[136] BIRDS OF OREGON 



length 19.2.5-2.1.75, wing io.x5~n.oo, bill 1.60-1.75. female, length 18, wing 

 10.00-10.15, bill 1.55-1.65." (Bailey) Nest: On the ground, well lined with dried 

 vegetation and down. Eggs: 7 to 13, usually 10 to 12., dull creamy white. 



DISTRIBUTION. General: In North America breeds from Hudson Bay west to Alberta 

 and northern Saskatchewan south through Washington and Oregon to southern 

 California, New Mexico, Kansas, northern Iowa, and Wisconsin. Winters west to 

 Pacific Coast, east to Atlantic, and south to Mexico. In Oregon: Breeds commonly in 

 the big tule marshes of Klamath, Lake, and Harney Counties. Winters somewhat 

 sparingly on Snake River and other open waters of eastern Oregon, and on coast in 

 limited numbers. 



ALTHOUGH THE GADWALL, or Gray Duck, as it is known locally in many 

 places, is one of the most inconspicuously colored ducks, its wonderful 

 feather patterns and soft gray tints make it a very beautiful bird in the 

 hand. Bendire (1877) fi rst recorded it for Oregon from Malheur Lake, 

 where he found it breeding abundantly, and Merrill (1888) considered it 

 not common at Fort Klamath. It is still a common breeding bird in the 

 great tule marshes of eastern Oregon, particularly in Malheur, Harney, 

 and Lake Counties. It also appears regularly in the Willamette Valley 

 and on the coast in small numbers, where it can be found occasionally in 

 the winter months. 



The nest is a shallow hollow in the ground, lined with bits of weeds, 

 sticks, grass, or any other vegetable debris that may be available, together 

 with down from the breast of the female bird, and concealed as best it 

 may be in the grass, tules, and other vegetation. The eggs are usually 

 deposited in May (May 13) or June (June i), together with those of the 

 other nesting species of ducks, and the young are able to swim as soon 

 as hatched. 



The Gadwall, like the other species of ducks that generally nest in this 

 territory, has a flightless season during the time the quill feathers are 

 growing out after having been shed. It is one of nature's curious facts 

 that ducks, among the speediest of all birds in the air, should have a 

 period of 6 weeks to i months in which they lose entirely the power of 

 flight. During this time they live in the tules and other vegetation, 

 employing remarkable powers of concealing themselves and escaping 

 observation by swimming under water. Following the nesting season, 

 they disperse from the nesting grounds in little flocks, either composed 

 entirely of Gadwalls or mixed with other species. It is a comparatively 

 common sight to see a flock of several dozen Cinnamon Teal with two 

 or three Gadwalls conspicuous in the group because of their larger size. 



Despite its abundance in Oregon the Gadwall is one of the least known 

 ducks to the average sportsman and gunner. Gunners in western Oregon 

 do not know it at all, and we frequently receive specimens from them for 

 identification. This may be accounted for by the facts that Gadwalls are 

 often confused with the females and young of Pintail or Sprig ducks and 

 that they are one of the earliest ducks to leave their nesting grounds and 



