53 
Precipitation during the breeding season can be compared to normal as 
follows: 
April May June July Total 
Normal precipitation 0.91 1.38 3.12 1.96 7.37 
Precipitation in 1952 0.40 0.04 4,57 2.17 7.18 
It is evident that the precipitation for the entire period was not much 
below normal, although the first two months were very dry. Water gauges set in 
May showed about a‘two inch drop every ten days until the rains came on June 20. 
The following table illustrates the shrinkage in number of ponds on the study area. 
Table 1 - Change in Number of Water Areas during the 1952 Breeding Season 

May June July July 
10-20 2-6 1-6 25-29 
Total number of areas 306 306 306 306 
Number of areas containing water 306 244 253 181 
Percent of areas which contained water 100 80 83 59 
Total number of open areas * with water 154 139 142 116 
Percent of open areas still containing water 100 90 92 75 
Total number of wooded * areas with water 152 105 111 65 
Percent of wooded areas still containing water 100 69 73 43 
*Wooded water areas are those areas which had two-thirds or more of 
the shoreline bordered by willows or aspen. Most of the areas had close to. 
100 percent of the shoreline in-willow or aspen. The open areas had no brush or 
only scattered amounts in clumps along a small part of the shoreline. 
An average of twelve water gauges set on May 27 showed the following 
fluctuations thereafter: 
Table II - Fluctuation of Water Levels Based on 12 Water Gauges 
Date May 27 June 3 June 16 June 26 July 6 July 16 July 27 
Change (inches) 0 -1,31 -3.35 -4.77 -1.75 ~4.04 -4.50 
In general, water conditions were very satisfactory for both nesting and 
brooding although levels were a foot or so lower thanin 1951. Asa result of the 
low water levels, much good diving duck nesting habitat was high and dry in 1952. 
Higher levels might have resulted in a larger diving duck and coot population. 
The Breeding Population 
. Two censuses of breeding pairs were taken. The first was made between 
May 10 and 20, and the second between June 2 and 6. Results are found in Table III. 
In addition to the pairs and lone drakes recorded on the second run, 58 hens 
with broods were counted, including 43 mallard, 8 pintail and 7 canvasback. If these 
