Kater Aress and Brasding Ducks 
Tata psrteining te tha sbundancs, distribution, and occupancy of water 
areas in 1946 and 1949 are tabulated in Tables 4. Thers was a very definite 
rsduction of about 37 parcent in tha number of water areas present in 1949 as 
compared with the numbsar present in 1948. In 1948 there wars 5.2 water areas 
por Square mila, but there wars only 3,3 prasant in 1949. This rsduction 
occurred throughout ths whols of tha area survsyed. McCook County, which showed 
an incresss of 9 percent, was the only county in which there wers as many water 
aross this yaar as there wero last ysar. The Spink County transect suffered 
the grostsast loss of water, having 4.2 weter areas per square mile in 1948 and 
mons in 1949. 
The 24 percent increase in the density of bresding ducks and tha 37 percent 
Gecrgass in tha number of water areas preaent in 1949 wers accompanied by an 
11 percent increase in occupancy of the available water areas and e 29 pareent 
reduction in the numbsr of eccupisd water ersas per square mils. This year 
“2 percent of the water areas were oceupied, resulting in an average of 2.6 
occupiad water areas per square mils, 
Water areas on the transects were, for the most part, small in sizs. 
Forty-eight pareent of the water areas wera 1 acre or less in sizs, 84 pereent 
were 5 acres or lass in size, and only 2 percent were as large or larger than 
495 gorse, 
PUM my 
1. %In 1949 State game wardens repsated the waterfowl breeding ¢round 
survey that was initiated in 1948. 
2. This ¢round transect survey was run on approximately the same dates 
in 1949 as in 1948, and covered the same transects plua a few additional 
transects in other countiss. 
3. Thie year's aempls contained 442 square miles, of which 2P4 square 
miles were areas stuJied in 1948. 
Z. There were 19.3 pairs of breeding ducks par squars mils, indicating 
an jneresass of 24 percent over ths 19468 population. 
5, Ths number of coots observed per square mils was 7.4 - 80 percent 
reduction in comparison with the number observed in 1948, 
6&6. Puddle ducks continusd to make up 94 psresnt of the breeding population. 
Hlyus-winged teal, pintail, and mallard were again the thrse most abundant 
species, The blue-winged teal, mallard, and gadwall incrsasei as constituents 
of the total population, and the shovelsr, pintail, ond redhsad decreased, 
7. The number of watsr areas present was 37 percent less than in 1948 and 
averaged 3.3 per square mils. 
&, The percent of occupancy of water arsas incraased 11 percent tao 72 
percent sccupancesy, 
9. Thers ware 2.6 occupied water areas per square mils, 4 29 percent 
decraass sinca 1948. 
19, Forty-sight parcent of the water arsas were 1 agrs or less in size, 
and 84 percent were five acres or less in size. 
L175 
