167 
in the eastern areas, particularly in 1949. The average for the Sandhills was 7 birds 
per brood each season, so far as the sample counts indicated. 
Based on July counts of brood occurrence (Table 4) blue-winged teal is the 
number one nester in the Sandhills. Mallard, pintail, redhead, and ruddy seem to be 
important nesters. ; 
Nesting Success 
No trend data for nesting success is available. Table 5 shows the results of 
observations on 37 duck nests comprising 6 species and 26 coot nests on three areas. 
It is obvious that nest destruction was high in the Sandhills under 1950 conditions. 
However, the fact that broods were seen on the areas of high nest destruction indicates 
the likelihood that it is a common occurrence each season and may not necessarily be 
the limiting factor in nesting success. 
Summer Banding 
The following ducks were banded between August 19 and September 9, 1950: 
Mallard -- 24 adult males, 39 juvenile males, 5 adult females, 19 juvenile females, 
and 2 unclassed. 
Pintail -- 5 juvenile males, 1 juvenile female. 
Blue-winged teal -- 1] adult male, 32 juvenile males, 21 juvenile females, and 
2 unclassed. 
Green-winged teal -- 1 juvenile male. 
A total of 152 ducks were banded. 
Discussion 
The data from three seasons of breeding ground survey indicate the trend of 
breeding stock and brood occurrence in the areas sampled. The ratio of observed 
broods to breeding pairs (Table 3) did not vary with regard to eastern or western 
areas. However, it appears that nesting success in the western Sandhills during 1949 
was the highest of the three seasons, since the ratio is one brood to 5 pairs as compared 
to 1 to.14, and 1 to 10 for 1948 and 1950, respectively. The high ratio of observed pairs 
to broods may be accounted for partly by a high incidence of nest destruction and partly 
by the difficulty of seeing broods in the areas of relatively dense emergent vegetation. 
The trends are consistent through the three seasons. 
Summary 
This report deals with the record of observations in the Nebraska Sandhills 
during the waterfowl breeding seasons of 1948, 1949, and 1950. The purposes of the 
survey were (1) to evaluate the seasonal and yearly trends in waterfowl populations 
- on a qualitative rather than a quantitative basis, and (2) to test the methods used. 
The transect (1/4-mile) method was used in ground and aerial coverage. Game 
Commission personnel and U. S. Game Agent Paul S. Smith made the ground counts upon 
which most of this reportis based. Aerial counts were made by personnel of the Grand 
Island Office of the Missouri River Basin Studies and by State Game Supervisor L. P. 
Vance and Conservation Officer A. O. Edmunds. Not enough data is available to 
determine a trend from the aerial observations, 
The 1948-1949 blizzard was conducive to unusually wet conditions in the 
Sandhills during the 1949 season in contrast to what appears to be the usual fluctuating 
moisture conditions as found in 1948 and 1950, The counts of breeding pairs in June 
and brood counts in July during the three seasons appear to show a trend correlated 
with the water conditions. 
