181 
Table IX. - Total Territories by Habitat Type and Species, South Park, Colorado 
1953 
a a a 

Small Large Creeks & 
Species Lakes Lakes Sloughs Rivers Meadows Total 
a a aa en 
Mallard 54 40 32 94 22 242 
Gadwall 17 12 14 3 =’ 46 
Pintail 6 2 10 8 2 28 
Cinn. teal 6 4 15 = a 25 
B-w. teal 4 4 11 9 2 30 
G-w. teal 1 3 4 8 2 18 
Shoveler 4 8 2 2 - 16 
Baldpate 4 7 2 - - 13 
Redhead 4 5 4 - = 13 
Total 100 85 94 124 28 431 
Summary 
A mild winter in Colorado resulted in decreased snow cover in the higher 
elevations of the State. Late storms occurred over the State in April and May. 
These storms had little effect on the eastern slope breeding areas, but delayed 
breeding activity in western slope areas by one to two weeks. Eastern slope nesting 
appeared to be the earliest in the past 5 years. 
Water levels were generally low in reservoirs, sloughs, and streams through- 
out the State. Intermittent potholes on the eastern plains, which in wet years furnish 
additional nesting habitat, have no water this year. Although not disastrous, this 
State-wide decrease in water has resulted in reduced production for the State in 1953. 
All data gathered in 1952 and 1953 are briefly summarized in Table X. From 
those areas which have data for both years, it was estimated that there were 3, 690 
breeding -pairs of ducks in 1952 compared to 3, 971 for the same areas during the 
current year. This is an increase of about eight percent in breeding-pairs over 1952. 
‘However, brood counts on the Same areas reveal that production is down about 
19 percent between the two years (1952 - 17,383 young; 1953 - 14,098 young). This 
reduction was caused by a definite decrease in water areas which vitally affected the 
extent of available nesting cover. Considering the six areas from which estimates 
of total production were possible, it was determined that those areas produced an 
estimated 44,915 young ducks this year. It is not possible at this time to determine 
what percent of total this figure represents. 
Estimates of goose production in the Yampa Valley and Brown's Park, for 1952 
and 1953, show sizable increases in the number of goslings produced this year. 
Although breeding-pair numbers were not different between the two years, nesting 
success was much better, and more goslings were brought off per brood in 1953. 
Final estimates of goose production reveal 591 goslings in the Yampa Valley and 
Brown's Park in 1953 compared to 249 in 1952, for an over~all increase of about 
137 percent. 
