[2.58] BIRDS OF OREGON 



the authors together found a flock of six along this same stream, Decem- 

 ber 7, 1933. John Carter obtained a bird out of a flock of about twenty 

 on Government Island (Multnomah County), November 2.4, 1933, and 

 this flock was noted at intervals through December. Aside from these 

 wintering records, it appears in Oregon in migration (Harney County, 

 March 2.0), and migrates north in April (latest date, Wallowa County, 

 May 10). The earliest fall migration date is July 9; the latest, November 

 2.0 (both Harney County). 



The high-pitched cry is one of the most familiar sandpiper voices to 

 Oregon bird lovers who are not privileged to live on the beaches or about 

 the great swamps and lakes of eastern Oregon. The latter have an oppor- 

 tunity to know many shore birds that are seldom seen in most parts of 

 the State, or at best so infrequently that one does not have an opportunity 

 to become really acquainted with them. 



Lesser Yellow-legs: 



Totanus flavipes (Gmelin) 



DESCRIPTION. "Smaller than melanoleucus. Plumage similar in all its stages, but 

 with finer markings. Length: 9. 50-11.00, wing 6.10-6.65, bill 1.30-1.55, tarsus 2.. oo- 

 i.i5." (Bailey) Nest: A depression in the ground, lined with leaves and grass. 

 Eggs: Usually 4, ground color buff, splotched and spotted with dark browns. 

 DISTRIBUTION. General: Breeds from Alaska, Mackenzie, and Ungava south, for- 

 merly to New York, Indiana, Illinois, and Alberta. Winters from extreme southern 

 United States southward. In Oregon: Uncommon migrant anywhere, but more 

 abundant in eastern half of State and more frequent in fall than in spring migration. 



WE REGARD the Lesser Yellow-legs as one of the less common migrating 

 shore birds in this State. Townsend (1839) first listed it from this terri- 

 tory, and it has been reported since from eastern Oregon by Newberry 

 (1857), Bendire (1877), Mearns (1879), an ^ Willett (1919). Records from 

 western Oregon are much scarcer. Woodcock (1901) reported a specimen 

 from Corvallis, July 10, 1899; Hoffman (i9^6b) took one at Tillamook, 

 September 10, 1915 ; and Currier (192.9^ found two near Portland, Novem- 

 ber 2.1, 192.8. Our only dates for spring are May 12. and 2.1, both in Lake 

 County, but in the fall we have nine records extending from July 2.1 to 

 September 2.8 from Klamath, Lake, Harney, Union, Crook, and Deschutes 

 Counties. 



The Lesser Yellow-legs is in every way a miniature of its larger relative 

 and can easily be confused with it unless the difference in size is kept 

 clearly in mind. The Greater Yellow-legs is one of the large shore birds, 

 ranking next to the godwit and curlew in size, whereas the Lesser Yellow- 

 legs, disregarding the length of its legs, is smaller in body than a Killdeer. 

 Observers should be on the watch for this bird but should either collect 

 the specimens or make most careful estimates of size before recording the 

 identification, particularly in western Oregon. 



