two-thirds covered with ice, and rem¬ 
nants of the past winter*s snow were 
still evident in the more secluded coulees 
and gorges. Ice could also be observed 
on some of the larger lakes in the Flin 
Flon, Manitoba region. Temperatures 
did not fluctuate widely, but remained 
consistently cool — ranging from 30° to 
50°. Intermittent cold rains persisted 
throughout.late May and early June. On 
May 26 snow fell over a broad area of 
Saskatchewan and Manitoba, depositing 
up to 7 inches at Thompson, Manitoba. 
The aftermath of this storm was still 
evident in northern Manitoba 3 days 
later. In northeastern Manitoba many of 
the lakes were still partially covered with 
ice on May 31. In the lower portions of 
our survey area, in Saskatchewan and 
Manitoba, leaf development on the aspen 
and willow was about one-third complete, 
while on the northern transects it was 
beginning to leaf. By the time the survey 
was started in Ontario on June 5, vege¬ 
tative development was more pronounced, 
though not completed —specially in the 
upper extremities of the transects. 
Strong winds persisted throughout the 
survey period, as is generally the case. 
Water levels were the highest they 
have been during the past 4 years, rang¬ 
ing from excellent in Saskatchewan to 
very high in northern Manitoba and parts 
of northern Ontario. In the latter areas, 
several small rivers were observed over¬ 
flowing their banks and many small pot¬ 
holes were flooded well beyond the es¬ 
tablished shore lines. To what degree 
first nesting attempts were affected by the 
high water is not known. The status of 
one of the finest pieces of waterfowl real 
estate in Canada, the Saskatchewan River 
Delta, is in definite jeopardy. The Grand 
Rapids Hydro-electric Project, located at 
the confluence of the Saskatchewan River 
and Lake Winnipeg, has created one large 
lake out of thousands of acres of once- 
excellent habitat. At the time of the sur¬ 
vey, diver habitat remained in fair amounts, 
while dabbler nesting areas were very 
limited. Canada goose habitat may have 
been improved in certain localities. The 
crux of the matter will be the ultimate 
pool level and the fluctuating water levels. 
The water appeared to be rising, and 
flooding of coot nests was observed. 
South of The Pas, another portion of 
high quality Delta is being drained by a 
so-called land development project. 
Several new ditches were evident through¬ 
out the area. 
The first drainage ditch of any size was 
observed this spring near Meadow Lake, 
Saskatchewan. This ditch tapped on 80 to 
100-acre marsh. 
Breeding population indexes 
In 1964, the area north of 55°30 T N in 
Saskatchewan was not surveyed. Deleting 
this data from the 1965 information and 
comparing the remainder with 1964, a 
-16 percent change in total numbers is 
indicated (table B-48). Comparing 1965 
with 1963, the last year complete data 
was obtained, -14 percent is shown. In 
each of the areas surveyed, a slight de¬ 
crease in the over-all waterfowl breeding 
population index is indicated. However, 
only in Ontario does this decrease reach 
proportions which demand closer sur¬ 
veillance. It has been the practice in 
past years to start the survey in Ontario 
near the end of May, generally completing 
the flights by the end of the first week in 
June. However, in 1965 the first Ontario 
transect was flown June 7 and the last, 
June 13. The data obtained in 1965 sug¬ 
gests the possibility that some transient 
birds were tallied previously and that a 
more valid breeding population index of 
this low quality habitat was obtained this 
year. 
The decreases indicated for the re¬ 
mainder of areas surveyed were minor 
and suggest an almost static condition. 
The Saskatchewan River Delta index 
compared favorably with the past 5 years, 
as did all other areas. However, pro¬ 
duction in the Delta east of The Pas could 
be very low depending almost entirely on 
the Hydro-electric Project. The Beaver 
River drainage, north of Meadow Lake 
21 
