
Breeding Populations 
At least two breeding pair counts (beat-outs) were made on each Study area, 
one in mid-May and one in June. In former years our first breeding pair count was 
usually made early in May. Because of the severe cold of late April and early May, 
populations had not settled down sufficiently to make accurate counts in Alberta 
until mid-May in 1954. The two weeks delay in the start of the breeding season, 
followed by generally favorable weather conditions and reduced agricultural activity 
caused the season to progress ina regular pattern throughout the balance of the 
summer. 
Populations on the prairie study areas did not vary appreciably from those 
recorded in 1953. The indicated population in ducks per square mile on Area I was 
4.3 percent last year, on Area II 1.9 percent above 1953. In Area III, the southern 
parklands, the 1954 breeding population rose 36.6 percent above the previous year 
to reach 135 pairs per square mile. This is by no means a restricted area of high 
population but a truly representative sample of a large area of Alberta's south- 
western parklands. Area IV, in the northeastern parklands, tallied a loss of 6.2 
percent in breeding populations. Because of the relatively slight loss or gain in 
all study areas except the Lousana Area, no appreciable change is considered to 
have occurred on three of the four districts. 
Tables II and III below record population changes in May and June of 1954, 
a comparison of the breeding populations in May of 1953 and 1954 and the species 
composition of all study areas in 1954, 
Table II. - Breeding Populations - All Study Areas. 
Area I (4.875 
:Total: sLone : Lone : Ind. 
Date :Ducks:Pairs:Males: Females: Pop. :Sq.Mi. :Sq.Mi.:Ducks oMi.: 





Mey 1954 : 300: 101: 98: 0O > 398 : 61.5: 40.8: 81.6 : 
June 1954 : 157 : 38: 78: 3 : 238 : 32.2: 24.4: 48.8 : 
May 1953 : 306: 98 : 110: O : 416: 62.8: 42.7: 85.3 ; 




tLone : Lone : 
:Males: Females: 
3/:Pairs/:Ind. Bop. 
-Mi.:Ducks Sc.Mi.: 

May 1954 : 439 : 120: 199: O : 638 ; 140.5: 102.0: 204.1 : 
June 1954 : 331 : 81: 169: 0 : 500 : 105.9: 80.0: 160.0 $ 
May 1953 ;: 423 : 110 : 203: 0 : 626 : 135.4: 100.2: 200.3 ; 








:Total: :Lone : Lone :; ; 
:Ducks:Pairs:Males:Females: Pop. -MisDucks Sq.Mi.: 
May 1954 : 811 : 322 : 154: 13 : 
June 1954 : 753 : 266 : 210: 11 : 974 ; 207.7: 134.3: 268.7 : 
May 1955 : 578 : 220: 125: 13 : 716 : 159.4: 98.8: 197.5 : 
:Total: sLone : Lone : Ind. 

:Ducks:Pairs:Males:Females: Pop.: 
May 1954 : 766 : 296 : 165: 9 : 940 
June 1954 : 625 : 198 : 207 : 22 : 854 
May 1953 : 797 : 296 : 192: 13 :1002 : 
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