Georgia's Colonial Coast hosts many cold-weather outdoor traditions: oyster roasts, striper and seatrout fishing, and waterfowling. The epicenter of this waterfowling tradition is the Altamaha River Delta with its abundant and diverse wetlands. Fortunately for sportsmen, joint ventures between private interests and government protect much of the delta's lands and waters while making them available for compatible uses such as duck hunts.

Jake Haymans, Colby Adams and Hershey teamed up for this mixed bag of ducks on Butler Island. Photo by Capt. Spud Woodward.

In the midst of this sprawling region lies the Altamaha Waterfowl Management Area, operated by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. This 30,000-acre property is a mix of duck-attracting wetland habitats ranging from freshwater river swamps to brackish tidal marshes to plantation-era impoundments.

These impoundments, once used to grow rice, now provide habitat for resident and visiting waterfowl. Water-level manipulation encourages the growth of native moist-soil vegetation offering a smorgasbord not only to ducks, but also other wading birds. Where feasible, agricultural plantings enhance the attractiveness of the area.

Area manager Wayne Hubbard and his staff stay busy throughout the year with a myriad of traditional wildlife management chores -- planting, cutting and burning -- but one of the most challenging is ensuring that water-control structures don't succumb to the erosive effects of widely fluctuating river levels and the twice-a-day tides that range from 6 to 9 feet. More than $1 million has been spent in the last couple of years repairing large breaches in the dike surrounding Rhett's Island, a prominent feature of the management area.

Altamaha WMA is made possible by a partnership between the Georgia DNR, Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration, and Ducks Unlimited, which annually contributes in excess of $100,000 for operation of the area.

Mixed Bag
The wood duck has traditionally been the only waterfowl species to make the Altamaha WMA its yearlong home. However, a couple of non-native species have also taken up housekeeping recently. Mottled ducks and black-bellied whistling ducks are now established residents.

"Although mottled ducks are native to Florida, most of our resident population was jump-started by southerly migrants from South Carolina, where they were transplanted in an attempt to establish a resident population," said Brooks Good, the senior wildlife biologist who oversees the area.

Biologists first found black-bellied whistling ducklings during a 2007 spring waterfowl census. The appearance of this species was a surprise.

"Whistling ducks typically nest in tree cavities like our native wood ducks, but for some reason, they've built nests in the marsh on Rhetts Island," Good said, then chuckled. "It's a testimony to their survival skills that they've managed to live amongst the 'gators, snakes and raccoons."

Black-bellied whistling ducks are not afforded any special protection, explained Good, so hunters can legally harvest them if they come into areas open for hunting.

The first migrants to Altamaha WMA each fall are blue-winged teal, fleeing the chilly winds sweeping across the prairie pothole region. Most are bound for over-wintering grounds in Florida or even Central America, but some will loiter in the area for weeks or months. A few impatient green-winged teal also arrive in September, just in time for Georgia's early waterfowl season.