
87 
WATERFOWL BREEDING GROUND SURVEY IN THE ST, JOHN ESTUARY, 
NEW BRUNSWICK - 1950 
Brian C. Carter 
Introduction 
This is the sixth year that the survey has been carried out. The method of 
sampling has not changed so all results are comparable. 
Phenology 
As usual, the blacks were the first species to arrive on the study area this 
year. They arrived on March 31 as compared with March 28, 1949, April 4, 1948, 
and March 26, 1947. The blacks were followed by the wood duck (April 5), golden-eye 
(April 7), mallards (April 13), Canada geese (April 14), ring-necked ducks (April 17), 
green-winged teal (April 25), and blue-winged teal (May 5). By this time black, 
golden-eye and wood duck nesting was well under way. The first black duck brood was 
seen on June 5, as compared with May 17, 1949, May 14, 1948, and May 18, 1947. 
The first flightless blacks were seen on July 7 this year, June 27 in 1949, July 9 in 
1948 and June 23 in 1947. 
The ice broke up in the St. John River on April 21 this year, which was later 
than the last three years (April 5, 1949, April 9, 1948, and April 19, 1947). 
The flood was quite high but did not stay at its peak as long as usual. The 
level dropped to about half flood height quickly and very gradually thereafter. All 
through the brood season the water level was five to six feet higher than the average 
level for that time of year. These conditions do not seem to have affected the nesting 
or breeding success of the waterfowl. 
Hatching Success and Brood Survival 
Table 1 shows the hatching success and brood survival for 1950 and compares 
this year with the average for the years 1945 to 1950. 
Less broods were seen this year (in many cases well below the average) 
because of the higher water level of the river during the brood season, The primary 
rearing covers did not dry up until much later than usual this year, and consequently 
the broods were not forced out into the less dense vegetation of the secondary rearing 
covers where they could be seen until the water level went down towards the end of the 
brood season. By this time many of the earlier nesting species were a-wing. Except 
for the black ducks and the blue-winged teal, most classes of broods were larger than 
the six year average. There was a slight increase of duckling mortality this year in 
all species except the ring-neck, which shows a decrease, Brood survival as a whole 
was a little below the average of previous years with the golden-eye showing the largest 
decrease. 
