Baltimore and the Western Shore Duck Migration Forecast

Where Baltimore and the Western Shore is

Baltimore and the Western Shore is drawn from 4 counties in Maryland: Anne Arundel, Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Prince George's. Those are the counties its shape on the DuckCast map is built from, so a hunter in any of them reads this region’s score.

When Baltimore and the Western Shore peaks

DuckCast’s season model puts the mallard peak here around mid January. The timing follows the statewide curve; what differs here is how many birds the model expects, below. That is a modelled typical curve, not a prediction for any single year. The actual push depends on cold fronts and freeze-up upstream, which is what the daily score tracks. Always confirm season dates with the state wildlife agency, linked below.

Which birds the model expects in Baltimore and the Western Shore

In DuckCast’s season model, the species that can score highest in Baltimore and the Western Shore are mallards, Canada geese and green-winged teal. Against the state as a whole, it expects fewer snow geese, pintails, scoters, wigeon, blue-winged teal, gadwall, green-winged teal and black ducks in Baltimore and the Western Shore.

Those weights come from harvest records, survey counts and the kind of water, not from a count taken here each season. They cap how high each species’ score can climb; the weather still has to bring the birds.

What DuckCast watches upstream of Baltimore and the Western Shore

5 upstream stations feed this region's freeze line, nearest first: Harrisburg, PA, about 80 miles north, Williamsport, PA, about 145 miles north, Wilkes-Barre, PA, about 150 miles north, Binghamton, NY, about 210 miles north and Montezuma, NY, about 265 miles north. When those stations ice over, the score here starts climbing before anything changes in the local sky.

Radar over Baltimore and the Western Shore

Each morning DuckCast reads the night’s NEXRAD data from KLWX, the National Weather Service radar at Sterling, about 45 miles west of the region’s weather point. That puts the radar just outside the region, near enough to see birds lifting off and passing close by. Radar sees every bird in the air, not only ducks, so it confirms or questions the score rather than moving it.

Locations stay generalized

Hunter reports for Baltimore and the Western Shore are always shown at the region level. DuckCast never collects or displays exact coordinates, so filing a report here never burns a spot.