83 
Weather and Water Conditions 
Temperatures and precipitation data were taken at four weather stations in or 
bordering the Newdale-Erickson Study Area. Temperatures for the first ten days in 
April were generally below normal with precipitation light in the south and southwest 
to 50 percent above normal in the northwest. Dust storms prevailed in the southern 
parts. On the 15th of May, termperatures dropped 7 to 17 degrees below normal 
with freezing rains and up to 8 inches of snow in the southern part of the Province. 
Precipitation remained about normal to 5 percent above in the southwest to 50 percent 
above normal in the northwest. Early June rains were heavy in Manitoba and raised 
water levels in all potholes. During June, precipitation varied from 40 percent to 
75 percent above normal and water levels in the 120 study potholes in District 8 on 
July 22 were approximately the same as when the transect runs were begun in early 
May. By August 12, as indicated in Table I, twelve percent of the study areas had 
gone dry as compared to Z percent on July 25. 
Table I. - Water Conditions of 120 Semi-Permanent and Temporary Potholes. 
Percent Percent Percent 
Year Dry by May 31 Dry by July 25 Dry by Sept. l 
1949 0 0 26 
1950 0 0 3 
1951 2 ‘19 40 
1952 20 45 ? 
1953 0 0 ? 
1954 6 2 12 1/2* 
* Percentage dry as of August 12, 
Breeding Population and Phenology 
As indicated in Table II, the breeding population for Region 8 was approximately 
the same as that of the two preceding years with little variation over the past six years. 
Table III, Species Composition, showed a slight decrease in mallard and scaup with 
slight increases in canvasback and ruddy. 
According to Alex Dzubin, by April 20, approximately 80 percent of the normal 
May 15 population of mallards and pintails were on territory in the Roseneath Study 
Area. Potholes in the northern part of Region 8 were still frozen on May 6 with only 
a few mallards and divers present. All species had arrived in fair numbers and water 
areas had opened up by the time transect work was begun on May L5. 
Table IV is a tabulation of the percent drakes observed on the transects. If we 
assume a 50-50 sex ratio, the excessive number of pintail drakes observed indicated 
a very advanced nesting season for this species. Mallards appeared retarded, other 
species normal as compared to other years. A hatching peak of from 7 days to two 
