141 
The severe winter and the wet spring combined to increase the available 
water areas in the spring of 1950 to over 100 percent of the total available in 1949 
(Table 1). The greater part of this increase in water areas, however, was classed 
as temporary. In areas along the Highline glaciated area, as many as 63 percent of 
the original water areas were dry by July 21. However, the areas that were becoming 
dry were all temporary puddles which in this area have little effect on the over-all 
production. , 
The vagaries of the spring weather resulted in large scale disruption of the 
first nesting attempts. The general freezing temperature and the snowfall occurring 
in early June caught many birds in the process of incubating. Several nests were 
classed as deserted during this period. Class 1 broods observed during early June 
were noticeably small. Especially noticeable were the pintail broods, where a hen 
with one duckling was not uncommon. On Trend Area A (Crissey and Others p 128 
op. cit.) between May 18 and June 16, intensive studies were conducted during which 
2,880 ducks were observed and only 12 broods were seen. 
Large concentrations of paired gadwalls, shovelers and blue-winged teal, 
plus scattered pairs of mallards and pintails as late as June 20 were indicative of 
large scale renesting attempts. Renesting attempts were successful, however, and 
resulted in average brood sizes equivalent to or slightly larger than comparable 
brood sizes in 1949, (See Table 3) 
The late nesting season is exemplified by this statement (correspondence). 
by Leon Snyder, Refuge Manager of Bowdoin Wildlife Refuge, on August 13, ''.... 
downy ducklings of all species are quite common." In addition, broods of blue- 
winged teal were also noted as less than one week old as late as August 20. 
An indication as to the success of the renesting attempts is gathered from a 
count of females with broods as compared to females without broods made during the 
week of August 21 through August 27. Females with broods constituted 75 percent of 
the identified total mallards, blue-winged teals and pintails. 
Table 3. -- Waterfowl Broods by size and age classes - State of Montana, 1949-50 
Class 1 Class ll Class 111 
Species 1949 1950 1949 1950 1949 1950 
Mallard 5.6 6.4 (380/59)* 5.4 5.8 (780/134) 5.2 5.8 (238/42) 
Gadwall 5.0 7.8 (94 /12) 6.5 6.4 (262/ 41) 2.0 6.7( 80/12) 
Baldpate 6.7 7.0 (84 /12) 10.0 6.8 (360/ 53) 7.0 6.5( 91/14) 
Pintail 5.7 5.3 (101/19) 5.9 5.5 (376/ 69) 4.5 6.0 (429/71) 
G-w. teal 6.3 4.7( 14/ 3) 5.3 6.3( 82/ 13) 6.0 6.7( 99/15) 
B-w. teal 7.4 8.0 (589/74) 6.5 4.7 (663/142) 5.1 6.8( 81/12) 
Shoveler 6.7 7.0( 28/ 4) 7.5 6.8 (493/ 73) 7.5 6.5 (130/20) 
Redhead 5.0( 55/11) 4.5( 18/ 4 ) 
Canvasback 8.3 7.2( 36/ 5) 3,0 
Scaup 9.0 9.0( 9/ 1) v3 
‘ Golden-eye 6.0( 12/ 2) 15.0 7.5( 15/ 2 ) 5.0 
Ruddy 6.0 5.7( 40/ 7) 3.0(. 6/2) 1.3 
cv TUT eS 
* Considerable brood-information was obtained from Gene Crawford, Refuge Manager, 
Medicine Lake Wildlife Refuge. 
Summer banding was again incidental to other field work. However, a 
cooperative goose banding program at Bowdoin Wildlife Refuge netted 143 geese. Two 
men from the refuge, Flyway Biologist G. Hortin Jensen, and four State men made up 
the banding crew. 
