Introducing Something New 121 



pheasants in the brush-covered portions of the marsh and the 

 quail in the woods on the nearby hillside. The green heron 

 may be considered the most significant of the new visiting 

 species. The increase in the number and size of the cotton- 

 woods and willows probably accounts for the many flycatch- 

 ers whose spring singing may be heard over the marsh. The 

 russet-backed thrush has also been attracted by the tree 

 growth, but the meadowlarks which once sang at the north 

 end of the bay ceased their visits when the meadows disap- 

 peared. Each decided modification in the character of the 

 habitat produces some change in the birds which regularly 

 use it. 



The shifts in the duck populations cannot easily be ex- 

 plained by mere change in habitat and have greatly puzzled 

 me. The increase in the number of baldpates has been so 

 marked that they have been a source of mild annoyance to 

 shore residents whose lawns they sometimes invade. The 

 wood duck, unreported in the area for years, was seen again 

 six or seven years ago and has been known to nest during at 

 least two years. It is my hope that residents on the lake will 

 build nesting boxes for them. The blue-winged teal, small 

 and handsome, and a rare visitor from east of the Cascade 

 Range, nests yearly. The shoveler, or spoonbill, the duck with 

 the huge bill, rarely seen in summer in the marsh, gives some 

 evidence of breeding here, for three pairs of birds were seen 

 during the last summer, although no young were reported. 



All of this has been taking place in spite of the fact that 

 the area of the marsh is constantly diminishing through the 

 dumping of dirt and other material. A decrease in nesting 

 could be expected, but even the ever-present mallards have 

 shown no tendency that way and I have seen more young 

 broods than ever before. I am puzzled to know whether this 

 is just a local matter or whether, in some degree, it represents 

 general conditions. I would like to be able to give a positive 

 answer to questions such as these: Is the pressure for wild- 



