WILSON'S SNIPE WINTERING GROUND STUDIFS, 1951-52 
Chandler S. Robbins | 
U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
Investigations for the winter of 1951-52 consisted of: (1) Organiz- 
ing a series of winter snipe counts throughout the southern states for 
the purpose of obtaining an index of abundance; (2) Participating in and 
summarizing the results of these counts; (3) Rechecking the sample areas 
which had been visited in the previous winter; (kh) Investigating methods 
of trapping snipe for banding; and (5) Summarizing snipe abundance as re- 
corded on the Christmas Bird Counts in Audubon Field Notes. 
Wilson's Snipe Abundance Index.--The cooperation of State game 
departments, professional and amateur ornithologists and Fish and Wild- 
life Service employees was enlisted in this first widespread attempt to 
obtain an index of abundance of the Wilson's Snipe on its wintering 
grounds in the southern United States. All cooperating agencies and 
individuals were asked to spend one or more 8-hour days afield during. 
the period January 26-30, and to cover an area of their own selection, 
recording the number of snipe observed, the location and habitat of each 
observation, and appropriate details of time and mileage covered on foot, 
by boat or by car. It was requested that routes be laid out in such a way 
as to include not only those areas where snipe were known to be wintering 
at the present time, but also a number of areas which although unsuitable 
for snipe at present might be attractive to this species in a subsequent 
year when water levels are either higher or lower; this procedure can be 
expected to provide a more reliable index to future trends in the popula- 
tion. 
The response was most gratifying. One hundred and ninety reports 
were submitted, distributed as follows: Texas, 33; California, 323 
Louisiana, 23; Alabama, 22; Mississippi, 15; Arkansas, 1h; New Mexico, 
13; Florida, 12; South Carolina, 10; North Carolina, 5; Tennessee, 33 
Virginia, 3; Arizona, 2; Georgia, 1; Illinois, 1; and Kentucky, l. 
Grateful appreciation is expressed to the personnel of the state game 
departments of Texas, California, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, New 
Mexico and Florida; to the game management agents, refuge managers, and 
biologists of the Fish and Wildlife Service; and to the dozens of other 
individuals who contributed to the success of this project. I wish es- 
pecially to thank Major James Brown, Director of the Fish and Game 
Division of the Louisiana Department of Wild Life and Fisheries; Dr. Lyle 
St. Amant and Mr. John Campbell of the Federal Aid Project at Louisiana 
State University; Mr. A. B. Blakemore of New Orleans; and Messrs. V. Le 
Childs and R. R. Rudolph of Sabine Migratory Waterfowl Refuge, Sulphur, 
La., whose generous cooperation and assistance greatly facilitated my 
own field investigations during the past two winters. 
