UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



ttapfe BULLETIN No. 936 Wgm 



KJAk^cifG Contribution from the Bureau of Biological Survey. ^Sffi^-^llt? 



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: Biological Survey. 

 E. W. NELSON, Chief. 



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Washington, D. C. 



PROFESSIONAL PAPER 



May 31, 1921 



WILD DUCKS AND DUCK FOODS OF THE BEAR RIVER 



MARSHES, UTAH. 



By Alexander Wetmoee, Assistant Biologist. 



CONTENTS. 



Introduction 1 



General account of the Bear River 



marshes 2 



Discussion of waterfowl 3 



Breeding species and their 



abundance 3 



Habits and activities after the 



nesting season 6 



Fall migration 9 



The shooting season 10 



Page. 

 Food supplies attractive to wild 



ducks 10 



Vegetable foods 10 



Animal foods 14 



Other conditions affecting waterfowls 16 



Agricultural operations 16 



Natural enemies 16 



Conclusion 18 



INTRODUCTION. 



The economic value of wild ducks and geese as a source of sport, 

 an incentive to healthful outdoor recreation, and an adjunct to the 

 food supply is universally recognized in this country. Legislative 

 measures for the protection of these birds, designed to enable them 

 to hold their own against an ever-increasing army of gunners, have 

 multiplied and have added to the restrictions on hunting as need for 

 them has been realized by sportsmen and persons interested in birds 

 in general. These regulations, however, have not been sufficient to 

 maintain the birds in their former abundance. Regions that once 

 were the summer homes of myriads of wild ducks have been drained 

 and placed under cultivation, and extensive areas where the birds at 

 one time bred are now populous farming communities. The changes 

 have crowded out former avian residents and have served in a cor- 

 responding degree to reduce their numbers. Realization of these 



Note. — This bulletin is a report on the abundance, food supplies, and general conditions 

 affecting the wild ducks and geese breeding on the Bear River marshes in Utah, or 

 frequenting this region at. other times of the year, before their migrations to other parts 

 of the United States. It is for the information of sportsmen and others interested in 

 waterfowl. 



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