The ring-necked duck, a diving species, breeds throughout coastal Maine, but 

 prefers the deeper palustrine and riverine marshes. Most local birds migrate 

 south in September and all are usually gone by the end of November. This 

 species, rarely observed on saltwater in Maine, makes up from 1% to 4% of the 

 hunter's bag. Region 6 supports the major coastal breeding population. 



Wintering Species 



Among the wintering species, only the bufflehead, old squaw, and white-winged 

 scoter are widely distributed and relatively abundant in the coastal area. 

 Although greater scaup occur mostly in flocks of over 100 birds, they are 

 traditionally observed in only a few specific areas, which may reflect rather 

 specific habitat requirements in the winter. 



Although not classified as wintering species, as given in table 15-3, large 

 numbers of other species winter in the estuaries and bays of the Maine coast. 

 Major overwintering birds, in order of abundance from 1975 to 1977, are eiders 

 and black ducks, which make up the majority, goldeneyes, scaups, and 

 buf f leheads . 



Migrants 



Among the migrant species of coastal Maine, brant, greater snow geese, and 

 lesser scaup are observed regularly in flocks up to several hundred but 

 generally only in specific areas at specific times (table 15-4). Pintails, 

 and other migrant waterfowl not mentioned above, occur incidentally as singles 

 or small flocks (<10) in estuaries and coastal waters. 



WATERFOWL ASSESSMENT 



The problems associated with monitoring and managing waterfowl populations 

 were reviewed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in a recent environmental 

 impact statement (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1975), part of which says: 



"The situation with migratory birds is similar to that for 

 most other wild animal populations in which the condition 

 of the resource is monitored by a variety of techniques 

 that yield information used in evaluating the status of 

 each population. ...Habitat surveys, indices of 

 population size, band recovery rates, production 

 estimates, survival estimates, and harvest information are 

 used to evaluate population status." 



All of the above methods have been used to some extent by the Maine Department 

 of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) to assess Maine waterfowl 

 populations. Since the early 1970s, as a result of comprehensive waterfowl 

 planning by FWS, most surveys and investigation data have been recorded and 

 analyzed on a "wildlife management unit" basis. These units are shown in 

 figure 15-1 for comparison with the regional boundaries of the 

 characterization area. Figure 15-2 gives a simlar comparison of the 

 characterization area with winter waterfowl inventory units established by the 

 MDIFW in 1952. Figure 15-3 shows how the coastal county boundaries are 

 positioned in relation to the characterization area. Selected data from MDIFW 

 investigations are summarized and discussed below. 



15-10 



