
Nesting in most areas was delayed about two weeks from last year. 
Inclement weather in the form of snow storms apparently affected goose nest- 
ing success on Island Park Reservoir. 
Breeding Population and Production Information - 
Canada goose nesting surveys were continued in several areas of 
the State. In some localities this makes thr fourth year in which comparable 
data has been gathered. Survey methods are similar in all areas and consist 
of one search to locate nests and one re-check to determine nest success. The 
degree of coverage varies somewhat in each area but it is believed that from 
85 to 100 percent of the nests are located in this manner. 
A comparison of the estimated goose production from these areas 
based ori the nesting studies is givenin Table 1. These production figures do 
not indicate total estimated production. They show population trends based 
on the number and hatching success of nests found on the same areas covered 
in the same manner each year. On this basis, the estimated production on 
four areas with trend data for four years is down approximately 30 percent. 
The estimated production from six areas with trend data for two years is down 
approximately 25 percent. The greatest production declines were noted in the 
Homedale and Island Park areas. The big decline in the Homedale unit was 
due primarily to fewer nests being found, with a lower nest success than last 
year also contributing to the reduction. Several snowstorms in late May seri- 
ously affected the hatch in Island Park with a corresponding drop in this year's 
goose crop. The estimated production on the four areas with the longest nest- 
ing records was just slightly above that of 1952, the first year of the study. 
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