32 T H E O O 



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 

 lands and near the center portion Is 

 the lake proper. 



Surrounded on all sides of this body 

 of water Is, first, thousands of Tulis 

 islands, and outside of this border are 

 long distances of meadow lands grov,- 

 ing wild grass only. 



Nearly all portions of the meadow 

 are overflowed most of the spring sea- 

 son in order to grow tlie 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 river 

 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 la'ke 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 

 cclonies of birds which maKe thic 

 their summer home. 



The waters of the lake are very shal- 

 low, and while they cover an immense 

 v::ea., I found the deepest part not over 

 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. 



L O G I S T 



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 EUTDly, for both old and young 

 birds, makes it an ideal breeding 

 grcunds, as well as feeding grounds 

 for the thousands of birds going north 

 to breed. 



My visit to the Pelican Colony was 

 made on June 3, 1920, in company 

 with the Warden of the Reservation. 



After walking two miles from my 

 camp to the warden's station, we start- 

 ed in the government gasoline launch, 

 dcwn the Blitzen river for over a mile, 

 when we reached the open water. 

 Prom this point it required three 

 hcurs' travel to reach the colony whi^li 

 v.'-as located in the southeastern part 

 of the reservation, 



Tlie island was about 150 feet across 

 and nearly round, and on all sides had 

 water about a foot deep and wa3 

 raised above the surface cf 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, anotlier picture 

 vvas taken just as a portion of the 

 birds were leaving the nesis. 



On landing the sight which greeted 

 your eyes were eggs, young Diray •,-. 

 all ages, in every direction. 



The nests and eggs were so close to- 

 gether that extreme care was required 

 not to destroy them. 



Along the first border of the island 



