WATERFOWL BREEDING GROUND SORVEY IN ALASKA, 1949 
Urban C, Kulson, Edward F, Chatelain, Robert F. Seott, David L. Spencer 
Introduction 
A. This year ths waterfowl surveys in Alaska were planned with a two-fold 
purposes; to broaden the xnowledes of waterfowl distribution in the territory; and 
to secure quantitative information in certain important arsas. 
Last yeer (1948) Robert 3. Smith snd Robert FP. Allen made an serial reconneis- 
sane? of the Arctic tundra south and sast of Point Barrow ehers tisey found a 
population density of approximately four ducks psr square? niles, on a 49 square 
mile sanpls. Thess were mainly old-squaws and king siders with lesser numbers of 
pintails, scoters, and bluebiils. A density of thres whits-frontsd gsess per 
Squara mile was also reported, 
Last yoar also, Robert F. Seott worked in the Innoko ares of wastarn Alaska 
where he found puddle ducks [pintaila, baldpates, mallards, green-wingsd teala 
aud shovelers) in comparative abundances, with lesser numbers of diving ducks 
{(golden-syss, blusbills, scoters, and mergansers} and lesser Canada and white- 
franted gesss. Scott banded 695 waterfowl on which 24 band returns have been 
reesived to date. 
Turing the winter of 1948-49, Urhan C, Nelson and Winston Elkins banded 63 
sallards wintering in the Gastineau Channel naar Junsasu and no returns have been 
recsived to date on thes ducks. 
BR. This year, Nelson with pilot-agent Raymond Woolford wont te the Arctic 
coast in late June to repeat the 1948 transscts flow by Smith and Allen. WNelaon 
ramainesd there - on thse lower Colville River — for the nesting surveys and bendiog 
WOTK. 
Seott, with pilot Thomas lisrg, flew the Inneko-lower Yukon transects in June 
and ths west Arctic coast transects around EKotzshbus Sound. Seott stayed an at 
Kotzsbue for the summer surveys ood waterfowl banding. 
Chatelain, with native helpers, handled the nestine and bending studiss in 
the Innoko-lower Yukon #rea, 
Spencer Plew the Juns transects on the Yukoo-Kuskokwim delte Along the 
Bering Sea coast. He retumed te tha delta in sarly July for the nesting and 
banding work. 
Sanpling Mothods and Area Covered 
Waterfowl population dsnsitica wera checked by random asrial transects, 
Terrain, vegetation, weather, and availability of gasoline dictated modifications 
in tha proesdurs, with the result that trues random samples were not sbtained in 
all casos, 
In the Arctic, a 285 square mils sample was covered in contrast to ths 49 
square mile sample in 1948. This, however, represents more intensliv: coverage 
within a smaller area then was ceyered in 19498. The 1949 corsrags was restricted 
to the area shown on ths map - Umiat to the cosst at Teshekpuk Laks and sast te 
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