45 
abundance of surface water, a factor that has definite bearing on the success of the 
"duck crop", 
The May 1953 air surveys showed 32.6 ponds per Square mile. This figure 
is the highest we have ever recorded for Saskatchewan, It represents a considerable 
improvement over the 1952 water index figure of 20.3 ponds per square mile, and 
1952 was considered to be a wet year. 
Although surface water conditions had been somewhat dubious at the start of 
this season, May of 1953 proved to be a cold month, with much snow prior to the 
15th, and repeated rains thereafter. Cold weather and overcast skies kept evapora- 
tion down to a minimum, and melting snow bolstered the surface water supply. 
Rains during the latter part of the month quickly brought surface water supply up to 
normal, and in many cases above normal. 
Melting of snow during the period of air surveys created many "puddles" of a 
temporary nature. These served to inflate our aerial pond counts somewhat, but 
real and durable improvement in the Parklands (Sub-stratum "'A''- East and 
Stratum "B', where ponds are small but very numerous, is the main reason for 
this year's increase in the number of ponds per square mile. 
The general water outlook at the end of May was most encouraging. Ponds in 
the Grasslands now had enough water to assure rearing of broods from the first- 
nesting attempt, while the potholes of the Parklands promised to last until broods 
from later nestings were on the wing. 
Progress of First-Nesting ("Germination") 
As the nesting season progresses, females start incubation, leaving single 
drakes and small groups of drakes on our transect strips. The proportion of these 
"lone drakes" to birds that are still paired during the May survey period reflects 
the timing of the hatch. We also use this information to predict whether the first 
nests of pintails and mallards are approaching successful outcome. 
This year, only 44 percent of the waterfowl recorded on our May surveys were 
lone drakes, and flocking of post-nesting drakes was not advanced, This indicates 
that the 1953 nesting season was much later than that of last year. The pintail, 
always our earliest nester, was more advanced in its first-nesting effort (64 percent 
lone drakes) than was the mallard (57 percent lone drakes). 
Early in May, this first-nesting attempt seemed destined to be lost to the plow. 
However, the snow and very cold weather of May 11 to 15, and the periodic rains 
that followed, delayed farming operations. As of the end of May, seeding and plowing 
for summerfallow were only- 60 to 70 percent complete this year in Saskatchewan, as 
against 90 to 100 percent complete at the corresponding period last year. 
Burning of stubble was much in evidence this spring, both*because of delay in 
summerfallowing, and because the heavy stubble from last year's excellent growing 
conditions interfered with plowing. Some early nests may have been lost in these 
fires, 
