WATERFOWL BREEDING GROUND SURYEY IN ALBERTA, 1949 
Allen G. Swith* 
Ths 1949 Albsrtea waterfowl aurvsy was tha third annual study carried on 
coonsratively by the Dominion Wildlife Seryvics, ths Alterta Gome Branch and ths 
DU. &. Fish and Wildlife Ssarvics, Its primary purposs was to saacurtain waterfowl] 
breading grount conditions and to evaluats production’ and population trends on 
theses seme brasding grounds in ths light of such factors a3 waathar and water 
conditions, hatching sucesss, Brood survival, land uss and pradationz, 
Qnfortunately, it was imposaibls to have the use of an airplans for a 
coluplets asrial corsrage of Alberta this year. A selected fow acrial transacts 
ware Tun this summer by Robert H, Smith, while he was enroute to the Aretic, 
but aside from this, the only comparative data lies in the thras ysara of ground 
transect work. During th® period from May 1 to Juns 25, ground transecta wera 
Tun twics, From July 1 to August 1, the activity of the ground crew waa 
divided betwaen banding and a third rugning of ths gsround transacta. 
Survey Methods 
As in past years, ths waterfowl suryay was primarily confined ta santh- 
eastern Alberta, in an arsa of roughly 6§,000 aquare milas, Through this 
portion of the Provinces, ground transects ware run in #11 3011 and yegstatirs 
types in a manner and to 4 dsgra9 which was felt would giys a fair indication 
of the waterfowl population troands in the major waterfowl areas of the Provinces, 
Ground transscts wares run by auto as in 1947 and 1948. Population counts 
were made in strips 1/8 mile in width on sach sida of the road. This year, in 
order to gathor further data relative to production, erery tenth water ares 
was aeerthed for nests, Whenever nests were located, they were mapped for rs- 
Location on the second running of the transect, In this manner, it was felt 
that a considerabls number of nsst histories would be made available, which, 
when lntarprated in the Light of later brood observations, would be of help in 
estimating actual waterfowl production in various study areas. This did not 
have a fair trial in Alberta this summer bacausa of climatic conditions which 
Will be explained later. 
Original plans called for a thres+man ground crew and a two-man agsrinl 
erew, Ths fact that it became impossible te secure a plane in tims for ths 
summet’s work rosultad in a four-man ground crew. Added te the ground transact 
Work and ths duck-nesting studies that membars of the crew made at aslectsed 
araas, aasistancs was given by some "%) foresters of the Northern Alberta Forsat 
Districts, Theses men provided yalusble information on weather and water 
conditions throughout the winter and spring in their reapective districts, aa 
Tyr, E. D. Fowler of ths Dominion Wildlifs Servies, Messrs. Roy C. Andsraon 
and Jossph Gau of the Alherta Gama Franch and G, Hortin Jenaeon and Robert H. 
Smith of the U. 5. Fish and Wildlife Services, took part in the ground and 
aerial investigations of the survey. 
