
Waterfowl Status Report, 1978 
Compiled and Edited by 
Albert N. Novara, Sharon L. Rhoades, Betty I. Hodges 
and K. Duane Norman 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
Office of Migratory Bird Management 
Section of Waterfow! Population Surveys 
Laurel, Maryland 20708 
This report contains information from the 1977-78 
midwinter waterfowl] survey, the 1978 waterfowl 
breeding population and production surveys, and the 
waterfowl harvest surveys for the 1977-78 hunting 
season. This information was provided by the U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife Service, the Canadian Wildlife Service, and 
varlous cooperating State wildlife conservation agencies. 
Winter surveys are composed of the midwinter survey 
reports submitted from each of the four flyways and the 
midwinter survey covering portions of Mexico. Major 
areas covered in the Mexico report include the east and 
west coasts as well as the central and interior highlands. 
The breeding ground Surveys section is composed of many 
individual reports that provide breeding population and 
production estimates for most waterfowl species within a 
major portion of their breeding range. The waterfowl 
harvest survey provides estimates of waterfowl hunting 
activity and success. Information from surveys of the win- 
tering and breeding populations of waterfowl coupled 
with data from the annual harvest surveys, tie instru- 
mental in developing annual hunting regulations for 
waterfowl. 
Credit has been given to each individual or organ- 
ization that submitted a report. Although some of the 
narrative statements have been condensed and a few 
tables deleted or condensed if they contained data pre- 
sented elsewhere in this report, the essential information 
from each report has been retained. The breeding 
grounds survey strata (Fig. 1) for areas surveyed by the 
: ah and Wildlife Service have been renumbered since 
Winter Survey 
Each year during January a survey of waterfowl on 
their wintering grounds is completed by the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service and the Canadian Wildlife Service with 
assistance from State conservation departments, other 
Federal agencies, and private individuals. All important 
waterfowl wintering areas in the United States and 
Mexico are surveyed. Data provided in the present report 
are comparable to previous years unless otherwise noted. 
This survey primarily monitors annual changes in water- 
fowl distribution on the wintering grounds within the 
United States and Mexico and indicates annual popula- 
tion trends. This survey has additional importance in pro- 
viding the only annual population estimate for some 
waterfowl species. Data from these surveys appear in 
Tables A-1, A-2, and A-3. The following are summaries 
of flyway winter survey reports and the Mexico report. 
Pacific Flyway 
Data supplied by James C. Bartonek 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
The annual winter waterfow] survey was scheduled for 
5-9 January 1978 but was actually conducted between 
27 December 1977 and 27 January 1978. Fog hampered 
Surveys throughout much of Washington and along the 
Columbia River in the John Day-Umatilla area in adjoin- 
ing Oregon. Weather also hindered surveys in eastern 
Idaho and western Colorado but coverages were believed 
to be complete. California had generally good survey 
conditions; however, coastal bays of Marin and Sonoma 
counties and the southern portion of San Francisco Bay 
were not surveyed because of recurrent storms and fog. 
Recent rainfall and runoff in California produced an 
abundance of habitat which resulted in a dispersal of 
birds during the survey period. Although the drought was 
broken throughout much of the West, shifts in concen- 
trations of birds from traditional areas indicated that 
habitat conditions had not been restored at the time of 
the survey. In general, cooperators believed the coverage 
was adequate and reflected the population status of 
waterfowl within their States. 
