78 
Table III - Percent Species Composition - Northern Saskatchewan and District of 
Mackenzie 
—____—_oOoOoeoo ye er ts gece 
Delaronde Lake to Waterways to Livingstone Fort McMurray 
Species Ile a la Crosse Lake to Richardson Lake to Lac la Ronge 
Mallard 13.3 4.3 7.4 
Baldpate - | - 2.1 
Pintail 0.9 - - 
Blue-winged teal 0.9 - 0.8 
Ringneck & scaup 25.5 68.1 66.2 
Redhead - - 0.5 
Canvasback - - 3.1 
Bufflehead, merganser, 41.5 13.2 11,2 
scoter, & goldeneye 
Unidentified 17.9 14.4 8.2 
a ee 
A density of 4.2 ducks per square mile was recorded between Lake 
Delaronde and Ile a la Crosse. The mallard made up 13.3 percent of the total, 
while the ringneck and scaup accounted for 25.5 percent of the total. This second 
figure is an important observation because it substantiates the general observation 
that this area may be one of the more important breeding areas for the ring-necked 
duck. 
Because of the character of the terrain the aircraft was flown at a higher 
altitude than usual. It was difficult, therefore, to separate the ring-necked duck 
from the scaup and for that reason these two species were lumped together. 
Occasional spot checks, however, indicated that a high percentage of these were 
ring -necked ducks. 
The waterfowl density on the transect between Waterways, Livingstone 
Lake and Richardson Lake was the lowest observed during the trip (0.7 per square 
mile). On this transect the ring-necked duck and scaup made up 68.1 percent of the 
total ducks recorded. 
The transect between Fort McMurray and Lac la Ronge passed through some 
of the best waterfowl habitat in northern Saskatchewan, and this is reflected in the 
figure of 5.0 ducks per square mile obtained for the strip. Again scaup and ringnecks 
accounted for a very high percent (66. 2) of the total. 
Superficially, a figure of 5.0 ducks per square mile appears low, yet 
northern Saskatchewan is a sizable area and the total number of ducks involved at 
this rate may be large. In addition, it appears to be important as a breeding ground 
for the ring-necked duck and scaup~--two species which contribute materially to the 
kill, especially in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. However, the waterfowl 
habitat is spotty, occurring mostly as bays of large lakes and winding rivers. This 
type of habitat presents a difficult sampling problem. 
