PACIFIC FLYWAY 
CALIFORNIA 
Weather and Water Conditions - 
The winter was relatively mild and spring migration out of 
California began in late February. Most of the pintails and geese had 
left the Valley by the middle of March or the first of April. For 
those that remained to nest, water conditions were not as favorable as 
they were last year. 
Breeding Population Indices - 
Aerial surveys on a basis comparable to the last several 
years, plus a ground count to supplement the aerial surveys in the 
Klamath Basin, were used to obtain the waterfowl population estimates 
presented in the following table: 
Estimated Total Nesting Pairs- 
Species 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 
Canada Goose — 3,25 3,500 3,200 2,850  . 3,350 
Mellard 38,843 4O, 543 51,580 4u,380 334, 33U 
Pintail — 2, 328 2,477 3,26u 2,1UU 2,U04U 
Gadwall 7,572 8,280 5,800 6,040 7,210 
Cinnamon Teal 5 523U 3,823 4,790 3,435 2,885 
Redhead 5,540 5 763 3, 38u 3, 76U 3,785 
Ruddy duck 3,581 5 323 1,51u 1,95u 2,365 
Shoveller 1,197 934 1,12u y25 705 
Scaup 91u 1,15 29U 235 28uU 
Others 1,181 820 610 545 395 
Total Pairs first 66, 342 69 ,0k2 72 369 59,370 54,085 
Total Pairs (Coot) 8,036 1u,154 13,79U 25,15u 19,185 
Production Indices - 
Production surveys were not conducted. 
Conclusions - 
(1) An 18 percent increase in Canada geese was recorded last 
year, The increased: number of breeding pairs is 
encouraging as it breaks the gradual decline that was 
recorded in past years. Band returns from the hunting 
season indicate that fewer resident geese were harvested 
last fall than in other years, which might have resulted 
in the increased number of breeders this spring. 
NA 
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