NORTHERN ALBERTA AND NORTHWEST TERRITORIES 
Weather and Water Conditions 
An unusually advanced and open spring prevailed throughout the 
survey area. Break-up was ten days to two weeks early on most of the smaller 
inland lakes, only the big, deep lakes showing ice during the period of the 
survey. Of the past eleven seasons this was by far the earliest phenolog- 
ically. 
Very little rain fell during the spring and the fire hazard was 
high. On the most southernly of the eleven strata surface water had dis- 
appeared from most of the temporary sloughs and low places, but north of 
58” surface water was normal. In the northern area water levels may fluc- 
tuate up and down, but the area of surface water varies but little from 
year to year. 
A contradiction to the general water pattern was the Athabaska 
delta-Lake Claire area, which suffered from too much water. This relatively 
small, high density area was flooded twice--once by the Athabaska river 
early in April and again by the Peace river early in May. When we crossed 
the delta again on June 16 mst of it was still under water. 
Breeding Population Indices 
A study of tables 1 and 2 will reveal a general increase in most 
northern breeding ducks and also in some of the prairie ducks that normally 
occur in the north in only limited numbers. The outstanding advances numer- 
ically occurred in mallards and pintails--percentagewise shovelers, green- 
winged teals, goldeneyes, canvasbacks, blue-winged teals and ruddy ducks 
made some spectacular gains, although it should be noted that the latter 
three species occur in such limited numbers in the north as to be insig- 
nificant to the continental popwlation. This applies to gadwall and red- 
heads as well. 
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