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Endangered Plants and Animals of Oregon

III Birds

Special Report 278

July 1969

Agricultural Experiment Station

Oregon State University

Corvallis

FOREWORD

The publications under this title list and locateplants and animals in Oregon that represent "en-dangered species"—ones which can be easily de-stroyed. They are usually found in relatively smallareas. Because they are often rare or unusual, theypossess unique scientific value. For this reasonalone, their preservation is considered beneficial toman's interest. Moreover, they can be easily elim-inated or their numbers seriously reduced throughman's manipulation of the environment. Habitatessential to survival, for example, is and can be al-tered through a number of man's activities, includ-ing pesticides, toxic materials, or other pollutantsin the environment.

Those responsible for planning and carrying outoperations which may destroy or modify naturalhabitat or pollute it with toxic materials need ob-jective information regarding undesirable or un-wanted effects of their activities. Also, there is dan-ger of contaminating high-value natural resourcessuch as the water supply of fish hatcheries or nat-ural breeding areas of fishes which reproduce atspecific times in limited areas. The publicationsgrouped under this heading provide additionalfacts not generally known or available regardingthe location of endangered species. Through thesereports, it is hoped that the public will select al-ternatives which will insure the continued preser-vation of our rare plants and animals.

This series of special reports was approved atthe June 15, 1965, meeting of the Oregon Inter-agency Pesticide Council. Oregon State University,through its Agricultural Experiment Station, wascommitted to provide the leadership needed in

compiling and publishing the reports. Oregon StateUniversity is recognized in the Charter of the Ore-gon Interagency Pesticide Council as being in theposition of supplying such "source material." Pre-vious special reports in the Endangered Plants andAnimals of Oregon series are:

C. E. Bond, 1966. Endangered plants and ani-mals of Oregon. I. Fishes. Special Report205, Agricultural Experiment Station, Ore-gon State University, Corvallis.

R. M. Storm, 1966. Endangered plants and ani-mals of Oregon. II. Amphibians and Rep-tiles. Special Report 206, Agricultural Ex-periment Station, Oregon State University,Corvallis.

Copies of these reports are available upon requestfrom the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife,Oregon State University.

This special report deals with endangered birdsand with birds which could conceivably becomeendangered in the immediate future. Careful con-sideration of potential authors for this report led tothe conclusion that David B. Marshall, a graduateof the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Ore-gon State University, possessed the unique qualifi-cations required, and he was requested to under-take this difficult task. Mr. Marshall is presently anemployee of the U. S. Bureau of Sport Fisheriesand Wildlife, one of the agencies actively partici-pating in the Oregon Interagency PesticideCouncil.

Thomas G. Scott, HeadDepartment of Fisheries and Wildlife

CONTENTS

Introduction 5

Status of Birds Appearing in the Annotated List ( Table 1) 7

Annotated List 7

Nationally Endangered Oregon Birds 7

Nationally Rare Oregon Birds 8

Nationally Status-Undetermined Birds 9

Oregon Endangered Birds Not on the National List 11

Oregon Rare Birds Not on the National List 13

Oregon Peripheral Birds Not on the National List 15

Oregon Status-Undetermined Birds Not on the National List 19

Literature Cited 22

Acknowledgments 23

AUTHOR: David B. Marshall is regional refuge biologist with the Bureau ofSport Fisheries and Wildlife, United States Department of the Interior,Portland, Oregon.

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Endangered Plants and Animals of Oregon

Birds

DAVID B. MARSHALL

INTRODUCTION

People show special interest in birds becausethey are aesthetically attractive and because theyare a conspicuous part of the environment. In addi-tion, birds are economically valuable and serve asan important indicator of man's influence on theenvironment. Some of Oregon's birds need help;the status of others should be closely watched.This report calls attention to birds which appearto have an insecure future in Oregon.

Approximately 465 species and subspecies ofbirds have been recorded as visitors or residents inOregon, excluding fossil remains. This report cov-ers the assumed status of 68 of these birds, andtheir status is summarized in Table 1. Three havebeen judged endangered or threatened with ex-tinction on a national and international level. Sevenadditional ones are endangered at the state level.The remaining 58 species and subspecies aregrouped into various other categories of specialbearing on the subject of endangered species. Thisreport, therefore, deviates from others of this seriesin that not all of the listings are presently endan-gered species.

Birds are highly migratory and there is littlereason for listing all of the bird rarities occurringin Oregon because most are short-time visitants,vagrants, or stragglers which have deviated fromnormal migration routes. Therefore, except forbirds which have significance nationally, this re-port includes only those species and subspecieswhich nest in Oregon.

Migrating and wintering habitats are impor-tant to a species' welfare; in fact, just as essentialas breeding habitat. For example, the continuedexistence of the black brant (Branta nigricans) isdependent not only upon preservation of breedingareas in Alaska but also upon the presence of ade-quate migrating and wintering habitats in es-tuarine areas along the coasts of Washington,Oregon, California, and Mexico, which incidentally

are being rapidly destroyed. However, it appearedimpractical to list all of the forms which occur asmigrants or wintering species. For example, therewould be little purpose in considering birds likethe snowy owl (Nyctea scandiaca) which is abun-dant in its northern ranges but appears in Oregononly sporadically.

In the listings to follow, entire breeding rangesare considered in order to place Oregon in perspec-tive with the rest of the breeding range of a givenspecies. Some species which are endangered orrare as nesters may be abundant in fall or winter.

The list follows, insofar as practical, the formatand definitions contained in the bird sections of theso-called "Red Book" ( Bureau of Sport Fisheriesand Wildlife, 1968) on rare and endangered wild-life of the United States.

Oregon birds which are included in the abovepublication and therefore have "national" statusare listed first. Some of these are endangered; oth-ers are potentially endangered. Not all of them nestin Oregon; some only pass through as migrants.

Species and subspecies which are not nationallyendangered or potentially endangered but whosebreeding status may be endangered or potentiallyendangered in Oregon are treated next. In manyinstances, these birds nest in Oregon at only one ortwo locations, or the state is on the edge of theirbreeding range.

Definitions used in this publication are quotedfrom the "Red Book" with modifications to fitOregon:

ENDANGERED: An endangered species or sub-species is one whose prospects of survival and re-production are in immediate jeopardy. Its peril mayresult from one or many causes—loss of habitat orchange in habitat, overexploitation, predation,competition, disease. An endangered species musthave help or extinction will probably follow.

RARE: A rare species or subspecies is one that,although not presently threatened with extinction,is in such small numbers throughout its range thatit may be endangered if its environment worsens.Close watch of its status is necessary.

PERIPHERAL: A peripheral species or subspeciesis one whose occurrence in Oregon is at the edgeof its natural range and which is rare or endan-gered within Oregon, although not in its range asa whole. Special attention may be necessary toassure retention in our state's fauna.

STATUS UNDETERMINED: A status-undeterminedspecies or subspecies is one that has been suggestedas possibly endangered, or peripheral, but aboutwhich there is not enough information to deter-mine its status. More information is needed.

There is one nationally endangered species, theCalifornia condor (Gymnogyps californianus)which formerly occurred in Oregon during theearly 1800's but is now restricted to southern Cali-fornia. There are no Oregon species which havebecome extinct nationally since the arrival of set-tlers, but some species which formerly occurred inthe state are now absent.

Throughout the list there is frequent use ofcommon names to denote subspecies. This is un-avoidable, despite the omission of common namesfor trinomials in the fifth edition of the A.O.U.Check-List (American Ornithologists' Union, 1957).Full trinomial common names are necessary to ade-quately identify subspecies for those unacquaintedwith the scientific names of birds. They follow the"Red Book" where listed. For birds which are noton the national list, a common name denoting spe-cies was derived from the fifth edition of the

A.O.U. Check-List, preceded by a subspecificname obtained from Jewett et al. ( 1953 ) or Grin-nell and Miller ( 1944 ).

This report does not treat species which havebeen badly depleted but which have not reachedone of the status definitions used herein. If presenttrends continue, there will be further additions tothe list. Outstanding examples of badly depletedspecies which were still not judged rare are thegolden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), the westernburrowing owl (Speotyto cunicularia hypugaea),Lewis' woodpecker (Asyndesmus lewis), and thewestern bluebird ( Sialia mexicana).

Not all changes in the status of various birdsare attributable to man, nor have all man's changesto the landscape been detrimental to all species.Other changes are not within the scope of presentknowledge. Unfortunately, with the possible ex-ception of some information on waterfowl, we arewithout statistically sound population data uponwhich to determine what has happened. Only themost obvious changes have come to our attention.

The literature, including this report, showsthat more species are nesting in the state than everbefore. Losses have seemingly been more than off-set by gains in the number of species nesting inOregon. However, the author has a word of cau-tion on this conclusion. The state is covered farbetter today than at any time in the past due to anever-increasing number of professional biologistsand amateur ornithologists who send in reports oftheir findings. Without them, some of the new orni-thological findings, including a number of thosewhich follow, would not have been known.

The following table gives the status of birdsappearing in the annotated list and page referencenumbers for the discussions of the birds listed.

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Table 1. STATUS OF BIRDS APPEARING IN THE ANNOTATED LIST

Nationalstatus

(if any)*State

status* Page

Holboell's Red-necked Grebe P 15Horned Grebe P 16Southern Fork-Tailed Petrel R 13White Pelican R 13California Brown Pelican{ SU P 9American Common Egret P 16Brewster's Snowy Egret P 16Western Least Bittern P 16White-faced Ibis P 16Trumpeter Swan E 11Aleutian Canada Goosef E 7Tule White-fronted Goose f E 8Ring-necked Duck P 16Lesser Scaup P 17Barrow's Goldeneye P 17Bufftehead 17Harlequin Duck R 14Swainson's Hawk R 14Ferruginous Hawk SU E 9Northern Bald Eagle 11American Osprey SU R 10Prairie Falcon R 8American Peregrine Falcon E 8Western Pigeon Hawk E 13Sierra Blue Grouse SU 19Franklin's Spruce Grouse E 13Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse SU E 10Greater Sandhill Crane R 8Yellow Rail SU 19Western Snowy Plover R 14Upland Plover SU 19Alaskan Short-billed Dowitcher SU SU 11Black-necked Stilt P 17Franklin's Gull P 17Caspian Tern R 14

Nationalstatus State

(if any) status* Page

American Marbled Murrelet SU 19Rhinoceros Auklet SU 20California Yellow-billed Cuckoo _ SU 20California Screech Owl SU 20Flammulated Owl SU 20California Pygmy Owl SU 20Northern Spotted Owl E 13Great Gray Owl R 15-=Dusky Poor-will SU 20Migratory Allen's Hummingbird .... SU 20Alaska Northern Three-toed

Woodpecker R 15Eastern Phoebe P 17Black Phoebe P 17Northern Purple Martin SU 20Nevada Scrub Jay SU 21Nicasio Scrub Jay SU 21Warner Valley Titmouse SU 21Warner Valley Bewick's Wren SU 21Western Mockingbird P 17Catbird P 18Willow Veery P 18Western Blue-gray Gnatcatcher .... P 18Western Water Pipit P 18Bohemian Waxwing P 18California Hutton's Vireo SU 21Northern American Redstart P 18Bobolink P 18Tricolored Blackbird P 19Rocky Mountain Pine Grosbeak ____ SU 21Wallowa Gray-crowned Rosy SU 11

Finch Black Rosy Finch SU 21Western Grasshopper Sparrow SU 22Desert Black-throated Sparrow SU 22

e Letter sybmols are: E—endangered; R—rare; P—peripheral, and SU—status undetermined.f Not a breeding species in Oregon.

ANNOTATED LIST

Nationally Endangered Oregon Birds

1. ALEUTIAN CANADA GOOSE (Branca canadensisleucopareia)

This goose presently breeds in the wild only onBuldir Island in the Aleutian Islands. It migratedto California and presumably still does. The entirepopulation is only about 300. One specimen, takenby a hunter on the Oak Knoll Gun Club east ofCorvallis in Linn County was identified as thissubspecies by Harold C. Hanson (personal corn-

munication, 1968) of the Illinois Natural HistorySurvey. The specimen is in his possession. In Cor-vallis three geese, probably of this race as judgedby size and the presence of large neck rings, landedwith John Adair's captive geese on May 2, 1967.One believed to be of this race spent the summerof 1968 there and was seen and photographed bythe writer. Unsubstantiated sight records havealso come from Sauvies Island. Western Oregon

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may be a wintering or migration area for this bird,but a problem in distinguishing this race from oth-ers makes it difficult to ascertain its distributionoutside the Aleutians.

2. TULE WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE (Anser albifronsgambelli)

The breeding range of this goose is unknown.It winters in the Sacramento Valley and Sacra-mento-San Joaquin Delta of California, Texas, andLouisiana; in migration, it almost certainly passesthrough Oregon. Some white-fronted geese killedin recent years at Summer Lake Management Areawere believed to be of this race ( C. E. Kebbe, per-sonal communication, 1968); but data are missing,and specimens were not preserved.

3. AMERICAN PEREGRINE FALCON (Falco pere-grinus anatum)

This bird is widely distributed throughout mostof North America from the treeline south, but incritically low numbers. Gabrielson and Jewett( 1940:203 ) considered it a "comparatively rare

bird in Oregon." They knew of only one nestingpair at the time—in Lake County—but, about thesame time, a pair was also nesting on Malheur Na-tional Wildlife Refuge ( J. C. Scharff, personalcommunication, 1968 ). The situation remainsmuch the same today. One nesting pair is knownin Deschutes County ( J. 0. Anderson, personalcommunication, 1968 ). Reports of peregrine fal-cons during migration periods and winter arefairly frequent throughout the state. Many of theseno doubt belong to two more northern nestingraces, Peale's peregrine falcon (F. p. pealei) andthe newly described tundra peregrine falcon (F. p.tundrius) ( White, 1968 ). Neither of these races isconsidered endangered. The southerly nestingAmerican peregrine is of course more affected byman. There is increasing evidence that the declinein the American peregrine and its old world coun-terparts may be caused in part by chemical pesti-cides. This bird is unfortunately still eagerly soughtby falconers. All nesting sites need to be given com-plete protection from any type of intrusion.

Nationally Rare Oregon Birds

1. PRAIRIE FALCON ( Falco mexicanus)This falcon is found from southern British Co-

lumbia, southern Alberta, and southeastern Sas-katchewan, to southern lower California and south-ern Mexico. In Oregon, nesting is restricted to theeastern part of the state. Gabrielson and Jewett( 1940 ) describe the prairie falcon as a commonpermanent resident of eastern Oregon. Althoughthis can hardly be considered true now, sightings ofthis bird are still frequent for those who travel ineastern Oregon. The "rare" designation in the latestedition of the "Red Book" ( Bureau of Sport Fish-eries and Wildlife, 1968) thus comes as a surprise.However, the known number of nesting pairs inOregon is limited. At least 10 active nesting sites inLake, Klamath, Harney, Malheur, and Shermancounties have been brought to my attention ( C. E.Kebbe, E. J. Parker, J. B. Crowell, J. L. O'Donahue,and J. C. Scharff, personal communications, 1968 ).They were "fairly common" in canyons west ofPilot Rock, Umatilla County, and may still be there( W. E. Griffee, personal communication, 1968 ).Nesting sites should be protected by whatevermeans practical.

2. GREATER SANDHILL CRANE (Grus canadensis,,tabida)

This bird breeds very locally from southern Brit-ish Columbia east to southern Manitoba and prob-ably in southwestern Ontario south to northeasternCalifornia, northern Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Min-nesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. It winters locallyfrom central California and northern Mexico eastto southern Georgia and Florida. In Oregon, itnests in meadows and marshes of Harney and Lakecounties and, to a lesser extent, in Klamath, Grant,and Malheur counties. A nest was also reported in1968 at Devils Lake, Deschutes County ( G. G.Merrick, personal communication, 1968 ). Thiscrane migrates through these same Oregon areasto winter in California, unless some winter withlesser sandhills (G. c. canadensis) on Sauvies Is-land in Multnomah and Columbia counties.

The national population of greater sandhills islisted at "about 6,000" in the "Red Book" ( Bureauof Sport Fisheries and Wildlife, 1968:23), but amore recent estimate based on a mail survey sentto observers throughout the country resulted in anestimate of "about 10,000 to 15,000" ( Littlefield,

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1968 ). The latter estimate is considered high bysome, and it is the author's opinion that the matterneeds additional study. Confusion between thisbird and the lesser sandhill on migration and win-tering areas makes population estimates difficult.

In Oregon, as in other areas, the greater sand-hill has responded well to management, includinghunting closures and refuges. Gabrielson andJewett ( 1940:229 ) wrote: "Approximately 100pairs still nest on the great cattle ranches of theBlitzen Valley and in the areas east of the SteensMountains, but this is a rapidly disappearing spe-cies so far as Oregon is concerned." Today, the sit-uation is entirely different as nearly every marsh,large hay meadow, and even some mountain mead-ows of Klamath, Lake, Harney, and Malheur coun-ties have nesting sandhills. Malheur National Wild-life Refuge holds the greatest numbers, but WarnerValley, Goose Lake Valley, and Chewaucan Marshare also major producers. Other areas of use are toonumerous to mention. C. D. Littlefield ( 1968:2) re-ported, "An estimated 2,000 individuals summer in

southeastern Oregon, about 400 on Malheur Na-tional Wildlife Refuge; and J. D. Wendler, gamemanagement agent, Lakeview, Lake County, Ore-gon ( personal communication), estimated 1,400birds in areas on and around Warner Valley, GooseLake, and Sycan Marsh." Littlefield attributed theremaining 200 to other summering areas such asCatlow Valley in Harney County. Correspondencewith Game Agent Wendler accounts for only half asmany birds. It is entirely possible that only the2,000-bird figure includes some duplication becausesummering crane populations in this area tend tomove about. Many are nonbreeders. This bird ap-pears to be well established in population numbersin accordance with the carrying capacity of avail-able habitat in Oregon. Wendler ( personal com-munication, 1968) says "Ranchers of Lake Countyhave little sympathy for sandhills, and I believethey do everything possible to discourage them infarming areas." In the late summer and fall, sand-hills move to grain fields, and this is no doubt whatWendler is referring to.

Nationally Status- Undetermined Birds

1. CALIFORNIA BROWN PELICAN (Pelecanus occi-dentalis californicus)

This pelican nests from Anacapa Island andother islands off the southern California coastsouth to islands off Baja California and the TresMarias Islands off Nayarit, Mexico. It wandersnorth along the coast after the breeding season, asfar as southern British Columbia. In Oregon, thisbird appears regularly in the Netarts-TillamookBay area and more southern coastal points fromAugust through November. Recent high Oregoncounts include 110 in the Netarts-Tillamook Bayarea on August 27, 1967 (J. W. Crowell, personalcommunication, 1969 ). This bird suffered alarm-ing nesting failures from egg breakage in 1969 onAnacapa Island and perhaps on other nesting is-lands. This breakage is commonly associated withhigh pesticide residues which have been found inthe eggs (J. 0. Keith, personal communication,1969 ). A problem of this magnitude was not here-tofore expected to exist with a strictly marinefeeder. At the time of this writing, the situation isstill under study, but pollution of the ocean frompesticides at a level to cause this disaster adds anew dimension to the pesticide problem. Althoughplaced in the status-undetermined category in the

"Red Book" ( Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wild-life, 1968), the most recent data on this bird fromCalifornia places it in the rare category.

2. FERRUGINOUS HAWK ( Buteo regalis)This hawk is rather widely distributed as a

nester from southern Alberta and Manitoba south-ward through eastern Oregon and Nevada into thesouthwestern states. Gabrielson and Jewett ( 1940 )list it as a regular summer resident and breedingspecies in eastern Oregon. This is no longer true.Although by no means a complete count, four orfive nests have been reported in recent years. Apair nested successfully in northern Lake Countyin 1964 and 1965 ( A. Baldridge, personal com-munication, 1968 ). It was also present in 1968( W. C. Thackaberry, personal communication,1968 ). This may be one of two nests also reportedfrom Lake County by James 0. Anderson ( per-sonal communication, 1968 ). Other pairs includeone which brought off three young in 1967 in Mal-heur County near Harper ( R. R. Kindschy, per-sonal communication, 1968) and one found byJohn B. Crowell, nesting near Brothers, DeschutesCounty, from 1962 through at least 1966 ( Rogers1966, and J. B. Crowell, personal communication,1968).

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Thomas McCamant ( personal communication,1968) accompanied by Mrs. Gaylord Ward, re-ported three near Baker, which may have repre-sented two nesting pairs, during the summer of1968, but details are lacking. This scarcity con-trasts with 28 nests once reported in Morrow andUmatilla counties alone ( Gabrielson and Jewett,1940). The ferruginous hawk is truly an endan-gered species insofar as Oregon is concerned.

3. AMERICAN OSPREY (Pandion haliaetus caro-linensis)

This bird breeds from Alaska across northernCanada south along the west coast into Mexico.According to Gabrielson and Jewett ( 1940 ), it oc-curred along the coast and about such streams asthe Rogue, Umpqua, Deschutes, John Day, andColumbia. Unlike other parts of the nation, in Ore-gon the status of the osprey appears to havechanged little. Observers who were contacted fromthe central and western parts of the state were ac-tually able to account for 56 active nests, assum-ing that pairs which nested in 1968 also nested in1969. An additional seven pairs were probably nest-ing. We frequently receive reports of lone ospreys,which may represent still more breeding pairs.The latter situation is particularly true of the moreeastern counties where no actual nests have beenreported.

By far the largest number of ospreys reportedis for Crane Prairie Reservoir in the Deschutes Na-tional Forest where Oregon State Game Commis-sion biologists and Forest Service personnel tallied26 active nests in both 1966 and 1967 and 45 in1969. In the same vicinity, pairs believed to benesting have been noted at Wickiup Reservoir,Crescent Lake, and along the Deschutes River ( M.J. Griffith, personal communications, 1968 and1969 ). In Klamath County at least two active nestsare on Upper Klamath Lake and one each nearPelican Butte and at Gerber Reservoir ( J. L.()Donahue, personal communication, 1968 ). Insouthwestern Oregon, active nests were reportedas follows: one each, Howard Prairie Reservoir,Hyatt Lake, and Dodge Bridge on the RogueRiver near Hellgate, Josephine County ( W. A.Neitro and J. H. Hicks, personal communications,1968 ). A nest with young was reported by AlanBaldridge between Gold Beach and Agness onJune 27, 1964 ( Boggs and Boggs, 1964 ). A pairnested in 1966 along the Willamette River north ofAlbany ( Crowell and Nehls, 1966 ). Two adults ob-served at Siltcoos Lake south of Florence on May

14, 1968, were almost certainly nesting (T. Garratt,personal communication, 1968). Pairs have alsobeen reported from Fern Ridge Reservoir, Leb-anon, and Deer Island on the Lower Columbia ( A.Baldridge, personal communication, 1968).

Like other fish-eating birds, the osprey canreadily be affected by secondary poisoning frompesticides. In Oregon, it appears to have escapedthis fate which has affected other populations. TheUnited States Forest Service is to be commendedfor maintaining the nesting snags at Crane PrairieReservoir. As long as present circumstances exist,the author has judged this bird as rare in Oregon.

4. COLUMBIAN SHARP-TAILED GROUSE ( Pedio-ecetes phasianellus columbianus)

This grouse is resident from British Columbiaand western Montana to Nevada, Utah, Colorado,and northern New Mexico. It was formerly foundover most of eastern Oregon. A remnant popula-tion, located southeast of Lookout Mountain nearBaker, still remains. Gabrielson and Jewett ( 1940 )reported seeing this bird occasionally in smallflocks in the grain-growing areas of the north-cen-tral part of the state, apparently in the 1930's. How-ever, its numbers became greatly reduced with theelimination of original grassland habitat throughcultivation and overgrazing. Gabrielson and Jewett( 1940 ) considered, however, that grain fields af-forded habitat if they were broken and interruptedwith canyons and scab rock patches grown tobunchgrass, which was the original vegetation.They report (p. 217), "The original vegetation ofthe territory provides conditions that permit thespecies to persist in limited numbers, but continualpersecution and shooting, combined with humanencroachment on its breeding grounds, have soreduced it in numbers that its future as an Oregonbird is precarious."

One transplant of the prairie sharp-tailedgrouse (P. p. jamesi) made in the National Grass-land Area north of Gray Butte and east of Hay-stack Reservoir, Jefferson County, was attemptedto restore this species to former habitat; approxi-mately 25 remain of the total number transplanted(E. Roberts, personal communication, 1968 ). Itappears that if this bird is to become secure inOregon, special attention must be given to it, in-cluding the provision of proper cover and furtherreintroductions to suitable habitat. It is hopedthat the endemic subspecies can be obtained forfuture transplants.

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5. ALASKAN SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER (Limno-dromus griseus caurinus)

This bird nests in southern Alaska and wintersin Mexico. It migrates along the coast so it mustoccur in Oregon but, to the writer's knowledge, nospecimens have been taken. Other races of short-billed dowitchers also move through Oregon. TheAlaskan short-billed dowitcher does not nest inOregon; it is included in this report because of itsnational status.

6. WALLOWA GRAY-CROWNED ROSY FINCH (Leu-costicte tephrocotis wallowa)

This finch nests only in the Wallowa Moun-tains of northeastern Oregon. No information isavailable on current populations. Actual nestingrecords by Gabrielson and Jewett ( 1940 ) includeBrown Mountain above Minam Lake and the headof Big Sheep Creek, and points in between.

Oregon Endangered Birds Not on the National Lift

1. TRUMPETER SWAN ( Cygnus buccinator)The trumpeter swan nests in Alaska, Alberta,

and the Rocky Mountain area of Montana, Idaho,and Wyoming. It was successfully introduced as abreeding species in the late 1950's and early 1960'sto the Lacreek, Ruby Lake, and Malheur nationalwildlife refuges in North Dakota, Nevada, andOregon, respectively. Additional introductions areat various stages. In Oregon, it was never a breed-ing species until the recent introduction insofar asis known. The present population at Malheur isapproximately 50, with about 5 pairs nesting eachyear. Trumpeter swans were found in winter onthe Lower Columbia River by several early ex-plorers and inhabitants ( Gabrielson and Jewett,1940 ). They may represent individuals whichnested in Alaska. Convincing reports from localresidents that trumpeter swans still winter amongthe large flocks of whistling swans in the marshyislands near the mouth of the Columbia Rivershould be more fully explored, particularly becausethe habitat there will become industrialized anddestroyed if the present trend continues.

2. NORTHERN BALD EAGLE (Haliaeetus leuco-cephalus alascanus)

This bird nests from Alaska and northern Que-bec south to Oregon and the Great Lakes. In Ore-gon, it tends to nest in timbered edges of moun-tain lakes, major rivers, and the coast.

There is probably more interest in the baldeagle than in any other species listed in this re-port. Were it not for substantial populations inAlaska, the northern bald eagle would surely be anendangered species nationally as is the case withits southern counterpart, the southern bald eagle(H. 1. leucocephalus) . From Gabrielson and Jewett

( 1940 ), one obtains the distinct impression that abig decline in bald eagle nesting in Oregon oc-curred between the late 1800's and the 1930's.They wrote of the latter period ( p. 196) : "We findthat it has become rather an uncommon bird inOregon, except along the coast where a number ofpairs still breed. It also occurs fairly regularlyalong the Columbia River and in the Klamath Lakecountry. Aside from these areas, our records showrecent reports of scattered individuals from thelakes of the Wallowa Mountains, the DeschutesRiver and lakes about its headwaters, Harney Val-ley, Lake County, and the headwaters of theUmpqua River."

The situation as we know it today does not in-dicate there has been any great change in distribution from that described above, despite the factthat man has persecuted this bird in almost everypossible way. Bald eagles still nest in all the areasGabrielson and Jewett ( 1940 ) described, exceptpossibly Harney Valley and the lakes of the Wal-lowa Mountains. We can account for more nestsnow in the central Cascades than on the coast, butthere is insufficient evidence upon which to baseany conclusions on whether the number of nestingpairs has declined.

It was hoped that at least a minimum figure onthe number of active nesting pairs in Oregon couldbe obtained, but these plans had to be abandoned.Bald eagle pairs do not always use the same nesteach year and commonly alternate between twonests within the same territory. They or their off-spring may even return to a nest which has beenabandoned for four or five years.

Reports of active bald eagle nests and possiblenesting pairs have come in from 11 individuals.These reports represent different years of activity

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at given nest sites. The presence of a pair in seem-ingly good nesting habitat during the breedingseason would also strongly indicate nesting, butthese situations remain uncertain as long as actualnests are not discovered. This combination of cir-cumstances makes it impossible to determine thenumber of nesting pairs in the state for any oneyear. Obviously, to obtain even a good minimumpopulation figure, it would be necessary to com-plete one survey during one season.

The tabulation in the next column lists nestsites and possible nests known for the past 4 or 5years.

The bald eagle is susceptible to numerous man-made disturbances, including activity in the vicin-ity of nests, the actual cutting of nest trees or sur-rounding protective timber, malicious shooting,and poisoning from pesticides obtained throughthe food chain. There may also be casualties fromelectrocutions along power lines such as frequentlyoccur with the more common golden eagle. Protec-tive measures against electrocution have alreadybeen established on some lines. This includesbroader spacing of wires and the installation ofstranded cable atop poles and towers which dis-courages large birds from perching ( M. G. Poland,Bonneville Power Administration, personal com-munication, 1966 ). Through the efforts of manyconservationists, the public is developing an appre-ciation of eagles. The shooting of a bald eagle isbeing considered by many as an act of vandalism.Timber producers are becoming more aware of theneed to protect bald eagle nesting sites. Publicityon this bird by J. 0. Anderson, the Georgia PacificCorporation, Weyerhaeuser Company, and othersis encouraging. M. J. Griffith, U. S. Forest Service,wrote to the author ( 1968 ) as follows: "At thistime the Deschutes National Forest has imposedrestrictions to protect all eagle nests, both goldenand bald eagles, from the impact of timber sales,road construction, recreation campground plan-ning, timber stand thinning, etc., by setting up abuffer zone around all eagle nests and requiringthat there be no land management activities duringthe nesting season from March through August."

As an addendum to this policy, tall snags andsnag-topped trees in the vicinity of feeding andnesting areas should be saved. These are used asperching sites and may be an essential part of thehabitat.

A factor continuing to work against the baldeagle is the sheer mass of people who are cominginto increasing contact with nesting sites. Human

activity around eagle nests can prevent normalnesting behavior and increase opportunities forvandalism in the form of shooting. Unfortunately,however, bald eagles sometimes voluntarily locatenests near human habitation. This situation is to bedistinguished from those where man suddenlymoves in on the eagles.

NUMBERS AND LOCATIONS OFKNOWN AND POSSIBLE BALD EAGLE NESTING SITES

Central Cascades and central Oregon mountains—at least 16sites

Fish Lake, Linn CountyEast Lake, Deschutes CountyPaulina Lake, Deschutes CountyDeschutes River, Deschutes County (near Sun River devel-

opment)Lake Basin (Elk to Crescent Lakes, including Crane Prairie

Reservoir, Wickiup Reservoir, , Devils Lake, etc.)—about10 sites

Suttle Lake, Jefferson CountyThompson Reservoir, Lake County

(M. J. Griffith, J. Knox, T. Garratt, J. 0. Anderson, per-sonal communications, 1968)

Northern Cascades—two sitesColumbia River (below Hood River)Six or seven miles above mouth of White River

( J. 0. Anderson, personal communication, 1968)

Lower Columbia River—at least six sitesEight miles below RainierCliftonTenasillahe IslandSvensonAstoriaYoung's Bay below Astoria

(T. Garratt, A. Baldridge, J. 0. Anderson, personal com-munications and author's observations, 1968)

Coastal strip—four known sitesNewportTillamook BayDepoe BayNorth Bend

( J. 0. Anderson, A. Baldridge, C. E. Kebbe, personalcommunications, 1968)

Jackson County area—two possible nestsHoward Prairie LakeWillow Lake

( J. H. Hicks, personal communication, 1968)

Klamath area-11 sitesLake of the WoodsUpper Klamath Lake—about nine sitesChiloquin (Williamson River)

( J. L. O'Donahue, M. J. Wotton, A. Baldridge, J. H.Hicks, personal communications, 1968)

Blue and Wallowa mountains and Snake River areasNo active nest known; approximately 10 pairs during nestingseason on the Snake River, lower 10 miles of the WenahaRiver and Grande Ronde River, between Troy and Rondowa

(V. L. Coggins and R. M. West, personal communica-tions, 1968)

12

The bald eagle also occurs in Oregon as a mi-grant and winter resident. Substantial numbers canbe seen in the Klamath region and other areas inwinter, but these may not necessarily represent ourendangered breeding population. This bird hasbeen placed in the endangered category on thebasis of the small number of breeding pairs, com-bined with the threats described above and theknowledge of the declining productivity of eaglesin many eastern states.

3. WESTERN PIGEON HAWK (Falco columbariusbendirei)

This hawk breeds from Alaska across to Sas-katchewan and into California. In Oregon, it is re-stricted largely to the eastern part of the state.Gabrielson and Jewett ( 1940 ) list it as a very rarebreeding bird. No recent breeding records areknown for Oregon.

4. FRANKLIN'S SPRUCE GROUSE (Canachites cana-densis franklinii)

This subspecies is resident from Alaska southinto northeastern Oregon. It was described by Ga-

brielson and Jewett ( 1940 ) as rare and local inWallowa County and northern Baker County. Thisstatement still stands according to Oregon StateGame Commission personnel from that area. Com-mission files contain records of four broods from1961 through 1967 ( V. L. Goggins, personal com-munication, 1968 ). Several flocks of 8 to 12 wereseen near Stanley Guard Station the last week ofOctober 1967 by William A. Thackaberry ( per-sonnel communication, 1968 ).

5. NORTHERN SPOTTED OWL (Stria occidentaliscaurina)

The northern spotted owl is resident fromsouthwestern British Columbia south to the SanFrancisco Bay area, in the Cascades, and in thecoast ranges. In Oregon, it was considered by Ga-brielson and Jewett ( 1940 ) to be a permanent resi-dent west of the Cascades. They list one nestingrecord near Trail, Jackson County, in June 1925.Occasional sight records and specimens have cometo our attention in recent years but no nests oryoung. This bird is not readily detected, and thisundoubtedly accounts in part for its presumed en-dangered status.

Oregon Rare Birds Not on the National List

1. SOUTHERN FORK-TAILED PETREL ( Oceanodromafurcata plumbea)

This bird nests from Alaska south to HumboldtCounty, California, but in Oregon it is known as abreeder only from Three Arch Rocks NationalWildlife Refuge ( Gabrielson and. Jewett, 1940 )and Hunters Island, Curry County, ( M. R. Brown-ing and W. English, unpublished reports to Re-gional Director, Bureau of Sport Fisheries andWildlife, 1966). It probably breeds on othercoastal rocks which have not been visited. No pop-ulation data are available for Three Arch Rocks,although it is apparent that numbers are small. AtHunters Island, one pair was found on March 18,1966. Protective measures are required to keep theOregon coastal islands free from human distur-bance because this is a burrow-nesting species andthe burrows are easily trampled. Fortunately, themost important offshore islands from an ornitho-logical standpoint, including Hunters Island, wererecently added to the Oregon Islands NationalWildlife Refuge.

2. WHITE PELICAN (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)The white pelican is a common summer visitor

throughout shallow water areas in Klamath, Lake,and Harney counties, but as a nesting species it ispersistent only in Warner Valley on Crump Lakeand on the Upper Klamath National Wildlife Ref-uge. Occasionally it nests on islands in Harney andMalheur lakes on the Malheur National WildlifeRefuge. Elsewhere, white pelicans nest in Cali-fornia, Nevada, Utah, the Dakotas, Montana, Brit-ish Columbia, Manitoba, and Alberta. Informationtaken from files of the Bureau of Sport Fisheriesand Wildlife shows that Crump Lake produces upto 500 young during favorable years, while in otheryears nesting is unsuccessful due to mammalianpredation or disturbance caused by low water. TheUpper Klamath Lake colony produces about 200young per year. On Malheur and Harney lakes,nesting is sporadic and limited to the production ofless than 100 young. Nesting habitat consists ofsizable islands in the vicinity of shallow marsheshaving fish. Islands must be free of mammalian

13

1`,

predators and human disturbance. The marshes ofcentral and southeastern Oregon, particularly thosein the Klamath Basin and at Malheur, contain anabundance of fish which attract sizable numbers ofpelicans.

This species could be enticed to nest in morestable numbers in Oregon if artificial islands wereconstructed on Malheur Lake and possibly onother water areas. These birds often attempt to nestat Malheur Lake but usually fail because of lower-ing water levels which join the islands to the main-land, allowing access by mammalian predators.The colony in Crump Lake should be given pro-tection and an adequate water supply when possi-ble if this bird is to continue nesting there. Thenesting island is small and subject to considerableerosion from wave action and cannot be expectedto remain without erosion protection.

3. HARLEQUIN DUCK (Histrionicus histrionicus)The Harlequin duck nests from Alaska and

southeast Asia southward into Colorado and cen-tral California. In Oregon, it was reported by Ga-brielson and Jewett ( 1940 ) to nest along swiftmountain streams in the Wallowas and Cascades.They listed only three breeding records—two fromthe Wallowas and one from the Zigzag River in Mt.Hood National Forest. All three were between1925 and 1931. On August 7, 1942, Fred G. Even-den ( personal communication, 1968) observed apair with four young at Big Lake near SantiamPass, Linn County. These ducks also regularly nestin the upper reaches of the Sandy River, Clack-amas County ( N. C. Leupold and H. B. Nehls,personal communications, 1968). Jay S. Gashwiler( personal communication, 1968) says these ducksoccur during nesting season on Blue River, a tribu-tary of the McKenzie River. This general scarcityof observations indicates that the breeding popula-tion of this species in Oregon is small. No newdata have come from the Wallowas. These ducksoccur more regularly as winter residents off theOregon coast.

4. SWAINSON'S HAWK ( Buteo swainsoni)This hawk breeds from Alaska south to Mex-

ico. Gabrielson and Jewett ( 1940 ) list it as a com-mon summer resident in all counties east of theCascades. This is no longer true. It is decliningsteadily and, if the present trend continues, it willreach the endangered class. On the Malheur Na-tional Wildlife Refuge and vicinity, J. C. Scharffreports, "Maybe 1 pair nesting where 40 plus werenesting 25 years ago." The bird is greatly reducedin the Klamath region ( J. L. O'Donahue, personal

communication, 1968 ). In Deschutes County,Swainson's hawks may still breed in fair numbers,judging from observations there in 1963-68 ( A.Baldridge, personal communication, 1968). OnAugust 3, 1966, H. B. Nehls ( personal communi-cation, 1968) saw two immatures barely able tofly near Haystack Reservoir, Jefferson County. Mrs.G. Ward observed one to two pairs nesting in re-cent years near Baker ( Rogers 1958, 1959, 1964,and 1967, and Mrs. G. Ward, personal communica-tion, 1968 ). Observations of singles during thenesting season indicate that one or two additionalpairs may be nesting in the Baker area. These ac-counts are far from complete, but the obvious de-cline in populations is cause for concern. "Pot-shooters" may be partially to blame, but there areprobably deeper biological or chemical causeswhich appear to be affecting many raptorial birdsthroughout the world.

5. WESTERN SNOWY PLOVER (Charadrius alexan-drines nivosus)

This bird nests along the coast from southernWashington south to lower California and inlandin alkaline basins of southeastern Oregon, Nevada,California, and the southwestern states. In Ore-gon, it is sporadically found at all seasons but invery low numbers on ocean spits having openstretches of sand. It is also found in summer on theSummer Lake Waterfowl Management Area andat Harney Lake on the Malheur National WildlifeRefuge. It is not abundant anywhere; scatteredpairs only—the entire eastern Oregon breedingpopulation may number less than 50 pairs. Recre-ational pressures along ocean spits and planting ofvegetation to stabilize the sand could adversely af-fect this bird. At Harney Lake, this species disap-pears some years when no water is present in thelake. The continued existence of Harney Lake as alake is probably necessary to maintain this bird onthe Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. It mightpossibly nest on the east side of Malheur Lakewhere stretches of alkaline flats and water are pres-ent during favorable water years. Coastal spitsused include Sand Lake, Tillamook County, Ya-quina Bay, Lincoln County, the Columbia Rivermouth in Clatsop County.

6. CASPIAN TERN (Hydroprogne caspia)The Caspian tern nests in widely scattered lo-

cations over much of the world. Gabrielson andJewett (1940) report it to be a summer residentand nester in Klamath, Lake, and Harney coun-ties. The author is unaware of nesting colonies in

14

Klamath County. In Lake County, this speciesnests sparingly at Crump Lake where nine nestswere_present in 1966 (W. D. Carter, unpublishedgovernment memorandum, 1968 ). At Malheur,nesting occurs when suitable sites are created byproper water conditions. In other years, it does notnest there but occurs during the summer season ina nonbreeding status. This tern was reported in1958 as nesting on Larson Island, five miles southof the mouth of Weiser River on the Snake River,Malheur County ( E. M. Brooks, unpublished gov-ernment memorandum, 1968 ). This area is a partof the Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge. Cas-pian terns are more frequently noted in migrationthan as nesters in Oregon.

7. GREAT GRAY OWL (Strix nebulosa nebulosa)This owl is resident from central Alaska and

northern Canada south into the central Sierra Ne-vadas in California and northern Idaho. In Oregon,it is a rare permanent resident, largely in the Cas-cades and other mountain ranges where lodgepolepine (Pinus contorta) adjoins meadows. A numberof observers have reported these owls from theFort Klamath-Crater Lake-Diamond Lake-Chilo-quin area where nests have been observed andspecimens taken. Reports also have come fromeastern Jackson County, but no nests have beenfound (J. H. Hicks, personal communication, 1968).V. L. Goggins ( personal communication, 1968) re-ported one near Thomason Meadows Guard Sta-tion, northern Wallowa County, in July 1965. Sev-eral instances have been reported where thesebirds have been shot by the uninformed and cu-rious. Despite persecution, this large owl may be asnumerous in Oregon now as it was 50 years ago.

8. ALASKA NORTHERN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER(Picoides tridactylus fasciatus)

This woodpecker is found in Alaska and west-ern portions of Canada south to northern Idahoand southern Oregon in the mountains. In Oregon,it is a rare permanent resident of the higher partsof the Wallowa Mountains and the Cascades. Sev-eral early breeding records are listed in Gabrielson.and Jewett ( 1940 ). Three specimens and two ob-servations, but no breeding records, are reportedby Farner ( 1952:67 ) at Crater Lake National Park.Unpublished material includes a nest with youngfound by F. G. Evenden ( personal communica-tion, 1968) at Big Lake near Santiam Pass, LinnCounty, on August 7, 1942. Mr. and Mrs. G. F.Staender ( personal communication, 1968) ob-served a pair feeding young in a lodgepole pinenear McKenzie Pass on July 1, 1962. Records ofindividuals or pairs not seen with nests includeobservations by the writer and W. H. Telfer atOlallie Lake, Clackamas County, July 21, 1941; byF. G. Evenden ( personal communication, 1968 )at Santiam and Jorn lakes in early August 1942,and at Marion Lake on August 7, 1946, all LinnCounty; by A. Baldridge ( personal communica-tion, 1968) at Wickiup Reservoir, DeschutesCounty, on June 8, 1964; and by E. Parker ( per-sonal communication, 1968) near Charlton Lakein the Deschutes National Forest. This bird hasobviously never been abundant in Oregon. It isassociated with lodgepole pine forests as is its morecommon relative, the black-backed three-toedwoodpecker ( Picoides arcticus).

Oregon Peripheral Birds Not on the National List

1. HOLBOELL'S RED-NECKED GREBE ( Podicepsgrisegena

This grebe is widely distributed as a nestingbird across the more northern parts of NorthAmerica and northeastern Asia. It was first foundnesting in Oregon in 1952 at Rocky Point on UpperKlamath Lake on Upper Klamath National Wild-life Refuge ( Kebbe, 1958 ). Today this bird is stillknown as an Oregon nester from the same location.In June 1964, P. A. DuMont (personal communica-tion, 1968) and family watched a nesting pair onKlamath Forest National Wildlife Refuge. There is

also an isolated nesting record by R. Maben andJ. H. Hicks who found a pair with two young atHoward Lake 20 miles east of Ashland on June 23,1965 ( Baldridge and Crowell, 1965 ). Unpublishedrefuge narrative reports show approximately fivenesting pairs at Upper Klamath during the lastfew years. Apparently there has been little changein population numbers here for the past 10 years.There is no reason to believe that the status of thissubspecies as a nesting bird in Oregon will changeas long as suitable habitat exists in the Rocky Pointarea of Upper Klamath Lake and recreational pres-

15

V

sures do not become so great that human distur-bance goes beyond tolerable limits. This bird iswidely recorded in Oregon as a migrant.

2. HORNED GREBE (Podiceps auritus)The horned grebe breeds across North America

from the Arctic south to northern United States.It is known as a nesting species in Oregon onlyfrom the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge whereit was first found as a breeder in 1958 ( Marshall,1959; Kridler and Marshall, 1962 ). The number ofbreeding pairs on the Malheur National WildlifeRefuge the past few years has been approximately10 to 25 pairs. This extension southward of thehorned grebe's breeding range was unexpected.

3. AMERICAN COMMON EGRET ( Casmerodiusalbus egretta)

This bird nests at scattered locations through-out central and southern United States south intoSouth America. In Oregon, it nests on MalheurLake on the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, atCrump Lake in Warner Valley, and on UpperKlamath Lake. From 1942 or earlier, to the late1950's, and again in 1969, it nested south of Burnsin a willow grove in Harney Valley in the vicinity ofWright's Point, a short distance west of State High-way 205. In the past 10 years, the largest colony inthe state, in Malheur Lake, has ranged from 0 to600 nesting pairs. Malheur Lake usually has sev-eral colonies. The Warner Valley colony produced50 young in 1966 and about 120 in 1967 ( J. D.Wendler, personal communication, 1968 ). Thepresent status of a colony northeast of Paisley,Lake County, is unknown ( W. E. Griffee, personalcommunication, 1968 ). Egrets are highly suscepti-ble to poisoning from pesticides, as demonstratedby large losses in the Klamath Basin in 1963. Pro-tective measures should include keeping nestingcolonies free of disturbance and preventing con-tamination of the food supply which runs heavilyto fish and sometimes mice. Destruction of foragefish populations can be detrimental to this species.Individuals have wandered with increasing fre-quency to western Oregon in late summer with afew even wintering there.

4. BREWSTER'S SNOWY EGRET (Leucophoyx thulabrewsteri)

This egret breeds in Nevada, California, thesouthwestern states, and on the coast of Mexico.It nested in Oregon nearly 100 years ago on theLower Silvies River just north of Malheur Lake( Gabrielson and Jewett, 1940 ). It became reestab-

lished as a nesting species in Oregon in the 1950'swith the discovery of colonies in Malheur Lake( Marshall, 1959 ). Small numbers nest with othercolonial nesters on the island in Crump Lake. Mal-heur Lake is the most secure site because it is apart of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Thenesting population here in the past 10 years hasranged from none, when the lake became nearlydry in the early 1960's, to 200 pairs during morefavorable years. Crump Lake produced 103 youngin 1966 ( W. D. Carter, unpublished governmentmemorandum, 1968) and about 200 in 1967 (J. D.Wendler, personal communication, 1968). Protec-tion of the Crump Lake colony and continuedmaintenance of habitat in Malheur Lake appearnecessary to keep this bird as a breeding species inthese areas.

5. WESTERN LEAST BITTERN (Ixobrychus exilichesperis)

This bird nests from southern Oregon to cen-tral Baja California. In Oregon, it is found at Mal-heur Lake and possibly in the Klamath Basin. Onenesting record in the past 50 years has come toour attention. R. C. Erickson ( personal communi-cation, 1968) photographed an adult with eggs atMalheur Lake in 1942. At least five young wereraised. The writer, stationed on Malheur NationalWildlife Refuge for five years, saw this highly se-cretive species only four or five times.

6. WHITE-FACED IBIS (Plegadis chihi)This species nests from Oregon, Idaho, and

Utah through several southern states into Mexicoand South America. In Oregon, it nests only onMalheur Lake where numbers of nesters have prob-ably not exceeded 15 pairs per year in the past 20years. Protective measures required include themaintenance of Malheur Lake habitat in its pres-ent condition. Like the egrets and herons withwhich it nests, this species requires solitude andfreedom from disturbance for nesting which is car-ried out in heavy marsh vegetation.

7. RING-NECKED DUCK (Aythya collaris)The ring-necked duck breeds rather widely

across Canada, some of the northern states, andinto Arizona and Colorado. In Oregon, there wereno recent nesting records until 1963 when this duckwas found nesting on Trillium Lake, three milessouth of Government Camp in the Mt. Hood Na-tional Forest. A year later, it was found nesting onMalheur National Wildlife Refuge ( Marshall andDuebbert, 1965 ). Since that time, it has bred every

16

year on Trillium Lake and should be looked foron other lakes in the Cascades. Surprisingly, Tril-lium Lake receives heavy use by fishermen andrecreationists; yet this bird has become establishedthere.

8. LESSER SCAUP (Aythya affinis)This bird is widely distributed as a breeding

species across Canada and many of the northernstates. In Oregon, it has not been known as abreeding species until recent years. Bureau ofSport Fisheries and Wildlife files show that it nestsregularly on Malheur Lake and Upper KlamathLake; probably not over 100 breeding pairs are atMalheur.

9. BARROW'S GOLDENEYE (Bucephala islandica)This species is widely distributed as a breeding

bird across Canada and some of the northern states.In Oregon, it breeds sparingly on high Cascadeslakes in the central part of the state. Broods havealso been seen on East and Paulina lakes ( E. J.Parker and P. J. Bonn, personal communications,1968 ). Population numbers are unknown, but theymay not exceed 500 breeding pairs. The effect ofheavy recreational use of the high Cascades lakeson this species is not known.

10. BUFFLEHEAD ( Bucephala albeola)This bufflehead is widely distributed as a breed-

ing species in Alaska and Canada. In Oregon, itwas not known as a breeding species until recentyears. It was first found nesting by Evenden( 1947 ). It has been reported since by a number ofindividuals as nesting in high Cascades lakes ofcentral Oregon. W. L. Griffee (personal communi-cation, 1968) put up several nest boxes in the TwinLake area, Deschutes National Forest. A friend re-ported that they were used. Population numbersare unknown, but the number of nesting pairsmay not exceed 100. Again, the effect of recrea-tional use on this species is unknown.

11. BLACK-NECKED STILT ( Himantopus mexi-canus)

This bird nests from southern Oregon, Utah,Colorado, Louisiana, and Florida southward intoSouth America. Up to 50 pairs nest on the MalheurNational Wildlife Refuge and 20 pairs on the Sum-mer Lake Waterfowl Management Area. Possiblyas many as 10 pairs nest south of Klamath Falls atthe head of a sewage lagoon ( C. E. Kebbe, per-sonal communication, 1968). In the west, this birdrequires shallow, alkaline marshes with sparse

vegetation. Such habitat exists at only a few locali-ties in Oregon.

12. FRANKLIN'S GULL ( Larus pipixcan)Franklin's gull nests at widely scattered locali-

ties from southeastern Alberta east to southwesternManitoba and south through western Minnesota,northwestern Iowa, and the Dakotas to the BearRiver Migratory Bird Refuge, Utah, and the Mal-heur National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon. It wasfirst found in Oregon in 1942 when R. C. Ericksonlocated a nesting colony of 60 to 80 pairs in Mal-heur Lake ( Jewett, 1949, and R. C. Erickson, per-sonal communication, 1968 ). This is the only sitein the state where this bird nests. About 100 pairswere estimated to be present in 1966.

13. EASTERN PHOEBE ( Sayornis phoebe)This species nests throughout the eastern two-

thirds of North America from southern Canadasouth to most southern states. Normal nestingrange in the west has been to northeastern BritishColumbia east to South Dakota and south througheastern Colorado and New Mexico. Thus, the re-ports of J. H. Hicks, et al. ( Crowell and Nehls,1966 and 1967) from the Rogue River and Ashlandareas are surprising. Although Hicks reports thatthey migrate through the Rogue River Valley eachyear, no nests were seen until July 31, 1967, whenone was found at Pilot Rock south of Ashland byHicks and Otis Swisher (J. H. Hicks, personal com-munication, 1968 ). It is hoped that a specimen orphotograph can be taken to make the status ofthis bird as an Oregon species acceptable to all.

14. BLACK PHOEBE (Sayornis nigricans semiatra)The black phoebe is resident from California,

southern Nevada, southwestern Utah, central Ari-zona, and Texas south into Mexico. In Oregon, ter-ritorial pairs were found near Ruch on ApplegateRiver, Jackson County, by J. H. Hicks and othersfrom May to July 1963 ( Boggs and Boggs, 1963 ).Hicks, et al., found nestlings at same location in1964 and 1965 ( Boggs and Boggs, 1964; Baldridgeand Crowell, 1965 ). Rev. T. McCamant ( personalcommunication, 1968) reports he first found thesebirds nesting in 1959 under the Forest Creekbridge near Ruch. Nesting in the Medford areaoccurred in 1968 ( Crowell and Nehls, 1968 ).

15. WESTERN MOCKINGBIRD (Minus polyglottosleucopterus)

This species breeds throughout much of thewestern United States from central western Cali-

17

fornia, northern Utah, southeastern Wyomingsouthward. The fifth edition of the A.O.U. Check-List ( American Ornithologists' Union, 1957) liststhe mockingbird as a breeding species from SteensMountain. Gabrielson and Jewett ( 1940 ) concludethat it must be a permanent resident in small num-bers in the Steens Mountain; however, the writerhas not come across any actual breeding records.Sight records from the Steens Mountain area havebeen reported by J. C. Scharff and others in recentyears. Individuals are occasionally seen throughoutthe state as wanderers.

16. CATBIRD ( Dumetella carolinensis)The catbird breeds across the greater part of

Canada and the United States. In Oregon, thereare infrequent records of catbirds throughout Wal-lowa County south to Malheur and Harney coun-ties. Breeding was recorded in 1942 on the MalheurNational Wildlife Refuge by C. C. Sooter ( 1943 )and by W. Batterson in about 1940 near Baker ( C.E. Kebbe, personal communication, 1968 ). Mrs. G.Ward (personal communication, 1968) has sightrecords for Baker of adults during nesting seasonand of an adult feeding two young on July 23,1959.

17. WILLOW VEERY (Hylocichla fuscescens salici-cola)

The willow veery breeds across southwesternCanada down through the Rocky Mountains andparts of Idaho, Nevada, and Arizona; it also ex-tends into Minnesota, Illinois, and Indiana. InOregon, it has been taken near Burns, Enterprise,and Hart Mountain during nesting season ( Gabriel-son and Jewett, 1940 ). It was seen and heard nearRogue River, Jackson County, in June 1964 (Boggsand Boggs, 1964 ). However, there were apparentlyno actual nesting records until June 21, 1959, whenMrs. G. Ward observed a nest with eggs at Baker.She has sight records of singing adults from May 22through July 21 for the same area ( Mrs. G. Ward,personal communication, 1968 ). J. G. Strauch ob-served a nest with young on July 9, 1965, at Baker;he reported adults 25 miles east of Prineville alongOchoco Creek ( Rogers, 1965 ).

18. WESTERN BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER (Poliop-tila caerulea amoenissima)

This species breeds from southwestern Oregoninto the northern Sacramento Valley, central Ne-vada, and southern Utah and Colorado south intonorthern Mexico. This bird has only recently ex-tended its range into Jackson County and, to the

writer's knowledge, the only breeding records arenests and young found by J. H. Hicks in the Ash-land-Medford area from 1961 through 1968 ( Boggsand Boggs, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964; Baldridge andCrowell 1965; Crowell and Nehls, 1966, 1967, 1968;and J. H. Hicks, personal communication, 1968).Rev. T. McCamant saw this species near Roxy AnnButte out of Medford as early as 1957. On May 30,1968, J. H. Hicks and party found 12 gnatcatchersand 2 nests in the same area ( T. McCamant, per-sonal communication, 1968 ).

19. WESTERN WATER PIPIT (Anthus spinolettapacificus)

The western water pipit breeds from Alaskathrough British Columbia into the Wallowa Moun-tains of Oregon where it was found nesting in July1923 by Gabrielson and Jewett ( 1940 ). They sug-gested that this bird may breed in the high Cas-cades or on Steens Mountain, but no actual nestinghas been found.

20. BOHEMIAN WAXWING ( Bombycilla garrulapallidiceps)

This bird nests from Alaska and northwesternCanada south to central Washington, northernIdaho, and northwestern Montana. In Oregon,there is one breeding record at Gearhart, ClatsopCounty ( Griffee, 1960 ). This waxwing normallyoccurs in Oregon as a sporadic migrant.

21. NORTHERN AMERICAN REDSTART (Setophagaruticilla tricolora)

This species breeds over a great part of NorthAmerica, from southeastern Alaska across Canadaand south into Colorado. In Oregon, it is a summerresident of the Blue Mountains area. Nesting insmall numbers was reported by Mrs. G. Ward fromthe Baker area in 1958 ( Rogers, 1958 ). She hassince reported two pairs on June 5, 1958, and amale feeding young on July 4, 1958. Adults wereseen in 1959 and 1960. The area of use was subse-quently disturbed by a land development ( Mrs. G.Ward, personal communication, 1968 ).

22. BOBOLINK ( Dolichonyx oryzivorus)The bobolink breeds across much of southern

Canada and a great part of the United States. InOregon, according to Gabrielson and Jewett (1940),it is a comparatively rare nester in valleys about thebase of the Blue Mountains and southward intoMalheur and Harney counties. C. E. Kebbe (per-sonal communication, 1968) saw about 10 in thebreeding season in a meadow 5 miles north of

18

Baker. In the same area, Mrs. G. Ward ( personalcommunication, 1968) observed singing malesduring May and June in 1961, 1962, and 1963. W.R. Humphreys ( personal communication, 1968 )saw a pair in the same vicinity on May 30, 1968.V. L. Coggins ( personal communication, 1968) ob-served three or four near Enterprise in July 1967.The author observed several pairs on the MalheurNational Wildlife Refuge from 1956 through 1960,and R. C. Erickson ( personal communication,1968) estimates the P-Ranch and Sod House Ranchsections of the refuge had at least 25 pairs per yearin the early 1950's. The writer has observed bobo-links near Unity, Baker County, on June 10, 1946,and at Wildhorse Creek on the east side of Steens

Mountain in 1956. The status of the bobolink inOregon appears to have changed little since the1930's.

23. TRICOLORED BLACKBIRD (Agelaius tricolor)This blackbird breeds from southern Oregon on

both sides of the Cascades south through Cali-fornia to northwestern Baja California. In Oregon,there are several colonies in the Klamath Basin andJackson County area. Richardson ( 1961 ), Bald-ridge and Crowell ( 1965 ), and Boggs and Boggs( 1963 ) report nesting colonies at various sites inJackson County with individual colonies rangingup to several hundred birds. Large colonies con-tinue to exist in Jackson County today ( J. H. Hicks,personal communication, 1968 ).

Oregon Status-Undetermined Birds Not on the National List

1. SIERRA BLUE GROUSE (Dendragapus obscurussierrae)

This bird is found from central Washington intoCalifornia and Nevada. In Oregon, it is found inthe extreme south-central part of the state. Statusor population numbers are unknown. This subspe-cies should not be confused with other races of theblue grouse found in Oregon.

2. YELLOW BAIL (Coturnicops noveboracensisnoveboracensis)

The yellow rail has been recorded locally fromMackenzie, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, NewBrunswick, and Maine south to California, Ari-zona, the southeastern states, and into Mexico. Thenest photographed at Aspen Lake, KlamathCounty, on May 23, 1926, constitutes the onlybreeding record for Oregon ( Griffee, 1944 ). Thisappears to have been a rather isolated case, but thepossibility remains that this species may still nestin Oregon.

3. UPLAND PLOVER (Bartramia longicauda)The upland plover breeds from Alaska through

much of eastern Canada and the eastern states intoTexas as well as southward into Oregon where, ac-cording to Gabrielson and Jewett ( 1940 ), it is avery rare summer resident in a few mountain val-leys of eastern Oregon. There are early-day recordsfrom Fort Klamath and Harney Valley, along withrecords in the 1930's of birds taken in Crook, Uma-tilla, and Grant counties. Gabrielson and Jewett

( 1940 ) reported it to be a rare summer resident inthe vicinity of Ukiah, Umatilla County, and Bearand Logan valleys, Grant County. The author is notaware of any evidence of this species nesting inOregon since the 1930's. He checked the Ukiaharea in early June 1968, and Logan Valley in earlyJune 1969, without finding a trace of this birdwhich may no longer nest in Oregon. However,Bear and Logan valleys should be checked thor-oughly during the nesting season. J. G. Olson andJ. B. Crowell observed a pair in the sagebrush be-tween the Sod House School and State Highway205, Harney County, on May 31, 1964 ( J. B. Crow-ell, personal communication, 1968 ). This is one oftwo recent records. Upland plovers are conspic-uous during nesting season, and the site mentionedabove is traveled by qualified observers as much asany site in the state. If this pair had been morethan passing through, surely others would haveseen it. Another single bird was reported ( Rogers,1968) without details or substantiating data fromSilvies, Grant County, on June 26, 1968, by TerryWahl.

4. AMERICAN MARBLED MURRELET (Brachyram-phus marmoratum marmoratum)

This murrelet nests along the coast from south-eastern Alaska to northwestern California. Its sta-tus as a breeding bird in Oregon is based on fe-males taken carrying eggs and young taken or seenwhich were still unable to fly. Nests have never

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been found. Outside of the meager material inGabrielson and Jewett ( 1940 ) and young seen nearthe mouth of Tillamook Bay by H. B. Nehls ( per-sonal communication, 1968) on several differentoccasions, the last one on August 27, 1967, no in-formation seems to be available on this bird.

5. RHINOCEROS AUKLET ( Cerorhinca monocerata)This bird nests from Siberia and Alaska south

to Korea and the Farallon Islands, California. It isnot known to nest in Oregon, but a bird found dig-ging a burrow and a specimen in breeding plumagefound dead at Goat Island, Oregon Islands Na-tional Wildlife Refuge ( Browning and English,1968) strongly indicate that breeding occurs.

6. MIGRATORY ALLEN'S HUMMINGBIRD ( Selas-phorus sasin)

This hummingbird breeds from Curry County,Oregon, south along the coast to Ventura County,California. The above distribution statement isbased on the A.O.U. Check-List and Gabrielsonand Jewett ( 1940 ). However, the author has notbeen able to locate any actual nesting records. Thestatus of this bird as a breeding species in Oregonis apparently based on two specimens taken andtwo more which were shot but unretrieved duringthe nesting season. Obviously, additional fieldwork is needed to ascertain the real status of thisbird in Oregon.

7. CALIFORNIA YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO ( Coccyzusamericanus occidentalis)

This cuckoo nests from southwestern BritishColumbia to western Washington and south toBaja California and Mexico. In Oregon, it may nolonger be a breeding species. The only breedingrecords noted by Gabrielson and Jewett ( 1940 )are from Bendire who tells of a nest along theSnake River in 1876 and Prill who found a nest atSweet Home in 1891. Gabrielson and Jewett, how-ever, also note the presence of cuckoos probably aslate as the 1930's in the Columbia and Willametteriver bottoms. There is a sight record in the au-thor's notes by W. H. Telfer for July 27, 1940, nearPortland along the Columbia River. Most of thisarea is now industrialized. The last recorded oc-currence of this species in Oregon was at LaGrande on November 28, 1943 ( Quaintance, 1944 ).

8. CALIFORNIA SCREECH OWL ( Otus asio bendirei)This species is a permanent resident and nester

from south-central Oregon south to Monterey Bayand the edges of the Sacramento and San Joaquin

valleys. In Oregon, it is found only in southernKlamath, Jackson, Josephine, and Curry counties.This bird may be rare in the area concerned in Ore-gon. Other subspecies of this owl are found else-where in the state in substantial numbers.

9. FLAMMULATED OWL ( Otus flammeolus)The flammulated owl breeds from southern

British Columbia and northern Colorado souththrough mountainous areas to southern California,Texas, and Mexico. In Oregon, it is a very rareresident of the eastern part where it presumablynests, although there are no nesting records.

10. CALIFORNIA PYGMY OWL ( Glaucidium gnomacalifornicum)

This owl is found in British Columbia and Al-berta south through the Cascade Mountain andBlue Mountain ranges as well as in the Great Basinand Rocky Mountain ranges to Arizona and north-ern Coahuila, Mexico. In Oregon, it is a permanentresident of the Cascades and the forested parts ofKlamath and Lake counties, as well as of the RogueRiver Valley. It intermingles with the coast pygmyowl ( G. g. grennelli) in the Umpqua and Willam-ette valleys.

11. DUSKY POOR-WILL (Phalaenoptilus nuttalliicalifornicus)

The dusky poor-will occurs during nesting sea-son from the Rogue River Valley, Oregon, south tosouthern California and northwestern Baja Cali-fornia. In Oregon, the first record was a singlespecimen taken at Brownsboro, Jackson County, onJune 21, 1929 ( Gabrielson and Jewett, 1940 ). Sincethat time, it has been reported by J. H. Hicks atMedford and near Shady Cove on the Rogue River,Jackson County, in July 1961 ( Boggs and Boggs,1961) and by J. Olson near Medford on June 19,1963 ( Boggs and Boggs, 1963 ). No nests have beenfound in Oregon. The Nuttall's poor-will (P. n.nuttallii) found in eastern Oregon is more wide-spread in the state.

12. NORTHERN PURPLE MARTIN (Progne subissubis)

This bird breeds along the coast from south-western British Columbia south to the Mexicanboundary, east of the Rockies from northeasternBritish Columbia east to New Brunswick and NovaScotia south to eastern Idaho, north-central Utah,central Arizona, Texas, the Gulf of Mexico, andsouthern Florida. In Oregon, it is found west ofthe Cascades and in Klamath and Lake counties.

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This species was not listed in the first draft of thisreport; however, it appears in this final version atthe suggestion of several observers who com-mented on the scarcity of martins in Oregon thepast several years. The bird was never common inOregon, and several former nesting colonies havebeen abandoned. No reports were received of anyexisting colonies, but the late listing of this birdprobably prohibited comments from all whomight know of some still active nest sites. It hasbeen suggested that the movement of the starling(Sturnus vulgaris) into the state has evicted mar-tins from their nesting holes. However, moderntimber management practices which include re-moval of old snags and suppression of fires arelikely to be even more responsible. Martins areseen with fair frequency as migrants in Oregon.

13. NEVADA SCRUB JAY (Aphelocoma coerules-cens nevadae)

This jay is resident from southeastern Oregon( ? ), southern Idaho, and western Utah south tosoutheastern California, southeastern Arizona, andnorthern Mexico. In Oregon, it was reportedby Bendire on southern Steens Mountain in 1877and collected by Gabrielson and Jewett on August8, 1921, at Wildhorse Creek near Andrews in Har-ney County ( Gabrielson and Jewett, 1940 ). No ac-tual breeding records are available for the state;however, it is not normally a migratory species andmight possibly breed or still occur in the southernpart of Steens Mountain. This and the jay de-scribed below represent two of the four subspeciesor geographical races of scrub jays found in Ore-gon. They are considered to be separate from theOregon scrub jay ( A. c. immanis) found in the val-leys between the Coast Range and the Cascadesand the interior scrub jay ( A. c. superciliosa) ofsouth-central Oregon.

14. NICASIO SCRUB JAY (Aphelocoma coerulescensoocleptica)

This scrub jay is resident from extreme south-western Oregon along the coast to Mt. Diablo inCalifornia. In Oregon, according to Gabrielson andJewett ( 1940 ), it is an uncommon permanent resi-dent along the coast of Curry County where thereare small permanent colonies at Brookings andPistol River. No recent information has been re-ceived.

15. WARNER VALLEY TITMOUSE (Parus inornatuszaleptus)

This titmouse is resident from Warner Valley,Oregon, south to central-eastern California andwest-central Nevada. In Oregon, it has been re-ported in the past for Warner Valley in extremesouthern Lake County. Specimens were also takenby S. G. Jewett in Blitzen Gorge, Steens Mountain,Harney County, in 1936. There are no recent rec-ords in either Warner Valley or Steens Mountain,to the author's knowledge.

16. WARNER VALLEY BEWICK'S WREN (Thryo-manes bewickii atrestus)

This wren is resident in south-central Oregon,northeastern California, and west-central Nevada. VIn Oregon, according to Gabrielson and Jewett( 1940 ), it is found in the vicinity of Klamath Fallsand also locally common in Warner Valley. Norecent information has been found.

17. CALIFORNIA HUTTON'S VIREO (Vireo huttonihuttoni)

This bird is distributed along the Pacific Coastfrom southern British Columbia to lower Califor-nia. Gabrielson and Jewett ( 1940 ) described thisbird as a regular, but not common, resident of thewestern part of the state. They listed only two nest-ing records. A set of four eggs was collected atLake Oswego years ago by W. E. Griffee (personalcommunication, 1968 ). A recent nest was found by0. and M. Swisher and J. H. Hicks near Medfordon July 8, 1965 ( Baldridge and Crowell, 1965 ).This bird should probably be considered rare asfield observers record it infrequently at any timeof the year.

18. ROCKY MOUNTAIN PINE GROSBEAK (Pinicolaenucleator montana)

This species breeds from central British Co-lumbia and southwestern Alberta south throughthe northern Cascades and Rocky Mountains toUtah and Arizona and New Mexico. In Oregon, itmay breed in the Wallowa Mountains. There areno actual nesting records, but this species' oc-casional occurrence in the Wallowas during nestingseason indicates that breeding occurs in Oregon.

19. BLACK ROSY FINCH (Leucosticte atrata)The black rosy finch breeds in the high moun-

tains of Montana, central Idaho, western Wyo-ming, northern Nevada, and northern Utah. It

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probably breeds on Steens Mountain. F. Zeilla-maker reported two there on June 19, 1966 ( Scott,1966), as did Rev. T. McCamant in 1968 ( per-sonal communication, 1968). The author observedrosy finches in summer several times between 1955and 1960 along the crest of Steens Mountain, buthe was not able to positively identify the species.The black rosy finch is the most logical rosy finchspecies for this area. Additional work, includingspecimens, is needed to determine the status of therosy finches on Steens Mountain.

20. WESTERN GRASSHOPPER SPARROW ( Ammo-dramus savannarum perpallidus)

This sparrow breeds from northwestern Cali-fornia, eastern Washington, southeastern BritishColumbia, eastward to western Ontario and southto southwestern California and the southwesternstates. It appears on this list solely on the basis ofJ. H. Hicks' observation from Medford, reported byBoggs and Boggs ( 1963:480 ) as follows: "Seenmaking repeated trips carrying insects, June 26;no nest was found. On August 15, two immature

birds were discovered." This occurrence was alsoseen by F. Sturges ( J. H. Hicks, personal communi-cation, 1968). There are sight records for the stateand a specimen taken in Baker County on June 22,1916 ( Gabrielson and Jewett, 1940 ), but they donot necessarily denote nesting. This is a rather in-conspicuous species which could be more commonin Oregon than indicated.

21. DESERT BLACK-THROATED SPARROW (Amphi-spiza bilineata deserticola)

This bird breeds from northeastern California,northern Nevada, Utah, and Colorado south intoMexico. In Oregon, there are still no positive nest-ing records. However, it appears it will only be amatter of time until a nest is found. This bird isappearing with increasing frequency in the desertareas east of Steens Mountain during June in habi-tat similar to northern Nevada. Brown ( 1960 ) ob-served this species with K. L. McLeod in late Mayand early June, 1959, north of Klamath Falls. Thisobservation included what appeared to be thegathering of nesting material.

LITERATURE CITED

American Ornithologists' Union. 1957. The A.O.U. Check-Listof North American Birds. American Ornithologists' Union.

Baldridge, A., and J. B. Crowell. 1965. Audubon Field Notes,19(5):571, 573.

Boggs, B., and E. Boggs1961. Audubon Field Notes, 15(5):488.1962. Audubon Field Notes, 16(5):501.1963. Audubon Field Notes, 17(5):478-480.1964. Audubon Field Notes, 18(5):531-532.

Brown, R. M. 1960. Black-throated sparrows in south-centralOregon. Condor, 62(3):220-221.

Browning, M. R., and W. English. 1968. A breeding colony ofCassin's auklet and possible breeding of the rhinoceros aukieton Goat Island, southwestern Oregon. Condor, 70(1):88.

Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife. Committee on Rare andEndangered Species. 1968. Rare and endangered wildlife ofthe United States. Bureau of Sport Fisheries and WildlifeResource Publication 34.

Crowell, J. B., and H. B. Nehls.1966. Audubon Field Notes, 20(5):592, 594.1967. Audubon Field Notes, 21(5):599.1968. Audubon Field Notes, 22(5):641, 642.

Evenden, F. G. Jr. 1947. The bufflehead nesting in Oregon.Condor, 49(4):169.

Farner, D. S. 1952. The Birds of Crater Lake National Park.University of Kansas Press, Lawrence.

Gabrielson, I. N., and S. G. Jewett. 1940. Birds of Oregon. Ore-gon State College, Corvallis.

Griffee, W. E.1944. First Oregon nest of yellow rail. Murrelet, 25(2):29.1960. Bohemian waxwing nesting in Oregon. Murrelet,

41(3):44.Grinnell, J., and A. H. Miller, 1944. The Distribution of the

Birds of California. Pacific Coast Avifauna. Cooper Ornithol-ogists' Club, Berkeley.

Jewett, S. G. 1949. The Franklin's gull in Oregon. Condor, 51(4):189-190.

Jewett, S. G., W. P. Taylor, W. T. Shaw, and J. W. Aldrich.1953. Birds of Washington State. University of WashingtonPress, Seattle.

Kebbe, C. E. 1958. Nesting records of the red-necked grebe inOregon. Murrelet, 39(1):14.

Kridler, E., and D. B. Marshall. 1962. Additional bird recordsfrom southeastern Oregon. Condor, 64(2):162-164.

Littlefield, C. D. 1968. Breeding biology of the greater sandhillcrane on Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. M. S. thesis.Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado.

Marshall, D. B. 1959. New bird records from southeastern Ore-gon. Condor, 61(1):53-56.

Marshall, D. B., and H. F. Duebbert. 1965. Nesting of the ring-necked duck in Oregon in 1963 and 1964. Murrelet, 46(3):43.

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Quaintance, C. W. 1944. California cuckoo collected in easternOregon. Condor, 46(2):89-90.

Richardson, C. 1961. Tricolored blackbirds nesting in JacksonCounty, Oregon. Condor, 63(6):507-508.

Rogers, T. H.1958. Audubon Field Notes, 12(5):429-430.1959. Audubon Field Notes, 13(5):444.1964. Audubon Field Notes, 18(5):524.1965. Audubon Field Notes, 19(5):566.1966. Audubon Field Notes, 20(5):586.1967. Audubon Field Notes, 21(5):588.1968. Audubon Field Notes, 22(5):630.

Scott, 0. K. 1966. Audubon Field Notes, 20(5):589.Sooter, C. A. 1943. Catbirds nesting on the Malheur Refuge in

southeastern Oregon. Condor, 45(6):234.White, C. M. 1968. Diagnosis and relationships of the North

American tundra-inhabiting peregrine falcons. Auk, 85(2):179-191.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: This publication would not be completewithout a statement on the techniques used to gather the in-formation. As a beginning, Gabrielson and Jewett's classic, Birdsof Oregon (1940), was reviewed. Subsequent material on Ore-gon birds which appeared in The Auk, The Condor, and TheMurrelet was checked. The breeding bird issues of AudubonField Notes from 1958 through 1967 were combed for addi-tional material. Based on the literature described above and myown knowledge and field notes, a draft of this report was pre-pared. The birds were placed in various state-status categoriesaccording to my own judgment. Fifty copies of the draft weremailed to active field workers throughout the state. Many ofthese are professional wildlife biologists with federal andstate agencies, while others are competent amateur ornitholo-gists. Comments were received from nearly 40 of these people,representing every corner of the state. Their contributions addedmuch material to the original draft and resulted in revision ofsome of my original thinking with respect to the status of variousspecies. Thus, I am indebted to many individuals whose cooper-ation made this report possible.

Dr. Thomas G. Scott, Head of the Department of Fisheriesand Wildlife, Oregon State University, asked me to undertakethis project and gave the manuscript a critical review.

Various co-workers in the Bureau of Sport Fisheries andWildlife assisted by directing the draft to helpful individualsunder their respective divisions and provided editorial commentsand addtional observations. Foremost among these were Dr.John W. Aldrich, U. S. National Museum, Washington, D. C.;

Dr. Ray C. Erickson, former biologist, Malheur National WildlifeRefuge, now director of Endangered Wildlife Research, Laurel,Maryland; and Philip A. DuMont, Division of Wildlife Refuges,Washington, D. C. Other Bureau contributors include ClintonH. Lostetter, Thomas Garratt, and Willard Nelson of Portland;John D. Wendler of Lakeview; Jay S. Gashwiler of Bend; andJohn C. Scharff and Eldon L. McLaury, Malheur National Wild-life Refuge, Burns.

C. E. Kebbe of the Oregon State Game Commission, Port-land, provided a number of observations and coordinated com-ments of Game Commission field workers throughout the state,including Victor L. Coggins of Enterprise; William R. Hum-phreys of Baker; and Paul J. Bonn of Bend.

Ira D. Luman of the Bureau of Land Management, Port-land, coordinated observations of the following personnel fromhis agency: Donald Z. Robins and Ed Roberts of Prineville;Robert C. Mitchell of Burns; Robert R. Kindschy of Vale; andWilliam A. Neitro of Medford.

Contributors from the U. S. Forest Service were RaymondM. West of Portland; Alvin D. Mills of Corvallis; and Milton J.Griffith of Bend.

Probably more responsible for the observations includedherein than professional biologists in the agencies was a smallarmy of amateur but no less qualified ornithologists. Those de-serving special mention include Alan Baldridge, formerly ofPortland and regional editor of Audubon Field Notes, and nowof Monterey, California, who not only provided observationsbut was a great guide in selecting birds to be covered. John B.Crowell of Portland, regional editor of Audubon Field Notes,provided valuable editorial assistance and numerous observa-tions. General Joseph H. Hicks of Medford was a major con-tributor of new material from southwestern Oregon, and Mrs.Gaylord Ward of Baker sent many pages of material from herarea.

Other contributions were received from W. E. Griffee ofWaynesboro, Mississippi, formerly of Portland; Edgar J. Parkerof Bend, formerly on the staff of the Deschutes National Forest;Fred G. Evenden, formerly of Corvallis, now executive secretaryof the Wildlife Society, Washington, D. C.; James L. O'Dona-hue of Klamath Falls; Mrs. Gilbert F. Staender of Lake Oswego;Harry B. Nehls of Portland; Rev. Thomas McCamant of Salem;John Knox of Prineville; William C. Thackaberry of Lebanon;Ira N. Gabrielson, formerly of Portland, senior author of Birdsof Oregon, and now of Washington, D. C.; James 0. Andersonof Beaverton; John Adair of Corvallis; and George G. Merrickof Bend.

The undertaking of this project by this author would not havebeen possible without the cooperation of the Portland wildliferefuge office of the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife.Particular thanks are due to Mrs. Carolyn Ensign and Mrs. JoyceWhiddon who undertook the typing and checking of severaldrafts and associated correspondence which led to this report.

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