
149 
WATERFOWL BREEDING GROUND STUDIES, NEWFOUNDLAND, 1954 
Leslie M. Tuck 
Introduction 
W. F. Crissey F. Glover of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted 
an aerial reconnaissance of parts of Newfoundland on May 14 and 15. Data obtained 
are only preliminary and may be expected to be more meaningful after next season 
when it is hoped that additional work will have been done. Ona transect covering 
72 square miles between St. Johns, Gander and Stephenville, waterfowl densities per 
Square mile were as follows: total ducks, 2.16; preferred sporting ducks, 1.61; 
Canada geese, 0.38. Ona transect covering 72 square miles between St. Andrews 
Argentia and St. Johns, waterfowl] densities per square mile were: total ducks, 
0.72; preferred sporting ducks, 0.61; Canada geese, 0.33. 
Ground studies were carried out this year in one small area bordering Swift 
Current on the northeast coast. It can best be described as a transition zone between 
the forested areas and muskey (barrens). Pimlott in his Newfoundland General Moose 
Range Classification May (1953, Transactions of the Eighteeneth North American 
Wildlife Conference) describes it as part of the Marginal Range Zone. This zone has 
extensive muskegs and the forest cover, constituting less than 25 percent of the 
total area, is over 80 percent mature. The dominant trees in the forest association 
are black spruce and balsam fir with white birch generally occurring only as a minor 
stand component, This type of range occupies nearly half of the total area of the 
island. Itis in this range that the bulk of the geese and, quite likely, most of the 
black ducks are raised. Golden-eye and ring-necked ducks, possibly requiring more 
forest cover, breed here only rarely. The mergansers occur here only rarely except 
near coaStal estuaries, The scaup duck, although breeding in almost similar habitat 
on the coastal fringe of the south eastern Avalon Peninsula, has not so far been found 
in the interior. 
Although investigations have been carried out in this specific area since 1952, 
it was only this year that any comparative ground surveys were carried out. This 
was possible by the capable assistant of Cst. C. W. Gilbert, Royal Canadian Mounted 
Police 'B' Division, who worked with the author during the entire period. Special 
aerial transects in this area were also made possible through Royal Canadian Mounted 
Police co-operation. A total of 16 days was spent in the area during the periods, 
May 17-25, June 1-4, June 16-18. Ninety lineal miles, equivalent to 22 1/2 square 
miles, allowing a quarter of a mile for the width of each canoe strip, were sampled 
by canoe. 
Adult waterfowl tabulated on these ground surveys totalled 422, of which 221 
were Canada peese. Transects were carried out at approximately the same time 
morning and evening and were about one mile apart. These were repeated after an 
interval of several days in order to obtain information on the post-breeding black 
ducks and non-breeding geese, which seemed to become more numerous as the season 
advanced. Thus as much of each area as time permitted was covered at least twice 
