Transcribing the field notes of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology

Collector: Grinnell-1925 Location: Mineral Date: June 20 Page Number: 2484

for the species. Bird was on, sitting very closely; put my hand within two feet of her, when she left for the ground, and trotted off hesitantly on the ground and over logs, but without uttering a note. Site is in heavy shade of firs and lodgepole pines, about 100 feet from edge of willow bog. Contents of nest, four helpless young, of almost exactly same size as those in other nest examined this morning.

10:10 a.m. - Yellow Warbler's nest just found by Mrs. G. in dense willow bed of creek bottom. Rim of nest 1580 mm. above ground; nest insecurely cobwebbed to several slender willow twigs which happened pass each other there. Surely, a very moderate breeze would have dislodged it. Female bird tripping very close about solicitously; male singing around in willow tops, both before and after our taking of the nest. The four eggs apparently but moderated incubated (about 1/2) and taken (set 1/4). Site of nest but 6 feet or so from creek which here runs in a deep channel beneath the interlacing willow tangle.

11 a.m. - We followed up a grouse "boonting"- traced it to somewhere overhead in a tract of large lodge pole pines. "Boonts" given in series of 4 to 6 audible notes - very low pitch, 2nd loudest, trailing off toward inaudible; so there may have been one or more "potential" throbs at the end that we couldn't hear. Having passed beneath the trees, we were retracing our steps, when with startling wing-

Collector: Grinnell - 1925 Location: Mineral Date: June 22 Page Number: 2492

Mr. Hoffmann shot an adult male, with a bob-tailed young one, of Golden-crowned Kinglet, in a dense group of small fir here on the Forest Service camp ground this afternoon. I saw a Red-shafted Flicker in flight over the tree-tops - not a common species here - in fact, far less seen than the Pileated Woodpecker.

June 23 10:00 a.m. - we have come 2 1/2 miles airline west of camp along side of Battle Creek Meadows, following the old road (see U.S.G.S quadrangle) to a little beyond the old bridge across Battle Creek. Big forest trees, yellow pines, fir, cedars, and sometimes sugar pines, extend down to the edge of the "meadows"; the latter consist of open pasture and also tracts of willows and lodgepole pines. The present highway pretty much parallels the old road to this point but thence goes down the canyon on the north side, to cross it several hundred feet, altitude, lower. At this end of the Meadows, the mountains pinch together, and the creek bottom ^^soon becomes a narrow canyon. Here are aspens, and a few alders. The Meadows are the property of one W. L. Gerber (?), and are fenced; everywhere astride the fences the vegetation is grazed down by the cattle and sheep which go thru [sic] the country or are seen at large over the forest lands; but inside the fences, the vegetation looks fine - not overgrazed - some of the enclosures not yet grazed at all, possibly reserved for hay. Took a 1 1/2 hour census of birds notes from the road near camp to here, as follows:

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 26 Page Number: 2500

nest found ten days ago, barely began; 3 eggs in nest day before yesterday.

6269 Wright Flycatcher [female symbol] with set 4/4 11.0 g. Had evidently had an accident by which a lot of feathers on back were lost, there being now in process of replacement. Possibly, delayed nesting due to this accident.

June 27 4 p.m. - Cassin Vireo's nest: rim 1750 mm. above ground; nest near end of drooping cedar branch, 7 feet out ^^{(on south side)} from trunk of tree, which is 15 inches in diameter 3 feet from ground. Site about 10 yards from edge of willow bog on one side and less distance from heavy stand of firs, on the other side; lodgepole pines bordering bog close by. This nest was found partly built on the 15th, empty but seemingly completed on the 20th, now with 4 fresh or nearly fresh eggs ^^{(two of them)} and female incubating. Taken, set 2/4. Male bird sang awhile, then went away. After I had waited 20 minute, the [female symbol] came quietly, and I "collected" her.

5 p.m. - Traill Flycatcher nest and set 1/4, taken. Nest, not quite completed, found on 20th, now four eggs, nearly or quite fresh; birds close about me. Nest in dense willow jungle. Rim only 1040 mm. above running water of creek, here entirely overgrown with matted willows. Nest on slanting stems, overtopped by fully 5 feet of lush willow growth.