
68 
WATERFOWL OBSERVATIONS IN THE COCHRANE DISTRICT OF NORTHERN ONTARIO 
1950 
Charles O. Bartlett 
Introduction 
This report covers a survey of waterfowl breeding grounds in the Abitibi Lake 
and Nighthawk Lake areas of northern Ontario made in connection with a duck banding 
project near Moosonee. The survey began on June 8 and ended on July 11, 1950. An 
attempt was made to do a brood census of waterfowl in the Abitibi Lake area, and data 
were collected on the breeding population and relative abundance of each species, 
chronology of the nesting season, and the types of waterfowl habitat encountered in the 
survey. 
Supplementary data on duck banding operations carried on near Moosonee, 
Ontario, from July 15 to September 1, are also included in this report. 
Methods and Procedures 
_ Commencing June 8 a survey was made of Abitibi Lake (that portion lying in the 
Province of Ontario) and Nighthawk Lake, both in the Cochrane district. Some 182 
miles of shoreline of these two lakes were cruised with a canoe and outboard motor. 
Abitibi Lake was found to have the greatest number of ducks and was selected as the 
most likely area from which information on the breeding population and broods could 
be obtained. Relatively few ducks were seen in the Nighthawk Lake area and the findings 
presented in this report are confined to the Lake Abitibi area. In the period from June 
11 to July 11, 93 miles of shoreline on Abitibi Lake were cruised 3 times, each cruise 
taking from 3 or 4 days to complete. A lake-going boat was used to traverse the lakes, 
a canoe and outboard motor were used in the actual shoreline cruising. In the bay the 
cruise line followed as close to the emergent vegetation as was possible, the distance 
varying somewhat depending on the depth of the water. When the bays were sufficiently 
narrow to make observation on both sides the ducks on the two shorelines were counted 
at the same time. The same procedure was followed on the rivers. The duck count was 
taken on the rivers proceeding upstream from the lake and ended where the rivers were 
no longer navigable with a canoe and outboard motor, The 93 miles of shoreline can be 
distributed as follows: 
1, Ghost River, including McCool Creek (20 miles) and Garrison Creek 
(2°17 2mmiles\< ge hg ree aig pa glra “Weakley LF ad-.b J 2loa done > mbes 
2. Swampy Creek and O'Brien Bay ......... a ee 13 miles 
3. Lightning River and Lightning Bay .........4.4+-+.4464++. . 23 miles 
(Distances were measured on the Abitibi Sheet, National Topographic Series, which 
has a scale of 1 inch equal to 2 miles.) The number of ducks per lineal mile of shore- 
line was computed for each complete coverage. Brood data were gathered on the 
second and third coverages in the period from June 28 to July 11. 
Types of Waterfowl Habitat 
A a 
The shallow bays of Abitibi Lake and three of the rivers draining into them 
contained the greatest number of nesting ducks, The remainder of the shoreline is 
rocky and heavily forested with dense stands of spruce, balsam poplar, and white birch. 
