WILSON'S SNIPE SINGING COUNTS IN EASTERN CANADA - 1951 
Victor E. F. Solman 
Canadian Wildlife Service 
Trends in numbers of singing male Wilson's Snipe have been studied. 
in eastern Canada in connection with somewhat similar studies in rela- 
tion to woodcock. Male Wilson's Snipe perform over a wide area and do 
not appear to have a fixed singing time or area to the same extent as 
woodcock. For these reasons, reliable counts are difficult to secure. 
As in the case of woodcock, the relation between the number of singing 
male birds and the breeding population is not known. 
Ontario 
In both the Kingston and the Ottawa areas, numbers of singing male 
Wilson's Snipe have increased by at least 50 percent from 1950 to 1951. 
This brings the numbers to about an average value for the three years 
for which data are available. 
Maritime Provinces 
In New Brunswick the limited comparative data available suggest a 
decrease in numbers of singing male birds from 1950. The data from 
New Brunswick wuld not be considered significant alone but a similar 
trend, of about equal amount, is shown in the adjacent Province of 
Prince Edward Island from which more extensive data are available. In 
Nova Scotia, limited data suggest a large increase in singing male birds 
since 1950. The data for the three Maritime Provinces suggest a decline 
of about 25 percent from 1950 to 1951, giving a total number somewhat 
below the long-term average for the areas. | 
