Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1924-01-11
MIGRATORY HABITS
OF OUR WATERFOWL
Biological Survey Has Prepared
Maps Showing Breeding And
Wintering Grounds.
A Big Increase In Birds Is Shown
Since The Government Has
Been Given Jurisdiction.

The United States Bureau of Biolog
ical Survey has prepared a series o.
maps showing the breeding and win.
tering ranges of six species of water
fowl most popular with gunners
These maps also show certain areas
which are classed as both breeding
and wintering territory. The mallard
perhaps exceeds all other birds in pop
ularity with the bulk of the gunners
Of the country. It is the opinion of
most duck shooters that in numbers
the mallard exceeds all other species,
and during heavy mallard migratiOns
mallards than all the rest of the ducks
put together. The American Game
Protective Association points out in
a recent bulletin that this is not true,
as any one who has seen heavy pin
tail or blue-bill flight will testify. The
bulletin says:
1.-THE wintering area of the Canada
goose is even less in proportion to its
breeding area than that of the mallard,
but we doubt if the strain on the winter
ing grounds is nearly as severe, because
in numbers this goose can in no way be
compared with the mallard. 1t must
also be borne in mind that the Canada
goose will not rest where it is frequently
disturbed by man. Since the passage of
the law stopping Spring shooting mall
lards and other ducks have shown con-
clusively that if let alone they will again
occupy much of the area which was their
breeding grange in former days. The
Gulf Coast States, the coast sections of
Georgia and the Carolinas and the Pa
cific Coast country Of California, Wash
ington and Oregon compose the wintering
section of the pintails of our country,
many of these preferring to go into Mex
leo, Cuba and Central America.
1.-THE migrations of these ducks have
puzzled glnners since time immemorial.
In the late Winter and early Spring lit
orally millions Of these birds go up the
Mississippi and Missouri Valleys from
their Winter home to their breeding
ground. They are the first birds to APP
pear, often travelling north when the riv-
ers are blocked with ice. In the old days
when Spring shooting was legal they fell
easy prey to the gunner.
1.-THE only map Of this series in which
the wintering area equals that Of the
breeding territory is in the case Of the !
blue-wing teal, which not only spreads
out over Mexico and Central America but
goes on into South America.
MANY men prefer the canvasback to
any other duck as a shooting PROPOSE |
ton, and perhaps it is the concensus Of
opinion that as table bird he ranks at |
the head Of the list. How many men who |
have enjoyed shooting these birds along |
the Virginia and Carolina coasts have
realized that their favorite game bird
comes from the Northwest and that their
sport depends upon the care that is TAX
en- Of this bird not only on its breeding
grounds but during its migration across
the country? The canvasback, instead Of
making a north and south migration,
travels from the northwest to the south
east and back again.
Some time ago we solicited the sup
port Of an influential man in the inter-
ests Of the Public Shooting cround-Game
Refuge BILL and were told by him that he
was not interested in the conservation Of