1963. Dabblers increased 36 percent and 
divers were up 58 percent. The Canada 
goose breeding population was up 15 per¬ 
cent over 1963. (Table B-17.) 
Production index 
Results of brood surveys indicate an 
increase in duck production over 1963 of 
111 percent. Increased production was 
noted in all major nesting species. A 
total of 6,477 young ducks was observed 
this year on established sample areas as 
compared with 3, 069 young in 1963 
(table B-18). 
Conclusions 
This is the second consecutive year of 
improved habitat conditions and increased 
waterfowl production in Nevada. Indica¬ 
tions are that the State's contribution to 
the fall flight of ducks in the Pacific 
Flyway will be the highest since 1958. 
UTAH 
Data supplied by Donald A. Smith 
Utah Department of Fish and Game 
Weather and habitat conditions 
Utah experienced one of the most ex¬ 
tended cold periods of recent years during 
the winter of 1963-64. Severe cold and 
heavy snows persisted from about Decem¬ 
ber 15, 1963, through March 28, 1964, 
throughout Box Elder, Cache, and Rich 
Counties in northern Utah. Three days 
later, after a sudden thaw all this snow 
was gone and there was literally water 
everywhere. Rains began shortly there¬ 
after over the majority of the State and 
continued into mid-June. Asa conse¬ 
quence, extremely high waters persisted 
on all marshes, both natural and man¬ 
made, to the end of June. 
All irrigation reservoirs are full, and 
supplies are being diverted. This should 
result in good water over the State's 
marshes throughout the summer and into 
the fall. 
Breeding population indexes 
No major change in species composition 
of breeding ducks was noted in northern 
Utah, although a reduction in divers was 
noted in the southern trend areas. The 
"slack" created by lower numbers of red¬ 
heads and ruddy ducks on these marshes 
was taken up by green-winged teal. The 
substantial increase noted in teal could be 
a result of the retarded migration. There 
was a 4 percent decrease in mallards and 
a 3 percent increase in gadwalls on south¬ 
ern marshes. (Tables B-19, B-20, and 
B-21.) 
Production indexes 
Apparently the late spring affected 
Canada goose production in Utah. Both 
the numbers and the size of broods on 
marshes of the northwestern portion of 
the State were down significantly from 
1963 (table B-22). 
Counts of a moulting flock of geese on 
Neponset Reservoir in Rich County revealed 
a 20 percent increase in the size of this 
population from 1963. This indicates that 
(1) there were more geese of a nonbreeding 
age contributing to this moulting population, 
(2) there were breeding geese which failed 
at nesting and migrated to the moulting area, 
or (3) a combination of these factors took 
place. It is likely the latter occurred in 
view of the high goose population we had in 
1963 and considering the weather during 
the spring of 1964. 
The continued increase in numbers of 
broods indicates that a significant propor¬ 
tion of production losses on northwestern 
marshes was caused by weather and sug¬ 
gests that flooding was a primary factor. 
This area experienced the same severe 
weather conditions as the more western 
marshes, but because goose nesting there 
is primarily confined to hay stacks, losses 
were minimal. The greatest number of 
broods and young geese was recorded in 
Rich County since counts were initiated in 
this area. 
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