1925: Joseph Grinnell's field notes

Collector: Grinnell - 1925 Location: La Grulla, 7200 ft. Date: Oct. 14 Page Number: 2588

of the trees are beginning to break down; and the willows and other shrubbery are bowed to the ground. The snow melts on the rocks, but is about 5 inches deep on everything else. A (to me) curious thing was several peals of thunder this morning, and thereafter it snowed all the harder. Altho the stream is much clogged with slush, birds are congregated there, feeding on insect stuff they get in the water "weeds", of which there are cress and chara. Along by camp I have seen this morning: Brewer Blackbird (a flock of 13, foraging like waders; I shot 5 of them -- bills very small; Lamb says they nested at La Grulla meadow); Intermediate ( or White-crowned) Sparrow (4 or more); Killdeer (one lone bird); Audubon Warbler (4 or more, tripping animatedly, flying back and forth between the drooping willow thickets and the edge of the stream). Our packer, Jose, once again solemnly promised last night to be here "muy temprano" this morning; so we had everything packed last night. But of course he won't come now; he is in a cabin up at La Encantada meadow, and his stock is scattered no knowing where. I took in all my traps, but the steels I left out, taking them up early this morning. A no. 1 Newhouse under a willow clump on bottom land, produced a (male sign )grey fox which Lamb will put up.

Collector: Grinnell - 1925 Location: La Grulla, 7200 ft. Date: Oct. 14 Page Number: 2589

6515 Brewer Blackbird (male sign) im. 64.9g. Wading in shallow streamlet. 6516 Brewer Blackbird (male sign) ad. 66.5g. Wading in shallow streamlet. 6517 Brewer Blackbird (male sign) im. 70.5g. Wading in shallow streamlet. 6518 Brewer Blackbird (female sign) ad. 60.7g. Wading in shallow streamlet. 6519 Brewer Blackbird (female sign) im. 52.2g. Wading in shallow streamlet. Tonight squally; flurries of snow and then a few minutes of sunshine. Went out a while, spending a good deal of time vainly stalking the Ferruginous Rough-Leg Hawk -- the same one, I am sure; for he has about the same route of flight when pursued. Lamb has been on his trail too. Oct. 15 Clear and bright -- painfully glaring, in fact; but the snow is going fast what with the intense sunshine and a brisk north wind. Packer will not venture on the trail today because the snow balls on the animals' hoofs. Out this morning two hours, 8-10. Birds seemingly so scarce yesterday are abundant again today. Noted the following species: Red-tail Hawk (1); Ferruginous Rough-leg (1); Cabanis Woodpecker (3+-); Raven (12 +-); Pinyon Jay (large flock crying in the distance); Pigmy Nuthatch (12+-); Chickadee (10+-); Cedar Waxwing (2 flushed from cascara thickets and seen plainly, resting and in flight); Pipit (one seen on open ground near stream);

Collector: Grinnell - 1925 Location: La Grulla, 7200 ft. Date: Oct. 14 Page Number: 2590

Audubon Warbler (10+-); Olive-backed thrush (1); Hermit Thrush (2);Ruby-crown Kinglet (2); White-crowned or [and] Intermediate Sparrow (12+-); Sierra Junco (1); Townsend Junco (5+-); Solitaire (1); Spurred Towhee (1); Chipping Sparrow (2); Lincoln Sparrow (2); Bluebird(30+-). 6520 Ruby-crown Kinglet (male sign) ad. 6.0g. Shot in lower branches of pine. 12:45 p.m. - Jose, his dwarf helper, 4 horses and 4 mules arrived! It took Lamb and me just one hour to completely break camp; and now the deliberate process of packing the animals is under way! We had a fine lot of birds to put up, too -- which we have put in an "alforha" under least possible pressure, to do at San Jose day after tomorrow. Oct. 15 7:30 a.m. -- La Canoa, about 6500 ft. (barometer is now out of order, apparently). Made camp here in a driving rain at dusk last evening. Cleared up after dark, and a huge camp-fire restored spirits and dryness. Packing of the animals is now under way. La Canoa is a shallow steam course, bordered by the usual rolling granite ridges, and runs (I think) into Valladeres Creek and thence into the Santo Domingo. The flat valley floor is bordered and covered in places with Jeffrey pines of small size, and the paralleling ridges are brush covered -- manzanita, oak, cascara, and a little Adenostoma fasciculatum coming in. I should

Collector: Grinnell - 1925 Location: La Canoa, 6500 ft. Date: Oct. 16 Page Number: 2591

call this transition zone verging onto Upper Sonoran. Mole sign is very abundant this morning on the gravel floor, as also gopher sign. A Mole worked under my bed and under the tent last night! Merriam Chipmunks are out bright and early this morning. Birds noted this morning: Cabanis Wdpkr (2); Red-shafted Flicker (1 heard); Calif. Jay (2 or more heard); Raven (5 or more); Slender-billed Nuthatch (heard); Pigmy Nuthatch (common); Chickadee ( heard continually); Audubon Warbler (heard); Wren-tit (several); Townsend and Sierra Juncos (a mixed flock foraging on ground on hillside); Bluebird (8 or 10). Oct. 17 6:30 a.m. -- We got back to the Meling ranch at San Jose at 4 yesterday afternoon - a rather quick trip down. Coming thru Los Encinas Primeras ( including the lower canyon called La Jolla) was most interesting. Lamb stayed to collect -- with results successful. That is a typical Upper Sonoran live oak association, and would doubtless merit protracted attention - a Northern California representation As I rode thru I saw: Calfi. Jays (many); Spotted Towhee; Calif. Woodpecker (at least 5, and much tree-trunk storage seen); Red-breasted Sapsucker (heard two in the heavy willow growth in the canyon bottom); Green-backed Goldfinch; etc. Coming along down, I saw numbers of Fox Sparrows of various shades of brown on backs. I have no doubt but

Collector: Grinnell - 1925 Location: San Jose, 2500 ft. Date: Oct. 17 Page Number: 2592

that this vast Lower California chaparral territory carries thru the winter a great Passerella population, at least as great per unit of area as the foothill belt of upper California. The following birds were shot the morning of the 18th around our La Grulla camp: 6521 Sierra (?) Hermit Thrush (female sign) im. 27.8g. In cascara bush. 6522 Olive-backed Thrush (female sign) im. 29.8g. In cascara bush. 6523 Chipping Sparrow (male sign) im. 12.1g. On ground among Salvia bushes. 6524 Townsend Junco (male sign) ad. 19.1g. Shot from lower pine branch. 6525 Bluebird (male sign) im. 28.7g. Shot from cascara bush. 6526 Intermediate (?) Sparrow (male sign)28.0g. Shot in willow thicket. Today I took advantage of a team going west over the road toward San Telmo to ride about 3 miles air-line. From there I visited an oak and sycamore lined canyon I had been told about, emptying into San Telmo valley. I worked the upper two miles or so of said canyon, finding water in two places. Birds were scarce in it; there are no acorns this year, and that may account for the absence of some things like woodpeckers. The oaks are all regular live-oaks, some large; but recent purposely-set fires had killed many of them. The canyon walls are just like the hillsides hereabouts -- "white-barked" manzanita, etc. The birds I saw in the canyon bottom were; Calif. Jay (about 8, all told, very quiet and shy); Nuttall Woodpecker (one, working in the sycamores); Olive-sided Flycatcher