Coots also responded to Improved 
conditions and registered an 81 percent 
increase. The 1965 coot production 
index was 52,800. 
OREGON 
Data supplied by Chester E. Kebbe 
Oregon State Game Commission 
Weather and habitat conditions 
Snow and heavy rains during the win¬ 
ter resulted in some of the most disas¬ 
trous floods in Oregon’s history. This 
large amount of water served one useful 
purpose, however, in filling most of the 
lakes, potholes, and reservoirs in the 
State to capacity, creating a large 
amount of productive waterfowl habitat. 
Malheur Lake, Summer Lake, lakes in 
Warner Valley, and other eastern Oregon 
lakes now hold more water than they 
have had in August in recent years. 
A cold, wet spring prevented rapid 
evaporation and stabilized water levels 
in the newly created ponds. 
Production indexes 
Duck production on the permanent 
water areas continues to decline. This 
decline is perhaps because of a decrease 
in breeding ducks as well as dispersal 
of birds to new territories. 
Production on established transects 
was down 37 percent from 1964. How¬ 
ever, on Malheur Refuge, the major 
production area in the State, duck pro¬ 
duction was up 12 percent from 1964 and 
up 18 percent from the previous 10-year 
average. The Malheur production is 
estimated to be 35,000 birds as com¬ 
pared with 31, 325 in 1964 (tables B-10 
and 11). 
Goose production trends on 15 per¬ 
manent transect samples show a decline 
of 21 percent from the peak production 
in 1964, but down only 10 percent from 
the 1962-64 average. Much of this 
measured loss was because of dispersal 
of breeding birds from permanent water 
areas to newly created habitat. How¬ 
ever, for unknown reasons, many 
paired geese failed to bring off broods 
(table B-12). 
A phenomenal increase in coot pro¬ 
duction was recorded in newly flooded 
areas in the Malheur Refuge. Over 
50,000 coots were produced as com¬ 
pared with 25,000 in 1964. 
CALIFORNIA 
Data supplied by J. R. LeDonne, F. M. 
Kozlik, Harry George, William 
Anderson, and Ed. J. O’Neill 
Weather and habitat conditions 
Water conditions in northeastern 
California were good this year. Most of 
the permanent water impoundments and 
marshes were full or nearly filled to 
capacity and provided good nesting con¬ 
ditions. In addition, some marginal 
waterfowl habitat not covered by this 
survey had ample water this year to pro¬ 
duce birds. Rainfall and snow pack was 
normal or above normal in all areas. 
Rains occurred throughout June, adding 
to or maintaining good water levels. In 
summation, water conditions were good 
but the nesting season was late because 
of weather conditions. 
The Central Valley received normal 
amounts of rainfall, although more im¬ 
portant to production was the weather and 
rain during a given period which affects 
farming operations. This area is mostly 
composed of artificial and regulated 
water impoundments such as rice fields, 
grasslands and pasture areas. The rice 
and associated vegetation was a week or 
two later than 1964 due to cool and wet 
weather that occurred in April, May, 
and June. 
The months of February and March 
were mild and dry, and migration began 
early. During April, rains created ideal 
habitat conditions for the birds on their 
northern migration. By the end of April 
most of the birds had left the wintering 
grounds. 
7 
