as severe as the survey indicates as 
they had fair production in 1964 in some 
areas. 
Production indexes 
An indication of duck production was 
gained from the Tetlin study area sur¬ 
veyed July 10-12 and from seven plots on 
the Yukon Flats surveyed July 13-19 
(table B-3). The Tetlin survey was con¬ 
ducted a week earlier than last year 
which may account for a small part of 
the decrease in broods. The figures 
from the Yukon Flats are representative 
of a much larger area and a wider range 
of habitat. Brood sizes averaged 7. 4 
for 60 broods on the Yukon Flats and 
7. 6 for 30 broods at Tetlin. Canvasback 
seem to be slowly increasing. Scaup 
were not all hatched at the time of the 
survey, but the indications are that they 
may do fairly well. The continued de¬ 
cline of pintails is most obvious. 
Cackling goose and black brant pro¬ 
duction on the Yukon Delta was mediocre. 
Unusual weather and a shift in the nesting 
pattern made it impossible to get com¬ 
parative nesting data for brant this year. 
However, 0. 6 brants nests per acre 
were recorded in some areas. This is 
the highest brant nesting density record¬ 
ed from this area. The dusky Canada 
goose nested in great abundance but 
suffered heavy mammalian predation. 
Predators evidently have much better 
access to the Copper Delta since it was 
uplifted by the 1964 earthquake. There 
were 30 trumpeter swan nests found on 
the Kenai compared to an 8-year aver¬ 
age of 23 nests. Whistling swan pro¬ 
duction also seems to be up. 
It would seem that the fall flight of 
waterfowl could be similar to the 1964 
flight in all species except pintails which 
are obviously down in numbers. Young 
birds will make up a much greater per¬ 
centage of the fall population than they 
did last year. 
NORTHERN ALBERTA, NORTH¬ 
EASTERN BRITISH COLUMBIA. 
NORTHWEST TERRITORIES 
AND THE YUKON 
Data supplied by Robert H. Smith and 
Edward G. Wellein, Bureau of Sport 
Fisheries and Wildlife 
Weather and habitat conditions 
Surface water was plentiful and con¬ 
tinued to improve both in area and levels 
over the most southernly stratum since 
1964. To the north the country becomes 
progressively drier—from about 60° 
north latitude on the lake and stream 
levels were the lowest observed in sev¬ 
eral years. Except for the Slave River 
parklands, where many ponds and sloughs 
become dry, numbers of ponds and lakes 
throughout the north remain unchanged. 
The lower water levels probably provide 
habitat because of the wider margins 
exposed. 
The Athabaska and Mackenzie Deltas 
were in better condition than during the 
same period in 1964. Both were flooded 
in their lowest portions, a normal situ¬ 
ation following breakup, but not enough 
to interfere with waterfowl nesting. 
The surface water situation reflects 
the past winter’s snow cover, heavy in 
the south and light in the north. How¬ 
ever, an extremely cold winter coupled 
with the light snow mantle produced a 
thickness of ice that will take a long time 
melting, particularly on the big, deep 
lakes. In spite of this there was enough 
open water during the time of the survey 
to accommodate the breeding duck popu¬ 
lation of the area. 
Throughout the survey period the 
weather was stormy and unsettled. It 
rained frequently and^snowed occasion¬ 
ally. On June 6 the area around Ft. 
Smith was covered with new snow and 
temperatures dropped low enough to 
freeze garden crops. Any duck nests 
hatching at this time could have been ad¬ 
versely affected. 
3 
