Waterfowl 
This section is most important to waterfowl 
during unusually cold winters, when the better 
waterfowl habitats in other sections gradually 
become frozen over. Waterfowl are much 
scarcer when weather is moderate, 
January inventory data during the years 
1955-58 show that the wintering population 
ranged from 16,600 in 1958 to 106,800 in 1957, 
averaged 63,600. The population peak comes 
during late fall and winter. The very marked 
yearly fluctuation in wintering populations 
probably is the result of variations in weather. 
Proportions of the various species at dif- 
ferent seasons are shown in table 31. Canada 
Geese, Black Ducks, Pintails, and American 
Widgeons are predominant during the early 
fall. These same waterfowl, except for the 
American Widgeons, also are common during 
late fall and winter. Large numbers of Red- 
heads, Canvasbacks, Greater and Lesser 
Scaup, Common Goldeneyes, and Buffleheads 
also are present in late fall and winter. Black 
Ducks and various diving ducks are the prin- 
cipal waterfowl during early spring. 
The salt-water areas ordinarily do not have 
the high population densities that are charac- 
teristic of other habitats in the section, but 
they are so extensive that they contain more 
than three-fourths of the waterfowl. The eco- 
logical distribution of waterfowl varies con- 
siderably from one species to another. Canada 
Geese are fairly widespread, feeding and 
roosting in the salt estuarine bay marshes 
and adjacent shoal-water areas of the salt 
estuarine bays. Occasional flocks range in- 
land to feed in some of the larger grain fields, 
Black Ducks are common in the salt estuarine 
bay marshes during the fall, winter, and early 
spring. Scattered pairs also breed in this 
habitat later in the season. Other dabbling 
ducks (including Gadwalls, Green-winged Teal, 
and American Widgeons) are fairly common 
locally during fall, winter, and spring. They 
prefer managed areas where artificial im- 
poundments have been formed by construction 
of gut plugs and dams. Wintering and migrant 
Black Ducks and Pintails and considerable 
numbers of Brant concentrate locally on some 
of the more extensive shoal-water areas of the 
salt estuarine bays, especially in the vicinity 
of Smith Island and other offshore islands. 
Diving ducks are fairly common on the salt 
estuarine bays. The more numerous and wide- 
spread diving species include Canvasbacks, 
Greater Scaup, Lesser Scaup, Common Gold- 
eneyes, and Buffleheads. Redheads usually 
are abundant in the Tar Bay and Honga River 
30 
areas, where there are extensive beds of sago 
pondweed. 
COASTAL SECTION 
Habitats 
The principal habitats of the Coastal section 
are the oceanic littoral zone, the coastalbays, 
and the coastal embayed salt marshes, Other 
less important habitats are estuarine river 
marshes and brackish estuarine bay marshes, 
These are restricted to narrow stretches along 
some of the tidal streams that extend into the 
interior. Large agricultural fields adjoin the 
coastal bays. 
Waterfowl 
This section is an important area for 
waterfowl migrating along the Atlantic coast. 
January inventory data, during the years 
1955-58 show that the wintering population 
ranged from 21,400 in 1958 to 62,600 in 1957, 
averaged 44,000. The yearly variation innum- 
bers of wintering waterfowl is not so great as 
in other sections of the Upper Chesapeake 
region. The population peak is in the late fall. 
Proportions of the various species at dif- 
ferent seasons are shown in table 32. Canada 
Geese, Brant, Black Ducks, Canvasbacks, and 
scaup are predominant during winter. These 
plus Mallards, Pintails, Green-winged Teal, 
Blue-winged Teal, and American Widgeons 
are numerous during migration, 
Sea ducks, particularly the three species of 
scoters, are the more characteristic waterfowl 
on the ocean; they are largely restricted to 
the littoral zone within 1 mile of the beach, 
Brant, Red-breasted Mergansers, and various 
diving ducks (including Greater Scaup, Common 
Goldeneyes, Buffleheads, and Oldsquaws) are 
the more numerous waterfowl of the coastal 
bays. Black Ducks are the only common and 
widely distributed waterfowl in the coastal 
embayed salt marshes. Black Ducks and Canada 
Geese frequently travel back and forth between 
the coastal embayed marshes, shoal-water 
areas of the coastal bays, and nearby agri- 
cultural fields of the mainland. Pintails, 
American Widgeons, and other dabbling ducks 
are common in areas where artificial im- 
poundments have been made by constructing 
dams, gut plugs, and dikes. Several thousand 
Canvasbacks often roost on Heines Pond, near 
the western shore of Newport Bay. 
