Northern Ontario Waterfowl Survey 1980-2008

The Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) Northern Ontario Waterfowl Survey used helicopters to survey breeding waterfowl from 1980-2008 on square 4 km² plots located within Northern Ontario. The goals of the survey were to collect quantitative information on breeding waterfowl in this region given its contribution to continental waterfowl populations and to obtain a better understanding of waterfowl distribution in Northern Ontario. Similar pilot surveys were carried out in Ontario, the Maritimes, and on the island of Newfoundland, using different survey protocols in terms of plot size, selection, and survey frequency, providing an opportunity to compare result quality and cost. For further details and comparisons among these pilot surveys, see Ross et al. (2017).

Complete bilingual metadata including detailed survey design, protocols and data dictionaries is available in downloadable files.

Ross, R.K., Bateman, M.C. and Bordage, D. 2017. Experimental Helicopter-based Waterfowl Breeding Pair Surveys in Eastern Canada,1985–1989. Pages 83 – 94 in Bordage, D., Bateman, M.C., Ross, R.K. and Lepage, C. (editors). Helicopter-based waterfowl breeding pair survey in eastern Canada and related studies. Black Duck Joint Venture Special Publication. 236 pp.