M&O Serials QL 671 -G84

T H E

MONTHLY

Volume 13

SAN FRANCISCO, NOVEMBER, 1931

Number 11

UttHAftY

An Avian Butcher Shop

Looking clown over the edge of a cliff near Benicia on March 15, 1931, I flushed one of my nesting Horned Owls from her two young which had hatched out not much over a week previously. One, larger than the other, had a few pin feathers on him, while the other was still in down. But the accumulation of meat in the nest was interesting, for the two little fellows were quite well supplied. Besides the two young owlets the nest contained one whole young jack rabbit about eight inches long, another young jack rabbit quite a little larger, part of still another apparently full-grown jack rabbit, two whole mud hens (American Coots), and the hind quarters of a duck. The latter, from my position about fifteen feet above the nest, appeared to be a hen Spoonbill or Shoveller Duck.

While I was making this investigation the adult bird which I had frightened from the nest snapped its bill at me from a tree in the canyon below. A pair of California Jays made known their anxiety by hopping excitedly about the owl, though for some reason they made no clamor such as one would expect from them- Emerson A. Stoner, Benicia, California. September 20, 1931.

A Winter Morning in a Santa Clara County Vineyard

Do birds enjoy foraging among the grape vines? I spent a Sunday morning finding out. Decidedly yes.

There were flocks of Audubon Warblers, Green-backed Goldfinches, Linnets, Western Bluebirds, Robins and a few Flickers. I watched Audubon Warblers pecking at the bunches of grapes and on examination found fresh holes in the old grapes. Most of the birds were restless and not feeding.

A large leafless fig tree at the edge of the vineyard was covered with Cedar Waxwings but at no time did I see any of them down among the vines.

In the surrounding shrubbery were Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Spotted Towhees and Dwarf Hermit Thrushes. These did not spread into the vines but Golden- crowned, Nuttall and Gambel Sparrows did, noticeably onto the ground beneath the vines and not into them.

One California Thrasher made himself quite at home. Though I did not see him eating from the bunches of grapes he busily picked morsels from the ground beneath them.

In an old water course, running through the vineyard, now filled with long grass and baccharis Western Larks, Nuttall Sparrows and California Towhees were seen.

No old nests were found in the leafless vines.

Cornelia C. Pringle, San Francisco, California. September 16, 1931.

October Field Trip was taken on Sunday the 11th, to Lake Merced, San Francisco. In spite of a dark, cold, cloudy morning, forty-one enthusiastic bird- minded people were on hand, eager for what the day might bring forth in an

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ornithological way. The report of the discovery of a Black Rail in this locality a short time previous to our visit, probably added to the eagerness of most of those present. No Black Rail could be found this day.

Starting from Junipero Serra Boulevard and following down the canyon towards the lake, Anna Hummingbirds and Fox Sparrows were the first to attract attention. The usual lone Burrowing Owl was sharing his hillside with three companions, a very pleasant surprise to our group. Farther along in the pines and cypresses, Slender-billed, Red-breasted and Pygmy Nuthatches fur- nished the thrill of the day. These species are seldom found in San Francisco.

On the lagoon at the foot of the canyon were three young Pied-billed Grebes still showing the white streaks on the head and neck.

Arriving at the lake, an albino Ruddy Duck was discovered among a raft of “Ruddies” which were resting on the water. Six Cinnamon Teal were noted on another part of the lake. Two Virginia Rail were flushed from the tules.

In almost the exact center of the larger lake, large numbers of Gulls are always present, some bathing, most of them resting. Why they always choose this area rather than any other, has always been a mystery. Can someone give the reason?

Three Barn Swallows still lingered over the smaller lake, overstaying their summer visit by three weeks. A large flock of Tri-colored Red-winged Black- birds flying out from the tules was a pleasing sight.

The gradual draining of the lakes has exposed a shore line which accounts for the seven species of shore birds noted.

In the day’s list are twenty species which may be classed as winter visitants to this locality. Three summer visitants and four migrants were noted. A total of seventy-three species were observed:

Loon (sp. ?)	Red-backed Sandpiper	Hermit Thrush
Eared Grebe	Western Sandpiper	Golden-crowned Kinglet
Western Grebe	Northern Phalarope	Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Pied-billed Grebe	Western Gull	Pipit
Farallon Cormorant	California Gull	Shrike
Great Blue Heron	Bonaparte Gull	Hutton Vireo
Black-crowned Night Heron	Burrowing Owl	Myrtle Warbler
American Bittern	Anna Hummingbird	Audubon Warbler
Mallard	Kingfisher	Townsend Warbler
Pintail Duck	Red-shafted Flicker	Yellow-throat
Cinnamon Teal	Say Phoebe	Pileolated Warbler
Canvas-back Duck	Black Phoebe	Meadowlark
Lesser Scaup	Western Flycatcher	Red-winged Blackbird
Surf Scoter	Barn Swallow	Tricolored Red-wing
Ruddy Duck	Chickadee	Brewer Blackbird
Cooper Hawk	Busli-tit	Purple Finch
Marsh Hawk	Slender-billed Nuthatch	Linnet
Sparrow Hawk	Red-breasted Nuthatch	Pine Siskin
California Quail	Pygmy Nuthatch	Green-backed Goldfinch
Virginia Rail	Wren-tit	Spotted Towhee
Coot	Winter Wren	Fox Sparrow
Killdeer	Bewick Wren	Junco
Black-bellied Plover	Marsh Wren	Nuttall Sparrow
Wilson Snipe	Robin	Song Sparrow
Least Sandpiper	Clias.	A. Bryant, historian.

Saturday Afternoon Trip: Our first Saturday afternoon trip was taken on October 17th, to Lake Temescal, Oakland, with Mr. F. M. Jencks as leader. Ten members attended, three of whom have not been able to go on the Sunday trips.

A total of thirty birds were observed as follows: Mallard; Ruddy Duck- Red- tail and Sparrow Hawks; California Quail; Coot; Anna Hummingbird- King- fisher; Red-shafted Flicker; Willow Downy Woodpecker; Black Phoebe- Cali- fornia Jay; Plain Titmouse; Bush-tit; Slender-billed Nuthatch; Wren-tit; Bewick

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Wren; Thrasher; Robin; Hermit Thrush; Ruby-crowned Kinglet; Audubon Warbler; Brewer Blackbird; Green-backed Goldfinch; Brown and Spotted Tow- hees; Junco; Golden-crowned, Nuttall and Song Sparrows.

Laura A. Stephens, historian.

Late Dates for Summer Visitants

Western Flycatchers Chain of Lakes October 3rd. Mrs. A. B. Stephens

Barn Swallows Lake Merced October 11th. Audubon Field Trip

Pileolated Warblers Lake Merced October 11th. Mrs. A. B. Stephens

Early Dates for Winter

Varied Thrushes Dwarf Hermit Thrushes Golden-crowned Kinglets Ruby-crowned Kinglets American Pipits Townsend Warblers

Berkeley

Scout Camp, Oakland Fairfax to Ross Scout Camp, Oakland Dumbarton Bridge Scout Camp, Oakland

Visitants

Oct. 7th. Sept. 27th. Oct. 4th. Sept. 27th. Sept. 8th. Sept. 6th.

Swallows Sent by Plane

Mrs. Amelia Alien Robert Taylor Chas. A. Bryant Robert Taylor Robert Taylor Brighton C. Cain

Enormous flocks of swallows on their way south were overtaken by prema- ture winter temperatures in Austria and thousands of them were forced down and compelled to take refuge in houses, garages and barns. Bird lovers in Vienna sent out requests to the country and town people to protect and feed the birds while preparations were made to send them into Italy by airplane. Con- signment after consignment, consisting of about 100 birds in light wooden cases, were transported on the regular Vienna-Venice passenger planes. Funds for the purpose were supplied to the Austrian Tierschutz Verein by bird lovers. (Clip- ping sent by Mrs. Carl R. Smith.) ^ ^

Book Notices: “Why Birds Sing,” by Jacques Delemain. Here is a book that combines good popular natural history with the Gallic literary style at its best — a combination with which the Englisli-reading public has already been made familiar in translations of Fabre and Maeterlinck. It is a story made by a French scientist, the notes for which he made when he was a soldier in the front line trenches. “It is at once a book about birds, a book revealing a new aspect of life at the front, and the work of a man so interested and curious about life, that not even war could dim his zest and vision.” Some of the birds mentioned are species unknown to America; more are familiar to England and the United States. “It doesn’t matter ‘why birds sing.’ We shall not have in our lifetime a nature book with a happier title, nor one crammed with more patient observation, so well set down.” Coward McCann, $2.50.

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The American Ornithological Union Check List of North American Birds.

New (Fourth) Edition. Entirely rewritten and revised. Contains an appendix explaining changes in nomenclature and listing additional species not currently accepted. Cloth bound, price $4.00, post paid, obtainable from W. L. McAfee, Cherrydale, Va. ~ ^ »

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Check List of Birds of The World, Vol. 1. James Lee Peters, of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College. The first volume includes the osti'iches, rheas, casuaries, emus, apteryxes, tinamous, penguins, loons, grebes, albatrosses, diving petrels, shearwaters, petrels, herons, flamingos, swans, geese, ducks, American vultures, hawks and falcons.

Mr. Peters has followed the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. It is stated in the preface that the order of familiar and higher groups followed in this work is essentially the same as that proposed by Wetmore in the Pro- ceedings of the U. S. National Museum 76, Article 24, 1930. Cloth bound, price $3.50, obtainable from Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass.

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Audubon Notes

November Meeting will be held on Thursday, the 12th, at 8 p. m., room 19, 2nd floor, Perry Building.

The speaker of the evening will he Mr. Joseph Mailliard of the California Academy of Sciences. Subject: “Recol- lections of Birds in Former Years dat- ing back as far as 1872.”

November Field Trip will be taken Sunday, the 15th. An experiment will be tried in dividing the group. One group to start from Fairfax and work back to Ross by way of Bon Tempe meadow, Alpine and Lagunitas Lakes, down the Fish Gulch Road past Phoe- nix Lake to Ross. The other group to start from Ross and work back to Fair- fax by the above route reversed. Lead- ers will be chosen after the groups have formed. Buy round trip ticket to Fairfax or Ross, 60c. Take 8:15 a. m. Sausalito ferry. Bring luncheon and canteens. Distance about five miles. In case of heavy rain, trip will be taken on the following Sunday.

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Saturday Field Trip will be taken on the 14th to Mt. View Cemetery, end of Piedmont Avenue, Oakland. San Fran- cisco members take one o’clock Key Route boat and Piedmont train, get off at Pleasant Valley Station. Brighton C. Cain, leader.

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Christmas Census will be taken on Sunday, December 20th, the Sunday following the regular trip. All those wishing to help in this work, please send name to Chas. A. Bryant, 150 Franklin Street, San Francisco, not

later than December 12th, in order that arrangements may be made.

Mr. J. V. DeLaveaga died Octo- ber 2nd.

October Meeting: The 176th regular meeting was held on October 8th, in room 19, Ferry Building, with fortyone members and guests present. Presi- dent Brighton C. Cain presiding.

Mr. Emerson A. Stoner of Benicia was elected to membership.

Field observations were reported as follows:

Chas. A. Bryant: September 20th,

Lake Merced, Black Rail.

Brighton C. Cain: September 27th,

Strawberry Canyon, Black-headed Grosbeak; October 2nd, Scout Camp, Oakland, Hermit Warbler.

Arthur Myer: October 3rd, Chain of Lakes, three Pygmy Nuthatches.

Mrs. Otis H. Smith: October 4th,

San Anselmo, Yellow Warbler; Lans- dale, Black-throated Gray Warbler.

Mrs. A. B. Stephens: September 14 to 22, Lake Merced, five Pectoral Sand- pipers; September 14 and 15, Solitary Sandpiper; September 20th, Yellow, Pileolated and five Black-throated Gray Warblers; October 3rd, Chain of Lakes, Fox Sparrows and Western Flycatchers.

Miss Selma Werner: October 6th,

Lake Merced, Say Phoebe singing.

The speaker of the evening was Mr. George Tonkin, U. S. Game Protector, Bureau of Biological Survey, who spoke on “Migratory Birds and Federal Laws.”

Audubon Association of the Pacific

For the Study and the Protection of Birds

President Brighton C. Cain 221 Thayer Bldg., Oakland

Corresponding Secretary C. B. Lastreto 260 California St., San Francisco

Treasurer Mrs. A. B. Stephens 1695 Filbert St., San Francisco

Monthly meeting second Thursday, 8 P. M., Room 19, Ferry Building.

Address Bulletin correspondence to Mrs. A. B. Stephens, Editor, 1695 Filbert St., San Francisco. Subscription to monthly Bulletin, $1.00 per year. Single copies, 15c.

Membership dues, payable January 1st, $3.00 per year.

■Student memberships, $1.50 per year. Life memberships, $50.00

Members are responsible for dues until written notice of resignation is received by Treasurer.