TWELFTH ANNUAL BLACK BRANT CENSUS IN CALIFORNIA 



23 



Museum, and by Ear] Warren, San Diego Chapter, Izaak Walton 

 League. The weather was clear and warm, visibility good, and the 

 tide falling all morning. The brant in both bays were found to be 

 scattered in compact rafts so that it was impossible to secure exact 

 counts, however, the estimates made were judged by the observers to 

 be conservative. 



The 1942 totals for both bays were surprisingly large. In San 

 Diego Bay, 750 brant were estimated present off the mouth of Sweet- 

 water River and 350 birds along the bay's western shore, a mile south 

 of Coronado. The total for San Diego Bay, hence, was 1,100 birds. 

 This is more than twice the number reported in the previous highest 

 census for the area, in 1939, when 462 were counted. 



In Mission Bay, a total of 3,900 brant was estimated present. 

 This result is also far in excess of the highest number, 2,500, reported 

 in any of the previous 11 counts. Table 1 clearly indicates the steady 

 and rapid repopulation of these bays by brant since 1932, when none 

 was reported from either locality. Brant were abundant winter 

 visitants to both bays 40 years ago, but as the census results of the 

 years 1931-1936 indicate, they practically forsook the area for an 

 interval. The rapid repopulation of the bays within the past six years, 

 during a period of great human activity and development in the area, 

 is one of the interesting facts that has been demonstrated by this 

 series of censuses. 



Brant arrived in San Diego Bay early in the Autumn of 1941. 

 A hunter reported to Glidden having killed two brant from a flock of 

 nine on October 18th. Glidden stated, however, that the birds did 

 not commence to arrive in consequential numbers until after the season 

 had closed, in mid-December, and that very few brant were killed 

 locally. 



TABLE 1 



Recapitulation of California Black Brant Censuses, 1931-1942 



