10 

WATERFOWL BREEDING GROUND SURVEY IN NORTHERN ALBERTA, 
NORTHEASTERN BRITISH COLUMBIA, THE NORTHWEST 
TERRITORIES AND THE YUKON - 1955 
Robert H. Smith and Everett L. Sutton 
Introduction 
This report covers the eighth consecutive aerial survey of waterfowl 
breeding populations in the Northwest Territories and Yukon Territory. Cover- 
ages of northern Alberta and northeastern British Columbia, with the exception 
of the Lake Claire marshes and the Athabaska Delta, have been accomplished 
during the past three years only. 
The population surveys were begun in central Alberta on June 2 and 
were concluded along the Arctic coast of the Northwest Territories on June 25. 
Due to mechanical difficulties with the aircraft a waterfowl production survey was 
not attempted. 
During the entire survey the writers were assisted by William G, 
Leitch, Chief Biologist of Ducks Unlimited. 
Survey Methods 
Instead of flying transects at random as in the past, an attempt was 
made to follow predetermined routes laid out in advance. This pattern was begun 
in central Alberta at latitude 54 deprees north, the routes being laid out along 
every degree line except where such lines coincided with the edge of charts. 
When this occurred a 10-minute offset was made to facilitate map reading. In 
general, routes lay between the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains and the 
Saskatchewan boundary up to 60 degrees north latitude, From that parallel north 
through 62 degrees north latitude, a similar pattern was followed except that we 
continued east as far as could be safely flown considering the available fuel 
supplies and the range of the aircraft. Beyond 62 degrees north transects were 
arranged so as to run between fuel caches rather than attempt to follow the 
parallel pattern. 
All waterfowl were recorded in a one-fourth mile strip by species 
and further broken down into pairs--single males, groups of males, and groups 
of mixed adults. 
