Transcribing the field notes of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology

Collector: Grinnell-1925 Location: Mineral, 4800 ft. Date: June 21 Page Number: 2487

are exceedingly fearless, probably because they have been accustomed all along to forage about our camp-site. The (male) sings from the ground, from bush-tips, from well up in the pines and fir above - whether a person be at the nest or not. The female is much the more solicitous, and attentive to the nest and young. Right now I am sitting by the nest, my face a little above its level and about 4 feet from it (the rim is 505 mm. above the ground). The female hops all around me, on the ground and thru the bushes. She comes to within a foot of my knee, as close to my shoulder, evidently concerned but not at all alarmed. She has fed the young twice, at 8:12 and 8:14, each time with food-stuffs from within her bill. As she works about me, she is continually picking up very small objects, all the while uttering a faint "seat." She droops the wing-ends, and raises the tail free of the ground; often the tail is turned at an angle sideways, from the axis of the body. The male hops about farther away, 8 - to 10 - foot radius, and utters a much louder, metallic "klink" - then breaks into full song. 8:29 - female just fed young a third time, also swallowed excrement voided by the young. Fed again at 8:31, then inspected nest closely - for excrement, but none was forthcoming. Female has another note, which I at first ascribed to a chipmunk - a low "chuckle", voice-like. Fed again at 8:32 and 8:34, all food being gathered within a radius of ten feet. Young then shaded from the sunshine for half a minute; one

Collector: Grinnell-1925 Location: Mineral, 4800 ft. Date: June 21 Page Number: 2488

young had begun to hold its mouth open pouting. [Interrupted by camper!] This Fox Sparrow's nest rests on a slanting stem of snow-bush with the proper lacework of fine twigs attached. Near at hand are two large Amelanchier bushes; and overhead are two yellow pines and a fir. In construction the nest is typical - large, with abundant loose basement of large objects, bark pieces, section of sticks, etc., the inner wall of soft bark strips and grasses course in texture, not fine as in towhees.

June 22 7:34 a.m. - With ^^Egmont Rett and ^^Ralph Hoffmann up ridge east of Martin Cr. Fox Sparrow's nest, with 3 young that left nest for good when disturbed, in rather low snow flattened thicket of ceanothus cordulatus, on open forest floor, cedar and yellow pines overhead. Rim 140 ft mm. above ground; nest last less bulky than usual, resting on tangle of ceanothus stems and twigs mixed with yellow pine needles, so that there is really no open space between nest and ground. Nest lining of fine round grasses mostly - no bark strips this time. Young are being lolled (?) off in different direction by both old birds, acting separately. Young have hoarse "chirrup" note, uttered rapidly when they are trotting thru the bushes.

8:15 a.m. - Cassin Vireo's nest: rim 1910 mm. above ground in forking twigs near drooping end of branch of incense cedar over open forest floor on dry ridge top. Male was singing overhead, leading me to the site; [female symbol]

Collector: Grinnell-1925 Location: Mineral Date: June 22 Page Number: 2489

sitting closely, nearly touched before she flew off. Nest 1750 mm out to south of trunk of cedar, which is a small tree, 8 in. diam., growing beneath sugar pine and white fir. Taken; incubation of eggs ^^{well begun. (1/4).}

8:05 a.m. - Mt. Chickadee's nest, with well-feathered young, in old woodpecker (?) hole in barkless broken-off pine stub 2 ft. in diam.; lower edge of entrance, 1950 mm. above ground. Diam. of entrance 40 mm.; ^^{38 mm. nest diam.;} Both old birds are bringing food to young.

Just followed up a song which puzzled me. The producer would stay ^^still, perched 75 to 100 feet up in firs or yellow pines. Sang a sustained, vigorous, dry trill, but dropping toward end. Quietly chipping sparrow like, but this falling at the end made me suspect an orange crowned warbler. The bird, finally seen clearly, was a Chipping Sparrow.

One or more Golden-crowned Kinglets in a clump of young fir. A Solitaire "creaking" in the distance. A Pileated Woodpecker, flying thru the woods, giving its resonant "Kuk" slowly and irregularly in a long series. At least two singing Calaveras Warblers on this dry ridge in vicinity of some smallish black oaks, but singing from all sorts of places, up to 75 feet up in firs and cedars. Tho Ch Calif. Purple Finches in full song nearby.

10:12 a.m. - Solitaire's nest, on level of ground inside a cavity (old burn) in base of ^^living sugar pine 2 1/2 feet in diameter. The four young are wholly

Collector: Grinnell - 1925 Location: Mineral Date: June 22 Page Number: 2490

sheltered within the cavity, the nest being in-set in bark and needle floor right against the charcoal wall. Rim of nest (exposed side) marked by coarse pine twigs and needles, scattering out towards opening of cavity; latter 600 mm. high at peak, 480 mm. wide at base of opening; rim of nest a little higher, about 25 mm., than ground in front. Nest found by watching old birds, with food perching around quietly on stubs of fallen logs and lower branches of big standing trees, finally flying down to side. The yellow thickened corners of mouth and edges of bill loom up a most conspicuous feature of young in shade of cavity. On dry ridge top, open forest of white fir, cedar, yellow and sugar pines.

Saw a Sharp-shinned Hawk in flight from direction of camp, well above tree-tops. One or both of a pair of Evening Grosbeaks were noted repeatedly in a certain section of the woods. Mr. Hoffmann discovered a Hammond(*) Flycatcher's nest^^{(5500 ft. alt.)} fully 90 ft. up on a horizontal sub-branch of a huge sugar pine - of course inaccessible. The birds looked ^^{at that range} and sounded, to me, indistinguishable from the "Wright" Flycatchers I have been getting down here with low brush-built nests. However, only shooting of the birds can settle their identity. I saw one of Hoffman's birds come clear to the ground and flit about in small firs and low snow-brush; yet both of the birds did a lot of foraging fully 100 feet up, in firs and pines.

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."