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WATERFOWL BREEDING GROUND SURVEY IN NORTHEASTERN STATES - 1950 
a 
C. E. Addy _ 
Introduction 
ee 
In the same manner as last year, surveys in the northeastern States were 
conducted by cooperators consisting of personnel of the State Fish and Game Depart- 
ments, the Fish and Wildlife Service, various ornithologists and sportsmen. For the 
spring breeding ground survey 126 areas, identical with those of last year, were 
covered, In addition, reports were received on 143 other areas, most.of them new 
for this year. sai 2 
Cooperators made summer brood counts on 118 areas comparable to those 
covered last year. In addition, reports were received on 123 other (mostly new) 
locales. 
The coverage needed is still far too limited in most States. However, the 
various fish and game departments are gradually incorporating annual breeding 
ground surveys in their regular operations. It is hoped that by next year all of the 
State game departments will be in a position to greatly expand their breeding ground 
program, : 
Methods and Areas Covered , 
Although progress has been made in the cooperative breeding ground studies 
in the Northeast, there is still considerable need for improvement in techniques and 
methods. Experimentation with overland transects in hilly country has yielded very 
low counts, but on the more extensive flat tidal marshes of the Delaware and 
Chesapeake Bay areas.the transect method has proved more successful. Therefore, 
since the transect method has its limitations, the principal method resorted to has 
been the more or less complete coverage of definite areas by both aerial and ground 
observation. 
” 
In the northeastern States, spring and summer surveys were conducted on 
the same individual habitats as last year by cooperators. In addition, the program 
has been enlarged to include many new areas. These surveys are made largely by 
ground observation. However, itis believed that the use of the airplane will assume 
more importance in.the future. The game departments of both Delaware and Maryland 
have done excellent work with aerial coverage this year and ‘it is expected that other 
States in the Northeast will eventually utilize the plane wherever possible to supple- 
ment ground observation. . 
Following is a tabulation of the number of areas surveyed in each State, 
including areas new for this year. The number of areas listed is indicative to some 
extent of the amount of coverage in each State, but not in every respect. For instance, 
relatively few areas are listed for Delaware and Maryland, but the greater part of the 
waterfowl habitat was covered by aerial surveys in these States. In other States where 
ground observations were made, such as New York where 30 areas are listed, only a 
minor percentage of the waterfowl habitat has been surveyed. 
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