US Fish & Wildlife Service
Date of this Version
1956
Abstract
This report summarizes the information obtained by the 1956 midwinter waterfowl survey on the size and distribution of waterfowl populations wintering in the Central Flyway States and Eastern Mexico. The information has been compiled solely for the use of administrators and waterfowl research men who are engaged in the management of the waterfowl resource.
The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the ten States of the Central Flyway Council, and the Forestry and Wildlife Department of Mexico cooperated in conducting the survey which began on January 9, and for the most was completed within several days thereafter. Thus, with the exception of those in Mexico, most areas were surveyed during the last portion of the hunting season in Texas.
All wintering areas known to be important in the Central Flyway States and Eastern Mexico were surveyed. Aircraft were used for areas which were extensive and held the larger concentrations, whereas ground-crews covered the more accessible sections. In all, 474 ground and air observers took part in the survey. It is not known how many miles ground crews traveled in making their coverage, but the 44 State and Federal aircraft which were used flew over 300 hours and covered over 30,000 miles of the wintering grounds.
Survey conditions in the Flyway varied considerably. In most sections, however, the weather during the prescribed survey period was satisfactory or above. In no section did weather seriously influence the estimates.
Comments
Published by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service (1956) 4 p.