CENTRAL FLYWAY 
COLORADO 
Weather and Water Conditions - An early spring followed a mild dry 
winter, There was little accumulation of snow in the hills and the runoff was 
light.. There. was little flooding. Water levels were generally low in 
reservoirs, sloughs, and streams throughout the State, Intermittentpotholes 
on the eastern plains, which in wet years furnish additional nesting habitat, 
were dry this year. Although not disastrous, this state-wide decrease in 
water has resulted in reduced production for most areas in 1953, 
Breeding Population Indices - On all areas for which there'was data for 1952 
and 1953, it was estimated that there were 3, 690 breeding pairs in 1952 and 
3,995in 1953 (an increase of about 8 percent), Goose breeding populations 
were about the same between the two years. 
Production Index ~ For the same areas mentioned above, brood counts ° 
indicated that production is down about 15 percent between the two years 
(1952 - 17,366 young; 1953 -~- 14,688 young), Estimates of the goose oe 
production in Yampa Valley and Brown's Park show sizable increases in 
the number of goslings produced this year. Final estimates revealed 605. 
goslings in the two areas as compared to 200 last year, for an over-all 
increase of about 200 percent. 
Conclusions: - Duck production was somewhat lower than last year due to 
a State-wide decrease in water levels and it seems likely that there will be 
' a small decrease in the number of birds moving out of Colorado this fall, | 
Goose production, on the other hand, is much better than last year and it 
- appears that there will be an increase in the number of geese, 
‘ 3h 
