Transcribing the field notes of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology

Collector: Grinnell - 1925 Location: Lassen Section (Mineral) Date: June 13-14, 1925 Page Number: 2462

forenoon nest-hunting. Found several, to be reported upon later, in suitable locations for Dixon to photograph them. Fished in the afternoon, securing 7 Eastern Brook and 1 Rainbow Trout. Deer tracks abundant thru the willow bogs, forming trails; many fresh tracks along the streams, as also up on the dry slopes among the Ceanothus cordulatus mats, where one was jumped by Mrs. G at 10 a.m. Saw a Spotted Sandpiper on a scanty patch of gravel at the edge of one of the numerous meadow channels of Battle Creek - grassy meadows on willow jungles everywhere else. A Tree Swallow in full song flew overhead - the only swallow I have seen here. A curious association of birds was evidently established for birding in the willow bog, as follows: Russet-backed Thrush, Lincoln Sparrow, Song Sparrow (subsp.?), Traill Flycatcher, Yellow Warbler (subsp.), Golden-Pileolated Warbler, Western Warbling Vireo and Lazuli Bunting. Western Robins were, of course, in the open meadows, and plenty of Sierra Juncos along the edges of both the meadows and the willow bogs, where these are bordered by lodgepole pines. June 14 Mrs. G. and I out hunting birds' nests all the forenoon, finding only two, both unfinished. This seems exactly the right season for finding most small birds' nests; few are sitting yet.

Collector: Grinnell - 1925 Location: Lassen Section (Mineral) Date: June 14, 1925 Page Number: 2463

Both yesterday and today a pair of Evening Grosbeaks have been seen; not on the ground yet, but in flight well up between the fir tops, calling loudly as they go. Saw a Sharp-shinned Hawk, female, in flight thru the lodge-pole pines adjacent to the nearest willow-bog. Dixon and I both have looked thru the thick-topped trees in the vicinity, to no avail so far. Several Siskins are about, mostly in flight, above. There is an abundance of small flycatchers about, foraging and singing up high in yellow pines and firs, but going down into the ceanothus bush, too. Have found two nests, one building and one with one fresh egg (yesterday) and bird sitting. Whether these are Wright or Hammond Flycatchers will depend definitely on shooting; and I will shoot no birds hereabouts, save any (?) taken with nests. Hear one Olive-sided Flycatcher from top of huge yellow pine on hill. Wood Pewees are fairly common. Modoc Hairy Woodpeckers are commonest, adults only, about, foraging industriously on fallen rotting lodge-pole and yellow pine. Have seen one male White-headed Woodpecker, and have heard a Pileated Woodpecker; abundance of the work of the latter on dead firs down clean to the ground. Last night I heard a Pacific Nighthawk; curiously this species is far less abundant here than down around Inskip Hill where the life-

Collector: Grinnell - 1925 Location: Lassen Section (Mineral) Date: June 14, 1925 Page Number: 2464

zone is supposedly Upper Sonoran! I have heard no owls here yet, and seen only one hawk, the Sharp shinned. A Sierra Grouse, in dense growth of lodgepole pines of large size, "hoots" at intervals thruout the day, at least from 10 to 3 (not early or late); rather, he "boonts" - a low muffled "thump, thump, thump, thump"; at a distance one hears only about four of these notes. Dixon located the grouse, an old (long-tailed) female, but it flew when he was yet 70 yards off. I have spent a lot of time watching Ruby-crowned Kinglets, which are common enuf to be within hearing of almost wherever a person may be. This afternoon late, I heard the monotonous "dinge", yerrup, yerrup, yerrup, etc., minutes together, which means concern. I finally located the two Kinglets giving it, far above in the tops of some lodgepole pines and firs; but the foliage was too dense for me to see the cause. This was where I had previously seen the Sharpshin, and also whence I had hear a chickadee "chicken"; either, or something else, may have made threatening advances. A Kinglet I watched a little later foraged about at the end of branches close to the summit of a fir fully 150 feet tall, every now and then singing without stopping it its fluttering, zigzag course. Presently the bird flew to an equally tall dead fir

Collector: Grinnell - 1925 Location: Lassen Section (Mineral) Date: June 15, 1925 Page Number: 2466

base of small cedar (only 32 in. tall) in grassy place (dandelions and buttercups all about also) beneath scattering lodgepole pines (some dead). The four eggs fresh but cold. Old birds (perhaps of this nests) in near vicinity solicitously tending nearly grown young (flying about ably). Nest sits about 20 steps from edge of stream and willow thickets. Diameter of nest, in situ, 55 mm. Taken. This Junco's (1/4) nest was found yesterday by Mrs. G incidentally to hunting grasshoppers for fishing purposes! While the nest rim was about 1/2 inch above general level of sod surface, when lifted out, it was found to have occupied a deeply hemispherical cavity. 90 mm. across and 55 mm. deep. The walls of the nest are thus rather thin this compactly woven. Western Wood Pewee nest: directly above the Junco's nest! About 14 feet above ground and 7 feet out from trunk (of lodgepole pine) on dead, nearly horizontal branch, at forks of same so that only rim of nest between the forks shows from below; diameter of limb at forking about 4 inches. Of seemingly usual construction. Solicitous and persistent calling of one of the birds nearly prompted scrutiny of appropriate sites round about. Not disturbed. Just saw a male Sharp-shinned Hawk fly over the tree-tops in straight-away course toward where I saw the female day-before-yesterday. No doubt there is a nest of young there somewhere.

Collector: Grinnell - 1925 Location: Lassen Section (Mineral) Date: June 15, 1925 Page Number: 2467

Heard a Black-headed Grosbeak in full song in willows, with twinkling aspens and lodgepole pines on either side! 11:30 a.m. - A female Audubon Warbler gave us a long chase. No male at all put in an appearance. The female showed wild solicitude, suddenly appearing as we went under some lodgepole pines at the edge of a meadow. I supposed a nest near, so for fully 20 minutes we kept her in view, she going to the tree tops, at times almost out of sight, then back down near us. Then I began to circle about; and when I got near a certain thicket of very small pines and willows, the bird came within ten feet of me, and went thru with an elaborate display to distract my attention. She spread her tail fanwise, showing the white spots to greatest effect, and quivered her partly spread wings, topping over backwards at the same time, as if unable to hold to her perch. For an instant I thought her foot was caught in the forking twigs! Of course there must have been partly fledged young in the low vegetation somewhere, tho we did not hunt for them. Certainly there was no nest close by. Heard a Meadowlark in full song out on the big meadow at 5:45 a.m. Considerable frost at that hour, even up 3 feet from the ground on the leaves of ceanothus. On way to store saw a pair each of Western Bluebirds and Tree Swallows.