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Factors Associated with Duck Nest Success
in the Prairie Pothole Region of Canada

Definition

We collected data on 17 areas during 1982-85, 9 in parkland and 8 in prairie (Table 1; Fig. 1; see Millar [1982, 1983, 1984] and Sargeant et al. [1993] for additional description of areas). A study area was 1.6 km wide by 16.0 km long with a road or trail extending lengthwise through it; each study area consisted of 40 legal quarter-sections (64.8 ha each) (Fig. 1 inset). A study area was superimposed on the air-to-ground comparison segment (hereafter called air-ground segment) of a 0.4-km-wide transect surveyed annually from aircraft by CWS and USFWS during the Waterfowl Breeding Ground Survey (Martin et al. 1979). Counts of ducks made from the ground on air-ground segments are used to adjust counts made from aircraft. We refer to 1 area studied for 1 year as an "area-year." We divided each study area into 1.6-km-wide by 8.0-km-long halves so we could estimate and examine variability of some parameters within, as well as among, study areas. We refer to one-half of an area studied for 1 year as a "half-area-year."

Table 1. Names and locationsa of areas studied in the Prairie Pothole Region of Canada and years of study.
Study area name Location Year
Section Townshipb Rangec Meridian
Parkland
Earl Grey, Sask. 4 23N 20W Second 1985
Hanley, Sask. 16 31N 3W Third 1982-85
Hay Lakes, Alta. 4 49N 21W Fourth 1983-84
Holden, Alta. 6 49N 14W Fourth 1983
Inchkeith, Sask. 18 13N 5W Second 1984-85
Leask, Sask. 4 47N 5W Third 1984-85
Moore Park, Manit. 9 13N 19W Principal 1983-84
Penhold, Alta. 4 37N 2W Fifth 1984- 85
Yorkton, Sask. 14 26N 9W Second 1985
Prairie
Cartwright, Manit. 21 1N 17W Principal 1983
Ceylon, Sask. 27 5N 21W Second 1983-84
Craik, Sask. 15 24N 2W Third 1984-85
Denzil, Sask. 2 38N 25W Third 1984-85
Gayford, Alta. 5 27N 26W Fourth 1985
Goodwater, Sask. 30 5N 14W Second 1983
Shamrock, Sask. 4 15N 6W Third 1982-85
Tichfield, Sask. 30 26N 10W Third 1982
aCenter of west end of a study area is located at the southwest corner of the designated section, except on Moore Park and  Cartwright study areas where the center of west end is at the southwest corner of the southeast quarter of the designated   section.
bAll townships locations are north (N) of the base line at 49° north latitude.
cRange locations are west (W) of the designated meridian. All meridians are west of the Principal Meridian at 97°27'43"   west longitude.

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