Old question I am sure.When Ducks move with fronts.

Mostly in a dry or wet front?

In front off or behind or with the front.

My telephone line census has more doves this morning than in September.. NE Kaufman

I always notice the biggest push of birds when a front hits at night. Seems to me like they come with it or just barely in front.

I have read that ducks usually follow a front to ride the northerly winds down.

with the front on the leading edge riding the air column especially if at night with a full moon...no better way to watch/listen to the migration than with geese, ducks are a little harder to predict/track but i would assume a similar pattern

My best hunt ever was when the front hit about 30 minutes after sun up. Only happens in a blue moon but it was awesome. And it was already cold too so many tanks were already froze up. Ours was only half froze since ducks were keeping it open. But I saw ducks pour in for 2 hours with that front. Hundreds migrating down. Already had my limit in 5 minutes though so just enjoyed the show.

Right before, they ride with the wind

I guess everybody sees it differently. I find my better hunts are with the first southern wind AFTER a good front has blown thru.

I don't know how many times I've seen a good cold front and thought this is the one. Not! Birds don't move when there are water and food still available up north. One of those things needs to be unavailable for them to move in serious numbers. I look at length of below freezing weather followed by a prevailing north wind. This is why we usually associate movement with cold fronts.

Just my opinion and 2 cents.

They follow the snowline, the deep one, not this 3 inch snow.

https://www.nohrsc.noaa.gov/snow_mo...201812/nsm_depth_2018120305_National.jpg

It's been studied with radar ornithology. With exceptions as always, most mass migrations take advantage of the northerly tailwinds behind a front. If they jump ahead of the front, flying becomes less efficient. Other than that, freeze out and deep snow will create a mass migration. Geese especially move with the freeze line as they move south.

A very cool live migration map using radar. Note this is not just waterfowl but based on moving images.

http://birdcast.info/live-migration-maps/

From a birding site, but it explains it well. https://ebird.org/news/fall-birding-basics/

....Ahead of these systems conditions are unfavorable for fall migration. Strong south winds and unstable air cause many migrants to wait it out for days and sometimes weeks in the case of extremely slow-moving systems. This bottling-up of migrants for extended periods can result in spectacular flights when the dam breaks, and the cold front finally passes.....

....Behind a typical fall cold front the air is dry and cool, and the wind direction generally has a northerly component, creating favorable conditions for migration. These conditions can last for days, but usually the migration is most intense on the day immediately following the passage of a cold front.......