43 
WATERFOWL BREEDING GROUND SURVEY IN SASKATCHEWAN 
J. J. Lynch and J. B. Gollop 
The success of the annual waterfowl hatch in Saskatchewan has important 
bearing on our continental supply of game ducks. Over half of the famous "Prairie 
Nesting Grounds" (true Grasslands and Parklands) of Canada is located in this 
Province. It might be said that Saskatchewan is the most important single 
geographical unit of waterfowl producing habitat in North America. The southern 
part of the Province is particularly important for its production of pintails, mallards, 
and other choice species. 
Our survey area in southern Saskatchewan (south of Latitude 54° N) is 114,000 
Square miles in extent, larger than the combined land area of all the New England 
States plus the State of Illinois. There is much variation in the waterfowl producing 
potential of various parts of this vast region, and individual areas vary greatly in 
productivity from year to year. It is therefore necessary to cover the entire region 
in order to get a complete picture of the success of each waterfowl nesting season. 
Adequate coverage is possible only by means of aircraft. Two aerial surveys are 
run each year, in order to appraise Province-wide nesting prospects. Ground 
observations are also carried on at strategic locations, in order to gather detailed 
information that cannot be gotten from the air. 
Three U. S, Fish and Wildlife Service aircraft (Piper PA-18's) took part in 
the 1953 aerial surveys of the Prairie and Parkland regions of Saskatchewan. Pilot 
Ross Hanson of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and William Hyska of the 
Saskatchewan Game Branch, twice flew 3,900 linear miles of air-transects in Sub- 
stratum "A" West and Strata 'B'' and "C", May coverage of these transects was 
accomplished in 71 air-hours, while a second and in some cases a third coverage 
in July réquired 80 hours of flying time. Pilots Noltemeier of the U. S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, and D. G. Colls of the Canadian Wildlife Service, flew the 1, 200 
miles of transects in southeastern Saskatchewan (Sub-stratum "A' East), logging 
approximately 20 air-hours in May and againin July. Pilots Lynch and Conover of 
the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service put in 50 air-hours in May, and 80 air-hours in 
July, on special air-ground comparison studies, water surveys, type-mapping, 
photo missions, banding surveys, and cross-country brood counts. In addition, 
Lynch and Pilot Charles Evans of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service logged 20 hours 
in Saskatchewan in early August, completing special studies and making final 
coverages of rearing areas for late broods, Thus nearly 350 air-hours, covering 
a linear distance of over 30,000 miles were devoted to these surveys. Northern 
Saskatchewan, covered by Pilot Edward Wellein of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, is reported on elsewhere in this publication. 
Waterfowl "Crop-Forecasting" 
The information from these surveys is needed by administrators in setting up 
hunting regulations. The Canadian Wildlife Service draws upon the information 
available by June 1 each year in order to establish the season's hunting regulations 
in Canada. The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service can utilize all survey cata gatnered 
prior to August l in recommending hunting regulations for the United States. 
