and south of Waterhen Lake in Saskatche¬ 
wan, was again in excellent condtion. 
Canada geese numbers were up in all 
survey units except Ontario, and coot 
showed no change. The total duck 
population index in 1965 was 857, 689 com¬ 
pared with £91, 648 in 1963. However, 
all units were not completed in 1964. 
The fall flight out of this portion of 
Canada's waterfowl habitat should be the 
same or slightly below that of 1964, de¬ 
pending on what effect the relatively 
cold, wet spring had on the early nesting 
species. For the past 2 years, water 
conditions have been down in lower 
Saskatchewan and western Manitoba. 
However, the dry, early nesting periods 
resulted in a better than average success 
for the first nesting attempt. This may 
not be the case in 1965. In Ontario, de¬ 
spite a sharp decrease in the population 
index, the stable type habitat surveyed 
and the area north of the range will prob¬ 
ably produce as it has in the past. 
Production index 
Total duckling numbers showed a 
marked decrease of 412, 312 in 1965, 
minus 64 percent. At the same time, the 
late nesting index was down 34, 500, minus 
17 percent. Ducklings were down in all 
areas surveyed, ranging from minus 32 
percent to minus 87 percent, and only in 
the Saskatchewan River Delta, Manitoba 
D-l and D-2, did the late nesting index 
show an increase; plus 141 percent (table 
B-49). 
Class n and III broods made up 84 
percent of the total compared with 98 
percent in 1964. However, only 80 
broods of all classes were observed in 
1965, whereas 375 were observed in com¬ 
parative areas in 1964. The data sug¬ 
gests that regardless of when the nesting 
attempt was made, all were about equally 
unsuccessful. Using comparative data, 
class I broods showed a minus 68 percent 
in 1965, class II broods - minus 82 per¬ 
cent, class ID broods - minus 74 percent 
(tables B-50 and 51). 
SOUTHERN MANITOBA 
Data supplied by Morton M. Smith, 
Richard Droll, and J. D. Smith, 
Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife 
Weather and habitat conditions 
Last winter was as cold as any of this 
century in the Canadian prairies. May 
continued generally cold and wet despite 
one period of fine weather. 
Survey flights did not begin until May 
11 and were not completed until May 28, 
1965. These are the latest starting and 
ending dates for the breeding pair survey 
in southern Manitoba. 
Soil moisture reserves at the end of 
1964 were satisfactory in Manitoba de¬ 
spite a dry September and October. The 
snow fall in Manitoba was generally good 
last winter and rainfall this spring has 
been abundant. 
On May 1 the larger water areas in 
southern Manitoba were still frozen and 
snow drifts remained in sheltered areas. 
The season appeared to be a week or 
more late. A period of clear weather at 
mid-May allowed the vegetation to catch 
up fast, but cold weather in late May 
again slowed things down. As a result, 
the phenology of May 1965 was behind 
that of 1964. Although aspens were 
leafed by mid-May on sandy lands and 
emergents were dense in some shallow 
ponds, the overall screening effect of 
vegetation seemed less than that of 1964. 
There was extensive burning of pot¬ 
hole margins and clearing of brush during 
the fall of 1964. As a result, many areas 
were bare this May and over-water and 
upland nesting cover was.reduced. Many 
potholes in south-western Manitoba were 
low in early May, but this area had re¬ 
ceived substantial moisture during the 
month. Pond counts in stratum A this 
year were down 18 percent from the near 
record levels of 1964, but are 21 percent 
above the 12-year average. The number 
of water areas found in stratum B in 1965 
was 44 percent greater than that of 1964 
22 
