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Blue-winged teals and mallards were the principal nesters, with lesser numbers 
of ruddies, gadwalls, pintails, shovelers, redheads and canvasbacks in that order. 
Brood numbers as determined from 3 separate surveys on 5 of the Sandhill Lakes 
showed a slight downward trend for all species as compared with last year's 
figures, 
On the Valentine Refuge, Cherry County, Nebraska this year's nesting 
season showed some improvement over that of the previous year in spite of 
unfavorable water levels on some of the nesting grounds. Increased lake levels, 
while causing some temporary loss of nesting habitat, was compensated by shallow 
flooding of meadows bordered by good cover; thus, there was no over-all loss of 
nesting territory. In order of abundance, blue-winged teals, mallards, ruddies, 
pintails and redheads were the most numerous nesters, followed by lesser numbers 
of gadwalls, shovelers, green-winged teals, scaup and ring-necked ducks. There 
was a Slight increase in predation by coyotes and bull snakes. 
On the Arrowwood Refuge above Jamestown, North Dakota the nesting popula- 
tion was approximately 30 percent below that of a year ago. This decline could not 
be attributed to water levels or habitat factors, as conditions appeared to be ideal 
and certainly more favorable than during the previous season when production was 
considerably greater. Of the 10 species of waterfowl nesting on the refuge, only 
the canvasbacks and ruddies showed any increase over last year's production. 
Des Lacs and Lostwood Refuges in the northwestern corner of North Dakota 
were the only Z national wildlife refuges in the State showing a substantial increase 
in waterfowl production for 1952. On Des Lacs, 3 brood counts were made during 
the nesting season covering approximately 70 percent of the brood habitat. A warm, 
early spring and dry weather were conducive to a higher nesting success. Statistics 
gathered over the past several years indicate that the present nesting season has 
witnessed the greatest number of broods, the highest average brood size and the 
greatest number of young produced since 1948. Brood counts revealed that the 
mallard was the dominant nesting species. There has been no sign of disease, and 
predation was not extensive, On the Lostwood Refuge more than 1, 300 breeding 
pairs of ducks were counted in an airplane census in May, an increase of more than 
300 counted during the same period last year. There was no botulism or other 
disease in evidence, but there was some predation by crows. 
On the Upper and Lower Souris Refuges, counts of breeding pairs made during 
the nesting season indicated a decrease on both areas as compared with counts for 
1951. Some increase was noted in the numbers of nesting mallards, canvasbacks 
and scaup, whereas there was a decrease in the number of blue-winged teals, 
gadwalls, baldpates and redheads. The coot population showed a sharp decline, and 
Canada goose production continued at about the 1951 level, There were no losses 
from botulism. However, predation by foxes, raccoons and skunks resulted in 
some losses. 
Earlier indications of a larger breeding population at the Lacreek Refuge, 
Bennett County, South Dakota, were not borne out by subsequent brood surveys, 
The total production for the refuge was about the same as for 1951. However, the 
blue -winged teal, which was the number one nester in 1951, dropped to third place 
this year; the mallard and the gadwall occupied the first and second places. 
