Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-09-10
WHERE WILD DUCKS
BREED AND MAT TuR[
Millions Of Fowl Spend the Sum-
NOR In Great Bear River
Marshes Of Utah.

ton ana An a0Jundt 10 the lpoh supply
is universally recognized In this coun-
try. Legislative measures for the pro-
lection of these birds. designed to en-
able them to hold their own aEainst
an ever INCREASING army Of Runners,
have multiplied and have added To-
the restrictions on bunting as need
for them has been realized by sports
men and pefsons Interested In birds
in general.
To encourage our larger waterfowl
number of extensive marsh areas
have been made permanent refugees
under the guardianship of the United
States Department of Agriculture, and
many private preserves, some of them
formed by artificial means. have been
established where the birds are pro-
tected while nesting and are shot un-
der more or less rigid local restrictions
during designated open seasons for
hunting. As means Of cooperating
In such efforts To maintain and In
crease the numbers of our waterfowl
the biological Survey has undertaken
Investigations Of the general condi-
tions under which wild ducks live and
thrive. coupled with counts of the
Numerical abundance of these birds
| In different AREAS varying in charac-
| ter The Bear River marshes In Utah
are noted for Wild ducks.
ELEVEN species of wild ducks says
Alexander wetmore. assistant biologist
| In bulletin of the department. and
| the Canada goose are now known TO
nest on the Bear River marshes.
Eight OF the ducks are Of common oc-
currence. Arranged in order Of their
abundance as breeding birds. these are
| the redhead. cinnamon teal. mallard.
shoveIer or spoonhill. gadwall ruddy
duck. pintail and greenAwinged teal.
"In addition to the ducks about 100
| pairs Of Canada geese breed on these
| marshes. Allowing three young ms the
taverage number brought to maturity
Ihy this species. there would be a total
/ of 500 birds at the close Of the season.
The nesting season for these geese is
practically over by May Is, and their
numbers were estimated from observa-
tiuns made before they disappeared in
the lower marshes for their annual
mott. This marsh area produces be-
tween $4,000 and $4,000 ducks In the
average season.
.aIn the course of studies i'm this re-
gion II was learned that the great
marshes In the delta Of Bear River
offer favorable breeding ground foi
1 4 much larger number Of birds after
these are freed from family cares In
luther regions. To maintain themselves
in condition all species of birds mus
reney their bodily covering Of feathers
al least once each year. while many
forms mott partially or entirely 81
shorter Intervals. This usually is .
gradual process. as oQly few feath-
era drop out at one time and are re-
placed by new ones. One or twf
feathers fall In either wing Mt approx
limateiy tho same time and more are
not lost until the first ones are partly
grown by this continuous renewal
The powers OF flight Of the ordinary
bird are not seriously hamperea, and
IL IL able to feed, fiy about and evadf
It's enemies NJ usual.
I'm all the species Of ducks that fire.
aiaent this area In suramer. excepf
the rudy duck. the males nearly al
" VS. desert their mates as soon as tn
complete set OF eggs has been depos
ited and incubation has begun. Th'
male ruddy duck, like the Canada
goose. usually stays with the fenal
tuntil the ducklings are well grown
land Il is common TO see one at tn
head of n brood of dusky young. swim
ming with chest and neck puffed on
and tail spread.
After the pairing season the drake
begin TO Join in fiocks, and large band
of the males gather to feed and res
on the great open bays. At this tim
they are in bright. showy piumage
but early in Summer a change takel
place. The body feathers are replaces
by plain, duh plumage more or les
nsembling that OF the female. and en-
Itirely different from the Winter dress
This is known as the eclipse plumage
and is found in all of the ducks tina
occur here except the ruddy duck
Soon after going into the eclipse plum
age the brakes drop their wing ant
tail feathers, and then hide in tn
marsh growth until again able to ny
So well do they keep concealed ina
they are seldom seen, and Few loca
sportsman or others are acquaintes
with this peculiar habit. while person.
who may happen 10 see them usual,
lconsider them, young birds because o
their hare wings. Ducks in this flight
less condition are known as happers
lin working through the marshes the
may be heard quacking and feedini
hin every direction and IL one is startle'
it flaps off at rapid rate and hide
so well that it cannot be found,
might they come out to feed in the bay
, land lakes, but retreat again TO III
shelters of the rushes at daybreal
: Most of the female ducks are husie
with their young during the perio
tn the males are molting into IN
, ecIipse. plumage, but soon after tn
! duekllngs can care for themselves tn
females join the other ducks in tn
hays and in turn soon shed thei
flight feathers.
, "The number of wild ducks on IN
: | Rear River marshes continues To groN
| luntil about the first of September; dur
: ing the latter part of August the in
crease is rapid, as hordes of youn
ducks that have been reared on IN
uplands and along small streams an
lakes in the mountain valleys begin /
arrive. Between the 1st and 10th 0
September there is a sudden diIninu
: tion in the numbers, and at this tim
fully two-thirds OF the ducks leave tn
marsh. The sudden disappearance Q
numbers of the ducks is noticeable
and cannot fall to attract one elosel
/ in touch with the daily course of tn
Wild duck life on the marsh. The ex
! odus seems to take place at night, an
bays and lagoons that one day ar
rlad saffdtS xyIfn rank after ran