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Growth rate in dacklings. correlated with length of day and weather conditions, is being studied by the Alaska Unit. 

 Individual birds are marked by injecting dye into the egg (left) which enables monitoring growth of wing 

 feathers (right), and determination of flying age. (Photos by David R. Klein) 



in 1963; for first -year young they were 22 percent 

 in 1961, 14 percent in 1962, and 13 percent in 1963. 

 The data indicate that yoimg white-fronted geese 

 have a harvest rate at least twice that of aduhs. 

 but that the harvest rate of all birds was not ex- 

 cessive during the 3 years for which data are 

 available. 



Goose Tproduction and population stabHity 

 study. — Canada geese were studied by the Utah 

 Unit on the Ogden Bay Waterfowl Management 

 Area in 1959 and 1960 to determine production 

 and population stability of the species in this lo- 

 cality. Overall nesting success was 82.3 peix-eiit. 

 with an average of 3.9 goslings per nesting pair. 

 The highest success was in nests located on musk- 

 rat houses in cattail cover and within 5 yards of 

 open water. In this species, unlike pheasants or 

 cottontail rabbits, mortality rates were reduced 

 significantly with a reduction in the daily bag 

 limit. The data also indicated that the population 

 should decrease during years when the daily bag 

 limit is two or three, and increase following years 

 of a 1-goose limit. Hunting pressure was clearly 

 the limiting factor controlling tlie Canada goose 

 population at Ogden Bay. 



16 



Waterfowl production in the Canadian Park- 

 lands. — The 13th annual consecutive field survey 

 was completed in 1064: on two areas characteristic 

 of the Canadian Parklands, the Redvers in south- 

 eastern Saskatchewan and the Lousana in Alberta, 

 The main objective was evaluation of factors af- 

 fecting waterfowl production in this vastly im- 

 portant habitat type. 



On the Redvers area more water was present in 

 early May tlian any previous year, but almost half 

 was of a shallow and transitory nature. Duck- 

 breeding populations did not respond in propor- 

 tion to the increase in water. '\Miile showing an 

 Increase of 120 percent over 1963, they were still 

 40 percent below the average for 1052-58 when 

 water conditions were nearly ideal. The density 

 of breeding pairs seemed to be correlated more 

 nearly with water levels than with the number of 

 water areas. 



Xe.sting success was very poor in 1964 for all 

 species of upland nesters, in large measure because 

 of predation. It was ascertained that predator 

 populations were as high as or higher tlian at any 

 time during the previous 13 years. Despite the 

 120-perrent increase in breeding pairs, the fall 



