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The Magee Marsh, which was acquired during 1952 by the Chio Division of 
Wildlife for public waterfowl Shooting, is a portion of the Lake Erie Marshes. 
During the spring of 1952 Karl Bednarik, the manager of this area conducted a 
breeding ground survey which was later followed up by nesting checks and brood 
surveys. The brood surveys were conducted by the use of a boat and by walking 
the dikes which traverse the area. Broods were recorded and followed throughout 
the spring and summer to determine brood decimation. 
Weather and Water Conditions 
pe saa gt gs i eral Scale alt A 
Weatheyz conditions throughout the spring of 1952 encouraged a normal move- 
ment of waterfowl through the State. However, nesting was approximately two 
weeks earlier than last year with the majority of the nesting being well underway 
by the first week in May. Two broods, one mallard and one black duck were 
discovered to have hatched at the Resthaven State Hunting Preserve on April 25. 
Water conditions were generally favorable in the inland lakes and streams 
for waterfowl production. However, there was a considerable reduction of available 
duck nesting habitat in the Lake Erie Marshes due to a rise of approximately two 
feet in the mean level of Lake Erie during the spring and early summer of 1952. 
Success of the Season 
Due to the fact that the over-all waterfowl program was not initiated until 
1952 there is very little data available to compare between the 1951 and 1952 
seasons. Data compiled at Indian Lake and at the Resthaven State Hunting Preserve 
indicate only a slight change during 1952 in the total number of broods and young 
produced with a slight increase in the average brood sizes. 
The following tables and map summarize the data for 1952: 
Table I ~- District Brood Survey Data 
* Date of Coverage June 15 - 22 
Acres of Lake Censused 10,045 
No. of Broods Cbserved 30 
Broods per Square Mile 1.9 
Miles of Stream 17 
No. of Broods 19 
Broods per Mile of Stream 1.1 
*Data from first coverage only - Second coverage incomplete. 
Table II - District Brood Survey Data from Inland Lakes by Species 

No. of Total Young Per No. of Broods 
Species Broods Young Brood Class I Class II Class III 
‘Wood duck 28 * 210 7.5 2 12 5 
Mallard 2 12 6.0 2 
Total 30 222 6.8 2 14 5 
*Nine of the wood duck broods were not aged. 
