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 194 Vol. XXI' BIRD NOTES FROM SOUTHEASTERN OREGON AND NORTHEASTERN CALIFORNIA By GEOlGE WILLETT WITH FIVE PHOTOS BE WRITER spent the greater part of the summer of 1918 at Malheur Lake, Barney County, Oregon, in the interests of the United States Bio- logical Survey, and, while there, accumulated the bulk of the bird notes that make up this article. There will be found, however, a few additional items from other localities, principally from Clear Lake, Modoe County, California, and from the territory between Malheur Lake and Klamath Falls, the latter having been covered by auto in company with Dr. G. W. Field and Mr. Stanley . Jewett, both of the Biological Survey. More than four months, from April 23 to August 27, wre spent' at Mal- heur Lake, so that the notes from that immediate section may be considered fairly complete for this season of the year] but those from other localities are ,ore or ]ess fragmentary.. From April 4 to April 16 was spent at Clear Lake and, though quite a number of species of birds were observed at this time, some of the regular summer visitants had either not appeared at all or were present in small numbers at the date of my departure. The auto trip from Malheur Lake to Klamath Falls occupied nine days, from August 27 to September 4, inclusive. While on this trip we travelled almost eontinuous] during daylight hours and undoubtedly missed seeing many species of birds that were common in the country traversed.' The principal points touched at this time were Dia. mond Valley, Warner Valley (Adel and Plush), Warner Mountain, old Fort Warner (east side of Warner Mountain), Paisley, Summer Lake, Silver Lake, Bear Flat, and Upper Klamath and Chiloquin marshes. Malheur Lake, one of the best water-bird nesting grounds in the United States, is situated in Harney Valley, Barney County, Oregon. The lake and surrounding tule marsh cover approximately 75,000 acres. The water body, while several miles in width, is very shallows, being only from six to seven feet deep at high water. During the latter part of the past summer---one of the driest in the history of the region--the water in the lake probably averaged less than one foot in depth, and the surrounding tule marshes were mostly dry. The two principal streams that feed the lake are the Blitzen River, rmning in from the south, and the Silves River, from the west. Along these streams a few miles back from the lake are straggling groves of willows, the only timber in the entire locality, with the exception of occasional eott5nwood trees planted around ranch houses. On the hills directly surrounding Barney Valley are scattered groves of stunted junipers, and the rolling country between the hills and the lake is mostly covered with'sage (Artemis 4e) and grease- wood (ca5s srmics). Around the outer edge of the swamp are ex- tensive wild hay fields that' furnish nesting grounds for many ducks and other species of ground-nesting birds.. During .my entire stay in the region I boarded at the Alva Springer Ranch, which lies on the Blitzen River at the south end of the lake. There are living springs on this ranch vhieh form a pond known as the Spring Branch, flowing into the Blitzen. Where this Spring water empties into the river there are