breeding numbers, probably because the coastal areas favored by the species are 

 not surveyed intensively. Half of the continental winter population is off the 

 Pacific coast, and about a third is off the Atlantic coast. In the latter area, 

 the main wintering ground is between Long Island Sound and North Carolina. 

 Only about 1,500 birds normally winter south of Virginia (Bellrose 1976). The 

 largest numbers of wintering birds on the Pacific coast of North America are 

 found in southeastern Alaska and British Columbia (Palmer 1976b). 



Judging from figures provided by the most recent winter survey (Goldsberry 

 et al . 1980) and from recent Christmas count data (Map 28), the Common Golden- 

 eye reaches its peak abundance in the southeastern United States in the north- 

 ern and western Gulf of Mexico. Calculations based on the waterfowl harvest 

 survey for the 1974-1975 hunting season (Larned et al. 1980) also support this 

 conclusion. The estimated number of goldeneyes that were killed and retrieved 

 in 1975 in each of the southeastern states is as follows: North Carolina - 0, 

 South Carolina - 0, Georgia - 0, Florida - 0, Alabama - 328, Mississippi - 0, 

 Louisiana - 2,437, and Texas - 1,202— a total of 3,639 birds. The figures for 

 Louisiana and Texas much exceed those obtained on the winter watefowl survey 

 for 1975 (2,437 vs. 0, and 1,202 vs. 30); the figure for Alabama is only slight- 

 ly greater (328 vs. 300). 



Approximately 114,000 goldeneyes were reported within the contiguous Unit- 

 ed States during the January 1975 winter waterfowl survey (Goldsberry et al. 

 1980). Only 630 (0.55%) of these were reported from southeastern waters. The 

 largest wintering populations were found in Washington (20,833), Maine (12,525), 

 Maryland (11,300), and Illinois (10,800). Bellrose (1976) indicated that about 

 80% of the goldeneyes wintering in Washington are Common Goldeneyes; the popu- 

 lations in Maine, Maryland, and Illinois are presumably almost entirely Common 

 Goldeneyes . 



Data provided by Bellrose (1976) from ground and aerial surveys for areas 

 in North America outside the contiguous United States suggest wintering popula- 

 tions of at least 50,000 birds in Alaska, British Columbia, and the Aleutians; 

 5,500 in Newfoundland and the Maritiraes; and 550 along the Mexican coasts. 



Cramp et al. (1977) listed wintering populations for northern and central 

 Europe that total about 210,000 birds, the great majority (170,000) of which 

 are in Danish waters. Another 52,000 winter in the western U.S.S.R. 



Migration The migration pattern of North American Common Goldeneyes is 

 not well defined, partly because of the proximity of breeding and wintering 

 areas. Many move only a short distance from breeding grounds to wintering 

 areas but others may migrate as far as 800-1,200 mi (1,300-1,900 km) (Palmer 

 1976b). Apparently most birds from the interior move to the coasts in fall, 

 dispersing to the south along the coasts rather than inland (Bellrose 1976). 

 Spring migration begins about the end of February in the southern part of the 

 wintering range in the conterminous United States and reaches a peak in late 

 March and early April; fall migration begins in early October and peaks in 

 November and December (Palmer 1976b). 



391 



