In the Central Washington waterfowl production area, which produces 
approximately 8 percent of the waterfowl in the State, observation and study by 
Wendell H. Oliver show the first duck brood of the 1950 season, a mallard brood 
of 13, was observed on May 1, indicating the first nesting activity of the season 
to be one week later than in 1949. Early nesting was slow in 1950 as the broods did 
not appear in volume until mid-July, whereas in 1949 broods were out in volume in 
June. Eighty-five percent more broods were observed in June of 1949 than in June 
of 1950.. During the past nesting season 22 waterfowl nests were under observance 
until hatched. From the fate of these nests, it was concluded that 77 percent of the 
Central Washington nesters were successful in hatching. A summary of nesting 
observations is presented in Table 4, 
Table 4. -- Summary of Nest Observations, 1950 
re gages 

Species Observed Total Average Successful Percent Reasons for 
Nests Eggs Clutch Nests Success Failure 
Mallard 15 111 7.4 12 80.0 Flood, farms 
& desertion 
Gadwall 1 10 10.0 1 100.0 
Pintail l 7 7.0 1 100.0 
B-w. & Cinn. teal 3 33 11.0 2 66.6 Bird predation 
Coot 2 14 7.0 1 50.0 Flooding 
Totals 22 175 8.3 av. 17 70.0 av. 


From brood observations, 15 species of ducks were known to breed in 
Central Washington during 1950, plus Canada geese and coot. An additional species, 
the hooded merganser, is believed to have been sighted with a brood in the Yakima 
River backwater near Cle Elum. Identification, however, was not positive. Although 
somewhat less in relative abundance, the mallard was again in 1950 the most important 
breeding duck of Central Washington (Table 5). The most pronounced species increase 
was in wood ducks, the second most abundant breeder in the region for 1950. Gadwall 
and baldpate also showed increases over the two previous yearly surveys in the south 
central section of the State. The sharpest decrease in the past three years has occurred 
in redhead production in South Central Washington. Second in importance as a breeder 
in 1948, the spécies has diminished in importance rapidly since. Typical of this 
decrease is the three year breeding record on a pumping pond on the Indian Reser- 
vation of Yakima County. In 1948, nine redhead broods were known on the pond, in 
1948 two broods, and in 1950 one brood of one young was observed. Ruddy ducks, 
breeders in 1948 and 1949, were absent in 1950 in South Central Washington. This 
species, however, is an important breeder in the North Central section of the State. 
Barrow's golden-eye was second in relative abundance to the mallard in this section 
of Central Washington. Coot comprised, roughly, 37 percent of the North Central 
waterfowl total and 18.3 percent of the total breeding waterfowl in Central Washington. 
The average brood size of 226 duck broods in 1950 compares closely with the 
average brood size obtained in the 1949 survey. The average 1950 duck brood was 
5.82 young when two-thirds grown. The mortality between broods of one-third or less 
in size and broods of two-thirds or more amounted to .94 young lost, Fifteen complete 
counts of Canada geese were made in South Central Washington areas. An additional 
26 complete counts were obtained from game technicians on the Hanford Reservation. 
Average goose brood, from 41 counts, was 3.9 goslings. | 
