Success on indiyidual arese ranged from 1.1 to 17.0 padre per breod, 
Analysis of the 12 most productive areas revealed that all had at least 50 
percent of the surrounding area in hay or misture. Eight af the areas were 
entirely open, while others had varying amounte of Carex and hard-stemmed 
polrugh. In general, the region in which the check sreas were located were 
more settled than in North Dakota with a much higher percentage of cultivated 
land. Sarly nesting cover was Wery scant 1n cultivated arena, consisting of 
only a narrow fringe of cover around the water while in many inetances the 
cover wan burned off clean. Early neatera had te resort to stubble fields 
which were subsequently plowed under. Corer was much improved by late May 
when the teal and gadwall were neating in large mombers. 
Breog Counts on Trangects 
Approximately 92 lineal mllee of transects in the *aubay aren were 
covered four times during the summer of 1949 in order to work out an index 
which would be utable in future years for measuring brood production. These 
roadside brood counte are not “tetal” counte but merely troode which could be 
seen from the road. The results of thie censue are ehown in Table 7. 
Table 7. -- Number of Broode Obeerved 

June SQ July 34 July 27? Auzeet 22 Total Percent 
Blue-winged teal E4 67 90 41 252 65,6 
Gadwall 1 o 2 20 oo 14.3 
Mallard ll 5 16 6 a8 9.8 
Pintail 6 3 4 z ral 5.4 
Sbhoreler i 0 3 5 9 2.0 
Redhead C 1 o 1 5 1.3 
Scaup 0 0 1 e o 0.8 
Baldpate 0 GO i a) 1 0.8 
Bufflehead 0 1 1 0 eo 0.5 
Unidentified 5 si __4 __ 2 ee - 
Total Te 94 148 77? ood 100.0 
Broods per 
Byuare mile 3.04 4,06 6.46 3.06 4,20 
The graphs in Figure 2 illustrate several interesting results of the 
four breed counts which are as follows: 
(1) Byroods of blue-winge and eadwall were most abundant on July 27, 
but this wae alec true for the mallard, which ie & much earlier nester, Thir 
indicates a heavy, lose to firat neatse of the mallard, 
(2) From the second graph, for blue-winged teal we find a wery definite 
“second peak" for Class I broads on July 27, nearly a month after the flrat 
peak of June GO. Ualng a 36-day perlod for egg laying and incubating 1t appears 
that (a) firat nesting was started in earnest about May 25, which wos three 
weeks after the big blue wing migration of May 1 to 3 and (b} re-nesting was in 
effect to an appreciable degree by June 16 to 20. 
151 
