MIGRATIONS OF WATERFOWL 



of St. Jean Baptiste, Baldock saw a flock of twenty-seven Canada Geese 

 coming northward along the Red River Valley, and as he watched, nine of 

 these broke away from the main flock to fly in a northwesterly direction. 

 "The remainder of the flock continued north down the Red River. I was 

 watching them with binoculars when two geese left the main flock before 

 they reached St. Jean. They circled to the west and finally flew west-north- 

 west behind the nine which had originally broken away." 



The homeward migration is not simply a "north" flight, neither is it con- 

 stant in direction throughout, nor do all individuals of a species follow the 

 same course all the way. In its entirety and in its individual segments, the 

 direction of the vernal passage depends upon the individual place of home. 



The main passage of waterfowl through Delta consumes about three 

 weeks each year, mostly in April; the first week in May brings a close to the 

 heavy travel except in late springs. The migration period for a given species, 

 however, is very long when the entire range is considered, and varies ac- 

 cording to the location of the home nesting grounds. Pintails, for example, 

 reach Delta in early April (Table 4) and some years have started nesting 

 before the middle of the month. Others go on to the Arctic, not arriving on 



Table 4. Distribution of Arrival Dates during Sixteen Years 

 (1939-1954) at Delta, Manitoba 



Number of Years Total Years 



March March 28- April April April April 29- May Recorded 

 Species 20-27 April 4 5-12 13-20 21-28 May 6 7-14 1939-1954 



Canada Goose 5 7 4 16 



Mallard 4 6 5 1 16 



Pintail 2 5 7 2 16 



American Golden-eye 2 1 7 5 15 



American Merganser 2 2 10 1 15 



Lesser Snow Goose 1 1 4 2 1 1 10 



Blue Goose 1 1 4 2 1 1 10 



Baldpate 5 7 3 15 



Canvasback 5 7 3 15 



Redhead 1 4 6 3 1 15 



Lesser Scaup 5 6 4 15 



Green-winged Teal 4 7 3 14 



Shoveller 5 5 5 15 



Red-breasted Merganser... 2 2 6 1 11 



Ring-necked Duck 2 4 3 1 10 



Buffle-head 1 4 4 2 11 



White-fronted Goose 1 4 3 1 9 



Gadwall '. 3 5 7 1 16 



Blue-winged Teal 1 3 10 1 15 



Ruddy Duck 1 6 8 1 16 



White- winged Scoter 1 4 10 15 



122 



