Table IV. - Nest Success Over Three-Year Period (Active Nests Only) 
A 
1952 1953 1954 
Success No. of Success No, of Success No. of 
in % Nests in % Nests in % Nests 
Mallard 56.9 58 48.9 219 24.1 266 
Blue -winged teal 43.3 30 37.0 46 25.6 39 
Pintail | 28.5 7 59.1 22 36.8 19 
Canvasback 33.3 3 70.8 24 52.0 25 
Shoveler - - 100.0 3 40.0 10 
Green-winged teal 100.0 1 66.7 3 0.0 8 
Lesser scaup 50.0 4 57.1 7 57.1 7 
Ring -necked = - 60.0 5 44.4 9 
Baldpate 40.0 5 25.0 4 16.7 6 
Gadwall 50.0 2 100.0 2 60.0 5 
Redhead - - 25.0 4 100.90 1 
ae a enn gE ee se Bed oo: 
Total 49.5 1ll 50.1 340 28.0 395 
Table V.- Mallard Nesting Success by Cover Types. 
eel a ae ce aia =P aaa ae ald ee 

1952 1953 1954 
No. of Percent No. of Percent No. of Percent 
Cover Type Nests Success Nests Success Nests Success 
Snowberry . 40 35.0 lll 36.0 83 12.0 
Grassy Cover Types 47 55.3 88 47.7 173 22.5 
Cattails, Sedges-Rushes 2 100.0 48 50.0 82 20.6 
Willow and Aspen Reprod. 11 64.0 21 66.7 16 12.5 
Mixed Brush - 9 44.0 22 10.0 
Mixed Weeds -Grasses 27 40.7 9 le ies 13 8.3 
Miscellaneous - - 4 50.0 6 33.3 
Total 127 47.2 290 44.1 395 19.0 
Note that in 1954 fewer nests were found in the snowberry cover types. In 
many snowberry patches the ground was matted down with mud caused by dirt and 
snow from the May | blizzard. Nest success was again well below average for the 
snowberry types. Grassy cover types were the mainstay of the mallards in 1954 
and in the rank stands of grass in low spots between wheat fields and ponds, the 
success increased to 32 percent or nearly 70 percent better than average. Ninety- 
three or 23 percent of all nests found were located between a road and adjoining 
fields or pastures. Nesting success in this habitat averaged only 15 percent or 20 
percent below average. This was in contrast to a better-than-average success for 
roadside nests in 1953 but the blizzard of May 1 played. havoc with roadside nesting 
cover also. 
