COLORADO - Continued 
only areas above the 6-year average. This is believed to be 
caused by the below average water conditions in the west slope 
areas. The average or above water levels in the Platte and 
Poudre River areas are believed to have spread the paired water- 
fowl into other wet areas not included in the sample. ‘There were 
ducks observed in areas where no water has been found for several 
years and all reservoirs in eastern Colorado are filled to near 
capacity even at this late date, 
' Species composition of the breeding duck population was 
similar to past years (Table 3). Mallards made up the bulk of 
the breeding birds (57.5%). The teal and redheads showed a 
marked increase while pintails indicate the largest decrease, how- 
ever, there is little change from the 6-year average excepting 
again the teal and pintail. Any changes may in part be due to 
the late spring and varying water conditions around the State. 
Table 3. Species Composition of the Colorado Breeding 
Population 1959, 1958 and 6-year Average 
Species Composition 
Number of Ducks Percent 





Species S~tear 1958 1959 __b-Year “19981959. 
Mallard 10,290 10,030 9,812 61.7 56.6 57.5 
Blue-winged teal 880 651 927 5.3 3.7 Soh 
Pinteil 1,173 2,800 879 7.0 15.7 5.2 
Gadwall 1,361 1,270 1,526 8.2 7.2 8.9 
Baldpate 298 rho 231 1.8 8 1.4 
Shoveler 563 1,181 672 3.4 6.5 3.9 
Cinnamon teal 6h9 418 1,101 3.9 2.4 6.5 
Green-winged teal 390 260 364. 2.3 15 2.1 
Redhead 581 Sih. 933 3.5 3.1 5.5 
Scaup 29h. 2g, 2us 1.8 tor 1.4 
Ruddy duck LS, 87 81 22 5 <5 
Bufflehead 2 - “ salt ~ - 
Canvasback 22 « 134 sil. ~ 28 
American merganser 125 5S 8 =6151 7 3 9 
Total 16,673 17,731 17,052 100.0 100.0 100.0 
Pn crn er cna rm aa 
89 
