192 
WATERFOWL BREEDING GROUND SURVEY IN WYOMING - 1954 
Robert M. Ballou 
and 
George F. Wrakestraw 
Introduction 
This year Wyoming revised its statewide duck breeding pair survey, which, 
although yielding more reliable results, gave little opportunity for comparison with 
surveys taken during 1952 and 1953. . 
The Canada goose inventory was conducted in the same manner as in the past 
and was strengthened this year by intensive area studies. 
Methods 
The duck breeding ground survey consisted entirely of aerial breeding pair 
counts during the last week of May and the first week in June. The large area of 
waterfowl breeding habitat within the State, the questionable value of aerial brood 
counts, and the limitations on time and personnel precluded making aerial brood 
counts or intensive ground studies this season. 
Sample plots of 72 square miles (two townships) were randomly selected 
from all of the potential waterfowl habitat within the State accessible to a plane. 
Yellowstone National Park and the National Forests were excluded from sampling, 
as were known desert areas of little waterfowl value. Due to lack of suitable maps 
and shortage of time, no attempts this year have been made to stratify the samples 
or make pround checks on the accuracy of the aerial counts. 
Six transects one mile apart were flown in each sample plot. Ducks were 
counted for a distance of one-eighth mile on each side of the plane. Thus, for each 
sample plot of two townships, complete coverage of 18 square miles was obtained. 
Planes of the Super Cub Cruiser and Piper J-3 class were used, ‘In most cases the 
pilot assisted the single observer on counts. 4 
In 1954 all of the Canada goose habitat within the State (excluding Yellowstone 
National Park) was flown. The survey was made at the height of incubation during 
the last week of April. Although this represents the third year many of the same 
areas have been surveyed, different observersand the necessity of using faster, 
larger aircraft makes direct comparison with past data rather difficult. Intensive 
ground and aerial studies on a portion of goose habitat on the Green River provided 
a correction factor for aerial data. 
Weather and Water Conditions 
Water conditions throughout central and eastern Wyoming at the commencement 
of the breeding season were subnormal and runoff was below average. Up to the 
present little improvement has been noted. In recent weeks the mountainous north- 
western section and portions of the stockpond area in northeastern Wyoming received 
