142 
Table IV, - Pre-Hunting Season Air Surveys. 
Nova-Scotia-New Brunswick 


Prince Edward Island * Border Area* 
Species 1953..~—~—“‘iO™SONO 1 954 1954 
Canada Goose 450 469 = 
Black duck 8, 900 10, 792 952 
Pintail 63 56 17 
Green-winged teal - 1,839 283 
Blue -winged teal - 205 oboe: 
"Teal" 250 = = 
Ring-necked duck 500 184 32 
Golden-eye 30 - - 
Merganser 6,400 1, 847 2 
Eider ~ 87 A 
Scoters 400 289 - 
Unidentified and Others 150 89 7 
Total 17, 143 15, 857 1,545 
Favored Sporting Species** 10, 343 13,634 1,543 
* Same coverage as spring and summer - see map. 
** Excluding mergansers, scoters and eiders. 
Summary 
Generally speaking, the brood season was protracted by high precipitation. In 
the lower Saint John River Valley, the wild rice crop appeared to be adversely affected 
by the high water and heavy winds. In many other areas, the food supply was very 
good and birds examined in late August and September were in very good condition. 
Black Duck - In spite of the protracted brood season, numbers of this species 
compare favorably with last year. 
Green-winged teal - Green-winged teal appear to be plentiful on Prince Edward 
Island but in poor numbers in many other areas. 
Blue-winged teal - This species and the Ring-necked appear to have met with 
serious nesting losses due to high water. Their numbers are definitely down in the 
principal breeding areas. Scattered populations of ring-necks did well, however, in 
the inland lakes of Nova Scotia. 
