
Conclusions - 
It is estimated that the number of ducks raised in Indiana this year 
will be considerably less than in 1954. 
WISCONSIN 
Weather and Water Conditions - 
Waterfowl nesting started about 7 to 10 days earlier than in 1954, 
with the year 1954 being considered average for the past five-year period. 
Farm field work, as reported by the Wisconsin Crop Reporting Service, was 
also well ahead of normal by May l. 
Heavy rains which occurred in scattered localities during April 
caused some nest destruction of mallards. In June, Mr. Ronald Labisky 
of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service reported that heavy rains resulted 
in nest losses of redheads, ruddy ducks, and coots and some abandonment 
of mallard and blue-winged teal nests in lowlands on the Horicon Marsh 
National Wildlife Refuge. The extent of nest losses due to flooding is not 
definitely known. However, state-wide the waterfowl nest losses should be 
minor, since the two main species of ducks breeding in Wisconsin, the 
mallard and blue-winged teal, are primarily upland nesters. 
Of 296 water sites censused twice during this survey, 68 percent 
showed no change in water levels or more water in late June, as compared 
to the last 20 days of May. Compared to similar material from previous 
years, a considerable drop in water levels occurred during June of 1955. 
Accompanying the drop in water levels, luxuriant growths of aquatic 
vegetaion choked some of the census areas making it more difficult than 
usual to census broods. This condition is considered in drawing conclusions 
on waterfowl production for Wisconsin in 1955. 
Breeding Population Indices - 
A total of 295 water sites were censused. They were distributed 
state-wide in 37 of the 71 State counties. 
At least 95 percent of the sites censused in 1954 were surveyed 
this year. All of the water sites were censused once during the breeding 
ground survey from May 10 - 30, during regular working hours. The same 
water areas were covered once between June 19 and July 3 for broods, between 
4:00 and 8:00 a.m. No aerial census was conducted. 
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