Pee ar U DE Ua BeOUN® Bau Li Hor ls N fi 
For the first time in my memory, gulls have nearly disappeared from the 
Mississippi River. Only three Herring Gulls were seen all day on the eagle 
count. Ducks in any numbers were found only in two spots. Not more than 
400 Goldeneyes, a few Common Mergansers, and two Red-breasted Mergan- 
sers were found. 
Route #1, Box 112, East Moline, Iil. 
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Ed. Note: Elton Fawks and his colleagues from the Tri-Cities aree are col- 
laborating in a nation-wide study of the decline of Bald Eagles being con- 
ducted by the National Audubon Society. The work of the late Charles 
Broley in Florida, and independent observations by naturalists near Wash- 
ington, D.C., and in Alaska, show that the numbers of Bald Eagles are de- 
clining almost everywhere. What is most alarming is that the numbers of 
immature birds have been reduced much more in proportion than the 
numbers of adults. Some scientists feel that the widespread use of pesti- 
cides has affected the fertility of the eagle and other birds. lt is hoped 
that, as a result of these studies, it will soon be possible to apply corrective 
measures. If you live in an area where Bald Eagles are common, and you 
have accurate field records or can make a series of counts, please write 
directly to Mr. Fawks. 
ft = at 
CHICAGO - TO - CANADA MOURNING DOVE COUNT 
By KARL E, BARTEL 
ON AUGUST 22, 1959, Margaret C. Lehmann, Paul Schulze, Floyd A. Swink, 
and the writer motored to Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, to attend the 
meeting of the American Ornithologists’ Union. 
On this trip we decided that a Mourning Dove roadside count should be 
made over the entire route. We started at Willow Springs, Illinois, and 
crossed Illinois to enter Iowa at Dubuque. In Iowa the count was low be- 
cause we covered only about 150 miles of the northeast corner. In Min- 
nesota we traversed the entire state from the southeast to northwest, leav- 
ing Minnesota at Moorehead. 
The Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota counts were taken on August 22. On 
August 23 our group entered North Dakota at Fargo and traveled north- 
west until we left the state at Portal. We drove into Canada at North Por- 
tal, continuing northwest to Moosejaw, Saskatchewan, and then due west to 
Cypress Hills Provincial Park, stopping at Swift Current overnight. Au- 
gust 24 and part of August 25 were spent in and around Cypress Hills. The 
afternoon of August 25 was spent going east to our destination, Regina. 
On August 29, during the A.O.U. field trip, a dove count was also taken. 
We left Regina on August 30, going back almost the way we came, al- 
though we did spend the whole afternoon at Kenmare, North Dakota. At 
Moorehead, Minnesota, we changed our course and headed east to Duluth, 
arriving on August 31. On September 1, we left Superior, Wisconsin, after 
spending the night at Duluth. We headed directly south, stopping briefly at 
