Black duck pair and brood abundance before and after wetland stabilisation

Changes in the abundance of Black Duck pairs and broods in four manipulated wetlands and 52 reference wetlands were compared. There was an increase in the number of pairs and broods at manipulated sites following manipulation, while unstabilised sites experienced a decline in bird numbers during the same period. However, there were no significant differences in brood sizes or hatching success either at manipulated or reference sites. The results have implications for current management practices regarding stabilisation processes as a means to increase species abundance.