and (2) lack of bandinjj information has made 

 it impo.ssible to interpret adequately age ratios 

 in the black duck harvest on an annual basis, or 

 to estimate annual jiopnlation levels indirectly 

 throu<!:h use of tlie number of birds killed and the 

 proportion this kill represented in the total as de- 

 termined by band-recovery rates. The problem is 

 particularly serious since aerial surveys for e^ist- 

 ern Canada are presently in an experimental stage 

 of development, not yet giving wholly adequate 

 information on the annual status of the black duck 

 populations in these regions. 



Machine data procesning vnif. — Machine data 

 processing methods are the only feasible means of 

 processing and analyzing efficiently the large mass 

 of data resulting each year from banding and other 

 data-collecting sur\-eys conducted by the Popula- 

 tions Station. The amount of work demanded of 

 the machine data processing unit increased con- 

 siderably during 1964. A total of 348 tabulation 

 requests were processed, representing about 900 

 separate tabulations. Of these, 98 were received 

 from persons or organizations outside the Bureau. 



Preparation of these tabulations included (1) 

 punching, verifying, and summarizing cards re- 

 lating to bird-banding activities: (2) preparing 

 reports to hunters and banders concerning bands 

 recovered; (3) preparing band recovery statistical 

 cards; (4) preparing mailing lists, addressing 

 questionnaires, punching and verifying data from 

 questionnaire response and wing-collection en- 

 velope data slips, and making calculations leading 

 to estimates of size, sex, and age composition, and 

 distribution of the waterfowl kill; and (5) pre- 

 paring mailing lists and recording, tabulating, and 

 analyzing data from the woodcock wing collection 

 survej". In addition, the machine unit prepared 

 finished tables for the Division of Realty sum- 

 marizing land acquisition accomplishments for the 

 fiscal year 1964. 



During 1964, equipment in the machine data 

 processing unit was updated with the addition 

 of a Univac 1004. In addition to efficient tabulat- 

 ing capabilities, the 1004 can perform calculations, 

 including multiplication, division, squaring, and 

 extracting square roots. The machine adds con- 

 siderably to the work output of the station, since 

 it relieves the technical staff of many hours of 

 work with desk calculators. 



Mall .mrveys of materfowf hunferf. — In 1964 

 several mail surveys were conducted to measure 



the size, species, age, and sex composition of the 

 waterfowl kill and to detennine certain hunter 

 characteristics. 



The results of the 1963-64 waterfowl question- 

 naire sur\ey indicated an increase over that of the 

 previous year in the duck kill in all four flyways, 

 with the Central and Mississippi showing the 

 greatest increase. 



In the Atlantic Flyway, an estimated 889,100 

 ducks (exclusive of sea ducks) were bagged, an 

 increase of 22 percent over the previous season. 

 An additional 220,400 ducks were knocked down 

 but not retrieved, making a total kill (bag plus 

 cripples) of approximately 1,109,500 ducks. 

 These figures for the Mississippi, Central, and 

 Pacific Flyways were as follows: 



Duckling banding program. — Flyway manage- 

 ment of migratory waterfowl in the United States 

 was initiated in 1947. The annual aerial census 

 of waterfowl breeding populations became an 

 oi>erational procedure by 1951. Results of the 

 breeding population survey were difficult to use for 

 forecasting changes in the size of the fall flight 

 in each flyway, primarily because of lack of knowl- 

 edge alwut the relation between ix)pulation 

 changes in various parts of the breeding range 

 and harACst of birds in each flyway. In order to 

 meet this deficiency, a cooj^erative breeding- 

 ground banding program, emphasizing the band- 

 ing of flightless young (called "locals"), was 

 undertaken by the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and 

 AVildife, the Canadian Wildlife Service, and 

 various State and Provincial organizations. 

 From 1950 to 1961, about 67,320 mallard ducklings 

 were banded on most of the important mallard- 

 l)reeding arenas. This effort resulted in 9,272 first- 

 hunt ing-sea.«on band recoveries from young mal- 

 lard.s. An a])proximately e(jual numl>er of re- 

 coveries has accumulated from the combined 

 duckling bandings of other game ducks. 



Progress on this work has been sunmiarized by 

 the Migratory Bird Populations Station in Spe- 

 cial Scientific Report — Wildlife No. 89. which 

 examines the relation Iwtween pi-oduction and har- 

 vest areas for 10 major game-duck species. This 



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