
Banding operations conducted by a British Columbia Game Department party 
in a comparable period on the same areas have not been significantly less successful 
in 1950 than in 1949, An expedition to Stum Lake in the Chilcotin region resulted in 
the banding of 111 young pelicans. : 
Ground Survey - Upper Columbia Valley 
Censuses of ten sample areas were made in May by D. A. Munro for the 
third consecutive year. Comparative counts are given in the following table. 
Table of Comparative Numbers - Upper Columbia Valley - 
Ten Sample Areas - Brisco to Golden 




Species May 1948 May 1949 May 1950 
Mallard 172 87 94 
Pintail a ~; 3 2 
Baldpate 13 9 6 
Green-winged teal -- 4 1 
Blue-winged teal 4 21 5 
Cinnamon teal 2 2 
Shoveler -- -- 2 
Wood duck -- i- 4 
Redhead -- -- 2 
Ring-necked duck 13 2 3 
Lesser scaup -- -- 3 
Golden-eye 73 19 . 47 
Bufflehead 19 i4 18 
Hooded merganser -- -- 3 
Total ducks 297 161 192 
Canada geese (Nests) 23 17 20 
Coot 84 45 30 

These figures show a slight increase over last year - approximately 15 
percent for both ducks and geese. Coots show a decline of 33 percent. Mallard, 
golden-eye, and bufflehead, the most abundant species in the Valley, all show slight 
increases this year. Baldpate, green-winged teal, and blue-winged teal show a 
decline. 
The first broods of ducks seen were: mallard, May 27; Barrow's golden-eye, 
May 29. A late brood noted was of Barrow's golden-eye, four weeks old, on August 19. 
A total of 89 nests of Canada geese were found in the Upper Columbia Valley 
and at Vaseaux Lake in the southern Okanagan Valley. The average clutch was 5.3, 
The average hatch from 82 of these nests was 4.4, The average clutch size was 
greater in 1949, but the average hatch was slightly less. The first broods of Canada 
geese were seen as follows: Vaseaux Lake, May 6; Columbia Valley, May 8. In 
spite of the delayed spring the peak of hatching was one week earlier this year than 
in 1948 or 1949, 
Observations during the latter part of the summer were not made to the 
same extent as in 1948 and 1949. 
