WATERFOWL BRESDING GROUND SURVEY IN IOWA -— 1949 
Janes Sieh 
Waterfowl production in Iowa is Limited by the suitable habitat which 
@till remains in this State. Unfortunately, many of the few remaining areas 
On private land are still being drained for agricultural purposes. The arean 
etill producing waterfowl in northwest Towa are eimilar to those in the Dakotos 
aod western Minrescta. These prairie sloughs produce almost ae many birds per 
acre end of the same species aa cornnose the breeding population in the nelgh- 
boring states. In edditien Town sontributes to the annual production of wood 
duck (Aix aponsa) probably in greater sumbers than her neighboring etatee to 
the north anc west. Considerable numbere of wood ducks appeared en all the 
major waterfowl areas in northwest Iowa during the month of July and an 
increasing concentration of these birda continued te build up during the fall. 
The large majority of these wood ducks are not preduced in the marshes of 
northwest Iowa and thelr source i# not definitely known. The streams of thie 
State anc neighboring #tates probabiy coitrlbute to this concentration. 
Research on waterfow] production in lawa bor been carried out only in north- 
west Iowa during the breeding season of 1949, and the importance of the 
remainder of the State, espezially in the production of wood ducks, should net 
be overlooked. 
An intensive study was carried out by Frec Glover of the Iowa Cooperative 
Wildlife Research Unit at Towa State College on the Ruthven Area in Clay and 
Palo Alto counties. This area comprises the most favorable waterfowl habitat 
remaining in northwestern lowa and the current study covered 7,171 acres which 
were Censusec repeatedly throughout the breeding seaeon. Oata obtained during 
thie study is eummarized in graphic form below. These data are indicative of 
the feneral waterfowl picture throughout northwestern Iowa during the nesting 
eegeon of 1949, 
Iowa Waterfowl Breecdine Data - 1940 (Ruthven A 
Number of Percent Number of Percent over-all 
Species neste observed BUCCERS Preeding Birds estimated nest- 
ing success 

Blue-winged teal i7s * 2&8 “*" 120 paire He 
Mallard zZ1 siamaeet : * &> paire a0 
a 
Ruddy 5 ee BO * 50 pairs BO 
Coot 16 bias, ** 125 pairs 40 
Tatal 220 4? afro paire 44 
Acres céeneused 2,171 
Last year (1948) comparitons: 
* Indicates an increase in same area as compared with 1942 season. 
*e Indicates @ decreate in same areA &s compared with 1948 breeding senROn, 
“ee Indicates atatus same for 1948 and 1949 breeding season. 
These data would indicate a POOR reproductive season for blue-wingec teal 
Ald coota. ‘ 
c4e 
