249 
Table Il. - Aerial Transect Census of Waterfowl Production in New York 1951-1955 
mn A we eae ) . 
Waterfowl Observed 
Per Linear Mile Production Index* 
Type Year ‘Broods Pairs Broods Pairs 
Allegany 1951 0.10 0.06 1892 1135 
1952 0.01 0.03 189 568 
1953 0.014 0.10 251 1792 
1954 0.038 0.038 681 681 
1955** 0.105 0.131 1886 2358 
Beech- Maple 1951 0.14 0 788 0 
1952 0.14 0.21 788 1182 
1953 0.38 0.12 3767 1189 
1954 0.162 0.115 1606 1140 
1955%** 0.240 ° 0.162 2379 2081 
Oak-Chestnut 1951 0 0 0 0 
1952 0.27 0 1452 0 
1953 0. 48 - 0.22 2582 1183 
1954 0. 347 0.104 1867 559 
1955** 0.081 0.201 435 1080 
—eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeo——————————————————SEEEE ee 
* Obtained by calculating as shown in report for 1953. 
*%* On overland portions only; stream-course portions gave 
higher densitites but would not be comparable. 
Brood Survey 
The canoe brood census work was confined to the Adirondacks this 
year since time was limited. This permitted only a few comparisons with last 
year, but a better over-all view of the extent of the habitat used by ring-necked 
ducks was obtained. There seemed to be some slight reduction in production 
this year from last in the areas of comparable coverage, but over the total 26 
miles there was observed an average of 1.27 broods per linear mile of waterway, 
which continued to indicate a substantial population in the Adirondacks. Ring- 
necked ducks are now known to breed at various sites within a 400-square mile 
roughly bounded by Inman, Paul Smith's Tupper Lake and Saranac Lake. Most 
of this area lies within Franklin County. Odd reports of ring-necks breeding 
outside this territory either were unfounded or were not thoroughly investigated. 
Average brood size by this method, and where 56.3 percent were 
ring-necks, was 5.2 for 32 broods. The 18 ringnecked broods averaged 6.1 at 
about two and one-half weeks of age. 
