71 
Water and Weather Conditions 
eee 
Water levels in the area were very high during the month of June with recorded 
rainfall of 5,7 inches and rain on 24 days of that month (data obtained from Harry Walsh, 
fire ranger at the Lightning Bay Forestry Station, Department of Land and Forests), 
Temperatures were generally low, snow and hail was recorded on June 10 and frosts on 
the nights of June 17 and 18. Water levels dropped around the middle of July, and 
anf warm weather occurred throughout the latter part of July and the month of 
August. 
Relative Abundance of each Species 
ee, 
Observations on the breeding population of Abitibi Lake are summarized in 
Table 1. Other species observed on the area in the early stages of the survey were 
green-winged teal (1), and baldpate (2). These two species were not observed on later 
surveys and are not included in the breeding population. 
Brood Census 
A brood census was attempted in the Lake Abitibi area. Brood observations 
on the 93 miles of shoreline were made on the dates shown in Table 2. There was not 
sufficient time to observe broods of all species nesting on the area as only American 
golden-eye broods were seen, and these were in the Class 1 or downy stage. Black 
ducks would probably not be on the open water until late in August. Wright (Trans. 13th 
N. Amer. Wildlife Conf., p. 357) found in New Brunswick that black ducks were usually 
growing their first feathers when they appeared on the open water. Some ring-necked 
ducks were still incubating on July 11. 
The number of broods per mile of shoreline and the number of ducklings per 
brood of the American golden-eye are given in Table 2. 


Table 2. 
June 28 to July 1 
No. of No. of Broods per No. of Ducklings 
Broods Mile of Shoreline per Brood 
17 18 8.6 

July 7 to July 11 
No. of No. of Broods per No. of Ducklings 
Broods Mile of Shoreline per Brood 

20 22 : 6.9 
Banding 
On July 21 a duck-band station was set up on the west coast of James Bay, 24 
miles from the mouth of the Moose River and 36 miles from Moosonee, The location 
is approximately 51 degrees, 41 minutes North Latitude and 80 degrees, 35 minutes 
West Longitude. The banding area comprises roughly some 3,000 acres of marsh 
located between Big Piskwanish Point and Piskwanish Point. The marsh is interrupted 
by a series of sand ridges (former beaches) that run parallel with the coast-line. The 
