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WATERFOWL BREEDING GROUND SURVEY IN CALIFORNIA, 1955 
-A. W. Miller, A. E. Naylor and Frank M. Kozlik* 
Introduction 
During the spring and early summer of 1955, the waterfowl breeding 
ground survey was conducted in essentially the same manner as in previous years 
throughout the principal waterfowl habitat of the State. By way of review it 
should be noted that under existing conditions the primary waterfowl production 
areas in California are in the northeast or 'Great Basin" corner of the State, and 
in the Sacramento Valley. 
The northeastern part of the State, including the Klamath Basin, con- 
tains numerous natural marshes and artificial water impoundments. The 
scattered distribution of these water areas with this great basin-type region makes 
it impractical to fly aerial transects. Instead, this entire area was given complete 
aerial coverage of all water and marsh areas to determine the total numbers of 
breeding waterfowl. To obtain further information on waterfowl production in this 
part of the State, a nesting study was conducted at Mountain Meadows (Walker 
Reservoir). 
The Sacramento Valley is devoted to intensive agriculture with only a 
remnant of the once vast marshlands remaining. The remaining marsh and over- 
flow lands are largely in private ownership and are controlled primarily by 
private duck clubs. Coupled with these remnants of marshland, the culture of rice 
as a commercial crop is responsible for a large portion of the waterfowl raised 
in this valley. From late April through the middle of September, over 290, 000 
‘acres of shallowstabilized water in the form of contoured rice fields are available 
to nesting ducks. Before the rice grows too high, this area can be ideally 
covered by aerial transect flights. Later in the season, however, brood counting 
and fall population counts are difficult to accomplish due to the dense cover 
growth and the inaccessible nature of these areas on foot. In contrast to north- 
eastern California where a variety of waterfowl species nest, the primary species 
meeting in the Sacramento Valley is the mallard. 
The remainder of the waterfowl produced in California is raised in 
scattered sections of agricultural and marsh habitat including tidal saltmarshes, 
stream channels, and artificial impoundments. These areas include the Suisun 
marsh, Sacramento-San Joaquin river delta, the grasslands of the San Joaquin 
Valley, and the North Bay. In many cases, production is high on these areas, but 
is limited in significance by the relatively small size of the area and the amount 
of water. A nesting survey was carried on in the grasslands. 
ee es re te ens ee ee ee ee et 
* Other personnel of the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Project 
California 30-R, namely William Anderson, P. H. Arend, 
John R. LeDonne and E. G. Hunt cooperated in this study. 
