hATEREOWL NESTING SEASON ON NATIONAL WILDLIVE REFUGES -— L949 
Richard E. Griffith 
One of toa outstanding features of the 1949 breeding season on National 
Wildlife Refuges was toe detrimental sffect of the drought through the northarn 
erain belt States, particularly in parts of the Dakotas and Montana, especially 
jn sasement rafuges areas, Wormally, thas sections ars quite productive of 
waterfowl, but this season enpreciabls decreases in waterfowl breading were re- 
ported and ara attributed to the drying up of extensive pothols areas. 
Qn ths othsr hand, nesting conditions were_faovereble in the Atlantic and 
Pacific Flyways, There were merked incrsasss in the black duck production on 
the Atlantic drainage end in that of mallard, gadwell, and blue-winged teal on 
the Pacific, 
Nesting 5S2ascn 
Arrowwood, North Dakota 
Rainfall 1.63 inches less than in 1948. Water conditions not so aood aa 
in 1948. Nesting populations of waterfow] low all summer, Farmers reported 
finding Tewer nests in grain fislds, Seventy-two duck broods observed, of which 
“4 were pintail and 15 sseh of radwell and mallard. 
Beer River, Utah 
July and August hot and dry. Canada goose broods decreased ta 313, or 7A 
less then in 1948. There were 304 active duck nests, of which 192 were Padwall. 
Eombay Hook, Islawars 
Tenperatures averaged above netrmal and rainfall below normal. Drought 
caused several marsh pools to dry up, No shovelers or pintails nested, Fourteen 
brooda of gadwalls, totalling 110 youns, were observed, Nine broods of black 
duck = four of blue-winged teel were countad, but both specics were fever then 
in 1948. 
Bowdoin, Montane 
Pracipitation low, only ebout half that for 1948. Number of youn ducks 
producsd was about 40 percent creater than in 1948. There were 175 broods of 
Canada esses? observed with 1,400 goslings produced. Mnllitrd population incresssd 
160 percent over 1948, Gadwalls deersased 10 percent, Blue-winged teal increased 
from 2,090 in 1948 to 10,000, and ecsnyasbacks from 5006 to 1,500, Ths 4,000 
scaun indicated a big increass over 1948, 
Camas, Idsho 
Reainfail light and poor growing season. Short of water for the season. 
Waterfowl uasting population down 15 pereent from 1945. A dserease of 20 peresnt 
in €anada goose production--only 13 broods. 
21g 
