
blue geese will increase a small amount, the 
flight of Canada geese will increase mod- 
erately, and the flight of white-fronted and 
snow geese will increase considerably, 
Coots 
The production of coots in most important 
breeding areas has increased this year. 
Therefore, a small increase in the fall flight 
of this species is expected. 
ATLANTIC FLYWAY 
Ducks 
In forecasting changes in the fall flight of 
ducks in the Atlantic Flyway, breeding ground 
survey data cannot be used to as great an 
extent as in the other three flyways. This is 
due primarily to a lack of adequate analysis 
techniques for the survey data in the impor- 
tant Quebec-Labrador breeding area, Ex- 
perimental surveys are being conducted this 
year in this area, but they have not prog- 
ressed to the point where reliance can be 
placed onthe findings, Therefore, it is neces- 
sary to depend to a large extent onthe results 
of the annual winter survey for determining 
trends in the breeding population forthe Fly- 
way. 
The number of black ducks wintering in 
the Flyway remained unchanged as compared 
with 1962 (-2percent). Allducks collectively, 
increased 7 percent with the chief increases 
occurring among mallard, shoveler, green- 
winged teal, redhead, ringneck, and golden- 
eye. Increases among these species were in 
part counterbalanced by decreases in scaup, 
ruddy, and merganser, For the sixth con- 
secutive year the wintering population index 
has remained at about the 2-1/2-million 
level as compared with the 5-year period 
1952-56, when the index averaged nearly 
4-1/4 million, 
From western areas supplying the Atlantic 
Flyway, it is expected that there will be an 
increased fall flight this year. Since pro- 
duction survey data are lacking from Quebec 
and Labrador, it must be assumed that pro- 
duction will be average and the fall flight of 
ducks from this region will remain about 
the same as last year. When data from 
eastern and western areas are combined, it 
is estimated that there will be small in- 
crease in ducks this year. 
Geese 
According to the winter survey, popula- 
tions of both Canada geese and brant in- 
creased as compared to 1962 (415 percent 
and +39 percent, respectively). Since goose 
and brant production data are lacking, aver- 
age production must be assumed. There- 
fore, it is anticipated that the fall flight of 
Canada geese and brant will be about the 
same as in 1962, but as compared with 1961, 
it is expected that there will be a small in- 
crease in the flight of Canada geese and a 
moderate increase in the flight of brant. 
Coots 
The production of coots in most important 
breeding areas has increased this year. 
Therefore, a small increase in the fall 
flight of coots is expected. 
LITERATURE CITED 
Atwood, Earl L. 
1956. Validity of mail survey data on 
bagged waterfowl. Journal of Wildlife 
Management, vol, 20, no. 1, p. 1-16, 
January. 
1958. A procedure for removing the effect 
of response bias errors from waterfowl 
questionnaire responses, Biometrics, 
vol, 14, no. 1, p. 132. March. 
58 
Carney, Samuel M,, and Aelred D. Geis, 
1960. Mallard age and sex determination 
from wings. Journal of Wildlife Manage- 
ment, vol. 24, no, 4, p. 372-381. October. 
Geis, Aelred D., and Samuel M,. Carney. 
1961. Results of duck-wing collection inthe 
Mississippi Flyway, 1959-60, U. S, Fish 
and Wildlife Service, Special Scientific 
Report--Wildlife No, 54, 120 p. April. 
