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ample precipitation to maintain water levels. The remainder of the State, however, 
experienced drouth conditions. 
Breeding Populations 
Table I presents the summary of the duck breeding ground Survey. Itis 
believed that had the survey been made two weeks earlier (mid-May), a larger 
number of breeding pairs in proportion to total ducks would have been recorded. 
Certainly the results shown, although no comparison is possible, present a more 
accurate index to the waterfowl breeding population than has been the case in the 
past. As a result of the reduced number of water areas, it is believed the total 
duck breeding population was somewhat below normal, but those that did bring off 
broods probably had sufficient water to raise their young to flight age. 
Species composition and breadkown into pairs and groups are given for the 
duck breeding population in Table II. It is to be noted that mallards comprised 
nearly 43 percent of the breeding population. . 
Table III lists the geese observed in Wyoming from an aerial count in late 
April. From intensive ground and aerial studies on a portion of the Green River it 
was discovered that only 57 percent of the actual number of geese present on the 
study area were observed during the aerial inventory. A correction factor (aerial 
count x 1.76) has been applied in Table IV to the data presented in Table III. It 
should be noted that once again only geese observed as singles were considered as 
representing actively breeding pairs. Assuming average brood size to be 4, 
potential goose production for Wyoming is 1,196 birds, This figure makes no 
allowance for nest mortality following the inventory period. 
It is of significance (Table V) that in 1953 on comparable areas 1, 720 
geese were actually observed from the air in early May (no correction factor 
applied), whereas in 1954 only 950 were actually counted (a 45 percent decrease). 
With the correction factor of 1.76 applied to the 1954 total, the resultant figure 
of 1,672 is still 3 percent below that of 1953. Production (4 times breeding 
singles) for the same areas in 1954 before the correction factor was used (Table III) 
is 27 percent below that of 1953 and 13 percent above after correction. 
Summer Banding Activities 
A total of 513 Canada geese were banded during the summer of 1954 in 
Wyoming. From this number 191 goslings and adults were transplanted and 
released on restoration areas. Colored neck bands were placed on all restoration. 
goslings and on a representative sample of geese released at trap site. A summary 
of the banding operations is given in Table II of the report on Live~Trapping and 
Banding of Waterfowl, Work Plan No. I, Job No. 4. 
