207 
very little snow all winter. April and May were warm and dry and while nesting 
conditions were good there was actually less water im the State than in 1953. 
Although water levels were lower than in either 1951 or 1950, emergent 
vegetation disappeared from many areas and open water areas were present in 
July and August which had contained vegetation in 1951. This was caused by the 
high water of previous years, 
Breeding Population Trends 
Results of the May breeding pair census is as follows: 
Table LV - Breeding Pairs (Pairs Plus Lone Drakes) 

Total Pairs Per Species 
Species Breeding Pairs Sq. Mile Percent Composition 
T9511. +~=«+1952.~ + +#« #1951 + +1952 + £Change 1951 1952 
Mallard 586 682 4.0 4.7 + 16 13.4 16.8 
Gadwall 344. 334 2.3 2.3 - 3 too 8.2 
Baldpate 79 66 5 .4 - 17 1.8 1.6 
Pintail 1,089 963 7.4 6.6 - 12 25.0 23.7 
G-w. teal ll 18 oa ol + 64 pie 4 
B-w. teal 1,425 1, 261 9.7 8.6 - 12 32. 7 31.0 
Shoveler 371 216 2.5 1,5 -~ 42 8.5 5. 3 
Redhead 142 155 1.0 1.1 + 9 3.3 3.8 
Canvasback 115 112 8 .8 - 3 2.6 2.7 
Lesser scaup 88 124 .6 8 + 41 2.0 2.8 
Ruddy duck 109 131 vk ee + 20 2.5 3.2 
All Others 2 - - - - - - 
Total 4,361 4,062 29.8 27.8 - 7 100 100 
Thus the 1952 transects indicate a loss of two pairs per square mile or about 
a 7 percent Gecrease from 1951. Water areas dropped from 1, 800 to 1, 732 or 
about 4 percent. However, it must be remembered that the ground transects in 
North Dakota are in better than average habitat and a good share of them lie along 
the Missouri Coteau which had a good run-off this spring whereas the flat area to 
the east.and north had much less snow. 
Note that although waterfow] inigeneral showed a decrease in 1952 the mallard 
and most of the divers showed an appreciable increase. Lesser numbers of pintail 
and blue-winged teal caused most of the decrease but in neither species was the drop 
Significant. <A significant drop is indicated in the case of the shoveler, but the reason 
for this is unknown. 
Coots dropped from 2, 078 to 1, 798 or 14 percent. 
Transect I, which lies at the extreme south edge of the Missouri Coteau in 
North Dakota showed an increase of 70 percent in breeding pairs but this transect 
lies in the area which received a terrific amount of snow during the past winter and 
had 80 percent more water areas in 1952 than in 1951, From the above data and 
from comparisons with former years there seems to be a very definite correlation 
