The little beach extends laterally to meet the sedge and horse-
tail marsh on either side of the creek mouth. Maxan Creek runs
cleanly over a gravelly bed, its average width of 10 feet expanded
at intervals into wider pools. It has numerous backwaters that in
late summer dry out except for isolated pools

Salmon ascend the Bulkley River to Bulkley Lake and beyond to
Maxan Lake, but none had arrived at the time of my visit.

Few ducks nest in or frequent the region. Two mallard were
flushed a number of times from the marshes, from Maxan Creek and
_ from a backwater pool of the Bulkley River. In the latter place
a green-winged teal, that acted as though she had a brood, was ob-
served, and four eclipse males of this species visited the beach
on one occasion. These and a brood of Barrow golden-eye that
lived in the river were the only ducks seen. The west end of the
lake is reported to be an important resting place for transient
waterfowl in spring. Swans and geese are mentioned as being
plentiful, the latter and large flocks of sandhill cranes are
said to feed on the fields of the Clarke Ranch

A small number of transient waders visited the beach at the
outlet of Maxan Creek, the species being semipalmated plover,
killdeer, least sandpiper, semipalmated sandpiper and lesser
yellowlegs.

Small land birds were abundant Hairy woodpecker, downy wood-
pecker, black-capped chickadee, Audubon warbler and Oregon junco
represented the species most frequently seen in the aspen woods
while in the meadow thickets those present in the largest numbers
were: alder flycatcher, ruby~crowned kinglet, redstart, yellow
throat, Macgillivray warbler, olive-backed thrush, pine siskin,
chipping sparrow, purple finch, Lincoln sparrow and song sparrow.
Brewer blackbirds in flocks, and American robins, pursued grass-—
hoppers in the fields. A large migration of cliff swallows and
barn swallows, accompanied by a few bank swallows, was in progress
and these lined the telegraph wires

Bulkley Valley Region

The valley of the Bulkley River northwest of Bulkley Lake
broadens to wide flats in which willow swamps and meadows are pro-
minent. Some of the side hills above are cultivated, others
grassland and at many places aspen forest marches far up the
mountain slope to merge with, and finally to be succeeded by,

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