MT SSOURT 
Breeding Population and Production Data 
Lake, marsh, and stream nesting surveys were made by 
Conservation Agents, Federal-Aid Biologists, and area managers 
during the period of June 1 to June 30, 1959. A total of 7,864 
acres of lake and marsh and 583 miles of streams were censused. 
An upward trend in the nesting efforts of wood ducks has 
occurred since 1956. Nesting efforts per mile of stream for 
wood ducks increased from .15 during the 1958 census to .22 this 
spring. This approximates nearly a nesting effort for every four 
miles of stream censused and parallels the .24 nesting efforts of 
1953 and the .22 efforts in 1954. 
The average increase in wood duck nesting efforts per 
mile of stream over 1958 was 47 percent. Nesting efforts for 
lake and marsh areas dropped by 15 percent. 
Wood duck brood observations per mile of stream also 
increased significantly from .06 to .13. This is the highest 
number of brood observations since 1952. The average number of 
young per age class decreased from 9.0:°to 7.0 in Class I ora 
22 percent decrease, Class II from 6.3 to 5.0 or a 21 percent 
drop, Class III from 7.5 to 4.0 or 47 percent decrease. 
Neating success of mallards and blue-winged teal 
returned to the 1955 low of 2.5 nesting efforts per square mile 
of lake and marsh. We did experience a 25 percent increase in 
nesting efforts per mile of stream, but even with the increase, 
nesting mallards and blue-wing production within the State of 
Missouri add very little to the flyway. 
Tables 1, 2, and 3 show nesting efforts and trends of 
wood ducks, mallards and blue-winged teal since 1953. 
Conclusions 
It is estimated that there will be a small increase in 
the fall flight of wood duck from Missouri as compared to 1957, 
but the flight of mallard and blue-winged teal will be about the 
sane. 
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