219 
Production Trends 
Table 2 giveg by species, and for all ducks, the percent increase or decrease 
in summer production in the northeastern States, Here, again, the data have been 
furnished by cooperators who made counts on areas comparable to those covered last 
year. As with the spring surveys, the limited number of areas involved necessitates 
caution in accepting the data as representative. This is particularly true for the less 
common species such as the teal, golden-eye, ringneck, and gadwall. It is believed 
that the reduction in numbers observed was due in part to the high water levels in the 
northern part of the range. A number of observers remarked about the difficulty in 
locating birds which were using the flooded marginal vegetation this year. This, 
coupled with the fact that hatching was 10 days or more late this year, made estimates 
of production difficult. However, inasmuch as the climatic conditions and watersheds 
were ideal for the nesting and brooding season, it is reasonable to assume that pro- 
duction has actually been materially better than the survey figures show. It is believed 
that the over-all production is as good as last year. Perhaps an indication ‘of this is 
shown by the intensive studies of the Maine Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit on 
certain marshes in eastern Maine. These studies indicate the best production in 14 
years, = 
In the cooperator summer surveys 766 complete broods were tallied. The 
number of broods and the average size brood by species are as follows: 
Black a 345 6.3 
Wood 226 6.8 
Mallard 109 - 6.1 
Gadwall 20 7.4 
B-w. teal 38 5.4 
Golden-eye 23 BD. z 
Ringneck 5 7.6 
Brood sizes in Rhode Island were considerably lower than in other States, 
averaging 4.3 for black ducks. Excluding the Rhode Island data (78 broods), the 
regional average for black ducks would be 6.8. 
When broken down into age classes there is relatively little difference in the 
average size of brood and frequently the brood tends to increase in number of young 
with age. i 
Summary of Breeding Ground Surveys 
The spring breeding surveys in the States indicated a strong upward trend in 
the population. This was particularly true. with the black duck and wood duck, which 
make up most of the breeding population in the region. 
The summer brood surveys indicate a slight to moderate decrease for most 
species except the blue-winged teal and ringneck, However, the actual production 
was undoubtedly higher because of the limitations on observation brought about by high 
water. 
