37 
Crop Forecasting 
To be of use to wildlife administrators, waterfowl survey data must be 
available to the Caradian Wildlife Service by June 15 and to the U. S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service by August 1 of each year. However, waterfowl production in 
Saskatchewan usually continues beyond these deadlines, and the season's water- 
fowl crop may not have fully materialized until September. It is therefore 
necessary to predict, or forecast what may happen to the present crop, having a 
knowledge of present conditions. It was with the desire to integrate the pertinent 
measurable factors and set them in proper perspective that the forecast charts 
were first devised. For the June forecast, the number of ducks per square mile 
is shown to the left of the first column, a corresponding value is given for it on 
the right and the value is weighted (x3); the same is done for ponds per square 
mile and percent drakes. The weighted values are then added together to give a 
"forecast index". This is done for the years 1949, 1951 and 1952 in Chart l. A 
similar procedure, using five factors is followed for broods in Chart Z, and 
constitutes a forecast as of August l. 
Speciation of Broods 
This was carried on as an experiment and the results are presented in 
Table IV. No conclusions were reached, other than the fact that it was found 
possible to identify more than a third of the broods seen (1, 223 out of 3,051). 
Summary 
The most abundant surface water supply in recent years, coupled with 
the largest over-wintering crop in history, greeted the spring flight of waterfowl 
into Saskatchewan. A population double that of 1951 took advantage of this 
situation. Ideal April weather allowed pintails to get started on what proved to be 
a phenomenal hatch from the first attempt. Mallard production was also excellent 
from this early nesting but losses here were heavier than for pintails. Aerial 
survey data revealed more than three times the number of broods produced in 1951 
and a potential production figure following the survey period was almost twice that of 
last year. Brood size and distribution showed improvement, and water conditions 
in July were ample for all broods. 
i The return of water to the western grasslands (constituting almost one- 
third of the surveyed area) may have enticed numbers of northern bound pintails 
to remain and nest. In parts of this habitat there are now two and three pintails 
for every mallard. This was the situation throughout the entire surveyed area in 
1947 and 1948; but in 1949, both the water and the pintail disappeared and the ratio 
was reversed; it is now about one to one. With the maintenance of present 
conditions we may expect a complete return of the apparently not-too-adaptable 
pintail to its former dominant position in Saskatchewan. . 
Banding 
This year's banding was carried out, for the most part, in the grassland 
area of western Saskatchewan where fruitful banding had not previously been 
possible. The principle banding districts were Kerrobert, Kindersley, Laura and 
Mortlach; water levels in Johnstone and Eyebrow Lakes were too high. A survey 
