Transcribing the field notes of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology

Collector: Grinnell - 1925 Location: Mineral Date: June 22 Page Number: 2491

Wright Flycatcher's nest, near camp (75 ft. uphill from), with 4 young hatched on 14th; found with opaque eggs two days previously by Dixon and, I think, photographed by him. Rim of nest 1500 mm. above ground, nest (of usual construction and gray color, ensconced among pendent twigs were [sic] a slender branch from each of two adjacent red cherry bushes one another, and one of these has an unhealthy outgrowth of leafage looking like mistletoe. Nest within to feet, one east side, of 24-inch trunk of yellow pine; snow bushes nearby, and firs within 20 feet; site practically where a tract of timber and a hillside tract of open snowbush adjoins. Male fed young at 3:12 and 3:16, he not being, apparently, alarmed at us, as is female which was brooding when we came. Female continues to utter a faint "peet" of concern; male from overhead says "see-put" (uttered very rapidly); when male alighted on edge of nest to feed, he gave a short musical trill of short duration and weak in volume. Female keeps close to nest, perching on twigs within a radius of 4 feet. She perches on edge of nest; leaves; returns and settles down to brood, continuing to say "peet", but more faintly. 3:30 - [female symbol] still brooding and saying "peet" very faintly and not so frequently. 3:35 - (female) still brooding, tho nest is in shade of pine trunk: has ceased to say "pit."

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 23-24 Page Number: 2494

the direction of the willows where the creek leaves the meadows. He hadn't been "jumped" - probably been down for a drink or a bit of lush grass. Mrs. G. & I went up the hill to a broken lava outcrop not more than 150 yards from the meadow. There, deep among the blocks of rock, was evidently a Porcupine's den. The characteristic pellets of excrement were numerous, as also great numbers of quills, scattered beneath the rocks as if scraped off by the animals' crowding the narrow place. Or else, do porcupines molt all their quills at a regular molt-time along with the rest of their pelage? The den smelt strongly of porcupine. There is gopher sign here, but confined strictly to a narrow belt around the meadow - none out in the floodable ground, nor up in the exceedingly rocky (lava) hill-slopes. Possible the lava areas to the west form a natural hiatus between the ranges of monticola and leucodon (or navus) in this east-west section.

June 24 Wright Flycatcher's nest found by Rett close to camp, in open stretch, big yellow pines and firs all about; little yellow pines near by; but nest itself in one stem (and its network of twigs) of a very open, low clump of snow-bush. Rim only 6/0 mm. from ground the lowest nest yet. Branch supporting nest, dead; so that only the dead twiggery within one foot above gives shade - of an extremely diluted sort. There are 4 eggs, well incubated (opaque), and unusually

Collector: Grinnell - 1925 Location: Mineral Date: June 25 Page Number: 2496

8:00 a.m. - Mrs. G. found a Green-tailed Towhee's nest, with three fresh eggs. It is well up in a snow bush surrounded by small lodgepole pines; rim 590 mm. above ground - about as much depth of snowbush above it, leafy, so well shaded. Nest of small bulk, entirely of slender stuff, pine needles and grass stems, lined with horsehair - so, far different from fox sparrow's nest. I have seen one bird around it, but shy. Since the eggs are perfectly fresh, and cold, incubation is probably not yet begun, and another egg may be laid.

6264 Wright Flycatcher [female symbol] 11.9 g. With nest and eggs 3/4 (see p. 2494); found yesterday but taken this morning.

A family (at least two young with adults) of Pileated Woodpeckers are close around camp a good deal of the time. The young have, as yet, shorter tails than the old birds, and fly and cling with less certainty; also they are still fed. A great number of low conversational notes are uttered among the members of the family - to be heard by us only within 100-foot range, as when we are in bed early in the morning. Last night heard a Great Horned Owl again, and saw or heard at least 6 Pacific Nighthawks, one "booming".

June 26 Up the Vista Trail northeast of camp, towards Brokeoff Mt. 6:40 a.m. - At about 5200 ft.: A family of young Sierra Creepers (at least 4, tails not fully

Collector: Grinnell - 1925 Location: Mineral Date: June 26 Page Number: 2499

glandular abdomen and hence sitting) from bole of red fir about 60 feet up. It was actively pecking at the fissured bark and dislodging tufts of the conspicuous yellow lichen which grows profusely on the trunks of some of the trees. Saw also a Red-breasted Sapsucker, and punctured red fir in the vicinity. Can hear from this point: Solitaire, Tanager, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Mt. Chickadee, Canada Nuthatch, Warbling Vireo, and Audubon Warbler. Saw a [female symbol] Calliope Hummingbird at snow-plant (Sarcodes); these plants now coming up commonly under red firs and of brilliant colors.

6265 Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker [male symbol] testes [illustration] [therefore long past functioning] wt. 73.5g.; iris dark hazel brown. Note "spurious" outer ^^(?) tail feathers!

6266 Hammond Flycatcher [male symbol] testes [illustration]; wt. 10.2g. [see p. 2497].

6267 Pileolated Warbler [male symbol] wt. 7.1g. [see p. 2497].

6268 Lutescent (?) Warbler [female symbol] jv. wt. 7.8g. [see p. 2498].

5:00p.m., at camp: collected a set of four eggs 4/4, nest and female parent, of Wright Flycatcher. Rim of nest 1130mm above ground; nest on nearly upright stem of snow-bush, supported in part by accessory twiggery; 600 mm. more of snow bush, living leafy branch, above nest. Site in sea of snowbush on gently sloping hillside; two tall cedars 75 feet away, nearest trees; but firs and pines farther away. Eggs nearly fresh;