Conclusions - 
The fall flight of wood ducks from Indiana will be somewhat wetteae than 
in 1955, but still below the 1953 to 1953 average. 
WISCONSIN 
Weather and Water Conditions - 
Weather ‘conditions in March were colder than average and exceptionally 
stormy with heavy snows an outstanding feature over much of the State except in 
the south. April temperatures were normal or above in the first half of the 
month but cold weather persisted over most of the State during the last half, 
Precipitation in April was above normal over the southern third of the State but 
below normal elsewhere. The cold rainy weather continued for most of the month 
of May. The spring breakup was about one week later than average. 
Of 164 water sites censused twice during this survey, 75 percent showed 
no change in water levels or more water in late June as compared to the last 20 
days of May. -Compared to similar material for 1955, there was an increase in 
water levels in 1956, although the 1956 levels were about the same as the five- 
year average. . 
‘Breeding Population Indices - 
Presented in the following table are Wisconsin waterfowl breeding pair 
trends. As can be seen by the figures, the over-all trend in the breeding popula- 
tion is up somewhat as compared to both the five-year average (1951-1955) and 
the 1955 data. Of the important breeding waterfowl species which were observed 
only the wood duck failed to increase or at least hold its previous level. The 
increase in breeding pairs observed may be due to (1) some spring migrants 
being tallied because of the one to three week dédlay in nesting or (2) re-pairing 
taking place after the first nesting attempts failed. The coot or mud hen popula- 
tion remained the same as in 1955 but was above the five-year average. 
Percent Change of © 


Ave. Index 1955 1956 1956 Index From 
Species '51-'55 . Index % Lone M. Index % Lone M: 5-Yr.Ave. 1955 
Mallard , 02 ..03 54 i205 36 + 50 None 
B.W. Teal .05 | .06 38 .08 26 + 60 + 33 
Blk. Duck .005 © 004 - . 005 - None + 25 
Wood Duck , 007 .006 19 .005 0 - 29 = 17 
Ringneck -O1 .Ol 37 -O1 23 . None None 
Total ig. ig ma (15 aT me TC + 25 
: >. Continued | 
