












Flight hours Bliz 87,0 
Rumber of transects 112 125 
Potal area aurveysd 121 ,900sqmi 
Senple (sqmi in trans.) 1,612,4 % 1,347.3 " 









Total ducks (s¢sn) 
Tucks Per aquars miles 
Pairea om 2 
30 , 300 
16.7 
15,402 
Ll.é 


9,859 
Fo 3 
DOWN 39.5% 
down 73.3% 



45,110 
2749 
Total water arene 
Water arses per ag. ml, 

POPULATION TREAD 
Water area decreases 

A marked reduction in numbera of pintail, baldpats, and shovelsara accounts 
in latge part for thia ssason's drop in population. Thspe grassland nssters 
normally ars most abundant in ths Short-Greas Prairie of southweatearn. Saskatchs- 
wan, but the garly apring drouth of 1949 rendsred their preferred nesting grounds 
Uninhabitebls. Al) of southsrn Saskatchswan waa auffsring from serious moiaturs 
deficiency early thia ssason. Ths msaget winter anows had virtually desppearsd 
by thea end of March, and April proved to bs one of the hottset and driest on 
record, Drouth of major proporticonea was imminent in ths Short-Grass Prairis, 
and soil was drifting hadly at the start of our surrey.. Normel-or near-normal 
surface water prevailed only in 4 fon localities in ths Aapsn Parklands of tha 
nerth and northeast... It was not until ths middle of May that this drouth waa 
broken by gensral rains. 
This ia the parled when ducks normally ars bacamipg satahlishedm nesting 
territories, and early nesters atart laying and incubating. In 1947, and again 
in 1948, surface water was plentiful throughout ths Provincs during this period, 
but this apring 1t was virtually non-existent in the Short-graes Prairis, and 
Bearce in all ths grasslands. Ground transects showed that thers wars 84 peresat 
fewer water areas this apring in the Short-grazs Preiris than there wers in 1948, 
Thare was 4a marksd reection of waterfowl to this shortages of water. In tha 
ShortGrass Preiris this year's population (in terms of total ducks} drepped te 
6.9 per square mile, as comparad with 22.45 last year, Breeding pairs in this 
Tagion dropped from 13.7 last year te 2.9 par Squers mils this year. A Lesa 
marksd decranss wee s¥idsnt in the Mixed Prairis {Dark Brown Soils}, whils 
populations in ths better-watered Aspon Parklands [Black Soils} inersasesd fron 
7-3 to 11,1 ducks psr aquars mils. ; 
It is quite appersnut that soms ducks moved northward out of tha dry grasa~ 
lends, and nested in ths wettsr Aspen Parklands, This shift, however, did not 
in all cease compansate for ths decrsass of important specita in tha Short-Orass 
Prairies. Ths mallard was ths outstanding sxesption. This duck moved northward 
ints ths Patkleanda and portions of ths Mixed Conifsroua Forsst in such numbers 
" 
45 
