32 



THE OOLOGIST 



PELECANUS ERYTHRORHYNCHOS 



American White Pelican — A. O. U. 



No. 125 



Malheur Lake Bird Reservation, 



Oregon 



Malheur lake bird reservation is lo- 

 cated in Hraney County, Oregon, about 

 35 miles south of Berns. The area 

 comprises some 35,000 acres of marsh 

 latids and near the center portion Is 

 the lake proper. 



Surrounded on all sides of this body 

 of water is, first, thousands of Tulia 

 islands, and outside of this border are 

 long distances of meadow lands grow- 

 ing wild grass only. 



Nearly all portions of the meadow 

 are overflowed most of the spring sea- 

 son in order to grow the wild gras: , 

 upon which the stock is fed. 

 The country is low and flat although 

 the altitude is about 4000 feet. 



Malheur Lake receives its water sup 

 ply from two rivers, the Silver river 

 from the north and the Blitzen rive:- 

 from the south, both streams originate 

 in the mountains and are fed by snow. 

 During such seasons when the snow 

 fall has been heavy during the winter, 

 the water supply at the lake is abund- 

 ant, but at other seasons the water 

 gets very low, and makes it very diffi 

 fult to get out to the open water, o:- 

 reach the breeding grounds of the 

 colonies of birds which maRe this 

 their summer home. 



The waters of the lake are very shal- 

 low, and while they cover an immense 

 avea, I found the deepest part not ovev 

 four feet. 



The bottom of the lake is covered 

 with from one to three feet of mud 

 from which grows the varieties of 

 grasses and water vegetation, peculiar- 

 ly adapted for food of ducks and 

 geese and many other specie of water 

 fowl 



The waters are always muddy, prob- 

 ably due to the constant agitation of 

 the thousands of birds feeding. 



The lake contains some fish and 

 mussels upon which the birds feed. 



At the present time water right 

 claims filed upon the two rivers mem- 

 tioned, which furnish the only water 

 supply to this vast area, if developed 

 and diverted for irrigation purposes, 

 would leave Malheur Lake a dry and 

 barren desert in a short time, and the 

 largest bird reservation in America 

 would be destroyed 



Its natural location for birds migrat- 

 ing North and South, its abundant 

 food supply, for both old and young 

 birds, makes it an ideal breeding 

 grounds, as well as feeding grounds 

 for the thousands of birds going north 

 to breed. 



My vi.sit to the Pelican Colony was 

 made on June 3, 1920, in company 

 with the Warden of the Reservation. 



After walking two miles from my 

 ramp to the warden's station, we start- 

 ed in the government gasoline launch, 

 down the Blitzen river for over a mile, 

 when we reached the open water. 

 From this point it required thrae 

 hours' travel to reach the colony whi2h 

 was located in the southeastern part 

 of the reservation 



The island was about 150 feet across 

 and nearly round, and on all sides had 

 water about a foot deep and wa? 

 raised above the surface of the water 

 about six feet. 



Having prepared my camera for an 

 exposure of 1 400 of a second we 

 slowly approached the island in our 

 fiat bottom row boat and when within 

 20 feet of the shore took two pictures, 

 then, going still closer, another picture 

 was taken just as a portion of the 

 birds were leaving the nests. 



On landing the sight which greeted 

 your eyes were eggs, young oira-s • . 

 all ages, in every direction. 



The nests and eggs were so close to- 

 getlier that extreme care was required 

 nor to destroy them. 



Along the first bo'-der of the island 



