er ees Us UB OeN BAU ely Boer N 13 
there were 3,097 nests on the refuge last year, estimated to have 6,000 
young. In 1946 there were 3,514 nests with young estimated at 8,656. 
It was necessary to drive cautiously as the nests cluttered the entire 
roadway. As we moved slowly along, the gull nearest the car would fly 
away, but never more than 12 or 15 feet, and then immediately return to 
the ground. Mr. Jensen called my attention to this, saying that it was 
because each pair had to protect its eggs from its nearest neighbors. 
After we left the road with the flashing wings of the gulls and went 
on toward the gate where our trip ended, I wondered about the total number 
of birds I had seen at Bear River. It was, of course, many thousands, and 
yet it was only a small fraction of the number one would see at the height 
of migration. 
At that time the number of ducks alone approaches 1,000,000. Add to 
this the big concentration of geese, hundreds of thousands of shorebirds 
and other thousands among the other Orders associated with water. Even 
with the passerines excluded the total becomes so large that the actual 
figure is only an interesting speculation. 
If we care to become still more involved with figures we might consider 
that the refuge is only 100 square miles in a very large county. This 
county includes miles of salt flats, thousands of acres of prairies and 
marshes, and nearly every other type of American bird habitat, with 
elevations running up to snow covered mountain tops. How many birds 
in the county? One of our well known ornithologists very likely answered 
the question when he suggested that there are probably more birds in 
Box Elder County than any other county in the nation. 
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Tri-Cities Forms New Bird Club 
WE ARE PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE the formation of a new bird club in the 
cities of Moline and Rock Island, Illinois and Davenport, Iowa. The officers 
of the new organization, which will be known as The Tri-City Bird Club, 
are Mr. James Hodges, Davenport, President; Miss O. Ruth Spencer, 
Moline, Vice-President; Mr. Russell Siverly, Davenport, Secretary- 
Treasurer. The Tri-Cities area is an excellent section for bird observation 
and study and the Illinois Audubon Society extends its best wishes for the 
rapid growth and success of the new club. 
An effort is being made to maintain an up-to-date list of all clubs in 
the state and members of the I.A.S. are asked to inform the editor of the 
Bulletin when they learn of the formation of any new club or the election 
of new officers for any of the established clubs. Any unusual news items 
from any of the clubs is also invited. 
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A Ruppy DUCK WITH YOUNG has been reported by Mrs. Margaret Nice as 
seen at Calumet Lake on July 4. The most recent nesting report we find 
for this region was in July, 1927. 
