ABSTRACT 
Experimental surveys of waterfowl breeding populations in 
eastern Canada have been conducted intermittently since 1949 to 
develop a procedure for making reliable estimates of breeding 
populations and production of black ducks and Canada geese in 
this region. This report reviews in detail the black duck breeding 
population surveys. The vastness of the breeding range precludes 
complete coverage; even the amount of sampling required for sound 
predictions is a major consideration. Several approaches to strat¬ 
ified sampling failed to produce a useful plan. Variations in 
phenology within the survey area appear to be a major factor in 
developing a reliable sampling plan; a method that takes these 
variations into account is presented. Analysis of data from 4. 
years gave trends in breeding population size that agreed generally 
with trends in corresponding winter population data; previous 
interpretation methods did not produce this agreement. 
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