May 12, 1944 - Mtn. Home Reservoir Cu & Ci and Cc sc. and hi-sc. 8 to 11 a.m. El5 American Raven Killdeer Yellow Warbler Western Crow Meadowlark House Finch Western Tanager - 3 m and 2f, in locust trees in cemetery NE of town. And were those males beautiful ! One of them gave call not unlike that of a robin, but weaker. All gave the familiar "pittock" call. Western Lark Sparrow - adult male perched on sagebrush 10' from me for quite a while, all the time uttering a rather pretty song, but interrupting it with guttural "churrs" or "buzz". The breast appears almost white and with a black spot in the very center. The tail seems rounded out and is white edged near the rounded corners. Head is chestnut-colored, with white stripe through center of crown and with white stripe through each eye and with a white line angled below the cheek patch. A pair of black marks on the side of the throat. Western Grebes- Saw 2 pair of them. One pair were evidently courtying, as they were doing a lot of "neck bobbing". They gave very high rasping squeek notes. Eared Grebes- there were perhaps 30 or 40 (total) on the reservoir this a.m. None were present 5 days before. $4\frac{1}{2}/2.$ Wilson Phalarope - Saw 20 or 30 feeding on the damp edge, or wading into the reservoir. Birds seemed mostly white on belly, and with white down back of neck, bordered by black, and this fused into reddish-brown, on side and front of neck and shoulders. They kept giving deep guttural notes. Back was dark in comparison to underparts. No wing stripe. Some were still in winter plumage. Saw one female chase another female away from a male. Then they hand, from flight, they extend their wings vertically over their back. 4 Black-necked stilts were wading in the shallow water about up to their ankles. These are the first I have even seen. They give a "yap ! yap !" call. White below, black above. White face with black around the eye and on the crown. Legs are a reddish pink. Very long. They drag them behind on the takeoff and hold them out behind in flight. Throw them forward like a heron when landing. I was within 25' of them. Saw another shorebird, nearby with them. It was slightly smaller. Generally brownish with grayish head, and darker wings, no stripe in the wings. Black bill, quite long, breast and belly seemed to be finely barred or speckled. May have white line over the eye. About 12-14" long. Mallard Balapate Coot 2 male and a female:Cinnamon Teal Pintail Green-wing Teal Redheads Gulls, unidentified. Northern Phalaropes, 12 of them, out in deeper water, swimming around. Real jitter- bugs ! gray head with reddish-brown on the sides. White-rumped Shrike nest is still about the same, but is now lined with sheeps wool. Cavity is 3" in diameter, and 2\frac{1}{2}" deep. Marsh Hawk male Sparrow Hawks. Black-billed Magpie nests. Saw one adult lacking all tail feathers. molting? Nest A: has 6 young in the "black-skin" stage. Nest B: 0 eggs - a pair of shrikes were hanging around it, and may be going to take it over. Nest C: 7 young, feathering out. Head partially covered. Primaries 1"long. Nest D: Has 2 eggs and 1 young (just hatched). It looked dead and it may be the nest is deserted. One egg is missing since last time. May be moved to nest F. Nest E: 1 egg, 4 young, just out about 3 days. Nest F: 3 eggs (1 egg, 0 eggs 5 days ago ) Nest I: Head completely feathered, back feathered, but bare under wings. Ears partially covered. Part of breast is covered. Primaries are 2\frac{1}{2}" long. Tail rectrices 3/4" long, eyes are clear and open. Feet are still uncon- trollable, with the toes curled over each other. Scales developed. Leg bones seem large and awkward, being over 6" long ?, extended. The bill is growing rapidly. The belly is still very large and out of proportion, soft, and not yet feathered. I took one young out of the nest to make these notes and the parents stayed in a bush beside my head, scolding all the time. When I sat down with the chick, they lit on the ground and hop-