
176 
WATERFOWL BREEDING GROUND SURVEY IN MINNESOTA ~ 1950 
Forrest B, Lee 
Weather and Water Conditions and Account of Spring Migration 
The spring of 1950, as a whole, was decidedly cooler and much wetter than 
usual, According to U. S. Weather Bureau records, the average precipitation for the 
spring months (March, April, and May) was 2.51 inches more than the mean for the 
past 60 years, and it was the coolest spring since the Climatological Service was 
established in 1891. 
Game wardens and area game managers tallied waterfowl observations 
throughout the spring months. These data are summarized in Table 1. The first 
ducks of the season were seen in the prairie counties of west central and southern 
parts of the State (Areas 1X, X, X1) during the week of March 6-12, There was 
some open water there at this time, but freezing weather followed and these mallards 
and pintails appeared to move back south out of the State. Ducks appeared again in 
these areas after the 20th of March when there was some open water in the fields, 
The peak in numbers of migrating ducks was during the first week of April in the 
southern counties and about a week later in the west central counties (Areas V and 
1X). Lakes in southern Minnesota were not free of ice until the middle of April, and 
in the west central counties the final break-up was the last week of April or the first 
days of May. 
Flooding in the upper Red River Valley (Area 1V, northwest Minnesota) began 
about the first of April and continued through May. Ducks appeared in fair numbers 
during the first week of April, but it was not until the first week of May that a péak in 
numbers was noted. 
The wooded northeast portion of the State (Areas 1, 11, 111, Vi, V11) 
experienced an especially severe spring season. A snowfall of 10.5 inches was 
recorded for May at Virginia, in St. Louis County. Floods along the upper Mississ- 
ippi River began during the latter half of April and continued through May. Floods 
also occurred in the Lake Superior drainage region. Large lakes such as Bemidji, 
Leech, and Mille Lacs were not completely open until May 20 (about a month later 
than the 1949 opening date of April 20 - 25 for these lakes). Most observers noted 
the first waterfowl after April 15, and largest numbers seem to have been present 
during the second week of May. Large flocks of ducks were noted during April and 
May in open water areas bordering these northern and northeastern portions of the 
State which experienced such adverse weather conditions. It appeared as if they were 
waiting for fairer weather before moving on north, 
Breeding Population Trends 
Automobile, canoe and aerial transects were run from the middle of May to 
the end of the first week in June by personnel of Pittman-Robertson Project 11-R. 
The ground sample by automobile was reduced from 1, 663 square miles in 1949 to 
898.6 square miles in 1950 (see Table 2), or a 1.06 percent sample of the State's 
area. Routes were run in 63 counties in 12 game management areas as compared 
with 39 counties in 7 game management areas last year. Area X11, representing 
10 counties with very little duck habitat, was censused this year for the first time. 
Inclusion of this area tends to make the State's average somewhat conservative. 
The average number of "pairs per square mile" for the entire State was 
2.18 as compared with 1.92 for 1949. Thirty-eight counties were censused both in 
1950 and 1949; 24 counties had higher "pairs per square mile" figures for 1950. 
