Transcribing the field notes of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology

Collector: Grinnell - 1925 Location: Mineral Date: June 23 Page Number: 2493

Mt. Chickadee (2); Western Tanager (5); Fox Sparrow (2); Chipping Sparrow (18); Hermit Warbler (3); Tolmie Warbler (1); Calaveras Warbler (1); Warbling Vireo (8); Calif. Purple Finch (4); Wood Pewee (13); Lazuli Bunting (3) Pileated Warbler (1); Spotted Sandpiper (2, along sparsely pebbled margins of creek); Traill Flycatcher (1); Yellow Warbler (2); Robin (29+, one seen carrying mud up to nest 50 feet above and on lowermost branch of huge yellow pine); Cassin Vireo (1); Audubon Warbler (7); Blue-fronted Jay (1); Turkey Vulture (2, one circling above vicinity of store (?), and one above woods at this end of the meadow) Brewer Blackbird (1, [female symbol] bathing and preening, as if just off nest); Pine Siskin (1); Ruby-crowned Kinglet (2); Canada Nuthatch (1); Crossbill (1, loud "chup" note heard from tips of yellow pine, given persistently, until bird flew, and also then); Killdeer (2); Meadowlark (2); Sierra Creeper (1); Western Bluebird (2); Western Lark Sparrow (1, [male symbol] singing volubly from well up in yellow pine at edge of meadow); Wright Flycatcher (2); Olive-sided Flycatcher (1); Solitaire (1); Pygmy Nuthatch (2, in different places, in upper parts of large yellow pines); White-headed Woodpecker (2); Modoc Hairy Woodpecker (2); Red-winged Blackbird (1+, heard from willows along stream, far out in meadows); Cassin Purple Finch (2, mating pair).

Total, for 1 1/2 hrs., 8:15-9:45: 38 species, 133 individuals.

1 p.m. Still at west end of Battle Creek Meadows. Have heard a Black-headed Grosbeak singing, and a Red-shafted Flicker. Just saw a Black-tailed Jack Rabbit (Lepus c. californicus) lope up the hill thru the snow bushes, from

Collector: Grinnell - 1925 Location: Mineral Date: June 30 Page Number: 2512

the days of the Yosemite Survey! Probably part of the "Tolmie" warblers I censused on June 17, by voice, were really Calaveras, as I now know the precincts of several over the same route (in addition to some Tolmies). The Calaveras Warbler occurs regular up the dry, rather open woods (Transition) of the Martin Creek ridge (along lower part of Viola Traill towards Brokeoff, up to about the 6000 foot contour; beyond that only scatteringly; and the one I shot, well within the Canadian, was the highest noted. This species is almost sure to be noted in the vicinity of the black oaks which occur scatteringly up that sunny ridge, among pines and white firs, or mid chaparral, up to 6000 ft. thus pretty consistently transitional.

July 1 A male California Purple Finch has gotten the habit of visiting camp daily. Several times some days it comes to the ground about our fire-place and eating table, hops around, and picks up particles, the larger of which seem to be flakes of "H O". Today a shyer [female symbol] came, alone. While the [male symbol], if one is quiet, comes within 6 feet of one's shoes, the [female symbol] did not come closer than 15 feet. \ Then, to our surprise, a [male symbol] Cassin Purple Finch came, separately, today. It, too, was shy, this being, perhaps, its first visit. But it gave wonderful opportunity of seeing all of its characters - red cap, very pale pink breast, ashy line over eye, streaked beak, and generally ^^{grayish tone}.

Collector: Grinnell - 1925 Location: Turner Mt., 6300 ft. Date: July 3 Page Number: 2517

consist of: Ceanothus velutinus, C. cordulatus, chinquapin, service-berry, red cherry, Sierra maple, Arctostaphylos nevadensis, A. patula, red alder, and various herbs.

Written later, from pencil notes. - Birds noted right around the top, within 100 yards of the lookout house, were: Fox Sparrow (one sang repeatedly from the dead tip of a fir, lightning-blasted); Green-tailed Towhee (one sang from the lower stubby limbs of the same fir, interests centering in the brush close to the house); Cassin Purple Finch (at least three in full song up near tops of live small red firs, one came to cleared ground within 20 feet of house); Blue-fronted Jay (heard down in the hemlocks and firs below rim of cirque); Junco (a dozen or more, flying, singing or foraging along the rim and especially around the melting snow banks); Violet-green Swallow (fully a dozen in flight under the cloudy sky within the cirque, often swooping low over the snowbanks, much twittering and, I think, young among them.

Mammals around the lookout were: Callospermophilus (two, very tame, Mr. Stark complaining that they got inside his room whenever they could, only to tear about distractedly as soon a they found themselves enclosed), Chipmunks, Eut. amoenus (3 or 4 among the rocks and in the chaparral about the house); deer (tracks and tails abundant everywhere, one 4-point buck seen below the cirque on the moraines going thru [sic] the heavy

Collector: Grinnell - 1925 Location: Broke-off Mt. Date: July 27 Page Number: 2533

foliage which the breeze kept in disconcerting agitation); Cassin Purple Finch (2 or more, distantly heard and seen in tops of hemlocks); Sierra Grouse (2, as above); Hammond Flycatcher (2 immatures, separately, seen closely in hemlocks at 8000 to 9000 ft.); Junco (2, in hemlocks).*

In the red-fir belt (Canadian), 8000 ft., about, down to 7000 ft., where we left the machine, noted: Deer (doe and fawn at edge of alder thicket); Callospermophilus (2 or more); Thomomys monticola (sign common); Fox Sparrow (one immature near patch of heather along little stream at 8000 ft., and others heard in alder patches); Juncos (commonest bird, one [male symbol] singing at tip of lofty red fir - many full-grown young in scattering troupes); Evening Grosbeak (one family of 5 or so alighted on dead lower branches of a fir and notes of others were heard now and then); Solitaire (one flushed from ground); Siskin (notes of 2 or 3 heard overhead); Blue-fronted Jay (heard several times); Cassin Vireo (2 immatures closely seen in a jungle of white alders); Hammond Flycatcher (weak call notes heard often, and one bird seen, 30 feet or so up in densely shaded branchwork of fir); Wood Pewee (pair at 7000 ft.); Pileated Warbler (song of one heard from alders); Robin (a pair at a little ^^moraine lake in the fir woods was noisily concerned at our presence); Audubon Warbler (a family, male singing, in trees at this same lake); Canada Nuthatch (notes heard in the distance).

Collector: Grinnell - 1925 Location: Mineral, 4,800 ft. Date: July 28 Page Number: 2534

Heard "pe-ark" notes of Nighthawk last evening. A Green-backed Goldfinch flew over camp. Heard a Cooper Hawk calling near camp. Blue-fronted Jays are much more in evidence now than a month ago - noisier. A circuit this evening, till dusk, down along the willows and tracts of lodgepole pines left an impression of extreme quietness; nothing was singing. Juncos in two places showed worry, as if young were near by. The squeal notes of young robins were heard. A lone Wright Flycatcher gave a two-syllabled "see-pit" a few times.

July 29 Mrs. G and I went up the Viola (Martin Cr. ridge) Trail to about the 5800. foot contour, taking the accompanying 4-hour census, 8:30 - 12:30; Mrs. G. pencil-checked on card-board; results, 31 species, 134 individuals, in 4 hours - not so bad, considering the songlessness [sic] of nearly all species. The only songs heard were: Fox Sparrow (once); Warbling Vireo (2, singing rather persistently); Mountain Chickadee (both "jumbling" burble and tee-tee, too-too); Cassin Purple Finch (merely fragmentary). Only food calls, or location notes, or clean calls of all other species heard. A brood of 3 bob-tailed frowsy-headed young Tolmie Warblers in ceanothus cordulatus patch, with [female symbol] parent. Saw where a Chickaree was working in a yellow pine - ground beneath strewn with fresh green cone scales and cores; heard at least 4 chickarees.