttonbush swamp (shrub/scrub swamp) while utilizing the property owner’s flooded agricultural fields. So, a wetland complex includes land outside the boundaries of your property, but the more quality habitat we can provide within our boundaries, means better hunting opportunities and most importantly, better wintering survival for migratory waterfowl.
Taking an Inventory of Wetland Types
Before beginning your management practices to enhance waterfowl habitat, take an inventory of habitat types on the property. Ask yourself questions such as these: How much of the water is over 3’ (Deep water habitat)? What wetland areas can be drained, and the soil disturbed (Possible moist soil & emergent marsh areas)? Where are there woody dominated wetlands that are permanent to semipermanent bodies of water with 3’ or less of water (Shrub/scrub swamp)? Keep in mind there is overlap between habitat types and their usage by waterfowl, but the main takeaway is to see your property as an interconnected ecosystem that is dependent on all sorts of biotic and abiotic factors (weather, climate, soil type, elevation, seed bank, beavers, anthropogenic disturbance, etc.) and our land use/management alters these systems to either enhance or to reduce biodiversity.
By implementing strategies that enhance wetland communities, we can ensure better habitat and better hunting come fall. Don’t be afraid to let nature do the work. Often, we can do more damage by trying to improve and modify a wetland that is already creating excellent waterfowl habitat. While other times, the wetland could use a little of our management and development work to create improved waterfowl habitat. These are the land management decisions we must make when creating a wetland complex. You can easily achieve these goals on your property with a little planning and time.
Seasonally Flooded Bottomland Hardwoods
Bottomland hardwoods at WingSelect Farms
Seasonally flooded bottomland hardwoods can be accessed for levee construction to create a green tree reservoir (GTR). Timber stand thinning can also be implemented to enhance early successional moist soil habitat and to increase acorn production of valuable red oak species i.e., Nuttall, willow and cherrybark. Upon the creation of a GTR, management of hydrology within the reservoir will need to be implemented to ensure the health and survivability of red oak species. Learning to identify hardwood species is critical to identify habitat type and quality of bottomland hardwoods. Seasonally flooded bottomland hardwoods often serve as roosting, loafing and feeding locations.
SHrub/SCrub Swamps & Deep Open Water
Shrub/scrub swamps typically don’t require any form of management. They are typically inhabited by beavers and water levels vary with precipitation amounts and beaver activity within the wetland, but they tend to hold water throughout most of the year. Vegetation communities are typically typified by woodier (later succession) wetland vegetation (bald cypress, buttonbush, honey locust, black willow) along with herbaceous vegetation (perennial smartweed, arrowhead duck potato, rushes, etc.).
Beaver dam holding water in a cypress brake (scrub/shrub swamp habitat)
We typically find perennial smartweed (we discourage the growth of this plant within our moist soil impoundments) in most mallards’ crops and gizzards that we harvest. This makes sense being that they spent the entire night roosted in the shrub/scrub habitat types that contain large amounts of perennial smartweed, further emphasizing the importance of those habitat types.
These wetlands create excellent roosting and loafing habitat by providing thermal cover and protection from predators. Thick woody wetland habitat of various types is a critical element of a wetland complex.
Mallards utilizing scrub/shrub habitat directly adjacent to a shallower moist soil wetland
The creation of roosting habitat type impoundments can be considered if this element is missing from your property or lease. Management regimes would typically be to ‘let it grow thick.’ Deeper manmade Reservoirs, natural oxbows, bayous/sloughs, and cypress brakes often have similar plant communities and provide beneficial roosting and loafing habitat for waterfowl.
Emergent Marshes
This habitat type often overlaps with scrub/shrub swamp and moist soil habitat. They are essentially a later successional stage in moist soil when water is left on the wetland. Rushes, sedges, bulrush, cattails. arrowhead duck potato, etc. are common wetland plants found in these areas. Maintaining these areas where present is important for not only waterfowl habitat, but numerous wetland species. These areas are excellent invertebrate sources for waterfowl as well.
Moist Soil Wetlands
Red-root flatsedge in moist soil wetland
If we are talking about putting groceries on the ground and drawing large amounts of waterfowl, moist soil impoundments and agriculture crops are where we can achieve those goals. This is the ‘icing on the cake’ to a wetland complex, so to speak. At our farm, we try to create a diversity of early successional wetland habitat.
Desired moist soil wetland plants are mostly seed producing annuals i.e. red-root flatsedge, wild millets, annual smartweeds, and broadleaf signal grass. We rotate our moist soil impoundments with managed moist soil plants and agricultural crops like rice and millet. In other words, some years we manage for moist soil within an impoundment, while other years we grow rice or millet. But we always have both agriculture crops and moist soil plants each season.
Mature stand of rice planted on moist soil wetland
By having roosting thermal cover along with moist soil plants and agricultural grain crops, we provide waterfowl with everything they need within the property. The less energy that bird must consume flying from one habitat type to another, the fatter they will be and therefore the better chance at surviving they will have.
Two Step Management
To manage for a wetland complex we can leave the scrub/shrub swamps and deep-water habitats alone and manage the shallow moist soil and or bottomland hardwoods to enhance food production for wintering waterfowl. This is what we do on our farm and we have had excellent success with this two step process.
We put the groceries on the ground via moist soil management and agricultural crop production and create roosting habitat by allowing beavers to have full reign over our shrub/scrub and deep water habitat types. This is a generalization to break management of an entire wetland complex into two steps, generally speaking, however, this is what we do each year on our farm.
Rest is Key
Without areas for ducks to rest and feed, waterfowl management is impossible. Ducks need rest areas. If you hunt all your fields/holes frequently, the ducks will leave and find somewhere else they can rest and feed without disturbance. So, keep in mind the importance of rest when developing a wetland complex. This is a very important aspect of waterfowl management, if not the most important. Without this piece of the puzzle, our management actions will surely fall short of our desired goals.
Waterfowl utilizing rest area for feeding and resting
To recap, we can create a wetland complex by providing roosting & loafing habitat along with feeding habitat types. By managing for these two broad types of habitat, we can create a wetland complex that provides food in the form of grains/seeds and invertebrates adjacent to and interspersed within thick woody cover that provides protection from the elements and predators. This is what waterfowl need to survive on the wintering grounds. By creating this we can attract large amounts of wintering birds. Implementing strategies to create a wetland complex will take time but is completely achievable on your property or lease.
[1] https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs142p2_016986.pdf