significant increases from 1964 and the 
long-term average. 
A record number of geese were found 
during the survey for a 14 percent in¬ 
crease over 1964 and a 78 percent in¬ 
crease from the long-term average. 
Production surveys indicated a good 
hatch in most areas with some loss 
being recorded for parts of the Green 
River, Snake River and North Platte 
River (table B-44). 
COLORADO 
Data supplied by William H. Rutherford 
Colorado Game, Fish and Parks 
Department 
Weather and habitat conditions 
Weather conditions in Colorado during 
the spring and early summer were vari¬ 
able and probably not altogether favorable 
for waterfowl nesting. The high mountain 
snow pack was very heavy in all areas, 
and the spring season was generally cold 
and wet. Runoff was retarded, but once 
it started many streams reached flood 
proportions. Coupled with this was a 
continuation of heavy precipitation, with 
cloudbursts during June contributing to 
already heavy runoff. Breeding-pair 
surveys were conducted before streams 
began to rise appreciably. The unusual 
quantities of water in the South Platte 
Valley have probably adversely affected 
nest establishment, hatching success, 
and brood survival. In the Yampa Val¬ 
ley, it is believed that goose nesting was 
completed successfully before river and 
pond areas were flooded. In areas of 
the State other than the South Platte Val¬ 
ley, waterfowl production has not suffered 
from flooding. It appears that water will 
present in abundance in all areas of the 
State throughout the summer, and that 
broods surviving the flood have an ex¬ 
cellent chance of surviving to the fall 
flight. 
Breeding population index 
Examination of the duck breeding-pair 
estimates by area (table B-45) reveal 
that the 1965 counts were up 1 percent 
from 1964 and 32 percent above the 1954- 
1964, 11-year average. It is obvious 
that Colorado is continuing to experience 
a year-to-year upward trend in breeding- 
pair numbers. 
Species composition of the breeding 
duck population was about the same as 
those of past years. Blue-winged teal, 
green-winged teal, gadwall, shoveler, and 
merganser were up somewhat, with other 
species being either stable or slightly 
down, (table B-46). 
In 1965, the western slope Canada 
goose breeding area showed a decrease 
in number of geese and total gosling pro¬ 
duction from the all-time high of 1964, but 
still substantially above the 9-year aver¬ 
age. All nests were hatched before ex¬ 
treme high water occurred, and no nests 
are known to have been lost by flooding. 
The current surveys indicate a mod¬ 
erately successful production year and a 
continuation of the excellent status of the 
Canada goose flock in Moffat County. 
Most of the highest-quality nesting habitat 
is now occupied, but there still remains a 
considerable amount of unoccupied nesting 
habitat of somewhat lower quality but still 
capable of good production. Thus, it is 
the management objective to continue the 
increase in the size of this flock (table 
B-47). 
NORTHERN SASKATCHEWAN, 
NORTHERN MANITOBA AND 
WESTERN ONTARIO 
Data supplied by Arthur R. Brazda and 
Gust J. Nun 
Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife 
Weather and habitat conditions 
Spring was slow in coming to the 
region north of Prince Albert, Saskatche¬ 
wan, and The Pas, Manitoba. On May 22 
Clearwater Lake, near The Pas, was 
20 
