River, which was at flood stage, and on 
Alkalie Lake, which was 3 or 4 times its 
normal size. 
TRI-STATE AREA 
(NORTH AND SOUTH DAKOTA 
AND MINNESOTA) 
Data supplied by Glen V. Ortin 
and Bonar Law 
Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife 
Weather and habitat conditions 
There was very little spring runoff, 
and pothole conditions were poor over 
most of the survey area until mid-April. 
Heavy local rains improved the water 
situation in scattered districts of the tri- 
State area from mid-April to early May. 
During May, 80° to 90° temperatures and 
strong winds practically nullified the 
earlier gains in water levels in the 
Dakotas. The May 1964 water index was 
down 47 percent from 1963 and down 17.1 
percent from the 6-year average. Total 
precipitation for the year remained below 
average over most of the survey area. 
Many potholes that produced broods in 
1963 were dry by mid-April. 
Farming operations were about 10 days 
behind the 1963 schedule, although soil 
moisture conditions were good. Burning 
of dry sloughs and roadside ditches was 
observed during May and probably de¬ 
stroyed some of the early nesting attempts. 
The poor pothole conditions in north- 
central South Dakota and south-central 
North Dakota were considerably improved 
by very heavy local rains in June. Con¬ 
ditions over the remainder of the survey 
area, except extreme northwestern North 
Dakota and west Minnesota, remained 
poor (table B-33). 
Breeding population indexes 
Dabblers decreased 35. 8 percent from 
1963, but were about equal to the 6-year 
average. Canvasback and redheads in¬ 
creased 16. 7 percent and 17. 9 percent 
respectively compared to 1963, and 75 
percent and 80 percent compared to the 
long-term average. Scaup and ruddy 
ducks showed major declines in both of 
the above comparisons. 
In summary, the total duck index for 
the tri-State area is 36. 8 percent below 
1963 but about equal to the 6-year average. 
Coots were 29. 5 percent below 1963 and 
27. 2 percent below the average (table 
B-34). 
The lone drake index of 67. 6 percent 
indicates that nesting was well under way 
(table B-35). 
Production indexes 
From all indications early nesting ef¬ 
forts were very poor. The tri-State brood 
index was 31. 7. Total duck broods de¬ 
creased 70. 7 percent from 1963 and 49.5 
percent from the 6-year average. Aver¬ 
age brood size in 1964 was 6. 0 compared 
with 5. 2 in 1963. Coot broods decreased 
34 percent from 1963 and 17.1 percent 
from the average. Ground observations 
of the air-ground comparison crew and 
banding crews in the Dakotas tend to sub¬ 
stantiate these figures (table B-36). 
NEBRASKA 
Data supplied by George Schildman 
Nebraska Game, Forestation and Parks 
Commission 
Weather and habitat conditions 
Water conditions during the breeding 
ground survey were generally good. 
Heavy rains during the last week of April 
filled the lakes in the central Sandhills. 
The eastern part remained much below 
normal while the western areas were 
only a little below normal. The projected 
water index for all of the Sandhills was 
55, 977. 
Weather conditions during the spring 
were dry and cool. Temperatures re¬ 
mained relatively cool until mid-June. 
There were no late freezes this year. 
14 
