35 
SUMMARY AND FALL FLIGHT FORECAST 
PACIFIC FLYWAY 
SUMMARY 
The number of ducks remaining after the 
shooting season in 1961 was little changed 
from that of 1960, as measured by the 
annual January survey of wintering areas. 
However, aconsiderable reduction occurred 
between 1959 and 1960. It is emphasized 
that although the number of birds available 
as breeders in 1961 was about the same 
as in 1960, it was considerably below the 
population present at the beginning of the 
1959 season. 
A small decrease in numbers of ducks 
was recorded during the May-June survey 
within the breeding range generally; how- 
ever, a small increase was recorded within 
the part of the breeding range most 
important to the Pacific Flyway. This 
improvement was due primarily to a small 
increase in Alaska and a considerable 
increase in the survey area composed of 
northern Alberta and the western part of 
the Northwest Territories. The increased 
use of northern breeding areas this year 
was due to drought in pothole breeding 
habitat in the Prairie Provinces and in 
thes. Dakotas, which caused the birds to 
move on farther north to areas with better 
water conditions. Since many of the birds 
making up the increase came from southern 
Saskatchewan, southern Manitoba, and 
perhaps even as far south as the Dakotas, 
it is questionable that the increase was 
composed of birds that were in any respect 
related to the Pacific Flyway. 
Weather and habitat conditions in the 
breeding areas important to the Flyway 
ranged from average tovery poor. In Alaska 
the season was somewhat late inthe central 
part of the State, and somewhat early from 
Bristol Bay north along the Bering Sea. 
Also, water levels in interior Alaska were 
the lowest observed in the past 7 years 
(although the significance of water levels 
in northern areas is not knownat the present 
time), In northern Alberta and the North- 
west Territories the season was late. 
Freezing conditions continued until mid- 
May, at which time temperatures rose 
rapidly. The sudden change caused rapid 
melting of a rather heavy snowpack and 
resulted in the highest river levels on the 
Mackenzie since 1936. Waterfowl nesting 
along small streams south of the Arctic 
Circle and in the Mackenzie Delta was 
adversely affected by flooding. In southern 
Alberta and southern Saskatchewan, drought 
adversely affected breeding habitat, and 
by July 1961 the water areas inthe southern 
portions of the two Provinces were reduced 
to an estimated 431,000; in July last year 
1,319,000 were recorded in the same area. 
This year is drier than 1959 when ponds 
were estimated to number 735,000. When 
the 431,000 ponds of 1961 are compared 
with an estimated 4,354,000 in July 1955, 
the decrease in breeding habitat in this 
important production area is startling. 
Production surveys during July 1961 
reflected the general weather and habitat 
conditions in the various parts of the 
breeding range important to the Pacific 
Flyway. In Alaska, at least average pro- 
duction is expected and in view of the 
increase in breeding population, the fall 
flight of ducks is expected to be somewhat 
larger than last year. In northern Alberta 
and the Northwest Territories, brood 
counts made during July indicated a re- 
duction of about 50 percent compared with 
counts made in 1960, despite the large 
increase in number of adult birds that 
were present this year. It is expected that 
the increase in adults will approximately 
equal the decrease in production and result 
in a fall flight about equal to last year's 
from this area. In southern Alberta, pro- 
duction was considerably less than during 
the drought year of 1959. Further, produc- 
tion was the lowest recorded since 
breeding-ground surveys were started. 
Comparatively, production was poorer in 
southern Saskatchewan than in southern 
Alberta. Elsewhere, in the breeding areas 
supplying the Flyway, the only bright spot 
was the State of Washington, where in- 
creases in both breeding population and 
production were recorded. In most other 
areas, drought prevailed and caused re- 
duction in the estimated fall flight ofducks. 
The situation is unfavorable again this 
year for canvasback and redhead. During 
1960, a fair amount of overwater nesting 
