FOR THE PEOPLE
FOR EDVCATION
FOR SCIENCE
LIBRARY
OF
THE AMERICAN MUSEUM
OF
NATURAL HISTORY
COOPER ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB
PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA
NUMBER 9
SOME BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT, CALIFORNIA
f^'^zO^.i^)
BY
JOHN G. TYLER
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA
Published by the Club
October 1, 1913
Edited by
JOSEPH GRINNEI^L
and
HARRY S. SWARTH
at the
Museum of Vertebrate Zoology
University of California
'U-
NOTE
Pacific Coast Avifauna no. 9 is the ninth in a series of publications is-
sued by the Cooper Ornithological Club for the accommodation of papers whose
length prohibits their appearance in The Condor.
The publications of the Cooper Ornithological Club consist of two series:
Thf Condor, which is the bi-monthly official organ, and the Pacific Coast Avi-
fauna. Both sets of publications are sent free to honorary members, and to
active members in good standing.
For information as to either of the above series, address one of the Club
Business Managers, J. Eugene Law, Hollywood, California, or W. Lee Cham-
bers, Eagle Rock, California.
CONTENTS
Preface • 5
The Fresno District Defined 6
Status of the Water Bird Population 7
Acknowledgments 8
Check List of the Species 9
General Accounts of the Birds 13
Index 1 1 [
PREFACE
111 presenting- this list of the hirds of the Fresno (Hstrict the author is aware
of its incompleteness. In this connection it might he well to state that some
fifty species of hirds re])orted from various sources have been omitted entirely
for the reason that nothing- definite could be recorded in regard to their habits
and distribution, or because some doubt existed as to their being correctly iden-
tified.
More than ten years have elapsed since the first notes for this work were
jotted down and in view of the mass of data available it seemed worth while to
put on record the result of these years of observation in a region that has been
all but neglected by ornithologists.
In looking over such literature as was available the writer has frequently
been impressed with the lack of definite dates and other information regarding
many of our most common birds. In many cases only two or three nesting or
migration dates have been available from the entire State and these from widely
separated points. It was the desire to place on record the many apparently ob-
vious but hard-to-find facts pertaining to the birds of central California that,
more than anything else perhaps, induced me to hasten the completion of th's
work.
Efforts were made to communicate with several persons who were known to
have worked in this field ])revious to the advent of those who are now interested
in bird study, -with a thought of incorporating in the present paper such informa
tion as they might furnish ; but the project was finally abandoned, as it proved
to be an impossible task to learn the addresses of one or two, while the few re-
plies that were received did not contain a sufficient amount of the desired infor-
mation to be of distinct value.
The present paper, then, is simply a compilation of the knowledge of the
present day workers in this part of the State, and should be regarded more as a
vantage point from which we may begin anew a series of better and more thor-
ough observations, than as a final review of all that is to be learned of the birds
of Fresno County.
My only regret is that so little time has been available for bird study ; but
should my readers succeed in gleaning here and there from these pages some
few grains of information that will tend to make them better acquainted with
our feathered friends, or that will add a few facts to the general knowledge
concerning the birds of this region, then the author's labors will not have been
in vain. The real mission of this work will have been fulfilled, however, only
when someone, more fortunately equipped with time and opportunities than the
writer has ever been, is lead to see. not the little that has been done but rather
the wonderful field for original research that exists in Fresno County, and is
persuaded to take up and complete this work that has ever been so fascinating.
THE FRESNO DISTRICT DEFINED
The above term has been apphed in this paper to an area of which the city
of Fresno is the center. The boundaries of this district, which have been arbi-
trarily fixed by the author, are, in some cases, not well defined ; but it has been
the writer's intention to include in this work notes from the floor of the valley
only ; and where occasional references have been made to stations outside of
these limits they have been used with the belief that they might add to the gen-
eral knowledge concerning the distribution of the particular species under con-
sideration.
In general it may be said that the limits of the district here concerned are
marked on the west by Firebaugh at the north and Wheatville at the south. To
the east of Fresno a line might be drawn along the base of the Sierra Nevada
foothills, beginning at Friant on the north and extending south through Center-
ville to Reedley. The San Joaquin River forms a natural northern boundary,
while Laton and Riverdale are the most southern stations. This region lies in
the exact geographical center of the state of California, with an average eleva-
tion of not over four hundred feet. It will not be surprising, then, to note that
the majority of the birds listed are characteristic of the Lower Sonoran life zone,
with species from higher belts occurring as migrants or winter visitants.
Within the Fresno district there are no natural woods with the exception
of the oaks, willows, and sycamores along the San Joaquin River, the oaks and
willows in the Kings River bottom, and a fringe of willows and cottonwoods
that are found along some of the larger sloughs and canals. A growth of splen-
did valley oaks along the southern edge of the district, is a field scarcely as yet
touched by any of the bird students of Fresno County ; and that region, together
with much of the bottom land along the Kings River from Centerville to Reed-
ley, should furnish a wealth of interesting material if systematically worked.
Personally, the author has spent the greater part of his all too little spare time
in the highly cultivated and thickly settled section about Fresno, with occasional
visits to other parts of the valley.
STATUS OF THE WATER-BIRD POPULATION
The water birds of the region about Fresno, although highly interesting, are
difficult of study. Their occurrence or absence depends upon the abundance or
scarcity of water in the valley ; hence their numbers vary greatly from season to
season. One may sometimes spend the whole summer in locating the most fa-
vorable ponds and sloughs only to find that on account of a minimum rainfall
these ponds are entirely dried up the next season. Again an unusually wet win-
ter may result in an abundance of water and its accompanying host of birds in
places where they had been almost unknown previously.
It is with regret that we note a gradually diminishing number of water
fowl returning to us each fall. Doubtless the next few years will see the passing
of several species forever, so far as this valley is concerned. While it is prob-
ably true that gunners are in a large measure responsible for the decrease in
numbers of many species, particularly of the ducks and geese, yet a changed
environment has been a potent factor in bringing about the present condition. It
only requires a day's journey about the valley to convince anyone that conditions
are rapidly becoming unsuited for waterfowl. The large grain and stock ranches
are being subdivided, reclamation work is steadily reducing the swamp-covered
areas, vineyards and orchards are springing up everywhere with a consequent
great increase in population. Even the tule ponds that remain are often unsuit-
able for a nesting place on account of the custom of using them as foraging
grounds for bands of hogs.
Such birds as rear their young in a very few weeks and are able to make
use of any temporary overflow pond are not in immediate danger; but the ducks
and geese and others that require concealment during the summer, or large
open fields in winter, are surely doomed.
The author does not claim to have enumerated in the following pages all
of the water birds that occur in the region under consideration, but mention has
been made of each species that has been identified and it is hoped that the little
introduction that has been given to some of the most beautiful and valuable of
our birds will arouse a greater interest in them before many of them are gone
forever.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
In the preparation of this paper the author has been the recipient of much
valuable assistance. In fact, without this help the present report could not have
been successfully completed. Acknowledgments are due to Miss Wmifred
Wear, Mr. Frank M. Lane, Mr. Chas. E. Jenney, and other present-day workers
in this field ; to my friend and felknv ornithologist, Mr. Joseph Sloanaker, for a
wealth of notes from the vicinity of Raisin City ; to Mr. A. D. Ferguson, Dis-
trict Deputy of the Fish and Game Commission, for permits to take specimens
of doubtful species ; to my wife who assisted greatly in the actual work of get-
ting a mass of notes into printable shape ; and especially to Mr. Joseph Grinnell
of the California Museum of Vertebrate Zoology for patiently identifying speci-
mens and assisting in many other ways. To these and all others who assisted in
any way, the author takes this opportunity of expressing his sincere thanks.
The nomenclature adopted in the following list is, except in a very few
cases, that of the Third Edition of the American Ornithologists' Union Check-
List of North American Birds (1910).
CHECK-LlvST OF THE SPECIES
1. Western GRiiBU. Aechmophorus occidentalis (Lawrence).
2. PiKD-BiLLED Grebe. Podilymbus podiceps (Linnaeus).
3. California Gli.i.. Larus californicus Lawrence.
4. Forster Tern. Sterna forsteri Nuttall.
5. Black Tern. Hydrochelidon nigTa surinamensis (Gmelin).
6. Farallon Cormorant. Phalacrocorax anritiis albociliatns Ridc^way.
7. White Pelican. Pelecanus erythrorhynchos Gmelin.
8. Red-breasted Mergansi'R. Mergus serrator Linnaeus.
9. AL\llard. Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus.
10. Baldp.vte. Mareca americana (Gmelin).
11. GrEEn-wingEd Teal. Nettion carolinense (Gmelin).
12. Cinnamon Teal. Querquedula cyanoptera (A^ieillot).
13. Shoveller. Spatula clypeata (Linnaeus).
14. Pintail. Dafila acuta (Linnaeus).
15. Wood Duck. Aix sponsa (Linnaeus).
16. Redhead. Marila americana (Eyton).
17. Ruddy Duck. Erismatura jamaicensis (Gmelin).
18. Lesser Snow Goose. Chen hyperboreus hyperboreus (Pallas).
19. White-eronted Goose. Anser albifrons gambeli Hartlaub.
20. Canada Goose. Branta canadensis canadensis (Linnaeus).
21. HuTCHiNS Goose. Branta canadensis hutchinsi (Richardson).
22. Fulvous TrEE-duck. Dendrocygna bicolor (Vieillot).
23. Whistling Swan. Olor columbianus (Ord).
24. White-eaced Glossy Ibis. Plegadis guarauna (Linnaeus).
25. American Bittern. Botaurus lentiginosus (Montagu).
26. Least Bittern. Ixobrychus exilis (Gmelin).
27. Great Blue Heron. Ardea herodias herodias Linnaeus.
28. Anthony GrEEn Heron. Butorides virescens anthonyi (Mearns).
29. Black-crowned Night Heron. Nycticorax nycticorax naevius (Boddaert)
30. Sandhill Crane. Grus mexicana (]\Iuller).
31. Virginia Rail. Rallus virginianus Linnaeus.
32. Florida Gallinule. Gallinula galeata (Lichtenstein).
33. Coot. Fulica americana Gmelin.
34. Northern Phalarope. Lobipes lobatus (Linnaeus).
35. An'ocET. Recurvirostra americana Gmelin.
7,6. Black-necked Stilt. Himantopus mexicanv.s (Miiller).
37. Wilson Snipe. Gallinago delicata (Ord).
38. Least Sandpiper. Pisobia minutilla (Vieillot).
39. GrE.^ter Yellow-legs. Totanus melanoleucus (Gmelin).
40. Long-billed Curlew\ Numenius americanus Bechstein.
41. Hudsonian Curlew. Numenius hudsonicus Latham.
42. KiLLDEER. Oxyechus vociferus (Linnaeus).
43. Mountain Plover. Podasocys montanus (Townsend).
44. Plumed Quail. Oreortyx picta plumifera (Gould).
45. Valley Quail. Lophortyx califomica vallicola (Ridgway).
10 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
46. Band-taili;d Pige:on. Columba fasciata fasciata Say.
47. Western Mourning Dove;. Zenaidura macroura marginella (Woodhouse).
48. California Condor. Gymnogyps californianus (Shaw).
49. Turkey Vulture. Cathartes aura septentrionalis Wied.
50. White-tailed Kite. Elanus leucurus (Vieillot).
51. Marsh Hawk. Circus hudsonius (Linnaeus).
52. Sharp-shinned Hawk. Accipiter velox (Wilson).
53. Cooper Hawk. Accipiter cooperi (Bonaparte).
54. Western Red-tailed Hawk. Buteo borealis calurus Cassin.
55. SwAiNSON Hawk. Buteo swainsoni Bonaparte.
56. American Rough-legged Hawk. Archibuteo lagopus sancti-johannis
(Gmelin).
57. Ferruginous Rough-legged Hawk. Archibuteo ferrugineus (Lichten-
stein).
58. Golden Eagle. Aquila chrysaetos (Linnaeus).
59. Bald Eagle. Haliaeetus leucocephalus leucocephalus (Linnaeus).
60. Prairie Falcon. Falco mexicanus Schlegel.
61. Duck Hawk. Falco peregrinus anatum Bonaparte.
62. Northern Pigeon Hawk. Falco columbarius columbarius Linnaeus.
63. American Sparrow Hawk. Falco sparverius sparverius Linnaeus.
64. Barn Owl. Aluco pratincola (Bonaparte).
65. Long-eared Owl. Asio wilsonianus (Lesson).
66. Short-eared Owl. Asio flammeus (Pontoppidan).
6"]. Southern Spotted Owl. Strix occidentalis occidentalis (Xantus).
68. California Screech Owl. Otus asio bendirei (Brewster).
69. Pacific Horned Owl. Bubo virginianus paciiicus Cassin.
70. Burrowing Owl. Speotyto cunicularia hypogaea (Bonaparte).
71. Road-runner. Geococcyx californianus (Lesson).
72. California Cuckoo. Coccyzus americanus occidentalis Ridgway.
73. Belted Kingfisher. Ceryle alcyon (Linnaeus).
74. Willow Woodpecker. Dryobates pubescens turati (Malherbe).
75. NuTTALL Woodpecker. Dryobates nuttalli (Gambel).
76. Red-breasted SapsuckEr. Sphyrapicus ruber (Gmelin).
"J"]. California Woodpecker. Melanerpes formicivorus bairdi Ridgway.
78. Lewis Woodpecker. Asyndesmus lewisi Riley.
79. Red-shafted Flicker. Colaptes cafer collaris Vigors.
80. Texas Nighthawk. Chordeiles acutipennis texensis Lawrence.
81. Vaux Swift. Chaetura vauxi (Townsend).
82. Black-chinned Hummingbird. Archilochus alexandri (Bourcier & Mul-
sant).
83. Anna Hummingbird. Calypte anna (Lesson).
84. Rufous Hummingbird. Selasphorus rufus (Gmelin).
85. Western Kingbird. Tyrannus verticalis Say.
86. Ash-throated Flycatcher. Myiarchus cinerascens cinerascens (Law-
rence).
87. Say Phoebe. Sayornis sayus (Bonaparte).
88. Black Phoebe. Sayornis nigricans (Swainson).
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 11
89. Western Wood Pewee. Myiochanes richardsoni richardsoni (Swainson).
90. California Horned Lark. Otocoris alpestris actia Oberholser.
91. Yellow-billed Magpie. Pica nuttalli (Audubon).
92. BluE-eronted Jay. Cyanocitta stelleri frontalis (Ridgway).
93. California Jay. Aphelocoma califomica califomica (Vigors).
94. Western Raven. Corvus corax sinuatus Wagler.
95. Western Crow. Corvus brachyrhynchos hesperis Ridgway.
96. Dwarf Cowbird. Molothrus ater obscurus (Gmelin).
97. Yellow-headed Blackbird. Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus (Bonaparte).
98. BicolorEd Blackbird. Agelaius phoeniceus californicus Nelson.
99. TricolorEd Blackbird. Agelaius tricolor (Audubon).
100. Western Meadowlark. Sturnella neglecta Audubon.
1 01. Bullock Oriole. Icterus bullocki (Swainson).
102. Brewer Blackbird. Euphagus cyanocephalus (Wagler).
103. Linnet. Carpodacus mexicanus frontalis (Say).
104. Willow Goldfinch. Astragalinus tristis salicamans (Grinnell).
105. Green-backed Goldfinch. Astragalinus psaltria hesperophilus Oberholser.
T06. Lawrence Goldfinch. Astragalinus lawrencei (Cassin).
107. English Sparrow. Passer domesticus (Linnaeus).
108. Western Vesper Sparrow. Pooecetes gramineus confinis Baird.
109. Western Savannah Sparrow. Passerculus sandwichensis alaudinus Bona-
parte,
no. Western Grasshopper Sparrow. Ammodramus savannarum bimaculatus
(Swainson).
III. Western Lark Sparro\\". Chondestes grammacus strigatus (Swainson).
T12. Intermediate Sparrow. Zonotrichia leucophrys gambeli (Nuttall).
T13. Golden-crowned Sparrow. Zonotrichia coronata (Pallas).
114. Western Chipping Sparrow. Spizella passerina arizonae Coues.
115. Brewer Sparrow. Spizella breweri Cassin.
116. Sierra Junco. Junco oreganus thurberi Anthony.
117. California Sage Sparrow. Amphispiza nevadensis canescens Grinnell.
ii8. Heermann Song Sparrow. Melospiza melodia heermanni Baird.
119. Forbush Sparrow. Melospiza lincolni striata Brewster.
120. Slate-colorEd Fox Sparrow. Passerella iliaca schistacea Baird.
121. Kadiak Fox Sparrow. Passerella iliaca insularis Ridgway.
122. San Diego Towhee. Pipilo maculatus megalonyx Baird.
123. California Brown Towhee. Pipilo crissalis crissalis (Vigors).
124. Black-headed Grosbeak. Zamelodia melanocephala (Swainson).
125. Western Blue Grosbeak. Guiraca caerulea lazula (Lesson).
126. Lazuli Bunting. Passerina amoena (Say).
127. Western Tanager. Piranga ludoviciana (Wilson).
128. Western Martin. Progne subis hesperia Brewster.
129. Cliff Swallow. Petrocheiidon lunifrons lunifrons (Say).
130. Barn Swallow. Hirundo erythrogastra Boddaert.
131. Tree Swallow. Iridoprocne bicolor. (Vieillot).
T32. Northern Violet-green Sv^• allow. Tachycineta thalassina lepida Mearns.
12 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNIA No. 9
133. Rough-winged Swallow. Stelgidopteryx serripennis (Audubon).
134. Cedar Waxwing. Bombycilla cedrorum \"ieillot.
135. PriAiNOPEPLA. Phainopepla nitens (Swainson).
136. California Shrike. Lanius ludovicianus gambeli Ridgway.
137. California Least Vireo. Vireo belli pusillus Coues.
138. California Yellow Warbler. Dendroica aestiva brewsteri Grinnell.
139. Audubon Warbler. Dendroica auduboni auduboni (Townsend).
140. Black-throated Gray Warbler. Dendroica nigrescens (Townsend).
141. Western Yellowthroat. Geothlypis trichas occidentalis Brewster.
142. Long-tailed Chat. Icteria virens longicauda Lawrence.
143. Golden Pileolated Warbler. Wilsonia pusilla chryseola Ridgway.
144. American Pipit. Anthus rubescens (Tunstall).
145. Western Mockingbird. Mimus polyglottos leucopterus (Vigors).
146. California Thrasher. Toxostoma redivivum (Gambel).
147. Rock Wren. Salpinctes obsoletus obsoletus (Say).
148. San Joaquin Wren. Thryomanes bewicki drymoecus Oberholser.
149. TuLE Wren. Telmatodytes palustris paludicola (Baird).
150. Sierra Creeper. Certhia familiaris zelotes Osgood.
151. Slender-billed Nuthatch. Sitta carolinensis aculeata Cassin.
152. Red-breasted Nuthatch. Sitta canadensis Linnaeus.
i'53. Pigmy Nuthatch. Sitta pygmaea pygmaea Vigors.
154. California Bush-tit. Psaltriparus minimus calif ornicus Ridgway.
155. Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Regulus calendula calendula (Linnaeus).
156. Western Gnatcatcher. Polioptila caerulea obscura Ridgway.
157. Dwarf Hermit Thrush. Hylocichla guttata nanus (Audubon).
158. Western Robin. Planesticus migratorius propinquus (Ridgway).
159. Northern Varied Thrush. Ixoreus naevius meruloides (Swainson).
160. Western Bluebird. Sialia mexicana occidentalis Townsend.
161. Mountain Bluebird. Sialia currucoides (Becbstein).
13
GENERAL ACCOUNTS OF THE BIRDS
Western Grebe. Aechmophorus occidentalis (Lawrence).
The Western Grebe is not of common occurrence anywhere within the re-
gion covered by this paper. Hunters tell of the occurrence of this Grebe during
the winter months on some of the larger sloughs. This species may possibly
breed in the vicinity of Summit Lake, especially in seasons of high water. The
fact of its remaining through the summer on Tulare Lake and Buena Vista Lake,
in Kern County, would indicate that it is not averse to climatic or other condi-
tions in the valley.
June 8, 191 2, Mr. J. Eugene Law and the writer observed what we felt quite
certain was a Western Grebe near White's Bridge. All the lower areas in the
pasture of the great Chowchilla Ranch lying along the north side of the road
were inundated by the overflow from several sloughs. As we drove along the
grade the bird, at first sight taken for a cormorant, was seen to fly across the road
and plunge into a pond probably two hundred yards away. It swam with arched
neck and bill pointing upward at quite an angle, frequently diving and remaining
under for several seconds. There seemed no way of approaching it more closely
but we watched it for some time through a powerful glass and agreed that it was,
with very little doubt, a Western Grebe. The silvery white underparts and long
pointed bill seemed sufficient characters upon which to base our identification.
PiED-BiLLED Grebe. Podilymbus podiceps (Linnaeus).
Grebes of any kind seem scarce anywhere within the Fresno district and
those that do occur are so secretive and retiring that they are not often seen, es-
pecially in the summer months. Personally I have only found one nest. That
one was probably rendered unfit for occupancy through my desire to be certain
that no eggs were buried in the mass of decaying vegetation composing it. This
material floated, partly submerged, in two feet of water in a small tule pond six
miles east of Clovis. The date was June 9, 1908. My disturbing the nest was not
the only fatal circumstance, for a subsequent visit showed the pond to be drying
up, and no Grebes were to be found.
A small grebe is known to occur in winter on some of the ponds and sloughs,
but I am not prepared to say whether it is this species or the American Eared
Grebe.
California Gull. Larus calif ornicus Lawrence.
This Gull is a winter visitant to many of the larger sloughs along the western
border of the Fresno district, being most often noted in the region northward
from Summit Lake. I have never noticed any tendency for it to assemble in
large flocks, companies of even four or five being much less common than single
birds.
November 28, 1904. a gull was examined near the artesian well twenty miles
southwest of Fresno. It had evidently been shot by hunters some days previous to
my visit to the lake.
FoRSTER Tern. Sterna forsteri Nuttall.
This species was noted in large numbers the last week in June, 1902, when
thousands of acres of pasture land and not a few grain fields were inundated by
14 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
a sudden rise of water due to melting snow in the mountains. The water was
distributed for miles over the level country near New Hope, and produced a con-
dition very favorable to many species of water birds. Probably Sterna forsteri
nested abundantly, but no attempt to prove this was made, because of the dif-
ficulties in the way.
June 8, 1912, Mr. J. Eugene Law and the writer observed a number of these
splendid terns flying over the overflowed sloughs four miles east of White's
Bridge. They were flying singly and at no great height, frequently poising for a
drop to the surface of the water. In each case the bird was flying northward and
was not long in sight.
Black Tern. Hydrochelidon nigra surinamensis (Gmelin).
The Black Tern is of regular occurrence during the summer wherever suit-
able places can be found. June 28, 1902, great numbers of them hovered, scream-
ing, over the thousands of acres of overflowed land near New Hope. From their
actions I felt certain that they were breeding, but had no means of investigating.
Mr. Chester Lamb found this species breeding near Laton, in the southern
part of the county, May 31, 1910, and collected from a small mud island a set
of three eggs, together with an elaborate wild-oat nest. This nest, he stated, was
far more bulky than the frail accumulation of dry grass that composed the nests
of a colony of Black Terns that he found near Los Banos, in Merced County,
during the preceding week.
May II, 1908, I heard the cry of this species near Clovis and was surprised
to see three of the birds flying over the vineyards, far from any pond. They
tacked, dipped, and flapped along, making their way with nighthawk-like flight
against the strong wind that then prevailed.
May 30, 191 2, a colony of these handsome little terns was occupying a
broken-down patch of last year's tules in an overflowed pasture near Firebaugh.
With a glass several of the birds could be seen sitting on nests amid the floating
dry tules. A swiftly flowing canal intervened and time did not permit of an at-
tempt at a closer inspection of the nests. As there were several acres of these
tules it is probable that quite an extensive colony was nesting there, but not over
half a dozen birds were in sight at one time as they skimmed over the shallow
water.
Sometimes in late July a number of these terns may be seen around some of
the ponds southwest of Fresno where they are not known to breed. As the birds
are usually in the mixed plumage of the immature it seems probable that these are
young-of-the-year that are shifting for themselves and have wandered away
from the place where they were raised.
Farallon Cormorant. Phalacrocorax auritus albociliatus Ridgway.
Cormorants are of common occurrence during the winter on the large
sloughs southwest of Fresno. I have observed them perched on dead branches
above the water in true cormorant style, or swimming with their bodies sub-
merged and only the long snake-like necks appearing above the water. When
disturbed they would often dive and remain under water for several seconds, to
appear again many yards from where they went down.
These cormorants disappear during the summer, doubtless to join a breed-
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 15
ing colony at some more favorable point. Possibly the rookery described by Gold-
man (Condor, x, 1908, p. 201) includes the winter birds from this place.
It is highly probable that certain individuals that are for some reason non-
breeders remain with us all summer ; for I have observed cormorants along
certain sloughs as late as the first week in June, and May 15, 1912, nine were
seen flying together. This was not far from White's Bridge, and I have thought
that somewhere on the great Chowchilla Ranch there might possibly be a breed-
ing colony as yet unknown to the naturalists of this part of the state.
White Pelican. Pelecanus erythrorhynchos Gmelin.
Near Summit Lake one late October day the writer concealed himself behind
a levee to await the approach of what appeared to be a flock of geese. "Pelicans,"
called my companion, and his identification proved to be correct. There were
over two hundred birds in the three flocks that were seen on that occasion,
and to the writer, who was then unacquainted with any of our waterfowl, they
were objects of wonder and admiration as they passed over at no great height in
regular formation and with a slow dignified flight. That was ten years ago, but
the White Pelican still occurs through the winter over most of the slough
country northward from Summit Lake.
November 29, 1904, a flock of about fifty was seen near New Hope. De-
cember 5, 1905, near the lake at the Artesian Well, a similar flock was seen flying
over. April 6, 1906, another assemblage was noted circling about overhead on
the plains not far from the present site of Raisin.
The species is reported to breed in numbers, during some seasons at least,
at Tulare Lake, some fifty miles south of us.
Red-breasted Merganser. Mergus serrator Linnaeus.
The "Fish Duck," as this species is commonly known to hunters, occurs
on many of the larger sloughs during the winter season. Nearly everyone realizes
that this duck is of no value for the table and it is seldom molested, except by
that class of hunters who draw the line at no living creature that affords a mark
to shoot at.
Generally two mergansers are observed together, flying over with strong
wing strokes, or quietly fishing in some secluded bend of a slough.
Mallard. Anas platyrhychos Linnaeus.
Mallards are probably the most common breeding ducks of this part ot the
valley. Some years, when conditions are favorable, they nest in large numbers
on the west side sloughs and marshes, their abundance or scarcity during the
following winter depending, seemingly, upon the number that are raised here
rather than migrants from the north. Sometimes when several hard rain storms
follow one upon the other, a great many small puddles are formed in the heavy
clay soil east of Clovis. Occasionally a Mallard or two can be found on these
puddles, especially during December or January. Some of the larger ponds,
caused by the overflow from a flume, occasionally shelter a pair of these ducks all
through the summer.
June 26, 1906, two companions and myself noticed a female Mallard in a
large ditch, acting in a rather strange manner, and we at once suspected that a
brood of voung ducks was concealed near by. A few minutes' search revealed
16 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
three or four of the little fellows hidden in the tall grass at the water's edge.
One of these that was captured, was about the size of a full-grown teal, and
though apparently fully feathered he seemed unable to fly. Upon being released
the duckling lost no time in getting out of sight, and a party passing the place a
moment later would never have suspected the presence of a duck near that ditch.
The Mallards will undoubtedly be the last ducks to become extinct in this
part of the state. The presence of an abundance of water is not one of their
requirements and isolated pairs sometimes nest in alfalfa fields where the nearest
water may be a small irrigation ditch nearly a quarter of a mile away.
The writer has observed Mallards during the summer months in almost
every part of the valley, from the tule ponds southeast of Fresno to the sloughs
near White's Bridge, while in the winter they have no less wide a range, de-
pending upon the amount of rainfall and the consequent number of ponds.
Baldpats. Mareca americana (Gmelin).
'"Widgeon" is the common local name of this duck. It is a winter visitor,
arriving in October. It then frequents the sloughs and larger bodies of water in
good-sized flocks. At times a few individuals are seen to accompany flocks of
Pintails. A few of these ducks pass the winter on the San Joaquin River near
Lane's Bridge
The whistled "whee, whee, whee,'' produced by this bird's wings in flight
often serves to identify the Baldpate when the bird itself cannot be seen.
Gree^n-winged Teal. Nettion carolinense (Gmelin).
This little duck is one of the first of the family to arrive in the fall and is,
on the whole, probably the most abundant species in the valley. It frequents the
small mud holes and tule-bordered ditches rather than large sheets of open water.
Some winters the Mallard far outnumbers this teal, and again the Widgeon
or Pintail seems to hold the most prominent place; but the number of Green-
winged Teal does not seem to vary greatly from year to year.
Cinnamon Teal. Cluerquedula cyanoptera (Vieillot).
As a summer visitant this handsome little duck probably ranks next to the
Mallard in abundance and has almost as wide a range. In certain seasons it is
probable that it even outnumbers its larger relative; but unlike the Mallard it
does not seem to be at all common in winter.
January lo, 1912, I was shown a beautiful male Cinnamon Teal that had
been shot from a flock of about a dozen individuals found in a small muddy
puddle near Riverdale. The hunter who secured this duck informed me that
in nearly fifteen years experience it was the first time, so far as he could re-
member, that this species had been seen at that time of the year. The birds
usually make their first appearance in February.
In May and June one or two pairs of these ducks are usually to be found
about any pond or slough that will afford concealment. They doubtless breed
along many of the west side sloughs and probably within seven or eight miles of
Fresno, as a few pairs remain all through the summer on the ponds at the city
sewer farm.
The nest that was examined in May was simply a slight hollow picked bare of
grass and unlined. It was situated in a thick clump of grass on a small island
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 17
in one of the sloughs near White's Bridge. As the female bird had not yet com-
menced to lay, it is probable that the nest would have presented quite a dif-
ferent appearance a couple of weeks later. But a sudden rise of water in the
slough completely inundated the little island with its clump of grass.
None of our other ducks show the fearlessness of these little fellows, it being
no difficult feat, often, to approach to within a few yards of a pair. They swim
slowly away, keeping close to shore and refusing to separate, even when finally
compelled to seek safety in flight.
Shoveller. Spatula clypeata (Linnaeus).
"Spoonbills" are common winter visitants to the shallow ponds and sloughs
in the valley. They do not go about in large flocks, but small companies may
often be found associating with various other ducks. Although never present
in great numbers, the Shovellers are always in evidence and sometimes make
up the major portion of the bags secured by hunters. This duck and tTie Green-
winged Teal fall easy prey to the market hunters and fully three-fourths of the
ducks noted in the meat markets here have been of these two species.
Pintail. Dafila acuta (Linnaeus).
A very common and much sought-for duck, occurring throughout the winter
in large flocks. Over all the west side marshes and on the many sloughs that cut
through the country around Wheatville this species is to be found in goodly
numbers. Reports of "Sprigs'' nesting have come in at times.
Wood Duck. Aix sponsa (Linnaeus).
Personally the author has not observed this duck, but it has been mentioned
time and again by hunters who state that it is occasionally met with, though to
be considered rare. It seems to occur most often in the wooded swampy region
to the south and east of Wheatville. Mr. Joseph Sloanaker observed a pair of
Wood Ducks in the river near the bridge at Reedley, in the latter part of April,
1910. Not infrequently a specimen of this duck finds its way into a local taxider-
mist's shop.
Redhead. Marila americana (Eyton).
Apparently not very common. The author has never seen but two birds,
and the hunters with whom I have talked state that they meet with it only oc-
casionally. A friend shot one on a small pond near the Artesian Lake. December
2, 1904.
Rumors have come to me of the breeding of this duck at several points in
the valley, particularly in the vicinity of Firebaugh, and there seems no good
reason for discrediting such rumors when one is familiar with the nature of the
country in that part of the valley.
Ruddy Duck. Erismatura jamaicensis (Gmelin).
These little ducks are often seen in winter on almost any pond that is of
sufficient size to allow them to keep out of gun range. They are most often
seen in flocks of ten or twelve, swimming in a rather compact company and re-
luctant to take wing unless compelled to do so, when their flight proves to be
strong and very rapid.
On several occasions I have seen a flock of these ducks swim about indif-
18 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
ferently while several ineffective shots rained pellets all around them. This
duck is often called "Pintail" by the hunters.
Lesser Snow^ Goose. Chen hyperboreus hyperboreus (Pallas).
White geese swarm by thousands on the west side plains. No record has
been obtained of their date of arrival in the fall, but as late as April 7 ( 1906)
they were congregated in large numbers on several hundred acres of grassy
pasture near the Artesian Lake. Just before sundown, as I drove past, the
ground v;as white almost as far as one could see and the noise was deafening. 1
have not had an opportunity of measuring any of these geese, but there appears
to be a great variation in size. During January large flocks of Snow Geese move
restlessly about, flying at a great height, and generally travelling toward the
north.
White-fronted Goose. Anser albifrons gambeli Hartlaub.
Less common through the winter than the white geese, this bird, which
inhabits much the same country, is nearly always in evidence on account of its
loud, clear call notes. This species is sometimes found along the sloughs in
October, and remains, in some instances at least, until the second week in April.
During periods of stormy weather they often fly over in large flocks, apparently
with no definite object in view other than a change of feeding grounds. Their
cry is often heard at night, especially during moonlight evenings.
Canada GoosE. Branta canadensis canadensis (Linnaeus).
Under this heading I have placed all the large "honkers" found in this part
of the San Joaquin Valley. After examining not a few geese in the markets
and in the possession of hunters, I have concluded that the race occidentalis
either does not occur as commonly as supposed or that its validity as a subspecies
is rather questionable. I have never yet seen a bird that would fit the book de-
scriptions of that form.
No doubt there are persons who have access to a sufficiently large series of
specimens to enable them to work over this group thoroughly and if necessary
name one more subspecies to make provision for those individuals that are not
quite typical of either canadensis or occidentalis. After all, though, would it not
be a much more satisfactory solution to adopt the nomenclature of the market
hunters and simply call them all "honkers." Happy is the man who is not con-
cerned about the presence of one or two black feathers properly placed !
Wherever large open grain fields are to be found, especially if they are not
too far removed from some river or large body of water, these geese may be
looked for at any time during the winter. In stormy weather they often roam
around in large flocks or small detached companies. This species departs earlier
in the spring than the White-fronted or Snow Geese and have usually all left the
valley by the middle of March.
It seems a pity that these splendid birds cannot adapt themselves to a changed
environment and thus defer that day when we will no longer be able to number
them among the birds of the Fresno district.
HuTCHiNS Goose. Branta canadensis hutchinsi (Richardson).
These small geese, known to hunters as "China Geese" or "Little Honkers,"
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 19
range over much of the same part of the valley as their larger relative, but usually
go about in larger flocks and are more noisy.
As yet this species returns to us in large numbers each winter, but upon
every return visit they find a more restricted feeding range and a greater army of
hunters in the field ; so it is only a matter of a few more years until this species,
together with most of our large game birds, will have disappeared from this
part of the state.
Farmers complain of the damage done in grain fields by these and other
geese, and as the birds are not protected at any time during their winter sojourn
with us they are often slaughtered in large numbers by market hunters and
others.
Ten years ago when much of the country northeast of Fresno was given
over to grain ranches these geese were seen very often and were sometimes
noted in large numbers during late March when the spring migrations began ;
but during the last four or five years I have not seen half a dozen flocks any-
where east of the city.
Fulvous Tree-duck. Dendrocygna bicolor (Vieillot).
Mr. J. Eugene Law furnishes the following notes regarding this species:
"On June 7 (1912) while on the Murphy Slough, on the Burrel Ranch (28
miles southwest of Fresno), I three times saw Fulvous Ducks, twice a pair and
the other time three individuals. These were flying quite close to me and appar-
ently settled only a little ways off among tules. At this time the water was over-
flowing the low lands having been on the rise for some time. The birds had not
been observed during the five days previous during which time I had been in
this vicinity."
These ducks are known to occur quite commonly over much of the region
from Firebaugh northward, wherever suitable water occurs, and have been
frequently recorded from, the vicinity of Los Baiios.
Mr. Law writes me further as follows: "On the 13th (June, 1912) while en
route between Dos Palos and Los Bafios, I think a mile or so above Dos Palos,
these birds were really abundant, every little pond having two or three indi-
viduals and sometimes several little groups. At one time I saw six birds together
on the wing. I noted also that they have a peculiar un-duck-like metallic call re-
peated rapidly as they are settling in the water or rising, which was quite new
to me. Nothing that I saw would indicate that the birds were nesting at this
time and the fact that there were as often three together as two might indicate
that the birds observed were all males. I suppose that I saw as many as twenty-
five or thirty birds during the couple of hours I spent near Dos Palos. There
were, at a short distance, beds of very rank tules which would, I imagine, make
proper nesting places for these birds."
Whistling Sv/an. Olor columbianus (Ord).
In former years swans occurred in some numbers wherever large bodies ot
open water offered an inducement to spend a part of the winter. The flocks
usually numbered ten or twelve birds each.
I have been informed that fifteen years ago it was no uncommon sight to
20 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
see one or two of these birds hanging up in the meat markets. There is a
mounted specimen in a local taxidermist's shop, evidently prepared many years
ago. At present swans are rarely seen and in a few years more will doubtless
vanish forever.
Whitk-faced Glossy Ibis. Plegadis guarauna (Linnaeus).
The occurrence of this Ibis during July and August, sometimes in large
flocks, has been noted throughout the marshy country near Wheatville. July 13,
191 1, four individuals were seen flying over the water in a vast overflowed area.
August 23, 1908, two were seen flying over the vineyard near the Tarpey
Ranch, northeast of Fresno. They were traveling toward the mountains, and
as their appearance was noted early in the morning it is possible that they had
flown out of their course during the night.
I do not know of any breeding colony in this part of the valley, but the
species is known to breed near Los Banos, in Merced County. It would not be
surprising if a colony were to be found in the tule swamps between Wheatville
and Summit Lake.
May 30, 19 1 2, large numbers of Ibis were seen feeding in flocks along the
roadside north of Firebaugh. They gave little heed to a passing automobile, but
flew up in confusion when a train passed. I should estimate the number of
birds seen at not less than five hundred. As they fed over the soft muddy
ground, probing with their long sickle bills, I tried to decide what of my avian
acquaintances they most resembled. Their glistening bronzy plumage and
dignified demeanor suggested a flock of turkeys, but certain of their actions
were not unlike a flock of crows.
May 20, 1912, a lone Ibis was noted near a shallow salt-grass pond six
miles southwest of Fresno. He had a lonesome, dejected attitude, as he stood
humped up on the muddy bank paying no attention to the noisy Stilts that were
nesting all about, nor to the two pairs of friendly little Cinnamon Teal that some-
times swam quite near. When too closely approached this Ibis gave a dismal
cry and flew to the opposite side of the pond.
American Bittern. Botaurus lentiginosus (Montagu).
The Bittern appears to be a fairly common resident of the swampy areas
near Wheatville. December 2, 1904, two individuals were seen, one in a thick
growth of marsh grass and cockleburrs, the other being flushed from some small
willows along a dead slough. December 6, 1905, another one was seen, and
April 7, 1906, a fourth specimen was observed.
July 13, 1911, while enjoying an automobile trip through the west side
country, I observed a Bittern standing in the mud in a small sink, where her
only companion was a cow. Upon passing the same place a couple of hours later
the bird was seen crouching beside a large tuft of grass, looking intently at the
muddy water. As a rule this bird is not so willing to be observed.
Some boys once gave me two eggs that were unquestionably those of the
Bittern. They had found two nests, late in June in a large pasture, the nests
being built in the rank grass not far from a slough. Five eggs were said to be
the complement in each case.
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 21
Least Bittern. Ixobrychus exilis (Gmelin).
So far as I have been able to learn this little JHttern is not at all common,
even in the swampy areas. Few people seem to know it. Perhaps its habit of
keeping concealed accounts for its apparent rarity, in some measure, at least.
The author saw a single individual near Wheatville the first week in May, 1900.
Great Blue Heron. Ardea herodias herodias Linnaeus.
Probably no other bird in central California receives the attention from
a disinterested public that this splendid species does. Known to nearly everyone
as "Crane," "Blue Crane," "Gopher Crane," or "Fish Crane," it seems fortu-
nate that the impression jirevails everywhere to the effect that this bird is strictly
protected, and that to kill one would be about on a par with shooting a Turkey
Vulture. If it were not for this fact the herons would have long ago disappeared
from the valley.
The farmers of this county should do all in their power to afford protection to
the Blue Heron, as it is one of the best gopher destroyers in existence. It is no
uncommon sight to see a heron standing motionless for hours at a time in an
alfalfa field waiting for a gopher to make its appearance. Small fish, frogs, and
probably lizards, if thev are obtainable, are eaten, and on many occasions herons
have been observed in pairs on the dry barren hillsides along the San Joaquin
River busily engaged in catching grasshoppers. Ability to adapt itself to chang-
mg conditions and a varied diet has caused this bird to become widely diffused
throughout the valley, and has, no doubt, assisted materially in preserving the
species.
Great Blue Herons formerly nested, and probably still do. in some large
sycamores near the river below Friant. Mr. Chas. E. Jenney reports two sets of
eggs, numbering four and five respectively, taken on March 31 several years ago.
Rumors have come to me of a large present-day colony that nests in a grove of
eucalyptus trees rather indefinitely located as "north of Raisin City." but the
exact location seems to be unknown
April 12, 1902, the author found a colony of nine pairs occupying a large
lone Cottonwood that stood on the bank of Fish Slough near New Hope. At
least three of the nests contained sets of four and five eggs each, all far advanced
in incubation, while three other nests held small young. Of the contents of the
three remaining nests nothing certain could be learned, as they were almost in-
accessible. All these nests were large, well-hollowed platforms strongly built of
sticks and placed from forty to sixty feet above the ground.
Whether standing in solitary dignity in some shallow slough spearing for
pollywogs, or settling in large numbers knee-deep in the overflowed fields where
he has but to pick up of the abundance of food all about him. the Great Blue
Heron is one of the most imposing and attractive sights of the bird life in Fresno
County.
Anthony Green Heron. Butorides virescens anthonyi (Mearns).
The Green Heron is a common migrant throughout the valley, wherever suit-
able conditions exist. It has been observed along the flume ponds well up into
the foothills east of Clovis, among the willows that border the San Joaquin
River north of Fresno, and along manv of the ditches near the city ; while the
22 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
center of its abundance seems to be the over-flowed swampy areas near Wheat-
ville.
Late in May, 1908, a dam was thrown across a certain large irrigation ditch
near Clovis and a new ditch formed ahnost parallel to the old one. Just enough
water leaked through the head gate to keep the water in the original ditch from
lowering noticably; but as there was no outlet it soon became stagnant under
the warm sun and before many days seemed alive with frogs and small fish. Al-
though a Green Heron had never been seen along this ditch previous to that
time, yet the writer soon became aware of the presence of a couple of timid, awk-
ward birds that flapped noisily from willow to willow, all the while giving voice
to a series of guttural squawks, gnmts, and croakings.
A careful search on June 13 along the half-mile fringe of willows resulted
in finding a thin, frail, platform nest built on a small horizontal branch, almost at
its extremity, and sixteen feet above the water. On this saucer-shaped structure
of long, dry, wire-like twigs the owner was covering four very slightly incubated
eggs. Not until I had climbed half the distance to the nest did the bird leave
and then she perched nearby and occasionally barked her disapproval.
The second nest of this pair of birds, built after their first set had been
removed to the author's collection, was found on June 28 in a tree scarcely fifty
yards from the first one. This nest held three eggs and was about thirty feet
frorii the ground. July 9 this bird was patiently incubating, and from the ap-
pearance of the nest a couple of months later I felt sure that a family of young
herons were successfully raised in it. ,
Black-crowned Night Heron. Nycticorax nycticorax naevius (Boddaert).
A common resident throughout the valley, occurring in large numbers over
the marshy areas and found singly or in small companies wherever an old dead
slough or ditch occurs. This species seems to prefer the vicinity of stagnant or
muddy slow-flowing water, rather than the clearer, more rapid ditches.
There was at one time, and probably still is, a large breeding colony in the
willows that border Fish Slough near New Hope. The farmers in that
region irrigate large tracts of gram and alfalfa, using water from the slough,
and often when the water is turned out there will be thousands of carp and other
fish left on the ground. To this wriggling, squirming feast the herons swarm by
hundreds, and it is probably the presence of such an abundance of food during
the summer that has brought together the large nesting colony at this place.
Sandhill Crane. Grus mexicana (Miiller).
It seems quite reasonable to suppose that both the Sandhill and Little Brown
cranes occur at times in the Fresno district ; but the great majority of the host
of our winter visitant cranes are mexicana. and the few specimens that I have
had an opportunity to examine measured well beyond the maximum for
canadensis.
Our cranes first arrive in September and are fairly common in suitable
places all through the winter, beginning their northward flight sometimes by
March 20, but usually not until the first of April. Two or three weeks are re-
quired for all the flocks to have gotten safely under way on their long journey,
and I have sometimes suspected that certain individuals occasionally remained all
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 23
summer. I saw three cranes not far from LilHs as late as May 3, 1900. The
height at which these migrating cranes fly on clear warm days is almost in-
credible and the number that pass over in a single day is not less remarkable.
The past season (1912) showed a very early migration, many flocks of cranes
passing over March 17.
Virginia Rail. Rallus virginianus Linnaeus.
A fairly common resident of suitable areas, but not often seen on account
of its seclusive habits. It has been noted in the overflowed districts of the Wheat-
ville region, and among the grass and sedges of shallow sloughs along the San
Joaquin River near Riverview. On October 14, 1910, a fine male was found
dead in the yard of a residence within the city limits of Fresno. This specimen
is now in the collection of Miss Winifred Wear, of this city.
Florida Gallinule. Gallinula galeata (Lichtenstein).
Florida Gallinules appear to be quite generally distributed over the valley, but
are nowhere as much in evidence as their near relatives, the coots. In point of
numbers the mud-hens have all the best of it. although the gallinules' secretive
habits may have something to do with the apparent scarcity of the species in
some localities. The local name "red-billed mud-hen" would seem to be an ap-
propriate one for this bird, as the red bill is a distinguishing mark as far as the
bird can be seen.
November 26, 1907, two gallinules were seen on a pond near Letcher about
twenty-five miles northeast of Fresno. Although well up into the foothill region
and somewhat out of the range covered in this list, yet the record was thought
worthy of note in the present paper, especially since the species was subsequently
seen not far from the same place and may be a permanent resident there.
April 19, 1908, a gallinule arose from a small pond at the roadside, walked
across the road and disappeared among the cat-tails and wire grass. This was
near a series of small ponds caused by the overflow of a flume and although con-
ditions seemed very favorable for the breeding of these birds I could find no
nests, and on later visits the birds wc^e not to be found. These ponds were
about seven miles east of Clovis and the same distance from the locality of the
first record. I had seen a single bird near the same place on the seventh of the
preceding March.
May 20, 191 2. a gallinule was observed quietly swimming in a pond at the
edge of a dense patch of tules in one of the numerous salt grass pastures six
miles southwest of Fresno.
This species is known to breed in the swampy overflowed region near Fire-
baugh.
Coot. Fulica americana Gmelin.
An abundant resident in suitable places throughout the valley. All the over-
flow land south of Wheatville, the swamps and sloughs along the west side, and
the smaller tule-bordered ponds nearer the city seem to be equally suitable.
A local gun club that has its preserve in Merced County frequently holds
a ''mudhen shoot" at the opening of the duck season, and the members report
having killed as many as five thousand coots in a day.
This bird sometimes strays away from water and seems to become confused
24 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
rather easily. Late one summer a mud-hen was found in a peach orchard two
or three miles from any water and as it seemed unable to take wing from a
ground start it was easily captured. When thrown into the air its flight was
rapid and strong but hardly graceful.
This species must begin nesting rather early in favorable seasons as young
birds have been seen as early as the first week in April.
May 30, 1912, a Coot was seen occupying a floating nest on a comparatively
open sheet of water near Firebaugh. No doubt there were many others nesting
in the cat-tails nearby, but this bird was living in a houseboat that was visible
from any direction. Had this ark been untenanted it might have passed for
one of the many bits of floating drift and dry tules, but with a large bluish bird,
with a distinctly white bill, perched upon it there was no mistaking it even at
a distance.
In spite of their clumsy ugliness mudhens are interesting creatures, especially
when they assemble to feed, like chickens, upon the grass, sometimes at some
distance from their favorite pond. It is their voracious appetites that have led
to their downfall, however; for the hunters claim that the grain placed about
ponds to entice ducks and geese is devoured by the hungr}'- coots, and for that
reason a reduction in the numbers of the mudhen host often seems desirable from
the sportsman's point of view.
Northern Phalarope. Lobipes lobatus (Linnaeus).
While there seems little reason to doubt the more or less frequent oc-
currence of phalaropes in favorable places in the valley during migrations, yet the
writer has observed but a single bird and that one was noticed so late as May
20, 191 2. On that date I was looking through a colony of nesting stilts in a salt-
grass pasture near a pond six miles southwest of Fresno. A phalarope was
swimming about most unconcernedly in a neck of the pond. Naturally I watched
him with much interest and finally walked up to within less than thirty feet of
him when he flew a short distance and again settled on the water not far away.
Later in the day I happened to be passing the same place but the bird was not to
be seen. No doubt this was just a hungry migrant that had stopped over for
a few hours to feed in so attractive a pond.
It may seem like a dangerous proceeding for one confessedly unfamiliar
with this class of birds to name the species from merely seeing a single individ-
ual ; but in this case the bird was clearly seen and carefully compared with the
book descriptions.
A\ocET. Recurvirostra americana Gmelin.
Shallow, muddy, alkaline ponds surrounded by rolling, salt-grass prairie,
seem to exactly suit the requirements of this wader, and these conditions are met
with at many points along the western part of the county from Wheatville to
Mendota. Mr. J. H. Pierson of this city observed a number of avocets near the
latter place on May 27, 191 1, sitting on their eggs. They were nesting on little
islands that, stood a few inches above the water. At other places they nest on
the bare ground among the patches of salt grass.
April 6, 1906, seven pairs of "yellow snipes," as the ranchers often call them,
were observed in the shallow water at the Artesian Lake. Their subdued cry. not
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 25
unlike a whistle, was heard before the birds were seen. This note was uttered
unceasingly as the birds stepped about, bowed, and continually dipped their bills
into the water. One of these birds was still in his winter dress and looked al-
most like an albino, in rather striking contrast to the other thirteen which had as-
sumed their full breeding plumage : but the odd bird appeared to be enjoying the
sport as much as any of them.
I have always thought that this species showed a marked preference for the
most stagnant and uninviting ponds. Several such places that the writer occas-
ionally visits are to be found a few miles south of Caruthers, and although the
water is sometimes so foul as to be almost black yet the Avocets gather there in
some numbers. About the borders of these ponds may sometimes be found
myriads of flies that seem to be attracted by some substance floating just at the
water's edge. It seems not improbable that these flies form one of the staple
articles of diet for the Avocets at this season.
I have mentioned the, to me, remarkable instance of Avocets being seen on
their nests while the observer drove past in an auto ; but I have never been able,
by any strategy, to discover an Avocet upon her nest, except in just one instance.
On this occasion I concealed myself in a ditch and waited until with the aid of
a glass a bird was finally seen to go to her nest. Three others that appeared to
have resumed the duties of incubation were found to be sitting on the bare
ground their fears having evidently not been entirely allayed. In fact I
know of no birds whose nests are so hard to discover.
Always on the alert it is nothing unusual for one of these big fellows to
come out to meet the naturalist before he has approached to within a half-mile
of a nesting colony. The presence of a man anywhere within two hundred yards
is sure to call out half a dozen angry birds that fly over with peculiar stiflf flight,
and with long bill pointing in one direction and the still longer legs stretched out
full-length in the opposite. "Pleek, pleek, pleek." they scream as they dart at an
intruder in a most threatening manner.
Near Firebaugh on May 30, 1912, I found Avocets and Stilts nesting near a
large, shallow, muddy pond near the railroad, and it was there that the one in-
stance of an Avocet being seen on her nest was noted. Nests of Stilts vary won-
derfully in amount and variety of nesting material used ; but our Avocets seem
to have adopted one style of architecture almost exclusively. The typical nest is
little more than a shallow depression in the earth with no lining whatever tmder
the eggs but with quite a substantial rim around them so that it may be said to
resemble a large, loosely built, and much flattened blackbird's nest with the bot-
tom removed. One is given the impression that this nest might have been hastily
woven together, carried for some distance and set down over the four large
pointed eggs with the idea of fencing them in rather than of affording a com-
fortable nest for the young.
Sometimes the great clay-colored eggs are so plastered with mud from the
feet of the sitting bird as to resemble clods of earth. While this is probably not
an act of precaution on the part of the birds yet it certainly serves to make the
nests much more inconspicuous.
Black-neckkd Stilt. Himantopus mexicanus (Miiller).
To every true lover of birds there comes, at some time during the first six
26 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
months of the year, a flood tide of enthusiasm that usually presages a red-letter
day in the fields or woods. To some this comes when February gives us a suc-
cession of warm sunny days, and sooner or later a trip for Horned Owl's eggs is
the result. Others may ward off February's magic spell only to go trampmg
away som.e blustery March morning in search of the aerie of a pair of Golden
Eagles. Others still find an irresistible impulse drawing them away toward the
hills just when the blossoming oaks suggest Bush-tits' nests or the glim.pse of
some rare migrant warbler. Thus we all have our favorite and the writer, who
has often spent the first four months in oological idleness, suddenly in May falls
a victim to that intangible something that draws men away from the cares and
responsibilities of a business world.
Imagine a salt-grass pasture, a pond shimmering in the distance, the odor
of alkali weeds, and half a dozen long-legged, black and white waders. Xot an
attractive scene the uninitiated would say, especially when viewed from a dusty
roadside with the summer sun beating down mercilessly ; yet the most pleasant
days in my whole experience as a bird student have been spent around some
such place.
The Black-necked Stilts arrive in the vicinitv" of Fresno about the middle
of April, although the date of arrival seems to vary somewhat, and the first of
that month in some seasons would find the birds already on hand. It is quite
probable that certain pairs are either very tardy migrants or for some reason
delay their nesting until long after the majorit)^ of the Stilts have begim to as-
sume family cares. One season when in several colonies the date for complete
sets of fresh eggs was about May 20. I was very certain that no Stilts were nest-
ing about two ponds that I frequently visited. I was therefore considerably sur-
prised to find a colony in possession of each of these ponds in Mid- June, the 13th
to be exact, and a number of nests contained fresh eggs. This, however, is not
sufficient proof of retarded migration in view of the fact that in some colonies
where nesting began early a few birds could still be found that were incubating
eggs up to the first of July. At this time large young were in evidence some of
which were not distinguishable from tlieir parents at a little distance. Unless
in some manner molested I think it unlikely that more than one set of eggs is
laid each spring, but I am convinced that in not a few cases the birds are com-
pelled to make a second, and perhaps a third, attempt before they succeed in rais-
ing a brood.
As these nesting colonies of Stilts are invariably in pastures with cattle
tramping everj^vhere over the fields, it seems almost a miracle that any of the
eggs escape being destroyed : and yet I have not one iota of positive proof of
such a disaster ever overtaking a Stilt's nest, while in many instances I have
known the eggs to hatch safely almost under the feet of stock. It is known that few
animals will purposely step on any living object of a size large enough to be
noticed, and the writer is convinced that a Stilt simply remains on her nest and
by her vociferousness and possibly even with a few vigorous thrusts of her long
bill causes a grazing cow to direct her course away from the nest.
A lack of judgment causes many nests to be abandoned each year, and a
colony of Stilts that are not able to distinguish between a permanent pond and
one that has been caused bv irrigation is liable to find that bv the time sets of
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 27
eggs are complete the water has disappeared and a new nesting site must be
chosen. Fortunately the larger colonies always seem to be located near the
permanent ponds, but there are numerous scattering pairs that are deceived
each summer.
Nesting colonies of these waders in the Fresno district are never very large,
consisting of from six to twenty pairs, as a rule, the most extensive one of which
I have any knowledge containing an average of about thirty pairs each season.
Possibly the numerous small ponds will not support a great many birds, and
as suitable pastures abound in certain sections it is not a difficult matter for all
the birds to be accommodated without any crowding.
It is not an easy task to define the exact summer range of this species in
the valley, as everything depends upon the presence of water. A winter of ex-
cessive rainfall, or a very dry one, may bring about results entirely unlike what
would be found the spring following a season of normal rainfall. It may be said,
however, that this species does not show such a decided preference for stagnant
alkaline ponds as does the Avocet, and although a few Stilts are usually to be
found with the Avocets in such places, the smaller birds are often found around
the fresh water pools also, where their larger relatives are seldom seen.
Mneyards and orchards are for the most part shunned, as is shown by the
fact that I have only two or three records for the country northeast of Fresno.
One of these was a single bird that was seen flying over the vineyards near Clovis
on April 30, 1905. The i6th of the following Alay a friend reported having seen
three pairs of Stilts near Little Dry Creek, north of Clovis, and well into the foot-
hills. In general, however, it may be said that this species is to be looked for
wherever open treeless pastures with shallow ponds or sloughs are to be found,
with an unmistakable preference at all times for the areas that are thickly
carpeted with Bermuda grass. It has been known to breed near the Artesian
Lake, along some of the sloughs and irrigation ponds near Wheatville, in the
vicinity of ^lendota. and from Firebaugh to Los Bafios in a number of places.
All through the pasture lands southwest of Fresno a few miles, the Stilt? are
common and sometimes abundant summer visitants.
I have often been surprised at the great diversity of nesting sites, even in
the same colony, it being not an unusual occurrence to find nests entirely sur-
rounded by water — little islands of mud and sticks often built up out of water
several inches deep. Not less common are the platforms of dried grass placed
just at the water's edge, or the slight excavations that. Killdeer-like. arc placed
on the bare ground a hundred yards or more from the nearest water.
In one colony the majority of the nests were built on a levee that extended
through the pond and were so near the waters edge that, although most of the
nests were quite elaborate platforms of dry grass and twigs, the lower parts of
the eggs were wet. Undoubtedly a high wind would have caused the
wavelets to break over the levee. At this same place there were several nests far
out on the open dry ground without even a spear of grass for concealment or
protection, and with hardly a vestige of nesting inaterial under the eggs.
At one pond where two pairs had taken up summer quarters there was one
nest on the bare black ground where the white breast of the sitting female was
the most conspicuous object imaginable and could be seen at a glance from a dis-
28 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
tance of three or four hundred feet. In direct contract was the other nest; tor
it was artfully hidden among the rather rank salt-grass some distance from the
pond, and when the sitting bird flattened herself upon it, as is the custom of
this species when endeavoring to escape observation, she might have readily
been overlooked from any nearby point.
The actions of different pairs of Stilts when their nesting colonies are in-
vaded are also variable. Sometimes a flock of noisy screeching birds will press
close about the intruder, some hanging in the air on rapidly beating wings, others
bouncing along, the ground by leaps and bounds, raising and lowering their
wings continually ; while others go through every conceivable motion both on
the ground and in the air. It seems that the larger the colony the more demon-
strative the birds are ; for in several instances where only one or two pairs were
breeding the female would sneak from the nest in a guilty manner and quietly
join her mate on the opposite side of the pond, where they would remain almost
motionless or feed nervously along the margin of the pond.
In all the nests I have examined I have never found an unquestionably
complete set of more or less than four eggs. I have been impressed with the
fact that nearly every set has three eggs that are very similar in size, shape, or
coloration, while the fourth egg dififers greatly in one or sometimes all these
points. This seems to suggest that possibly at one time the Stilts, or their an-
cestors, laid but three eggs, as some of the plovers do at the present time, the
addition of the fourth egg being perhaps an accomplishment acquired at a more
recent date.
I know of no other eggs that show such great variation in shape, size, and
markings ; the ground color varies from a delicate pale green to a rich buff, while
the markings almost defy description being sometimes in the shape of small
spots and again appearing as large irregular blotches with every possible
intermediate type.
As the Stilts are seldom hunted and have very few natural enemies they
do not appear to have decreased in numbers and should be able to hold their
own for many years to come. Among the farmers the name "jack snipe" is
usually applied to this species.
As these lines are written the nesting season has closed. Soon will the
Stilts be making the journey to their winter home ; but they v/ill leave me three
priceless gifts, two of which I may share with my friends, but the other, selfishly,
I must keep to myself alone.
The pointed eggs, so curiously scrawled and blotched with brown and black,
that nestle in a tray in my cabinet afford undoubted evidence of the nesting of
this species and will be viewed with interest and profit by the friends who call
from time to time to discuss things ornithological. Then, too, the field notes
that have been taken show many side lights on the life history of this most inter-
esting species. These notes can be published abroad and those naturalists whose
lot is not cast in a region inhabited by Stilts may read something of their habits.
The best gift of all, however, I cannot share with anyone. For graven indelibly
on the tablets of memory, yet illegible to anyone else, are the recollections of
many pleasant moments spent with my favorite birds ; and through the long
winter evenings T shall at times catch fleeting glimpses of twinkling ponds, of
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 29
salt-grass pastures with cattle standing in the shade of the lone cottonwood in
the fence corner. I shall drink in the odor of salt grass and see again the long-
legged, black and white waders that alone can make the scene complete.
I am looking forward even now to that day next spring when I can return
from my day's work and triumphantly announce to the folks at home, "Our
friends, the Stilts, have come!"
Wilson Snipe. Gallinago delicata (Ord).
This bird appears to be not uncommon in suitable places in winter.
Specimens sometimes find their way to a local taxidermist's establishment where
they afterwards appear, standing on a board, and with a calm trustful expres-
sion survey the other specimens. To see them thus one would doubt that they
could be the same species of which the writer once tried so hard to secure a
specimen.
December 5, 1905, while driving along near Clovis my two companions and
myself observed a pair of these waders poking about in some tules in a muddy
ditch. When one of the boys approached the birds they separated and arose with
a derisive "scaip," only to settle a few hundred feet away. This pair, at least,
seemed in no danger so far as our party was concerned and as our supply of
ammunition was not inexhaustible we finally drove on, none the richer in any-
thing but experience.
Around the shallow ponds on the sewer farm these birds are often in evi-
dence, especially late in the evening. They prefer to poke about in the salt-grass
just at the margin of a pond, and when so occupied are not easily seen. Often
the startling "squa-aik" as the bird twists away with strong, quick flight, is the
first intimation that we have of the snipe's presence, and frequently the little
brown wader is not the most surprised of the two when such a chance meeting
takes place.
Least Sandpiper. Pisobia minutilla (Vieillot).
Least Sandpipers appear in late September or the first half of October,
and are found in flocks of from ten to thirty or more throughout the winter, de-
parting about the middle of April. This species is to be looked for around the
shallow, muddy ponds that occupy many of the low swales in the western half
of the district. Stagnant alkaline ponds are at all times preferred as feeding
grounds. I was greatly surprised on one occasion to hear a farm hand refer to
these tiny waders as "jack snipes." T had always supposed that the Stilts held
undisputed possession of that name.
Although so small these sandpipers are most interesting little sprites. They
are usually to be seen running along over the mud at the water's edge, or, taking
flight, they wheel and circle in a compact body.
Greater Yellow-legs. Totanus melanoleucus (Gmelin).
The writer has observed this species but once and that in a small swampy
area near Clovis during a heavy downpour, March 30. 1904. One bird flew
from near the roadside at my approach and alighted near another that I had not
previously seen. Just as it settled to the ground the wings were held above the
bird until their tips appeared to touch. As the two birds walked they were con-
tinually dipping and bobbing their heads.
30 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
Miss Wear reports seeing this species, together with what was thought to
be the Lesser Yellow-legs, in some shallow ponds on Fig Avenue in April, 1909;
and April 17, 1910, melanoleucus was observed near the same place.
Long-billed Curlew. Numenius americanus Bechstein.
On the plains between McMullin and the Artesian Lake this splendid bird
is to be found in small numbers through the winter. November 29, 1904, during
a dense fog I several times heard the melodious, inspiring whistle of this great
wader and in the next fev/ days three or four flocks of eight to ten birds each
were seen ; but they were so wild that a close approach was impossible.
Mr. Joseph Sloanaker informed me that curlews were present in the vicinity
of Raisin during the winter of 1910-11, and that they could be approached in a
buggy to within forty or fifty yards when a man on foot could not get nearer
than twice that distance.
HuDSONiAN Curlew. Numenius hudsonicus Latham.
Hudsonian Curlews are regular spring migrants in suitable places along
the western half of the valley. They arrive in small numbers late in February
and become more numerous a month later.
Their favorite resorts are large open fields where shallow ponds occur, and
in such places they often gather in large numbers. I have no definite record of
this species remaining in spring later than May 7 (1912), but have no doubt
that a few remain much longer during certain seasons.
There are no birds with which I am acquainted that can compare with these
splendid waders in the rich musical quality of their voices. On the last day of
one April I encountered a large flock of curlews in a grain field, part of which
was being flooded at the time with irrigation water. In one place there was an
area of probably five acres that was covered with water to a depth of several
inches. The surrounding higher ground supported a considerable growth of
stubble left standing from the harvest of the preceding summer. Approaching
to within sixty yards of the big fellows as they stood bunched at the water's
edge, I concealed myself as best I could and enjoyed an opportunity to become
better acquainted with those most interesting birds. The nervous lispings that
at my approach threatened to break into the clamorus, screaming flight calls
finally subsided and the birds fed and waded about in the water or preened their
feathers while standing stork-like on one leg. Suddenly I was thrilled with a
medley of subdued pipings so marvelously sweet and musical that I could hardly
beheve the sound came from my flock of curlews. The faintest whispering it
seemed, yet the liquid melody was really far-reaching and was, as I afterwards
learned, distinctly audible from a distance of a quarter of a mile when at-
mospheric conditions were favorable. A strange nervous unrest seemed to
affect the entire group on the ground. The whistlings became louder and the
cause was suddenly revealed to me when a curlew call from overhead drew my
attention to a flock of new arrivals, nine in number, that were circling preparatory
to joining the company at the pond. My surprise and admiration knew no
bounds when I realized the sublime heights at which these travellers through the
sky had been flying. Mere specks they appeared, and yet their melodious call
rang clear and distinct.
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 31
It seems possible that Nature has endowed some of her children with a sense
unknown to us by which certain creatures can detect the presence of others of
their kind at great distances. It seems that eyesight alone could hardly be suffi-
cient to reveal to a flock of birds poking about in the mud the approach of others
at a distance so great as to be almost undiscernible to human eyes, even when
their location had been fairly well determined by the splendid call notes. How-
ever, time and again I have heard this subdued piping and in every case a new
flock of birds appeared, although in some instances it was nearly a minute before
the newcomers could be located. The Sandhill Cranes sometimes fly at astonish-
ing heights during the spring migrations, but I think it not unlikely that many
flocks of curlews pass over so far above the earth as to be entirely invisible.
There is a wild and not unmusical tone in the clamorings of a frightened
flock of these birds as they fly from a real or supposed danger, the big assemblag-
es breaking up into small squads that scatter in all directions. There is also a most
attractive quality in the inspiring whistle of a single individual as he takes flight
from a shallow slough where he has been feeding. To the writer there is nothing
in all the bird world so musical as the excited yet subdued whisperings of the
Hudsonian Curlews when a new company of fellow travellers have been sighted.
It must not be supposed that these birds spend their entire time around
water; for small groups of from six to twelve or more individuals are often en-
countered out in dry fields or pastures some distance from any water. Yet the
trysting pond is sure to be not many miles away, and at any time the little groups
are liable to cease feeding operations and betake themselves to the place of
assembling.
At first thought it seems regrettable that these birds should nest in the far
north and therefore be with us for onl)' a few weeks in spring on their north-
ward journey. Yet it is probably best that it is so : for there are many people in
California who assert that curlews make excellent birds for the table and no
doubt many would perish by the shotgun if the birds were to be found here
throughout the year. May their numbers never grow less and their marvelously
sweet voices never be hushed !
KiLLDEER. Oxyechus vocifems (Linnaeus).
The Killdeer may be considered a common resident throughout the Fresno
district, and while it shows a decided preference for the vicinity of water it is
not confined to such places and is often met with in dry, open fields. In the early
spring it is often seen about puddles along the roads, and in the fall when the
birds become restless and fly from place to place, their call can often be heard at
night, especially in moonlight.
The Killdeer is a very early nester with us and large young have been
seen as early as April 4. April 18, 1906, three eggs were found in a vineyard,
two on a narrow ridge left in plowing and a third in the furrow below. By som.e
chance this nest had been built exactly in line with the young vines so that in
plowing only one side of the nest was disturbed and two eggs remained almost
balanced on the knife-like ridge. The nest had been deserted for some time,
evidently, and as the eggs had been almost ready to hatch at the time they were
abandoned, it seemed like a case of early nesting. So the owner of the land was
hunted up to furnish, if possible, the date when the land was plowed. He in-
32 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
formed me that he was not certain of the exact day but that the fifteenth day of
March would not miss it more than a day or two. If this particular set of eggs
was almost complete in incubation by the middle of March it must have been de-
posited during the last days in February or the first in March. Other nesting
dates are given in the following table:
Date Number of Eggs in Set Incubation
June 28 1906 4 Advanced
May 4 1907 2 Fresh
June 2"] 1907 4 Begun
May 4 1908 4 Well along
March 20 1909 4 Half incubated
March 15 1910 4 Nearly fresh
March 25 1910 4 Small embryos
A typical nest throughout the cultivated sections is composed of a handful
of white pebbles about the size of peas and very uniform in size, mixed with an
almost equal number of dry shells of melon seeds of the previous year
Frequently a few dry, broken-up pieces of melon stems are used also, the whole
being spread out over a space the size of a saucer, with the eggs resting in the
center. As the result of coming in contact with a sharp rock that sometimes finds
its way to the nest in place of the usual smooth ones the eggs occasionally show
small gravel punctures.
On the summer-fallow fields only a few dry grass blades line the place where
the eggs rest, while around the ponds of the west side the eggs generally lie
half covered in the powdered alkali dust without a scrap of nest lining.
Mountain Plover. Podasocys montanus (Townsend).
The Mountain Plover is a not uncommon winter visitant in suitable places
on the west side plains. Its preference, seemingly, is for the open pasture lands,
and it is seldom found in the bushy areas, as is the Long-billed Curlew. The
presence or lack of water seems to m.ake very little difference to this plover so
long as there is a large open field near at hand. The birds feed in large, loose
flocks, running ahead of an intruder and only flying when too closely pressed.
December 3, 1904, there was a very large number of these birds near the
roadside between the Artesian Lake and New Hope. Mr. Joseph Sloanaker re-
ports them as common near Raisin during the winter of 1910-11, and the writer
has a specimen from there, taken November 26, 1910.
Plumed Quail. Oreortyx picta plumifera (Gould).
This splendid bird is known to sportsmen and campers universally as "Moun-
tain Quail". While a resident of the higher Sierras, it has been known, during
very severe storms in the mountains, to come down almost to the plains. It has
been definitely reported from near Centerville, and it is on this record that the
species has been given a place on this list.
Valley Quail. Lophortyx califomica vallicola (Ridgway).
There is no bird in Fresno County, not even excepting the Mockingbird,
that is so well known to all classes as is this one. It is known everywhere to
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 33
sportsmen, agriculturists, tourists, and the city dweller, as "quail", without any
descriptive or qualifying prefix.
Formerly a resident of the foothills, it is very fortunate for the future wel-
fare of the species that it early learned of the protection afforded by the large
vineyards now so numerous throughout the valley. For many years it has been
so thoroughly established in these cultivated areas that we may expect It, under
the present excellent game laws, not only to hold its own in such places but ac-
tually to increase, while those individuals that choose to remain in their original
habitat seem to be gradually diminishing in numbers. The reasons for this are
evident when we consider that the majority of vineyardists consider the quail a
beneficial bird, and absolutely forbid shooting on their land. This fact, together
with the abundant food supply, safe retreats in which to nest, and, last but by no
means least, the dangers from hawks and predaceous mammals reduced to a min-
imum, makes the struggle for existence here much less severe than in the hills.
Another place in the county must be mentioned where the bird is to be found,
and where it would hardly be expected to occur. In the swampy areas around
Wheatville and Riverdale, where rank grass and willow-lined sloughs seem to
suggest Green Herons and blackbirds, the quail finds a not less pleasant home.
While driving along a nearly submerged road near Wheatville, July 13,
191 1, a quail flew from a willow, and whizzing out over the water alighted in a
clump of marsh grass. Black Terns were calling nearby, and the numerous Blue
Herons standing hip deep in the overflowed alfalfa fields made a scene sugges-
tive of anything but quail.
As a destroyer of various caterpillars and ants the quail takes high rank,
and a flock of these birds about a vineyard or orchard is of inestimable value in
reducing the number of bugs. Fortunately this fact is recognized by many farm-
ers and fruit growers although we hear an occasional complaint of the giapes
being picked open and raisins scattered from the trays by the quail. The cut-
worms, which cause such havoc to the vines at times, are eagerly sought for, and
the little hollows scratched at the bases of vines, so often to be seen in spring are
evidences of the work of this, our proverbial "early bird".
Besides a diet of insects, this quail is very fond of seeds and grain, and in
late autumn birds are often seen with crops crammed to their full capacity with
various weed seeds.
In March or early April the large flocks of quail break up, and pairs are to
be seen running across the roads, investigating gardens and berry patches, and
calling cheerily as they search for nesting sites. At this time they become much
more fearless, often coming almost to the doorsteps of dwellings. About this
time a rather curious trait becomes noticeable, that of dropping eggs indiscrimi-
nately on the ground. So common is this habit that a walk through a field or
vineyard frequented by quail is almost sure to reveal one or more of these eggs
lying on the bare ground, and through the month of April the author has often
picked up half a dozen of them. The most reasonable theory to account for this,
it seems to me, is to be inferred from the fact that our quail prefer for a nest-
ing site, more than anything else, the shade of a large grape vine the foliage of
which extends to the ground and affords a cool retreat where they can nest in
comparative security. At the time eggs are found scattered about, the grape
34 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
vines have not attained sufficient growth to be of much value for concealment,
and probably the birds prefer to wait until such a time before preparing nests in
which to deposit their eggs.
Besides concealing their nests under vines quail sometimes choose grain
fields, alfalfa-grown lowlands, and weeds along ditches, as places in which to
hatch their young. Occasionally strange sites are selected, and one pair was
found that had sixteen eggs neatly hidden in a pocket in the side of a haystack ;
another nest was found concealed under a clod in a field. They are
even said to nest, at times, on a bunch of leaves or an old jay's nest in a willow,
sometimes at a considerable elevation. The nesting period is from early May
through July. Although no little time is occupied in depositing the large num-
ber of eggs, yet the actual work of preparing the nest is probably of small mo-
ment, as a slight hollow scratched in the ground seems sufficient. Often this
hollow is lined with dry grass, leaves, or feathers, but sometimes only a few
straws are used ; in such cases eggs may be partly buried in the soft dry earth.
The smallest number of eggs that I have ever observed in a nest was a set
of ten ; but as the nest was found in late July it was no doubt a second set. One
nest was found on May i6, 1902, with twenty-two eggs, and another on June 2,
1907, with twenty-one. Sets of from fifteen to seventeen are most common.
I am not yet willing to agree that all large sets of ciuail eggs are the result
of two females using the same nest ; but in one instance that came under my ob-
servation this must have been the case. April 19, 1907, a nest was found just
iDcfore noon with four eggs, and while passing the place late in the afternoon I
looked into the nest and found six eggs. After that the set increased only one
egg each day, but the two eggs appearing in the afternoon rather upset a theory
T had held as to quail always depositing their eggs early in the morning. So far
as I have been able to learn, the period of incubation is, approximately, twenty-
one days.
The manner in which a dozen or more young quail can disappear before the
very eyes of an observer seems almost uncanny, and it requires no little searching
to discover one of the little fellows hidden under a dead leaf or tuft of grass.
Many a dull, foggy, winter morning is made more cheerful by the call of this
bird as a little flock runs through the vineyards, their feet pattering over the
leaves like raindrops. In the twilight of a summer evening the same call floats
cheerily up to us from the alfalfa field, just as the birds whirr away to their roost
in the tall blue-gums near the barnyard.
Band-tailed Pigkon. Columba fasciata fasciata Say.
This is another bird of the mountains, that comes to us only at long inter-
vals and then always in winter. Hunters inform me that these pigeons were very
numerous in the valley all of one winter in the late nineties. One man tells me
that they fed in large flocks on barley fields near Riverdale, and that they showed
no great fear, always returning in a short time to the same field, even after being
shot at persistently. When too frequently disturbed they often perched for a
short time in some tall leafless willows, to fly again to the fields where they fed.
This same hunter kept one wing-tipped bird in captivity for several weeks.
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 35
Western Mourning Dove. Zenaidura macroura marginella (Woodhouse).
What wonderful opportunities are sometimes overlooked, and how often we
fail to appreciate the efforts of our best friends until it is all hut too late !
Had the farmers and fruit growers of central California realized the value
of the dove as a destroyer of weed seeds it is probable that a law would have
been passed years ago removing it forever from the list of California game birds.
What a pity that some of those who should have been loudest in urging protec-
tion for the doves have remained silent, allowhig the slaughter of these birds to
go on year after year during July and August, just at the height of the nesting
season. Many a late-summer nest has the author looked into, and from the brok-
en or dried up egg shells, and often from the shriveled remains of two tiny,
downy creatures, read a pitiful tale of cruelty, starvation, and death ; and all to
satisfy the lust for killing by that class of hunters who must have something at
which to shoot.
It has remained for our Fish and Game Commission, backed by true sports-
men and other interested parties to remedy this evil by dividing the State into
districts with seasons arranged to meet local conditions. I have been informed
that the departure of doves from the northern portion of the state occurs annual-
ly in August ; so that the northern sportsmen claimed that unless allowed to shoot
during that month they would be denied the privilege of dove-shooting altogether.
Thus we see the fallacy of a uniform law for a whole state of the size, and with
the diversified conditions, of California.
Under the present arrangement the birds are protected in this, the fourth
district, until September first, and shooting is limited to that month and the fol-
lowing one. Personally the writer is convinced that October first would be a
still better date for the opening of the season, from the birds' standpoint at least ;
but such a victory has been gained in extending protection through July and
August that we must be willing to concede a few points.
As a destroyer of noxious weed seeds the dove takes first rank, and during
the summer and fall months these birds are to be looked for, when not engaged
with household cares, in clumps of sun-flowers growing in fence corners and
along ditches, in the patches of mullein that often carpet summer-fallow fields in
this region, and wherever seed bearing weeds are allowed to grow on waste
ground. Doubtless the shade and protection afforded in such places are added
attractions ; but the fact remains that several birds examined had crops distended
to their utmost capacity with small seeds, showing that they had not been idle.
The number of seeds eaten by even a single dove in one year's time must be
almost incredible, and, leaving out the question of sentiment altogether, the
dove's usefulness alone is sufficient reason for protecting it at all times.
That the species has decreased somewhat during the past ten years can hard-
ly be denied, yet at preent it is in no danger of extermination, and with the laws
now in force may be expected to increase in numbers from year to year.
The Mourning Dove is an abundant resident over the floor of the valley,
finding conditions suited to its requirements not only on the large grain ranches
but everywhere in the more highly cultivated fruit districts as well. During the
nesting season the birds are scattered over the country in pairs, but often nest so
numerously in the willows along certain canals as to appear to be nesting in col-
36 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
onies. Late in the fall they congregate in flocks, often of large size, and spend
the winter in such companies, flying from one field to another when disturbed.
At this time they frequently become quite unapproachable, a characteristic that is
not easily understood when we consider their fearlessness all through the breed-
ing season and even after shooting has commenced. The doves almost seem to
feel that man should be their protector, and not until countless dozens of their
number have been slain are they convinced that their confidence has been be-
trayed; but when once the lesson is learned the birds cannot in any way be won
back to friendliness until the approach of another nuptial season.
The cooing notes that presage the nest-building time are generally first
heard in this vicinity during February. In 1906 the date was the 26th, while the
next year they were twenty-two days earlier. The present year (1911) they
were late again, and they were not heard until February 22.
In selecting a site for their nest a pair of doves does not seem to be gov-
erned either by the proximity to food supply, water, or any other condition, so far
as I can determine. As previously suggested they nest in greatest numbers, per-
haps, in the willows that border nearly every irrigation ditch, but this may be ac-
counted for from the fact that these trees constitute practically the only timber in
many places. Although the species nests commonly on the ground, yet it prob-
ably has learned that elevated nests are less liable to be disturbed. Various situ-
ations are chosen in these willows, but most often the nest is placed on a large
horizontal branch from one to thirty feet above the ground, while in some in-
stances they choose the topmost branches, fully forty feet up.
Peach trees in orchards and fig trees that grow along the roadside in front
of vineyards are commonly selected, while almost any kind of a tree is liable to
be appropriated at times. The average height is from six to ten feet from the
ground.
While walking through a wheat field near New Hope one morning in April,
I flushed three doves, each from a nest on the ground among the wheat, which
was at that time only a few inches high and far too thin to conceal the bird on
the nest. Numerous nests have been found on the ground in the vicinity of
Clovis, some at the base of grape vines, others in alfalfa fields or among weeds.
These ground nests consist of a very few straws which, in many cases, do not
prevent the eggs or young from coming into direct contact with the ground ; it
is possible that the warm earth assists in incubation. Nests in trees vary from
slight saucer-shaped affairs, scarcely sufficient to hold the eggs, to elaborate
masses of rootlets and dry grass stems.
The earliest date upon which I have ever observed an occupied dove's nest
was March 30 (1907), when two half-grown young birds were found. Several
nests with perfectly fresh eggs have come under ray notice as late as the first
week in September.
Two, and probably often three, broods are raised, the first early in April and
the others at any time up to the last of August. After examining hundreds of
doves' nests the author can record only two in which the complement of eggs
was more or less than two. One of these was a set of three noticed on May 31,
1902, but in this case I felt certain that the extra egg had been deposited by a
second female, as it was somewhat smaller, more pointed, and of a shade so unlike
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 37
the others that there appeared to be a difference in shell texture. April 22, 1908,
a dove was found occupying what was undoubtedly the remains of an old, aban-
doned nest of a mockingbird relined with just a few dry, brown rootlets, upon
which rested a single egg far advanced in incubation, as was evidenced by its
dark color. There was nothing to indicate that a second egg had ever been de-
posited, and the unusual depth of that nest seemed to preclude the possibility of
an egg having rolled out, so that it is probable that in that case only a single egg
was ever produced.
The dove, whether observed walking quietly across the road in the soft light
of early morning, dropping into a canyon to drink from a water hole, or swiftly
winging its way to roost in the willow fringe along some canal, always displays
a quiet grace of manner that makes it an attractive bird under all conditions, and
one that it seems a pity to kill for the small morsel of flesh it affords, or for the
mere pleasure of shooting something.
California Condor. Gymnogyps californianus (Shaw).
This great bird was no doubt common at one tim.e on the plains along the
western side of the county ; but that day has passed, probably forever. Resi-
dents of the district along the eastern slopes of the Coast Range mountains and
on the plains inform me that even yet one of these birds is sometimes seen, but
the species must be considered very rare at the present time.
Personally, the author has seen just one Condor in Fresno County and that
was during July, 1900. This was while I was staying for a few days at a ranch
house some six or eight miles north of Wheatville. The Condor flew over at a
distance of at least three hundred yards above the earth; but a familiarity with,
this bird's appearance, gained among the Tehachapi Mountains during boyhood
days, rendered it recognizable at a glance. Upon calling the attention of a man
who was working nearby, to the Condor, he informed me that it was "a vulture
but not a turkey buzzard". He also stated that one had been shot near there
during the preceding winter.
Miss Winifred Wear tells of seeing, near Friant, as late as last March
(1911) what she was certain could have been nothing less than a Condor. The
bird was perched on the ground near the railroad and took wing at the approach
of the train. This record would place the bird well into the Sierra Nevada foot-
hills.
Turke;y Vulture. Cathartes aura septentrionalis Wied.
Of all the birds that I have ever had the privilege of observing none has in-
terested me more than the Turkey Vulture. There are many questions concern-
ing him that I have never been able to answer. As he pursues his way silently
over hills and fields there seems a sort of mystery about his very silence.
There are records of the occurrence of this species during ever}- month of
the year, but they are noticeably scarce during December and January. My rec-
ords for those two months show that buzzards were nearly always seen during
stormy weather and especially during showers. Possibly this may be accounted
for by the fact that in rainy weather the buzzard prefers, or is compelled, to fly
near the ground and thus becomes more conspicuous.
There are three places in this part of the state w^here Turkey Vultures are
38 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
said to breed, but circumstances have never permitted me to visit any of them.
A few miles west of Friant there is a high chain of very rocky ledges extending
for several miles almost parallel to the San Joaquin River. I have been told of a
young vulture being found at the foot of one of these hills some years ago, and
as it was unable to fly more than a short distance it was no doubt hatched some-
where in the rocks above. Mr. Chas. E. Jenney tells of exploring caves that were
strewn with bones of small mammals, and containing other evidence of having
been occupied by vultures. Although these hills are on the west side of the river,
and therefore in Madera County, they are included in this list as thev are visible
for some miles in Fresno County and within a short distance of one of my fa-
vorite collecting grounds.
Above Academy the hills, for a mile or two along the wagon road, are very
steep and rocky, with numerous rather small oaks. An ornithologist from the
southern part of the state upon seeing those hills exclaimed, "My! what a place
for turkey buzzards." In The Oologist for April, 1908, is a view taken by Mr.
G. A. Abbott in the Aransas Pass region of Texas, which is not at all unlike some
of the country above Academy, and I believe it would be possible to secure one
or two views that would bear a marked similarity to Mr. Abbott's splendid il-
lustration. On the 1 8th of May, 1908, I camped in one of these canyons, and
was much interested just after sunset in watching the vultures that appeared
from somewhere above and began circling about the higher hills, until finally, as
darkness came on, nearly three dozen of the big fellows settled down into the can-
yon to roost in some tall sycamores.
Rumors have come to me at times of eggs having been found among the
rough, sun-scorched gullies along the eastern base of the Coast Range moun-
tains, near the outlet of Panoche Creek, thirty miles or more west of Fresno. All
three of the places mentioned seem ideal for the requirements of buzzards, and
T shall never be satisfied until each has been visited during the nesting period of
the Turkey Vulture.
I have always been much interested each spring in the return of these birds,
for most of them, apparently, spend the winter somewhere to the southward.
These flights usually occur in February and last for a day at a time, and during
ten years of observation the line of flight has not varied a quarter of a mile, the
birds coming from a point southeast of Clovis and passing on toward the north-
west in the direction of the river. A very interesting feature of these fights is
that they occur, almost without exception, during a strong wind and generally
at a time when a storm is just breaking up and clouds are hurrying before the
gale. The surprising fact is that the flight is directly against the wind, and on
one occasion when the wind varied slightly the line of flight was changed cor-
respondingly. The only exception to this rule that I have ever noticed occurre.l
on March 5, 1906, when the wind blew strong from the southeast and the buz-
zards were traveling along with it. On one occasion the wind had been blowing
briskly all day but died down suddenly about four o'clock and the flight ceased
almost at once.
These returning birds do not come in great flocks but trail across the sky in
single file, sometimes only a few feet apart and again as far apart as one hundred
yards or more. Every mile or so they pause and begin to circle around, occasion-
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 39
ally mounting; higher but more often for no other purpose, seemingly, than to
allow the stragglers to catch up. Sometimes these birds fly very low, tacking and
flapping against the wind ; at other times they sail along far above the earth.
During 1906, these flights occurred February 22, March 5, and March 17,
each being a partly cloudy and very windy day, and although there had been
many calm sunshiny days between, not a buzzard was seen during the intervals.
On the 17th I happened to be where I had an excellent opportunity to observe
them. I do not know how many had passed over before they were noticed, but I
counted one hundred and fifty-four of the big fellows within the next half hour.
These flights have been observed as early as the first week in February and as
late as the third week in March, depending, seemingly, upon the weather.
Now, the questions that interest me most are these : Where do these partic-
tdar birds spend the winter and where do they go after passing this place in the
spring? Is this a general migration that extends throughout the southern and
central parts of the state? If so, how far north do they go? I shall be very
grateful to anyone who will answer any of these questions for me.
On October 5, 1905, I saw a large number of vultures congregating over-
head at a great height, and no sooner would some of them drift away toward the
south than another squad would begin to form, and this continued throughout
that day and part of the next forenoon. After that date vultures were noticeably
scarce, but not altogether absent, in the vicinity of Fresno. The previous year a
similar exodus took place on September 21.
One windy day in March the writer was investigating some willow clumps
along the San Joaquin River, and noticed a Turkey Vulture a short distance away
perched on a branch of a sycamore that extended over the water. The bird had
his back toward me and appeared to be asleep, so I threw a stone toward him, de
siring to see what he would do if suddenly disturbed. As the missile crashed
through the branches and fell with a splash into the water it produced an efifect
both disgusting and amusing. Without even looking around to learn the cause
of such a rude awakening the vulture proceeded with all haste to unburden him-
self of apparently the greater portion of his last meal. At the same time he
sprang into the air and flapped hurriedly out of sight down the river.
White-tailed Kite. Elanus leiicurus (Vieillot).
The only record the author has been able to unearth of the occurrence of
this bird in any part of the valley was given him by Mr. Chester Lamb, who saw
one of the birds flying over the oaks near Laton, on the last Sunday in Maiy,
1910. Upon his return from there he told of seeing the Kite and mentioned it
as being the first one he had seen since the summer of 1899, when he observed the
species near Palo Alto.
The region about Laton seems better adapted for this bird than any other
place in the valley, and the presence of at least one bird of this species during
May might indicate that it was breeding there.
Marsh Hawk. Circus hudsonius (Linnaeus).
Formerly this hawk was an abundant winter visitant over the lowlands al-
most everywhere in the valley, but, like nearly all the birds of prey, it seems
unable to withstand the onward march of civilization. It has been much reduced
40 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
in numbers throughout the region and has completely disappeared from some of
the more thickly settled areas.
Wherever large grain or stock ranches are to be found this bird is still com-
mon, and it occurs numerously on the uncultivated plains along the west side.
Since its food consists principally of mice and gophers, with, no doubt, many
large insects added, it must have broad open fields to hunt over. Any time from
the first of August until the last of March these hawks may be seen skimming-
low over the earth, pitching suddenly to the ground to pick up some object, or
perching on a knoll when a rodent is captured too large to be swallowed at once.
While it is probably not often that birds are captured, the Marsh Hawk being
a comparatively slow flyer, yet the smaller birds seem to fear it greatly. One
winter, while working for a few days near a half-section of stubble, 1 was con-
tinually reminded of this hawk's presence by the great number of doves and
horned larks that were disturbed ; no sooner would one flock become settled
than another would fly up.
Rumors have come to me, not a few times, of the nesting of this hawk on
the plains and elsewhere in this vicinity, but I have never been able to verify an>
of the reports. Two young men tell of finding a hawk's nest on the ground in a
hav field about four miles east of Clovis some ten years ago. It contained four
young birds at "haying time".
Sharp-shinned Hawk. Accipiter velox (Wilson).
The author has always maintained, and has endeavored to find proof to back
up the statement, that each bird represented in the Fresno district was of som.e
use, and that its value to the commiunity would far offset any damage of which it
might be guilty. In the case of the Sharp-shinned Hawk, however, after ob-
serving its manner of life for many winters, the only admirable thing that can be
said of it is that it is a skillful, fearless hunter.
It is very doubtful if all other agencies combined are as destructive to small
birds as this hawk, and the number of sparrows and other ground feeding birds
that are captured is simply appalling. Skimming along low over the ground,
dashing into thickets and brush piles, with a flight that is noiseless, but marvel-
ously rapid at times, he is upon a flock of sparrows before they are aware of his
presence, and seldom does he fail to capture one. If by any chance the mtended
victim eludes its pursuer and takes to the open in an attempt to reach another
brush pile, it is surely doomed ; and with a few rapid wing beats and a final swoop
the little bird is carried to some place of concealment, stripped of feathers, and
devoured.
The birds that appear to suffer most from this hawk around Fresno are the
Mockingbird, Intermediate Sparrow, Valley Quail, and Say Phoebe, in the order
mentioned. Mockingbirds are especially easy prey and apparently become
paralyzed with fear when a Sharp-shinned Hawk puts in his appearance. After
that they make no attempt to escape but simply crouch down and allow the hawk
to pick them up. Numerous little bunches of feathers along fences, on brush
piles, and in weed patches mutely tell of such tragedies. One winter the writer
shot a sharp-shin that was carrying a Say Phoebe in its talons ; February i8,
ipil, another was killed as it flew over a willow clump with the half-eaten re-
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 41
mains of a Mockingbird ; and on another occasion a quail whizzed past me with
one of the Httle hawks in close pursuit. Unless the quail was able to reach some
sort of cover into which it could dive, I am afraid it proved to be a hopeless race.
The Sharp-shinned Hawks arrive in this vicinity before the first of October
and remain until the middle of April, frequenting the small blue-gum groves,
willow thickets, or any other trees that afford concealment, and from which they
sail forth on their missions of destruction. These hawks are especially numerous
in the willows along the larger sloughs of the west side but they are quite com-
monly distributed throughout the entire valley.
Cooper Hawk. Accipiter cooperi (Bonaparte).
It is probably very fortunate that this hawk is not an abundant species in
Fresno County, for with its larger size and well known powers of flight it would
be even more destructive than the Sharp-shinned Hawk. The former is pretty
generally, but sparingly, distributed through the low lands during the fall and
winter, but during the breeding season it seems to be confined to the willow
clumps along the rivers, where it nests.
March 25. 1906, while looking up data on the nesting habits of Buteo bore-
al is calurits, I entered a rather thick growth of willows that line the banks of the
San Joaquin River a few miles below Lane's Bridge. I was suddenly surprised
by a Cooper Hawk that dashed close past me, then swept upward to join her
mate, screaming shrilly as she flew about with angry demonstrations, now swoop-
ing on stiff-set wings, again beating through the air with strong rapid wing-
beats. A nest that would probably have remained undiscovered but for these
demonstrations was soon located about twenty-five feet up, in the forks of a
single willow shoot, which, although not over six inches in diameter, had attained
a height of thirty feet or more. The nest was rather large, and composed of
long, dry willow twigs of quite tmiform size. To all appearances it was ready
for occupancy, being lined with half a dozen green willow twigs with the tender
new leaves attached. An attempt to visit the nest the third week in the follow-
ing April was unsuccessful as the river was very high and the willows were
standing in several feet of water. April 29, 191 1, while exploring the same
willows a Cooper Hawk flew past me. within ten yards, but I failed to find any
nest.
Western Red-tailed Hawk. Buteo borealis calurus Cassin.
At the present time the Western Red-Tailed Hawk is quite generally dis-
tributed throughout Fresno County, being most numerous in the foothill regions
along the eastern base of the Sierras, and along the San Joaquin River. A few
pairs nest in favorable places in the valley, but in the immediate vicinity of the
city they are not common until the winter months. Then the species is scattered
over the vineyards and orchards, and is liable to be met with almost anywhere,
although it is never actually abundant.
The habit of sitting motionless on the top of a dead tree or telephone pole
makes this hawk a rather conspicuous object at times, and he often pays for his
prominence, for there are persons who consider it almost a crime not to shoot at
a hawk whenever one is to be found.
March is the month when this hawk begins nesting, although, in favorable
42 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
seasons, an early pair may occasionally begin laying during the latter part of
February. In the foothill regions the nests are often built in oak trees while in
the canyons the tall sycamores are more frequently utilized. The few pairs that
nest in the valley choose cottonwoods or eucalyptus for nesting sites.
March 26, 1906, the writer secured a very nicely marked set of three eggs
from a nest forty-four feet up, in a large oak growing in the bed of Dry Creek,
below Academy. This nest was compactly made of large, dry, oak sticks, and the
lining consisted of the red inner bark of cottonwood, together with several
willow twigs to which were attached some very small green leaves. The three
eggs had been incubated a week or more.
Another nest with three slightly incubated eggs was found March 21, 1907,
in a large sycamore, forty-six feet from the ground. There were no leaves in
this nest, but several bunches of green cottonwood berries were used instead. A
freshly killed meadowlark, from which nearly all the feathers had been stripped,
was found in the nest with the eggs. One of the birds was occupying her home
and may have been presented with this food by her mate. One nest examined
April 5, 1908, had for a lining several oak twigs with very small green leaves,
and the entire nest of a Bullock Oriole of the previous season's use.
Nests of this hawk, especially when built in sycamores, are sometimes placed
from fifty to seventy-five feet from the ground, and are often rather difficult to
examine. In no case has either of the owners ever proven very demonstrative,
and their disapproval is usually expressed in the whistling scream that sounds
like the words "pee-yare," which is heard as the bird flaps around nearby or
perches on some neighboring tree. Personally, the writer has never found a nest
of this hawk that contained a complete set of more or less than three eggs, but
Mr. Chas. E. Jenney, who has been much afield along rhe San Joaquin River,
tells me that he has found sets of four almost as common as those of three.
The only complaint that I have ever heard against the Western Red-tailed
Hawk is that during the months of September and October it occasionally ac-
quires a liking for chickens, but this is probably an individual characteristic rather
than one that can be charged to the species generally. On the whole, these big
hawks are of such service in destroying squirrels and gophers that they should be
protected, and encourged to nest about the farms, especially by those who can
endure the loss of an occasional well-earned chicken without becoming possessed
of a desire to kill the entire hawk tribe.
SwAiNSON H'awk. Buteo swainsoni Bonaparte.
This is another of our migrant hawks, but unlike most of the others it comes
to us early in the spring and departs at the close of its nesting season. I con-
sider this hawk, next to the Barn Owl, the most beneficial bird-of-prey occurring
in this district. It feeds almost exclusively upon mice and gophers, and I have
yet to find anyone to complain of its taking either chickens or any kind of wild
birds.
I once saw half a dozen of these hawks sitting on fence posts watching for
mice. This was on a large wheat and stock ranch and not far from the ranch
house. I questioned the owner of this farm and he informed me that he allowed
the hawks to hunt undisturbed over his place, and that they sometimes nested
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 43
almost in his dooryard, but that he had never suffered the loss of any poultry,
while the service rendered in keeping the mice and gophers in check would have
re])aid him for the loss of many chickens. Would there were more of that kind
of farmers !
Butco swainsoni arrives in this vicinity late in March and is common by the
first of April. The birds depart in August, gathering in large flocks and moving
leisurely.
This hawk nests on the west side plains, along the San Joaquin River below
Lane's Bridge, and in the cottonwoods on Dry Creek, east of Clovis. For a more
complete account of the habits of this bird, as observed in Fresno County, the
reader is referred to TJic Oologist (xxv, no. i, pages 9-12).
American Rough-legged Hawk. Archibuteo lagopus sancti-johannis
(Gmelin).
This hawk occurs during the winter on the uncultivated plains extending
from Raisin to within four miles of New Hope. Individuals have been most
frequently observed near the Artesian Well, sitting on knolls and the mounds
around squirrel excavations. They are rather sluggish birds, seemingly, and if
undisturbed will allow a fairly close approach. When finally forced to take
wing it is only to fly heavily to another eminence a short distance away. Some
of the birds appear almost black. I have never seen this hawk elsewhere, and it
can not be regarded as common. I have seldom observed more than one bird in
sight at a time.
I have been unable to get definite information as to the dates of arrival and
departure of this bird, but it is safe to say that the species is more common dur-
ing November and December than at any other time.
Mr. Joseph Sloanaker presented the author with a beautiful skin of a female
rough-leg, taken near Raisin on November 26, 1910. This specimen measured
twenty-one inches in length. A farmer shot the hawk and brought it to Mr.
Sloanaker in a crippled condition. It was kept alive for a day or two, but see-
ing it was not likely to survive its wounds, it was finally dispatched. This speci-
men has been examined by Mr. Grinnell, who verified our identification.
Ferruginous Rough-legged Hawk. Archibuteo femigineus (Tichtenstein).
This large hawk occurs in certain sections during the winter, but very lit-
tle seems to be known of it locally. I should call it a rare visitant, occuring most
often along the sloughs of the west side region. It prefers a more wooded coun-
try than the preceding species and hunts along the willow-bordered sloughs and
over the grain fields, but seldom intrudes upon the range of sancti-johanms.
December 2, 1904, I examined one of these birds that was found dead near
New Hope, and January 12. 1906, another that had been shot and left lying at
the roadside near Clovis.
Golden Eagle. Aquila chrysaetos (Linnaeus).
The Golden Eagle is another resident of the mountains, but occasionally, in
winter, it comes down into tlie valley. Mr. Chas. E. Jenney tells of having cap-
tured a sick or wounded eagle some years ago and keeping it in captivity for
some time, after which it was released.
March 17, 1902, an eagle was seen soaring over the grain fields one mile
44 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
north of Clovis. January i, 1905, another was seen two miles south of Clovis,
flying from the west, and having- come, no doubt, from the Sierras. November
28, 1906, another eagle was observed circling over the fields three miles south-
east of Clovis, and I was told of one having been shot on the west side plains
several years ago.
Specimens are occasionally brought into a local taxidermist's shop, but most
of these probably come from the mountains.
Bald Eagle. Haliaeetus leucocephalus leucocephalus (Linnaeus).
Only once has the author ever observed the Bald Eagle in Fresno County.
On the afternoon of February 16, 1906, a splendid example flew over an orchard
where I was working near Clovis. Flying at no great height he was plainly
seen, but just after passing over he made a broad circle as if to allow me a bet-
ter opportunity to adm.ire his snowy head and tail, glistening like silver in the
tunlight. He then swept on eastward toward the mountains.
No doubt this eagle had been following up the San Joaquin River, which
was about ten miles away.
PRATRfF, Falcon. Falco mexicanus Schlegel.
So far as the author can learn the favorite hunting ground of the Prairie
Falcon is rough, foothill country ; and as such conditions are not foun 1 in the
immediate vicinity of Fresno T attribute the apparent scarcity of the bird to a
lack of suitable environment. 1 have observed a very few of these sv/ift-winged
falcons during the past ten years, nearly always in the fall and during dust and
wind storms.
A farmer living near New Hope once told me of a long-winged "bullet-
hawk" that made regular visits to his place in c|uest of young chickens, which it
seized and bore away so rapidly that he could never prevent the loss. Finally he
resolved to wait for the robber, as it always appeared about the same time each
day, coming from the foothills of the Coast Range mountains, fully twenty-five
miles away, and returning tov/ard the same place. Standing in the shelter of a
shed one day, shotgun in hand, this man observed the falcon approaching, and
fired just as it had started away with a squawking young fowl. At the shot the
bird dropped its victim but continued its flight, although apparently much weak-
ened. It was never seen again.
Up in a canyon above Cantua Creek there is a series of caves or potholes on
a steep clifT, where some large bird formerly nested, as evidenced by the streaks
of white excrement that marked the face of the ledge below one of the holes. I
have no doubt that this was the home of the pair of Prairie Falcons, one of which
had discovered such a rich hunting ground twenty-five miles away.
I have been told that a pair of these falcons have nested for years on the al-
most inaccessible clifif above Tollhouse, in the Sierra foothills on the opposite
side of the valley. Both of these stations are well outside the bounds of the re-
gion treated in this work, but on account of the rarity of the birds in Fresno
County it seemed not out of place to mention these two instances of their prob-
able occurrence.
Duck Hawk. Falco peregrinus anatum Bonaparte.
What the Sharp-shinned Hawk is to small birds, this falcon is to ducks and
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 45
other water fowl. The flight of the Duck Hawk is so marvelously fast that even
ducks have not a chance to escape unless there is some pond or slough nearby
into which they can dive. The writer remembers standing, with several com-
panions, on the shore of Summit Lake one late October day, when, upon hearing
a sound like a heavy wind blowing through the tules, vv^e turned and saw a duck
plunge into the lake from a height of not less than six hundred feet. The splash
of the impact resembled the report of a revolver. "Bullet hawk", called one of
the men. and looking up we saw one of these long-winged pirates making off for
a new field.
At another time we noticed a small flock of teal winging their way toward
us, with a black speck fully a quarter of a mile in their wake and slightly above
them. The flight of the ducks, rapid as it was, seemed slow in contrast to that
of the hawk. The latter was almost upon the unsuspecting birds in an incred-
ibly short time. Suddenly the ducks scattered and half a dozen teal fell with
cries of fear into the water almost at our feet. Had there been no water direct-
ly under them at the moment the hawk was seen there is no doubt that at least
one duck would have been captured. A friend tells of seeing a Duck Hawk dash
at a lone goose that was flying over, striking it head-on with such force that it
fell within a few feet of the observer. Besides a broken wing the bird seemed to
have suffered otherwise to a great extent, for it soon expired.
During the winter of 1903 one of these hawks was seen many times about
my father's place near Clovis. A flock of Brewer Blackbirds that fed in the cor-
ral back of the barn was levied on for a heavy toll, and in a manner against which
the birds seemed totally unable to guard. I happened to be within a few yards of
the corral one afternoon when the falcon hove in sight. He seemed aware of
the exact location of the blackbirds, and with a dash of speed so rapid that I
could hardly follow his movements, circled completely around the barn, seized
his victim without pausing, and with powerful strokes of his long pointed wings
made ofl: for some more secluded place. The blackbirds hardly knew what had
occurred and before they could give a hurried "chack" and take flight the hawk
was almost out of sight, so with a nervous half-foolish manner they settled down
again as if realizing that something had occurred, but totally unable to under-
.stand what it was.
One bright January day I noticed a coyote sneaking through a field of stub-
ble, and as he seemed unaware of my presence I concealed myself to see if I could
learn something of his habits. As he trotted along a jack rabbit suddenly jumped
up and came straight toward me, and the coyote was not long in starting in pur-
suit. When they were within less than one hundred feet of the place where T
was hidden there was a sudden rush of wings and a duck hawk dropped like a
meteor straight for the rabbit. When within about ten feet of the ground the
hawk spread his wings and attempted to seize the rabbit, which, however, es-
caped by suddenly turning back, but in so doing came very near dodging into
the mouth of the coyote. The roar of wings seemed to slightly disconcert Canis,
who was not prepared to take advantage oi so good an opportunity, and before
he realized what had happened the hare had decided that things were getting too
lively and was covering the ground with long leaps. The coyote loped along
behind, evidently not desiring too close an encounter with a creature that could
46 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
produce such an ominous roaring sound. Meanwhile the falcon mounted higher
and higher and then dropped again. Three times this performance was repeated
before the trio were lost to view, and although the rabbit gave a good account
of himself, yet I fear the odds must have eventually proven too great.
On another occasion the author was acting as ditch tender, and was guard-
ing a rather high fill that was carrying about all the water that could be crowded
through the ditch. The March sunshine produced a drowsy feeling, and as I sat
on a head-gate with my thoughts, perhaps, centered more upon some Red-tail's
nest up in the hills, than upon my duty, there was a sudden roar as of a large
volume of water rushing through a small aperture. I sprang to my feet thinking
that the ditch bank had given away, but was much relieved when I beheld one
of the long-winged, black-moustached falcons, which had made a parachute drop
upon some small object in a nearby field.
Northern Pigeon Hawk. Falco columbaxius columbarius Linnaeus.
The Pigeon Hawk must be considered a rare winter visitant to this part
of the valley, and I have only two or three records of its occurrence.
About the middle of October, 1905, one of these little hawks stayed around
the trees on my father's place near Clovis, for a week or more, and was often
seen. When discovered on some perch it would fly through the nearest tree,
out on the other side and disappear with a' fast, strong flight. On the morning
of October 18, as I came out of the house I was surprised to see my hawk sit-
ting on the clothes-line post in the back yard. He was but a few yards distant,
and the brownish tail with narrow white bands and white tip, together with its
white throat-patch, convinced me that my previous identifications had been
correct .
I have records of this hawk as noted February 20, 1903, and November 3,
1903, both birds being quite satisfactorily seen at close range.
American Sparrow Hawk. Falco sparverius sparverius Linnaeus.
Nearly everybody knows this, the smallest of our hawks. Fortunately the
majority of the agriculturists and sportsmen realize that it is, for the most part,
a harmless little hunter and for this reason it is seldom molested, except by that
class who shoot at anything that wears feathers or fur. The Sparrow Hawk
is quite generally distributed all through the lowlands in winter, but retires to
wooded areas during the nesting season. It is known to nest along the San
Joaquin River, in the oak covered districts in the southern part of the county,
and in the trees along some of the creeks that come down out of the hills.
This species subsists to a great extent upon grasshoppers, crickets, and other
large insects, as well as mice ; and the bird-catching tendency seems to be a trait
that only appears in the case of certain individuals.
One winter a male of this species, which spent the greater part of its time
in my father's vineyard, seemed to be especially destructive, pursuing and cap-
turing not a few sparrows, while on one or two occasions he dined on Meadow-
larks. This habit, happily, was not shared by several others of his kind that
were frequently seen nearby.
June 8, 1907, while driving along the road just above Academy, I noticed
that grasshoppers were flying up from the roadside in goodly numbers and zig-
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 47
zag-ging out into the fields. Soon I saw a Sparrow Hawk leave its perch in an
oak tree, and, deftly seizing a flying hopper, it perched by a hole under a dead
branch, and reaching inside, deposited a meal for its mate or children. While I
was within sight of the tree the performance was repeated, so that grasshoppers
were probably the staple diet of this family at least.
May 9, 1908, I examined two nests of these little falcons in trees along Dry
Creek, six or seven miles east of Clovis. One nest was in what was, no doubt,
an old excavation of a flicker, sixteen feet from the ground, in a large, rotten
branch of a cottonwood. This cavity held small, white, downy young, and I
was attracted to it from a distance by the female bird, which came out to meet me.
She kept up a continual screaming while I remained near, and frequently dashed
close to my head. Her mate did not put in an appearance.
The second nest was in a dead willow stub, and was not discovered until the
female left the nest, after I had struck the tree several heavy blows. This ex-
cavation was about one foot in depth and eight inches in diameter at the bottom,
where five eggs, far advanced in incubation, rested on the rotten wood and
chips. The female left her home silently and was not seen again.
Barn Owl. Aluco pratincola (Bonaparte).
In all the bird kingdom there is probably no creature that is more unap-
preciated, more persecuted, or more disliked than this night prowler ;
yet it is certain that no other bird found in Fresno County can
compare with it in usefulness. Great Blue Herons, weasels, and
gopher snakes all do their part in keeping gophers in check in the alfalfa fields,
but the Barn Owl probably captures more of these rodents than all other agencies
combined. As a mouser he stands far above any other bird.
The author once found a pair of these owls occupying the garret of an
abandoned house on the plains southwest of Fresno, and the number of bones of
small mammals that were scattered about was surprising. There was not less
than a five gallon measure full of skulls alone, the greater part of which ap-
peared to be mouse skulls. A visit to the nesting place of a pair of Barn Owls
should be sufficient to convince anyone that this bird is the farmer's friend, yet
the appearance of one of these owls is very often greeted with a charge of shot,
for to kill "one of them Monkey-faced Owls" seems to be regarded as a good
deed.
Fortunately Nature has made this owl a nocturnal hunter. It is because
.so many of the rodents are most active during the hours of darkness that owls
can be of such great service.
It is seldom that Barn Owls are seen during the day time, unless aroused
from their hiding places. But fleeting shadows falling across the street on moon-
light evenings tell of their presence a< certainly as does the sudden "kar-r-r-ick"'
that is frequently heard overhead. The hiding places are in ihick trees, in old
houses or barns, and in holes in banks; but at night the birds are distributed
quite generally over the valley.
The same places that conceal the birds during the daylight hours are used
in many cases for nesting sites. As far as I can learn the holes in the banks along
the San Joaquin River shelter by far the greater part of the nesting owls in this
vicinity. In my experience six eggs constitute the usual set, although no doubt
48 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
more are at times laid. Sometimes the eggs lie on the bare earth or whatever
material the nest cavity contains, but nearly always there is a large amount of
fur, bones, and other refuse lying around and under the eggs. Six eggs found
in a nest on April 12, 1902, were in various stages of incubation, one or two be-
ing nearly ready to hatch. Another nest that was examined on the same date
just six years later was found to contain six eggs not quite so far advanced in
incubation, while nearby was another cavity with four apparently fresh eggs.
May the Barn Owl continue to click and scream and cast his shadow over
the fields through the long moonlight nights of many years to come !
Long-eared Owl. Asio wilsonianus (Lesson).
The Long-eared Owl is nowhere an abundant species in the vicinity of Fres-
no, for the same reasons, no doubt, that cause other owls to be scarce throughout
this region. It has been met with along the San Joaquin River, and rarely in
the trees that follow the courses of some of the creeks leading down out of the
hills to the eastward of the city. It also occurs in certain favorable places along
some of the large sloughs near Wheatville.
October 11, 1903, a Long-eared Owl was flushed from a thick willow clump
growing close to the Gould ditch near Tarpey. After a short flight it alighted
on a branch of a large cottonwood tree, where it sat blinking in the afternoon
sunlight.
Mr. Chas. E. Jenney tells me that he has found this owl nesting in the
willows along the San Joaquin River, and Mr. Grinnell mentioned having heard
the call of this species near Lane's Bridge, while camped there the first week in
April, 191 1.
April 30, 1912, while walking along the dry bed of a slough not far from
the New Hope school house, I frightened one of these owls from a willow, and
soon found its nest which was built not over ten feet from the ground at the base
of a large limb. The nest was very well built, and while I hardly think it likely
that the tenants built it themselves, yet I am at a loss to know what species it
belonged to originally. It was far too small and compactly built to be the work-
manship of any of our hawks, and it could not have been constructed by crows
or night herons, as neither have ever been found nesting anywhere near. The
situation, too, was rather unusual, as I could almost look into it from the bank
of the slough. It was the exposed position of the nest that made me doubt
whether the owls had any part in its construction, as there were several dark and
heavily foliaged trees only a few yards away where it seems this species would
have chosen a summer home, had the birds not been willing to make some sacri-
fices in order to avoid the duties of house building. The nest lining consisted of
only a few dry leaves and grasses upon which rested six eggs just ready to hatch,
two being already pipped.
I trust that Fresno County is now richer by six Long-eared Owls and cer-
tainly no more valuable creatures exist than these nocturnal hunters, ever on the
alert to wage warfare on the mouse and gopher hosts.
Short-eared Owl. Asio flammeus (Pontoppidan).
Short-eared Owls are very common in suitable places during the winter, and
are known to remain and breed sparingly. December 25, 1902, one was flushed
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 49
from an alfalfa patch, near Clovis, and November 25, 1903, another from the
.same place. November 26, 1906, they were fouiid to be common in a stubble
field two miles southeast of Clovis. They were fearless, or perhaps their eyesight
was not good, for I was able to approach within ten feet of one without dif-
ficulty. There were at least half a dozen individuals and probably many more
in the field.
Mr. Joseph Sloanaker reported this owl as occurring near Raisin during the
winter, and in the vicinity of Wheatville and Jameson they are really abundant.
One evening in December while concealed in a stubble field near Jameson, I was
astonished at the great number of Short-eared Owls, Barn Owls, and Marsh
Hawks that appeared just before sundown and began hunting over the fields.
The number of doves that were disturbed by these Raptores was almost beyond
belief, and the noise made by their wings as they flew wildly about was almost
deafening. When I resumed my walk toward camp it seemed a really perilous
journey, and there was grave danger of being struck by one of the rapidly flying
doves that wheeled and turned, alighted and took wing again in a veritable maze.
I estimated that there were at least two hundred Short-eared Owls in sight. They
could easily be distinguished from the Barn Owls by the marked resemblance
of their flight to that of the Texas Nighthawk.
April 12, 1902, a man who was plowing in a field near New Hope, flushed a
Short-eared Owl from the weeds, and brought to me the three fresh eggs that
were lying on a circle of dry grass almost upon the bare ground.
April 30, 1908, while looking for owls' eggs near the same place, a man told
me of driving his horse and cart almost over one of these owls as she sat on her
neatly made nest of dry grass and feathers. This was about two weeks before my
visit and he said the nest contained "seven or eight white eggs a little smaller
than hen's eggs." I have flushed this owl from the ground at quite a number
of places on the west side of the valley during April, but never found a nest.
Southern Spotted Owl. Strix occidentalis occidentalis (Xantus).
The occurrence of this owl in Fresno County is known to the author only
through the observation of a single individual seen March 7. 1908. This was in
a small grove of cottonwoods near Letcher, in the foothills about twenty-six
miles northeast of Fresno and a little outside the district treated in this list. As
it is a definite record for this general region it seemed not out of place to men-
tion it here.
While I can give no other record of the presence of this owl, yet for certain
reasons, I feel convinced that systematic work in the foothills along the western
base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in this county would prove that the species
is not quite as rare as one would be led to believe from the scant information
that can be gathered locally concerning it.
A more complete account of the record referred to above can be found m
The Condor, xi, 1909, page 82.
Califorxia Screech Owl. Otus asio bendirei (Brewster).
Of all the birds the author has ever encountered this one seems to be, by
far, the most dif^cult to study, and after ten consecutive years of observation in
the Fresno district any attempt to state whether or not this little owl is of common
50 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
occurrence would be mere guess work. I have heard the call of this bird within
the city on one or two occasions, and Mr. Grinnell tells me that this species was
one of the four owls that he heard along the San Joaquin River near Lane's
Bridge the second week in April, 191 1.
As the Screech OWl keeps so closely concealed during the daylight hours it
might be easily overlooked. At any rate I have actually seen one of these birds
only once, and that one had been routed out and was being mobbed by half a
dozen angry mockers. It was the nth day of August, 1906, when I heard such
an uproar and scolding as to attract more than casual attention. I was working
in a peach orchard about three miles east of Clovis, and as something out of the
ordinary seemed to be going on I lost no time in investigating. The mocking-
birds were flying into, over, and around a thick-foliaged tree in which a Screech
Owl sat blinking and staring. When I was within about ten feet of the tree the
owl flapped out and flew across the orchard with its tormentors in full pursuit.
Two days later some boys told me of shooting a small owl that they had
found in a tray shed near the orchard. The next day, upon investigation, 1
found what was, no doubt, the same Screech Owl that I had previously seen.
The appearance of the shed seemed to indicate that he had spent several days
there.
Pacif'ic Horned Owl. Bubo virginianus pacificus Cassin.
Nearly everyone who has lived near the wooded sections of Fresno County
has heard the voice of this, our largest owl, and it is known, often, by no other
name than "hoot owl." Formerly not uncommon, these big birds are rapidly be-
coming rare, as they must have hunting grounds that have not been rendered
barren by man and his plow.
These great owls are possessed of appetites that, seemingly, are seldom
entirely satisfied. Tt may thus be hunger that often drives the Horned Owl forth
on his foraging expeditions long before darkness has made it safe for the timid
field mice to venture forth, and at times even before the sun has dro])ped below
the western rim of the valley. December 28, 1904, just before sundown, a
Horned Owl flew over an alfalfa patch near Clovis, and was not in the least con-
fused by the glare of the setting sun. He made a swoop at a horned lark and
then passed on.
A chance pair of these birds may still be found along Dry Creek east of
Clovis, but the only places in the valley where they are at all common is along
some of the large sloughs in the vicinity of Wheatville, and possibly in the oaks
to the south and east of that place. They are often heard along the San Joaquin
River also, but each year become less in evidence.
While camping near New Hope in the early winter of 1904 I was awakened
just before daylight on the morning of November 30 by a pair of Horned Owls
that were giving a concert nearby. Oue of the birds had a rather weak, feminine
voice, peculiar in that it always ended with an extra "hoot" that was given after
the bird had apparently finished its call. It sounded like "hoot, ta-whoo, who-
who — hoot," the last note being not quite so loud but almost as distinct as the
others. The other bird seemed to be stationed a short distance from its comi-
panion, and always answered in a deep, heavy, bass voice, sometimes before the
first one had finished.
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 51
Among a clump of willows standing in three or four feet of water I found
a pair of Horned Owls nesting on April 12, 1902. They were occupying what
may have been an old nest of a Night Heron, a thin frail structure, placed four-
teen feet above the water. It measured six inches in width on the inside and
nine in length, with the cavity only two inches in depth ; but it seemed ample
for the great bird that occupied it, and for her three eggs. The latter were
nearly ready to hatch. This was near New Hope, and on April 6, 1906, I ex-
amined two more nests of the same species within a mile of the first one dis-
covered. One of these nests was thirty-five feet up, in a partly-dead willow in
a field, and had three fuzzy, white, young birds of various sizes. The other nest
was eighteen feet up in a willow in a thick clump that, as in the first instance
cited, v/as growing in water. In this nest was one tiny owlet, apparently just
hatched, one a little larger, and a third that was fully twice as large as his young-
est brother or sister. There v/as one gopher and parts of two cottontails in this
nest.
In examining the three nests referred to I was in apparent danger of being
attacked by the angry parents. They remained near at hand, frequently jump-
ing from branch to branch, and hooting continually.
March 29, 1909, while looking at a hawk's nest fully seventy feet up in a
big sycamore that stands in the creek bed above Academy, T detected a big owl
perched near the nest. I felt certain that his mate was on duty, but much as T
needed a set of eggs of the Pacific Horned Owl for my collection, I passed on
up the canyon leaving the owls undisturbed. It was not the first time, either,
that I had looked up at that nest; but the forty or more feet of smooth bark to
be scaled before a single branch could be reached was an obstacle too great for
me to attempt to overcome.
BuRRO\\iNG Owl. Speotyto cunicularia hypogaea (Bonaparte).
Ten years ago, throughout most of the region about Fresno, could he heard
all through the April evenings the characteristic "kook-ka— wah" of the Burrow-
ing Owl floating across the summer-fallow fields just as darkness hid the iasi
night-hawk from view. During the long moonlight nights that fol-
lowed later in the summer, the indescribable call that this little owl utters
as it hovers over some object was none the less an indication of the abundance
of these birds. This is the call that our Mockingbird has learned to imitate so
perfectly, but for which m.an's alphabet does not provide letters by which an idea
of its nature may be conveyed from one person to another.
"Billy owl" is the name by which this, our smallest owl, is known to every-
one, and the name seems to fit him admirably. As he sits calmly on a fence post,
eying the chance passer-by out of half closed eyes he has a comical, yet sleepy
expression that always attracts attention. The "forty-niner" and the easteru.
tourist alike regard the "billy owl" as a warm friend rather than as just a harm-
less bird.
Civilization, cultivation, and squirrel extermination have now crov/ded these
little owls farther and farther out to the edges of the Fresno district, to the west
side plains and a few other unsettled areas. When these agencies have left no
room for them anywhere in the valley, then Fresno County will have lost not
only a most interesting bird but a very useful one as well, for the species lives
52 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
almost entirely upon mice, beetles, and other creatures injurious to crops. The
birds have been observed flying around arc lights, catching the large insects that
are attracted by the glare. These lights form a feeding ground that is otherwise
monopolized by the bats.
At some time in the month of April, occasionally later, a pair of burrowing
owls may be seen sitting contentedly at the mouth of a burrow formerly occupied
by some large rodent, and at such times it is safe to assume that housekeeping
has begun in that underground home. Possibly, in some cases the former tenant
departed rather unexpectedly and through no wish of his own, but in any event
the owls are much to be preferred to ground squirrels as neighbors.
Large quantities of dry. broken-up, horse manure cover the mound at the
entrance to one of these humble homes, and a trail of the same material leads
down the windings to the underground chamber, where from six to eleven,
nearly round, white eggs lie on a thick bed of this apparently indispensable article.
Sometimes these nests are scarcely two feet underground, and again twelve
feet of tunneling will fail to bring an inquisitive ornithologist to a position wiiere
he can examine the cavity ; but it is never too deep to keep out fleas, and a nest
that is not conspicuously infested with these pests is exceptional.
The author and two companions, in an efifort to examine a nest of this bird,
once dug horizontally just eighteen feet, but to a depth of only twenty-four
inches, and we were rewarded by finding only a single fresh egg. Within two
feet of the egg and crawling blindly toward it, was a very young squirrel that
had probably, at our approach, taken refuge in the first burrow that it could
reach.
A few of these interesting little owls may still be met within cultivated areas,
where they nest in waste fields and along roadsides ; but their numbers are
limited and it seems only a matter of a few more years until we will be unable
to number the Burrowing Owl among the birds of the Fresno district.
Road-runner. Geococcyx califomianus (Lesson).
Although the favorite haunts of this strange bird are to be found along the
rough, brush-covered hills, a few stray birds may be met with from time to time
in the vineyards in the most highly cultivated parts of the valley. Until the pres-
ent season (1912) I had observed only lone birds in each instance, but this spring
several pairs were seen at different places between Fresno and Sanger.
I have noted Road-runners along the San Joaquin River near Lane's Bridge,
and on December 6, 1905, one individual was seen near the New Hope school
house north of Wheatville. April 14, 1906. another was observed in the Barton
vineyard, east of the city.
Several times during April and early May of this year I noted single birds
or pairs about vineyards in the vicinity of Lone Star. As the custom of planting
fruit or ornamental trees around the farms and along ditch banks has furnished
ample concealment, it seems probable that a few pairs may have nested in the
valley.
June II, 1912, a Road-runner was seen to emerge from a row of eucalyptus
trees at the roadside. It was immediately pounced upon by a pair of Western
Kingbirds, which followed it as it turned, twisted and dodged, running whenever
an opportunity was afforded. The angry Kingbirds kept up a continual chatter
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 53
as they swooped viciously at the big fellow. At my too near approach, the Road
runner made off down the road a few steps and dodged into a vineyard. As it
turned I saw some object held in its bill and thought it looked very much like a
nestling bird of some sort ; at any rate the plunder was so valuable that the sprmt-
er was willing to risk a severe beating from the Kingbirds in order to make away
with it.
California Cuckoo. Coccyzus americanus occidentalis Ridgway.
Cuckoos occur during the summer months in the willow thickets along the
San Joaquin River and a number of the larger canals. They are not nu;ch in
evidence, and their retiring habits make it difficult to determine in what numbers
they are present, but they surely cannot be called common at any time. Their
call note, a half-subdued "kuk-kuk-kuk", is sometimes heard during June or July
from a tangle of willow brush and vines, but the bird is actually seen much less
often.
July 4, 1907, a Cuckoo was seen several times in a willow tree near ttie river,
a short distance above Lane's Bridge. There may have been a nest nearby, as
this bird was remarkably fearless and came within less than twenty feet of me
several times, at intervals giving voice to its call when perched on a branch in
plain view. Six days later I heard the same call from a thicket on Fancher Creek
some six miles northeast of Fresno.
In all my prowling about the ditches near Clovis I never but once found a
nest of the California Cuckoo and the discovery of that one was entirely acci-
dental. July 10, 1902, while passing a small, somewhat isolated, willow that
stood at the very water's edge in the Gould ditch south of Clovis, I thought I saw
a nest, and upon stepping around the tree for a better view, a Cuckoo, with an
unsteady flight, not unlike that of a nighthawk, flew down the ditch to a place of
concealment. Just nine feet from the ground, at the junction of the trunk and
the first branch, was a bulky nest of coarse twigs, lined with willow catkins, in
which rested two small birds. They were nearly black in color, with the feathers
not yet through their sheaths, this giving the downless little creatures a rough,
almost thorny, appearance. From the position they occupied in the nest their
bills pointed skyward. When I picked one of them up he clung to the nest lin-
ing uttering a faint squeaking note. The parent bird was not again seen or heard
during my examination of her home.
Belted Kingfisher. Ceryle alcyon (Linnaeus).
The ninth and tenth days of August, 1905, the author spent, in company
with two companions, along the San Joaquin River a short distance below Friant.
At that time Kingfishers were rather common, and were often seen flying along
the course of the stream, or perched either singly or in pairs on dead branches
overlooking the water. Their rattling calls were frequently heard. It is possible
that they may breed in small numbers in the banks that are so numerously tenant-
ed by Barn Owls, but their presence there has never been detected during the
nesting season.
In late September a few of these birds may sometimes be found along some
of the larger irrigation canals, fishing for frogs or minnows near the headgates.
September 21, 1903, one was observed about two miles north of Fresno, and the
54 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
following day the same one or another near the same place. April 24, 1906, I
observed a lone individual flying along the Gould ditch near Clovis. July 25,
1912, another was seen perched on a dead branch over a muddy slough in the
Kings River bottom above Centerville.
Willow Woodpecker. Dryobates pubescens turati (Malherbe).
Willow Woodpeckers are not very common anywhere in the Fresno district,
being most abundant, from what I can learn, in the oaks throughout the region
south of Riverdale. The species was observed near this place July 13, 191 1.
Individuals are to be met with almost anywhere in the valley during the winter
months, but nearly always only a single bird is observed. They frequent cotton-
woods and willows along ditches and canals, but being of rather a quiet nature,
are easily overlooked. They crawl along the lower sides of branches, now and
then tapping gently or uttering a half subdued "squeep".
This species has been observed near Fresno, March 6, 1903, at Clovis, De-
cember 17, 1907, below Academy on Dry Creek, March 2O, igo(), and along
the river near Lane's Bridge, v/here a few may possibly breed.
NuTTALL Woodpecker. Dryobates nuttalli (Gambel).
Miss Winifred Wear records this little woodpecker from Laton, April 17,
1909, and from Riverview, April 2y, 1907. It occurs not uncommonly in the oak
belt of the hills along the eastern part of the valley.
Red-breasted Sapsucker. Sphyrapicus ruber (Gmelin).
Among the birds in the collection of Miss Winifred Wear there is a hue
specimen of this sapsucker that came into her possession November 16, 1910,
under rather unusual circumstances. One of the children in her school, know-
ing of her interest in birds, brought the specimen, still alive, to the sclioolrooni.
The child was a foreigner and was unable to give a very clear account of its cap-
ture, but said that her brother-in-law had had the bird picketed in his yard for
several days. It would probably not have lived many days longer, as there was a
bad wound in one wing. The bird, a female, was identified by Mr. Grinnell as
Sphyrapicus varius daggetti; but the A. O. U. Committee has not approved of
this name.
A single bird was seen by the author in one of a row of walnut trees oy the
roadside several miles northeast of Fresno on December 25, 1911. This is the
only one ever seen by him in the valley.
Californla. Woodpecker. Melanerpes formicivorus bairdi Ridgway.
This is another bird that, through lack of suitable environment, occurs as a
straggler only, within the limits of the region under consideration. A noisy,
abundant, and conspicuous resident of almost the entire foothill region along the
eastern side of the valley, it is not surprising that occasionally a venturesome in-
dividual strays below the usual habitat, but even in such cases it seldom wanders
far. Usually its presence in the valley is noted along streams where oak trees
extend their range farther out toward the plains than elsewhere. Along Kings
River this woodpecker is often seen near Centerville, and sometimes follows
down the river bottom much farther, but it has never been recorded as seen in
the treeless areas and among the vineyards.
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 55
Dry Creek, below Academy, is another outlet from the hills that at times
makes possible the occurrence of this bird, but in general the range of the Cali-
fornia Woodpecker seems to correspond very closely to that of the oak trees.
This species should be confidently looked for among the valley oaks in the south-
ern part of the county.
Lewis Woodpecker. Asyndesmus lewisi Riley.
July 26, 1905, a Lewis Woodpecker was seen in a corral two miles east oi
Clevis. It was flying a few feet above the ground, and from the manner in which
it twisted and turned it appeared to be in pursuit of some small insect that was
not visible to me, although I was but a few yards away. Finally the bird alighted
on the side of a barn where it looked like a huge swallow. It remained there for
some moments chuckling to itself in an undertone.
Six days later I observed what was no doubt the same bird, as it was within
one hundred yards of the barn where it wa>. first seen. This time it flew into
one of a row of poplars, where it remained quietly perched on a large branch.
July 13, 191 1, while watching the hordes of blackbirds that swarmed about
the overflowed area near Wheatville, 1 was a little surpr'sed to see a large bird
that was at once recognized as a Lewis Woodpecker. It flew up from the bot-
tom of one fence post and alighted near the top of another nearby. Although
there was a sheet of water covering the ground for miles around, yet there was
quite a growth of oak timber and willows that extended away toward Summit
Lake ; there was also much country to the eastward where this species might be
found to occur commonly.
March 28, 1912, while driving along the road in Scandinavian Colony, a
Lewis Woodpecker flew from a fence post and attached itself in a vertical posi-
tion to the gable end of a building.
May 3, 1912, a fine, richly-colored individual was noted in a willow grown
area between Fowler and Del Rey. After a short flight it perched in a willow
tree, where it remained while I drove the car directly under the tree. I hardly
think any of these records indicate breeding birds.
Red- SHAFTED Flicker. Colaptes cafer collaris Vigors.
This Flicker is the only member of the woodpecker family that can be called
an abundant species in the vicinity of Fresno, and each year the bird.s appear to
become more numerous.
Trees along the irrigation canals are used for roosting places and tor con-
cealment, but the Flickers feed upon the ground in large numbers, especially in
the fall and early v/ inter. They often spring into the air from under the very
feet of a hunter, the suddenness of their appearance and their querulous call at
such times being quite disconcerting.
Ants seem to be the favorite food of these birds, and ii is no uncommon
sight to see two or three Flickers on the ground near an ant hill greedily dispos-
ing of the occupants as fast as they appear. Old decaying logs are also carefully
worked over at frequent intervals, as well as the rough bark of cottonwood and
willow trees.
Unfortunately these handsome birds have fallen into disfavor among a large
number of both city dweller? and country residents, on account of their habit of
56 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
drilling holes in the gable ends of buildings. When once a house has been se-
lected it seems ihat nothing short of death will cause them to cease their drilling
operations until one, and in some cases three or four, holes have been cui through
the outer wall of the building. Whether these holes, which are generally made
in the winter, are excavated for roosting places or simply through a sort of
nervous energy seems a matter of doubt; but certain it is that the birds spend
much time in them as soon as they succeed in completing their work. It is a
common sight, on rainy days, to see a Flicker's head peering out from his open
doorway.
As the trees in the city and along the canals only ofifer an occasional dead
stub suitable for these birds, the great majority of our Flickers repair to the foot-
hills and to the heavier timber along the river to nest.
May 6, 1910, a Flicker was flushed from a small willow stump not over five
feet high. The cavity was about eight inches deep and held six heavily incubated
eggs that rested on the dry, rotten chips at the bottom. This stump was near the
Gould ditch, two miles south of Clovis, and with one exception furnished the only
record of this species breeding in that vicinity, so far as I have been able to learn.
April 7, 191 1, I noticed a great quanitity of chips at the base of a cotton-
wood tree near Lane's Bridge. This tree was used as a gate post, and for a
height of about eight feet was green with not a few branches of new leaves, but
for a distance of four feet or more down from the top it was quite dead. In this
dry part, about eleven feet from the ground, a pair of Flickers had excavated a
nesting cavity lifteeen inches deep and nearly eight inches in diameter at the bot-
tom. A visit to this nest April 29 revealed one of the birds at home and a fine
set of seven fresh eggs that are now in my collection.
April 30, 1910, I flushed two Flickers from nesting cavities, one twenty feet
up in a Cottonwood, and the other in a knot-hole half that height in an oak. May
18, 1908, a brood of half-grown young were found in a hollow sycamore branch
near Letcher.
This species is frequently called "yellow hammicr", a name that was, no
doubt, brought out by homeseekers from across the Rockies.
Tkxas Ntghthawk. Chordeiles acutipeimis texensis Lawrence.
"Gee ! there goes an old buUbat. I haven't seen one of them since 1 left Mis-
souri." It was late one April afternoon, just as the sun was dropping behind a
row of fig trees that concealed the western horizon, that I happened to be talking
with an acquaintance who was working in a vineyard. A glance in the direction
indicated revealed a Texas Nighthawk, flapping and tacking along in the ap-
parently aimless manner so characteristic of this species.
This was not the first nighthawk that I had seen in Fresno County, as the
birds are abiuidant summer visitants to the lower portions of the valley, being
equally common throughout the vineyard sections and over the dry plains south-
west of the city. The earliest records that I have for the appearance of this bird
are those of two nighthawks observed five miles east of Fresno March 25, 191 1,
and a single individual seen a mile north of there the same evening. Mr. Joseph
Sloanaker informed me that he observed the species, near Raisin, one day earlier
than they were noted near the city ; and it is possible that I could have made ear-
lier records on several other occasions had I been able to get out into the country
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 57
(luring the last half of March. By the end of the fir'^t week in April nighthawks
have usually hecome quite numerous, but it is not until the first half of May is
gone that they begin nesting in any considerable numbers. During August these
birds are very conspicuous, and the author has sometimes observed literally hun
dreds of them fl}'ing about a certain alfalfa grown swale near Clovis. Many of
these, no doubt, were immature birds, which remain with us until their first fall
migration. This usually occurs in early September. 1 have never observed this
species later than September t8 ( 1905) when a lone nighthawk was seen flying
over a vineyard near Clovis.
Preparing a nest in which to deposit her two eggs is not a difficult task for
the female nighthawk, as, in every case that has come under my notice, the eggs
rested on the bare, dry earth with not a vestige of nesting material either under
or around them. It is a hopeless task to look for these eggs unless the parent
bird is flushed from them, and even when the angry birds have revealed almost
their exact location it sometimes requires no little careful hunting to detect the
eggs, on account of their striking resemblance to small clods. When disturbed on
her eggs the female usually makes a purring noise and flies but a short distance
when she again alights; if forced into the air she is soon joined by her mate, who
is often more demonstrative than the female and darts around near the intruder,
frequently giving a peculiar clucking call.
As the great majority of our nighthawks nest in the vineyards, they are, no
doubt, frequently disturbed, and possibly this may account for their eggs being
found in late July, as recorded beyond.
Below is given a list of the few nests observed by the author, nearly all be-
ing found by flushing a bird at a time when nighthawks were farthest from his
thoughts.
May 15, 1906; two eggs; one abnormal in shape and infertile, the other con-
taining small embryo. Eggs at base of vine in vineyard. Ground very dry and
hard. Both birds unusually bold.
July 2, 1906; two eggs; good-sized embryos. Eggs on soft ground at base
of a sunflower growing in a field of melons. Bird flushed.
May 27, 1907 ; female flushed from two slightly incubated eggs that rested
in a very slight natural depression about one foot from the stump of a large vine.
These' eggs were in the shade, as all others have been ; it seems possible that the
incubating birds move their eggs around in order to be protected from the direct
rays of the sun.
May 26, 191 1 ; two considerably incubated eggs on bare ground in vineyard.
Bird flushed at close range.
July 21, 191 1 ; two eggs; incubation advanced. Bird flushed from bare
ground, between two vines in vineyard.
Mr. J. D. Clark has sent me nighthawk eggs from near Letcher that were
found on small knolls in a pasture where there was little or no protection.
As the nighthawk seems to have few enemies it will doubtless continue to be
an abundant summer visitant to this part of the San Joaquin Valley for years to
come ; and it should be a welcome visitor for it feeds on a class of insects that are,
to a great extent, ignored by other birds. When night begins to spread her veil
of darkness over the fields and vinevards a host of winged creatures come out
58 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
from their hiding places, and who can estimate the number of moths, mosquitoes,
flying ants, and other insects that even a single nighthawk consumes before it
ceases its hunting to perch lengthways, through the daylight hours, on some dead
willow branch !
Vaux Swift. Chaetura vauxi (Townsend.).
Late in the spring, small, grayish-colored swifts are sometimes seen flying
over, evidently in migration, as they are always traveling northward. They row
along, alternately beating their wings and then sailing for a few yards, from ten
to thirty feet above the earth. I have never observed more than two together;
and I scarcely get more than just a fleeting glimpse of them, as they are silent
and give no warning of their approach. A single individual that flew over on
May 20, 1903, was clearly seen, as were two others observed near Clovis April
23, 1908.
While records made from birds seen in flight are liable to be questioned, and
are to be discouraged in most instances, yet in this case the writer feels quite
satisfied as to the identity of these birds. They were certainly none of our swal-
lows, and bore no resemblance to the White-throated Swift, observed in June
about the rocky cliffs above Tollhouse.
Black-chinned Hummingbird. Archilochus alexandri (Bourcier and Mul-
sant).
While the presence of this species in the Fresno district is unquestionable, its
status is yet in doubt. Nests, supposed by the writer to belong to this species,
have been found in June and July. Exact determination awaits actual collection
of birds with nests. The females of the various species of hummingbirds are
scarcely distinguishable at any distance.
Anna Hummingbird. Calypte anna (Lesson).
In the author's opinion this hummer cannot be considered common anywhere
in the Fresno district. It is, however, sometimes noticed about gardens in the
summer, and becomes fairly numerous about the blossoming eucalyptus trees in
the early winter, especially in certain parts of the city. During the month of
November their squeaking notes may sometimes be heard as the little fellows fly
from tree to tree or perch on the telephone wires. I have observed this species,
together with one or two other hummingbirds, around the wild tobacco blossoms
in the foothill canyons near Letcher in May; but their appearance in any num-
bers seems to be confined to the blossommg period of the eucalyptus trees.
Rufous Hummingbird. Selasphorus rufus (Gnielin).
After seeing many green colored hummingbirds I was surprised and de-
lighted one warm spring afternoon to see a large red hummer fly to a lilac bush
in the yard of my father's place near Clovis. In his flight he made a sound Hke
that produced by an empty rifle cartridge thrown swiftly through the air.
It was the 30th of March, 1907, but the day was one of those bright, warm,
balmy ones that bring the migrants along in large numbers, and as the sunlight
fell full on this tiny bird's plumage it glistened like burnished copper. I thought
I had never seen so beautiful a bird, and was regretting that he was resuming
his journey after only a few seconds pause, when he again came to a standstill,
this time perching on a small umbrella tree not over thirty feet from where I was
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 59
standing. At that distance he appeared to be wearing a red jewel at his throat
as it flashed beautifully at every turn of the bird's head. Within the next five
minutes the hummer made half a dozen trips to the lilac bush and back to the
tree, and finally came to a big pink rose, almost within arm's reach of where I
stood enraptured. Probably if red hummingbirds were as common here as green
ones, they would, in time, cease to be objects of wonder and admiration, but even
now the sight of a Rufous Hummingbird whizzing northward in the first spring
days fills me with an almost irresistible desire to go afield.
These little birds do not migrate through the valley in large numbers, or if
they do they are much less conspicuous than would seem to be the case, judging
from the one or two that are generally observed in the spring from the third week
in March to April 2 (1906).
Western Kingbird. Tyrannus verticalis Say.
To the uninitiated the name "kingbird" as applied to any of our local birds
would be almost meaningless ; but mention "bee martin" and every boy knows at
once that we refer to that fearless tyrant of the air that once established in any
favored place will tolerate no larger bird within a given radius of its chosen
grounds.
Western Kingbirds are generally distributed in summer throughout all that
portion of the San Joaquin Valley that T have been fortunate enough to visit, and
they range well up into the foothills also. They appear equally at home through-
out the cultivated areas and in the sparsely settled districts, and since their food
seems to consist mainly of various insects and bugs, and since these, in one form
or another, are not difficult to obtain, this valley supports a very large population
of kingbirds.
In some sections this species has fallen into bad repute because of its fond-
ness for bees, but I do not think it is fair to assume that bees are especially sougnt
for. They seem to be taken in numbers only when they are more in evidence
than any other creature. One pair of these birds that I had an excellent oppor-
tunity to observe fed their family almost entirely on grasshoppers, one or the
other of the parents bringing a big hopper to the nest about every ten minutes.
Often in July and August it is no uncommon sight to see two or three dozen
kingbirds, together with quite a host of other birds, perched on a wire fence at
the edge of an alfalfa field, all busily engaged in catching the yellow butterflies
that occur so numerously at times. In such places the birds fare so sumptuously
that they soon become excessively fat. The precision with which one of these
big flycatchers can swoop out upon and snap up a passing insect is really marvel-
ous, and no desirable creature that comes within their vision need hope to escape.
The date of the appearance of our kingbirds in the spring nearly corresponds
with that upon which the Bullock Orioles reach here, as will be seen by the fol-
lowing dates of spring arrival: March 26, 1905; March 23, 1906; March 27,
1908; March 29, 191 1. With the passing of August these birds have nearly all
disappeared and only an occasional one is seen after the last week in that month.
In 1905 the last one was seen August 26, and in 191 1 a single individual was ob-
served near Clovis, flying toward the south, on September 4.
Never, in ten years of observation, have I known a pair of Western King-
birds to nest in an orchard, as the eastern form is said to do so often ; neither do
60 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
our birds like the dense foliage and swaying branches of the willows bordering
the canals and ditches. The majority of them find nesting sites in places provid-
ed by man's agency. Formerly they resorted to the framework of flumes, wind-
mills, outbuildings, and even to the tops of fence posts ; but of recent years the
rural telephone lines that have thrown their network of wires and poles all over
the valley have provided nesting sites galore, and of a kind seemingly exactly
.suited to the requirements of these birds. Nearly all the smaller lines are sup-
ported on poles without crossbars, the majority of these poles being about four
inches in diameter and extending to a height of about sixteen feet, excepting
where the lines cross entrances to farmhouses or intersecting roads, in which ca.se
the wires are raised several feet to permit the passage of derricks and other tail
machinery. This additional height is attained by nailing two two-inch pieces to
the original pole on opposite sides, thus leaving a four inch platform protected on
two sides, in which a nest just fits snugly. A drive through the country during
the summer months now reveals a pair of kingbirds tenanted in nearly every
such pole.
It must not be understood, however, that trees are never resorted to, as not
a few pairs find congenial homes in trees around dwellings. They are nearly
always encouraged to remain, as they are of great service in driving away hawks,
setting up a alarm at the approach of any sort of marauder. One pair that nest-
ed near my home were fearless in driving away any bird that chanced to pass
anywhere near, and I often saw a poor, clumsy Turkey Vulture tumble nearly
to the earth in unsuccessful attempts to elude its pursuers. Doves escaped only
by their very rapid flight, although often chased over a quarter of a mile. After
one of these exploits the male always returned triumphantly to the nest, where
he, no doubt, received much praise for his bravery, judging by the animated con-
versation that took place.
Nest building begins about the first of May, and kingbirds may be found
nesting all through this, and the following month. My earliest records are May
6, 1907, a set of five slightly incubated eggs, and May i, 1910, a set of four in
which incubation had begun.
Four or five eggs are the usual complements but some females deposit very
small sets at times. On June 11, 1906, I found a nest with three heavily incubat-
ed eggs; the next season, in a tree not far from that place, I found one of these
birds incubating two eggs on May 26, and no more were ever added. It is quite
probable that this second set was the product of the same female that laid the
set of three the previous season.
One season a pair of kingbirds, after spending several days in noisy discus-
sion regarding several sites for a nest, finally began on June 3 the work of house,
building on a windmill. On the morning of July 4 the last one of their five
offspring left this home, thus establishing, for a certainty, the length of time re-
quired to complete a nest, deposit a set of eggs, and get a-wing a family of their
kind.
AsH-TiiROATED FLYCATCHER. Mylarchus cinerascens cinerascens (Lawrence).
The occurrence of this flycatcher along the ditches near Fresno late in May
each season would seem to indicate rather late migration, later than that of any
other bird of which I have records. After a brief sojourn lasting hardly more than
1913 BIRDS OF THK FRESNO DISTRICT 61
a week they gradually disappear, and none of them have been found nesting within
the Fresno district, although it would not be surprising to find a breeding pair
some summer along the river. August 9 and 10, 1905, I noticed several appar-
ently immature birds along the river below Pollasky.
May 25, 1906, Ash-throated Flycatchers were noted in some numbers along
the Gould ditch, south of Clovis, as also on April 21. 1908, while May 21, 191 1,
they were again present. The breeding season must be a brief one with this
species as it appears again during the first week in September. In 1906 I saw a
single individual in an orchard September 6, and collected a specimen near Clovis
September 4. 191 1. This was a bird of the year with much down in its plumage,
and was surprisingly fat.
During the time these birds are with us they frequent the willows along
canals, peach orchards, and occasionally the dry weeds in neglected fields. They
are quite silent in the fall, but at the time of their spring visits they sometimes
utter their bickering challenge when too closely approached.
Say Phoebe. Sayomis sayus (Bonaparte).
Those who have not been so fortunate as to hear the song of a Say Phoebe
have missed a rare treat. It may be that this song is heard more frequently on
the birds' nesting grounds, but here in the Fresno district where the species oc-
curs only as a winter visitant it is heard all too rarely. In fact. I was several
years in the country before I ever heard it, and even then it seemed hard to be-
lieve that such a plainly clad little creature could be producing such a pleasing
variety of warbling notes. However, the fact that this bird's desire to sing some-
times seizes it on a gloomy, dark, foggy December day. when even the Mock-
ingbirds are silent, may have something to do with the pleasing quality of the
music.
This Phoebe appears during the second or third week in September, and de-
parts during the last week in March, my earliest and latest records being Sep-
tember 12 (1904) and April i (1906). Say Phoebes share with the Audubon
Warblers a habit of catching flies from a window, sometimes spending days at a
time near a house, where they make frequent quick flights from some perch to
seize a fly that has appeared on the glass. I have noticed that the south side of a
building is generally selected as a place in which to carry on these fly-catching
expeditions. Probably these places are chosen on account of their food being
more plentiful, rather than from any desire of the birds to perch in the sunlight.
Black Phoebe. Sayomis nigricans (Swainson).
Black Phoebes are common residents of nearly all the lower portions of the
valley but can hardly be considered very numerous anywhere. I have always
thought that there must be a fall migration, involving, perhaps, only the young
of the vear, as the number of phoebes never seems to increase or decrease from
year to year. During the winter months these birds are more in evidence than
at the time of nesting, but they are not at all conspicuous at any time. So far as
my observations go they have no preference as to the type of country they fre-
quent, the chief requisite being the proximity of water. I have observed Black
Phoebes sitting quietly on a fence wire near some foothill creek, and have found
them along the irrigation ditches near Clovis. while they seem equally at home
around the large sloughs on the west side.
62 ■ PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
Nests of these birds are sometimes fastened to the walls of deserted cabins,
and occasionally a pair will build in an old well if they can gain entrance, such
nests being from six to fifteen feet below the surface of the ground. The most
common nesting sites, however, are the large stringers of bridges, where the nest
is securely fastened above the water. I have never known this species to choose
a place where there would be support for the bottom of the nest, as the Eastern
Phoebe is said to do. Our bird attaches its wall pocket to the vertical surface of
a plank, and so securely is it fastened that it will often break apart rather than
give way. This species often nests on the faces of rocks in the hills, but such
sites are almost entirely wanting in the Fresno district. I have found one or
two nests fastened to the partly dead trunk of some large tree, but it is safe to
say that nine out of every ten birds choose the protection afforded by bridges,
where mud is easily secured, and horsehairs as well, for these two ingredients
enter largely into the construction of the nest. The lining consists of a scant
layer of dry grass stems and sometimes a few long horsehairs, upon which rest
the four, and sometimes five eggs. It is interesting to note that when four eggs
constitute the set there are generally three that are unmarked and one that Is
quite heavily spotted with red dots on the larger end, but when there are five in
the set the additional egg nearly always has just a few very fine spots like dust.
My observations show that nearly always the spotted egg is the last one to be
deposited. If that is the rule, then should a set of seven or eight eggs happen
to be laid we might expect one or two specimens as heavily spotted as a kmg-
bird's egg.
I have found eggs nearly ready to hatch on April 5 and fresh ones June
15, so the nesting period may be said to extend from March i to July i, with
probably two broods reared in a season, in some cases at least.
Western Wood PeweE. Myiochanes richardsoni richardsoni (Swainson).
Wood Pewees have been observed by the author only during the fall migra-
tion, and are even then not common. September 11, 1905, a lone Wood Pewec
was seen in a large patch of tall, dry weeds near Clovis, where I had a good
opportunity of observing its feeding habits. Perched on a commanding site on
some weed stalk it watched listlessly until a tiny insect, often invisible to me,
came near, when the bird at once was all attention and with a quick flight snapped
up the insect and returned to its former perch.
September 4, 191 1, I saw several of these little pewees along the Gould
ditch near Clovis, where they were perched on dry branches near the tops of
the trees. From these positions they sallied forth to seize any luckless insect
that chanced to pass their way, the snap of their bills being clearly audible at a
distance of fifty feet or more. It was interesting to note that although their
prey often led them some distance away, yet they always managed by two or
three short, jerky flights to return to the same perch from which they had
started, when with a half-subdued whistling "phe-yeer" they settled down to
await the appearance of another insect.
One specimen collected, an immature bird with rusty patches in the plum-
age, proved to be very fat.
Cai.ieornta Horned Lark. Otocoris alpestris actia Oberholser.
In former years, when large tracts of land north and east of Fresno were
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT . 63
devoted to grain farming, the California Horned Lark was one of the most
abundant birds to be found in the district ; but it has not responded favorably to
the settlement of the country and is now rare in many parts of the valley. It is
still to be found in numbers along the west side plains, and wherever tracts of
land are to be found that have not been planted to trees or vines. The barren,
uncultivated, alkaline plains southwest of the city now aflford a home for the
majority of our Horned Larks, while the foothill ranges to the east are proving
attractive to a goodly host also. This species did not abandon without protest
the areas it had occupied f'^r so long, remaining even when section after section
had been converted into vineyards ; but when the vines had attained a growth of
two or three years the ground was covered to such an extent that the larks were
forced to withdraw. It seems that for feeding and nesting these birds must have
dry, barren ground almost free from shrubbery. Scattered out in pairs during
the breeding season, these larks often gather in immense numbers throughout
the winter.
In driving along the road toward the river I have sometimes observed a
Horned Lark in the shade of every fence post for miles at a time during the mid-
day hours. It is interesting to watch these little birds at their pre-nuptial antics.
Especially is this the case during the warm, bright, sunshiny days in February,
when a male will frequently perch on a clod and pour forth his song time after
time in a wiry, mechanical sort of way, beginning with a squeaky "chick-chink-
chick," slowly at first but becoming more rapid until it ends in a sort of trill. If
approached too closely the vocalist will reluctantly leave his clod and strut awiiy
across the ploughed ground in a dignified manner, but he seldom goes far and
will at once return and begin again his monotonous song as soon as the intruder
has passed by.
At times the enthusiasm of these little creatures carries them far above the
earth, where they pour forth their song in true Skylark fashion as they mount
higher and higher until they become mere specks or have disappeared entirely.
In a short time, however, they come tumbling earthward again, generally alight-
ing within a few feet of the place from which they took wing.
In the fall and winter the immense flocks of these birds that sometimes as-
semble in stubble fields break into the wildest confusion at the appearance of a
Marsli Hawk, until the air seems to swarm with dozens of the birds, each calling
in their squeaky way.
I have never been able to satisfy myself as to whether more than one brood
is reared in a season, but have about decided that in some cases two families are
raised. However, the center of my field of observations has been in the highly
cultivated districts where it is quite probable that not a few of the earlier nests
are destroyed by cultivation and the larks compelled to deposit second sets, while,
under ordinary circumstances, only one set would be laid. As it has not been
possible to determine, with any degree of accuracy, which of the sets found were
of second laying I shall enumerate some of the nests found and allow the reader
to draw his own conclusions.
Nests of this species are built most often in summer-fallow fields, but some-
times in very young vineyards, hay fields from which the crop has been cut, and
on the tmcultivated plains. Sometimes they are found at the base of a clod or a
64
PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA
No. 9
small accumulation of trash, but in the majority of cases that have come under
my observation a small weed or plant, frequently the California poppy, is chosen,
probably more for the shade it affords than with any thought of concealment.
I have found eggs on the bare, dry dust in a slight hollow ; and again an
elaborate, deeply-cupped nest is constructed of dry grass-stems and rootlets. As
the birds, nests, and eggs all blend wonderfully with the ground, they are among
the most difificult nests to find with which I have had any experience. A com-
plete set of eggs in many cases numbers three, although four are not rare.
Various grain and seeds seem to be the staple articles of diet with these
birds, which feed entirely upon the ground.
Nesting Dates of
California Horned Lark
Date
Contents of Nest
Remarks
April
12
1902
3
eggs
small embryos
"
22
((
3
young
half grown
"
27
"
3
eggs
small embryos
May
13
"
3
"
"
"
19
<(
3
u
begun
<t
21
((
3
(<
far advanced
June
5
"
3
ti
begun
April
9
1903
3
(I
fresh
"
II
i(
2
"
tt
May
12
"
5
((
slight
April
2
1904
3
i(
nearly ready to hatch
a
4
"
2
It
good sized embryos
"
6
"
3
young
several days old
"
21
i(
3
eggs
small embryos
"
25
((
3
"
slight
"
30
(<
3
((
well begun
May
12
'•■
4
it
small embryos
"
13
a
4
"
good sized embryos
April
17
1905
3
(<
nearly complete
"
30
11
4
a
well begun
May
I
a
4
(<
begun
"
5
"
4
<<
well begun
t(
17
"
3
<<
advanced
April
^2>
1906
3
(<
begun
"
28
ti
5
<(
advanced
"
12
a
3
"
"
May
9
a
4
tt
begun
June
6
a
3
a
2 addled, i far advanced
April
II
1907
3
it
small embryos
"
20
((
4
it
begun
"
28
"
4
tt
very slight
May
5
1908
2
it
deserted
"
6
((
3
tt
advanced
"
9
"
2
it
fresh
"
10
"
3
"
"
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 65
Yellow-billed Magpie. Pica nuttalli (Audubon).
The only claim of the Yellow-billed Magpie to a place on this list is through
a record made by Miss Winifred Wear, of a bird observed near Riverview on
the San Joaquin River northv/est of Fresno. It has also been reported from
Laton.
On account of the increasing rarity of this species it might not be out of
place to mention such localities as are now frequented by magpies in this part
of the state. Goldman (Condor x, 1908, p. 204) mentions a small colony near
Summit Lake. The author can record them from Cottonwood Creek in Madera
County about ten miles west of Friant, where, however, they must be considered
rare, and it is doubtful if half a dozen pairs could be found along the whole
length of the creek.
Near Letcher there is a small colony that has all but disappeared during the
past few years, on account, no doubt, of the conspicuousness of the birds and of
the fact that they nest very near a much travelled road. Then, too, the presence
of a fig orchard nearby, where their visits may not be encouraged, might also
explain the diminution in part. A visit was made to this colony on April 5,
1908, for the purpose of securing a set of eggs if possible, but of the seven or
eight nests seen, only two were accessible to me. These were placed about forty
feet from the ground in the top of a cottonwood tree near the creek. In appear-
ance these were like the usually described nests of this species, being large hood-
ed structures with a thick cup of mud for the nest proper, this being lined with
dry grass stems and horsehair. These nests were about six feet apart, and one
held a single fresh egg, while the other appeared to be ready for occupancy. The
owners were exceedingly shy, scolding from a distance but not to be approached
nearer than one hundred yards. All the other nests were placed in the extreme
tops of sycamore, oak, and cottonwood trees, or on the ends of horizontal limbs
from forty to sixty feet from the ground, and on such small branches that it
would have been folly to have- attempted to examine them. April 19, after an
unusually hard ride on my wheel. I climbed to the two nests in the cottonwood.
but was much disappointed to find them deserted and the one egg gone.
April 10, 1910, Chester Lamb, Chas. E. Jenney, and the writer again made
the trip to Letcher, finding five or six wild, unapproachable birds, and only two
nests that appeared to be tenanted. One of these could not be reached. After a
difficult climb up a slender sycamore, Mr. Lamb found that there were no eggs in
the second nest, although it was newly lined with horsehair : the two or three
other nests that we managed to examine were in a dilapidated condition.
Another colony of magpies is known to exist farther up in the hills, in a
sparsely settled district where they have been able to hold their own for the past
thirty years, so I am informed by old inhabitants. In passing through that dis-
trict on May 18, 1908, I observed a large number of the birds scattered over the
country for two or three miles, and observed a number of nests that were from
fifty to seventy feet up in some giant cottonwoods near a creek. Many bobtailed
young were observed that were, apparently, not long out of the nest.
At a distance an adult magpie, as it floats along from one oak tree to anoth-
er, bears a really striking resemblance to a Phainopepla. except in size.
66 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
Bi.uK-FRONTED Jay. Cyanocitta stelleri frontalis (Ridgway).
During the winter of 1900-01 large numbers of these jays invaded the valley,
being found literally by hundreds everywhere eastward from Fresno, where they
frequented the trees bordering the vineyards, roadsides and ditches. Their large
size and gay plumage rendered them very noticeable, and no doubt not a few of
their number were missing when the blue-coated host returned to its Sierran
home. The species has not been observed in the valley since that time.
California Jay. Aphelocoma californica californica (Vigors).
The California Jay being a bird of the foothill region is not of common oc-
currence in the vicinity of Fresno, but it is found at several points within the
limits of this work. It is often met with in the willow thickets along the San
Joaquin River, especially in the vicinity of orchards, and comes down Dry Creek,
east of Clovis, to within about six miles of that place. The river bottom below
Center ville is another place where jays are to be found. It would not be sur-
prising to find this species at Laton or in the oak region near Riverdale, although
I have not observed them at either place.
A nest found near Letcher April 5, 1908, situated eight feet from the ground
in a partly dead willow near the creek, contained five eggs in which incubation'
was nearly complete. Another nest found below Academy on May 9 of the same
year, held small young, while a third nest, found May 18, 1908, held three eggs.
From this data it would seem that the nesting time of this bird is from the last
of March through May, at least.
I have several times heard the call of this species in a large willow-grown
swamp near Sunnyside, east of the city, but was never certain that the notes were
not produced by a Mockingbird. As the California Jay is not to be found any-
where in the vicinity of Fresno in sufficient numbers to exert much influence
over other species, I will not attempt to take up the discussion of its habits or
alleged destructiveness.
Western Raven. Corvus corax sinuatus Wagler.
On only two or three occasions has the Raven been identified in the Fresno
district, and it must be considered rare. It occurs on the plains to the southwest
of Fresno, and along the eastern base of the Coast Range Mountains, being ob-
served by the writer principally in winter.
April 12, 1902, a nest with heavily incubated eggs was found in an old de-
serted barn about fifteen miles northwest of Wheatville. This nest, fastened
rather insecurely in the forks of an upright post about twelve feet above the
floor, was composed of dry, bleached sage-brush sticks, and lined with wool and
l)urlap shreds. A great heap of sticks, nearly four feet high, below the struc-
ture, indicated with what difficulty the Ravens had made the foundation to their
nest.
Two or three years later I again visited the place and found that, from all
appearances, campers had spent several days in the barn, and had not only burned
up the mass of sticks on the ground, but had torn down the nest as well for fuel.
Western Crow. Corvus brachyrhynchos hesperis Ridgway.
Even the casual observer, it would seem, could hardly fail to be interested
in this bird, especially as it is by no means a common species in the vicinity of
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 67
Fresno. Along the Kings and San Joaquin rivers it seems to be most frequently
observed ; and it is resident there, as Mr. Chas. E. Jenney informs me that he
has found several nests with eggs in the vicinit}- of Lane's Bridge.
I have often observed this species in March and A]:)ril along the river, where
they sometimes congregate in flocks of as many as thirty. Most often, however,
they are to be seen as single individuals, pairs, or squads of four or five, flying
out to some marshy place where they feed along the edge of the water, taking
turn at watching from fence posts or tree tops. Occasionally one will fly out of
the river bottom to spend part of the day catching grasshoppers on the dry, hog-
wallow land adjacent to the river. As these birds come and go at any time, one
is sure to see a Crow tacking along near the knolls at almost any hour of the day.
Early in the morning, and again before sundown, the black host assembles in the
willows, preferably on some small island, where they caw, scold, and talk in
animated tones. If some large hawk or heron appears two or three Crows al-
ways start in pursuit, and the large slow-flying birds must lead a rather strenuous
existence when their lot is cast near the trysting place of a flock of Crows.
I have been much interested in wdiat appears to be a sort of local migration
that occurs in spring and fall, when Crows fly from the Sierras toward the Coast
Range and vice versa. From February 9, to April 23, 1903, I saw numbers of
Crows flying toward the southwest, passing near Clovis. December 19 of the
same year one individual was observed flying in the opposite direction. All these
birds are rather noisy, calling "h'waw, h'waw, h'waw", thrice repeated, or the
note "caw", which is generally given five times in rapid succession, with a scarce-
ly perceptible pause between the third and fourth.
March 5, 1906, opened with a raw, cold morning and a strong southeast wind
blowing. While watching a flight of Turkey Vultures 1 heard the notes of a
Crow, faintly at first but becoming more distinct. After a short time the call
ceased to become any louder and then another was added. The one bird, which
I occasionally saw diving down and then rising to about the height of the tree
tops, was very noisy and continually uttered the note "cah'" in a rather high-
pitched, wiry voice. It was generally repeated five times, but once it was heard
eight times in rapid succession. The other bird was evidently on the ground,
and the first one seemed to be attacking it. I never had even a glimpse of this
individual although its call was given almost as frequently as that of the other.
It was a harsh, grating "car-r", generally repeated three times, but sometimes
only twice, in a slow, angry tone. After some fifteen minutes the Crow in sight
seemed to become tired of his exertions and flapped away toward the west and
the cawing ceased immediately. I have thought that possibly a Raven was be-
ing tormented by a Crow, but as one of the birds was not seen at all it may have
been a case of two Crows settling some disputed question.
Cunning, shrewd, unapproachable, except under cover, the Crows seem fully
capable of holding their own against all enemies, and will doubtless be found
scolding and quarrelling among the willow clumps along the river through many
a windy March day in years to come.
Dwarf Cowbird. Molothrus ater obscuriis (Gmelin).
Cowbirds, supposedly of this form, are known to visit this part of the San
Joaquin Valley at times, but seem nowhere common. They probably do not breed
68 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
this far north as the writer has never found a Cowbird's egg in any of the hun-
dreds of small nests examined during the past twelve years.
September 14, 1902, I was surprised to see three Cowbirds, apparently a
male and two females, alight in a corral near Clovis, where they remained a short
time and then suddenly flew away toward the south. I was within less than fif-
teen feet of them at the time.
July 13, 191 1, I was enjoying a ride across the salt grass plains, when at a
point south of Caruthers and east of Wheatville, I observed several blackbirds in
some scattering straw left by campers in the shade of a large cotton wood tree at
the roadside. As blackbirds were common everywhere these birds were given
little notice until my attention was arrested by one individual that had a more
erect, hurried walk than any of the others. It flew at our near approach and
perched on a wire of a fence a few yards away, where I at once saw that it was
a Cowbird, but unfortunately T had no means of securing it for more exact
identification.
It may seem unwise to record these birds as the southern form of Cotvbird,
but the size of all four appeared smaller even than that of female blackbirds
(A^^claius). Furthermore obsciirus has been reported as far north as Bakers-
field ( Swarth, Condor, xiii, 1911, p. 161), so it is not a surprising occurrence
that occasional individuals continue northward to Fresno.
Yellow-headed Blackbird. Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus ( Bonaparte j.
This handsome blackbird is of rather common occurrence in the vicinity of
Fresno, being somewhat erratic in its appearance. It is often noted during the
winter months. The large flocks of Brewer and Bicolored blackbirds sometimes
have one or two Yellow-heads among them, and again the big fellows are seen
by themselves in flocks of seven or eight birds.
It is probable that this species occurs more commonly along the west side in
the alfalfa fields, but nearly all my records are from the region northeast of the
city. September 7, 1905, a flock of seven Yellow-heads flew over, travelling to-
ward the south, and September 4, 1906, four were seen flying in the same direc-
tion. January 12, 1903, two or three were observed in a large mixed flock, and
one individual was noted with some Bicolors on April 2, 1905.
May 9, 1907, I found a small colony of these birds in a tule swamp east of
Clovis, where they seemed quite at home among the many Bicolors that were
nesting in the tall, dense growth of tules. I felt certain that I had at last found
a breeding colony, but probably the birds were only transients as on a subsequent
visit no trace of them could be found.
May 30, 1912, a colony of Yellow-heads was discovered among the rank
tules growing along the roadside near Firebaugh. A number of brilliantly col-
ored males sat on the telephone wires and on nearby swaying tule stems, the
while going through a series of contortions that were not less amusing than the
accompanying strident notes. It all had a meaning though, and was often an-
swered in a similar manner by some bird concealed in the tules. Conditions
seem favorable in much of that region for the nesting of this species in consider-
able numbers.
Two large tule ponds southwest of Fresno are usually the congregating
place, and doubtless the nesting ground also, of a goodly number of these birds
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 69
each summer. They sing from the tops of the reeds, fly out to the nearby alfalfa
fields, or glean around the corrals where, if not actually welcomed, they are
usually tolerated or ignored by the busy ranchmen, who have no time to notice
what is going on in the bird world around them, unless it affect their interests
directly.
BicoLORED Blackbird. Agelaius phoeniceus califomicus Nelson.
At the present time the status of the Red-winged Blackbirds inhabiting
Fresno County is not vv^ell understood, but for convenience and in the absence of
specimens for comparison with birds from other parts of the state, they are
placed under the above heading.
The writer has long been of the opinion that at least two forms of the Red-
winged Blackbird occurred in the Fresno district, one being a permanent resi-
dent and the other, possibly, only a spring migrant.
Along the ditches and in the swamp holes of the thickly settled regions east
and northeast from Fresno the resident blackbirds are apparently almost typical
Bicolors, judging from the plumage ; and this form also occurs commonly in
many of the west side swamps where it breeds in large numbers. However, in
March each year there appears in the salt grass pastures southwest of Fresno
an assemblage of blackbirds that seem to differ in habits as well as appearance
from those found elsewhere. The males, even Avhen apparently fully matured,
have the red feathers of the epaulettes broadly margined with bufify. while the
females are very much lighter, especially on the under parts where the black
streaking seems very narrow giving the birds a strangely pale appearance.
I have always been impressed with the tendency of these birds to go aDout
in sm.all silent companies, feeding among the cockle burrs and other weeds along
the ditches and about the shallow ponds. There are certain characteristics, hard
to describe, that to me make these birds seem quite unlike thor-e found in (Uher
parts of the valley.
I have never been able to carry on investigations sufficient to cieternnne
whether these birds breed in this region or merely pass through in the spring. A
series of specimens from the various parts of the valley taken through the four
seasons would probably prove enlightening, but has as yet not been assembled.
The writer, however, collected at random a female, an immature male, and an
adult male, the three now being in the Museum at the University of California.
In a recent letter Mr. Joseph Grinnell informs me that in point of plumage these
specimens are quite typical of "Bicolor", but as regards measurements of bill
thcA- more closely approach the San Diego Red-wing. (See Mailliard, Condor.
XII, pp. 63-70.)
The following notes refer to the resident Red-wings of whatever subspecies
they may later prove to be. The earliest date that I have for the nesting of this
blackbird is April 5. 1908. when a scattered colony was found in a growth of
tules bordering small ponds caused by the overflow of a flume five or six miles
east of Clovis. A dozen or more nests built among the partly dead stalks and
averaging about one foot above the water, held eggs that varied from fresh to
well incubated. From this date until the last of June — the 27th to be exact —
fresh eggs have been found. Almost every clump of tules in the various sinks
and ponds is made use of by nesting blackbirds, while in many instances a colony
70 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
will take possession of a grain field, building their light, basket-like structures
amid the swaying wheat or barley stalks, from six inches to two feet above the
ground.
Not infrequently this species departs from the usual customs that have been
followed for so long, and nests in treetops. One such colony found May 25,
1906, was occupying some willows along a canal, one nest was fully thirty feet
from the ground and resembled a kingbird's home, except that several long
streamers of dry tule strips were left dangling and swaying in the breeze, mak-
ing the nest very conspicuous. That this site was chosen from preference and
not from necessity was clearly evident, as there was a growth of tules all along
the edge of the canal, and a half section of wheat adjoining. Another colony
chose nesting sites among the thick foliage of a long row of fig trees, the nests
being situated from twelve to twenty feet above the ground. In driving along
the road after the leaves had fallen from the trees 1 counted eighteen nests in a
short section of the row. Almost under these trees was a small ditch in which
water stood nearly all summer, and which was partly concealed bv willows, tules,
and sedges ; but perhaps the close proximity of a schoolhouse had taught the
birds to elevate their nests and conceal them as well.
Nests of the Bicolored Blackbird are well-woven, light but substantial, struc-
tures, composed of dry grass stems and tule stalks, plastered with mud and lined
with finer dry grass. In probably ninety percent of the nests examined four
eggs constituted the set. Sometimes, especially late in the season, sets of three
are deposited, but out of hundreds of nests that have come under my notice I
have yet to find a set of five eggs. Probably two or more broods are raised in a
season, as a nesting colony seems to be in a continual state of operation for about
three months in the year and nests with incomplete sets of fresh eggs are fre-
quently found within a few feet of others that hold large young birds.
Throughout the winter these blackbirds rove about the valley seeking feed-
ing grounds, often congregating in large numbers in fields that are being cleared
of weeds, or following a string of plows, along with a host of Brewer Black-
birds.
Farmers regard this bird with considerable disfavor on account of its fond-
ness for newly planted grain, and because of its attacks upon ripening Kaffir, or
Egyptian, corn. In districts where large fields of alfalfa are under irrigation
these birds are of much service in destroying various bugs and worms.
Tricoi.orEd Blackbird. Agelaius tricolor (Audubon).
Tricolored Blackbirds, although occurring commonly in the Fresno district,
are much more local in distribution than any of our other blackbirds ; and while
they scatter out over the greater part of the lowlands of the valley during the
winter months, they appear to be confined to certain favorable sections when the
breeding season is at hand. It is not unusual to find a few of this species as-
sociating with the large flocks of mixed blackbirds that are so often seen in
winter, but for the most part the Tricolors seek no company aside from that of
their own kind.
During the month of March great hordes of Tricolored Blackbirds fly north-
ward in what is evidently a local migration. Every morning, from daylight until
after sunrise, they pass over at frequent intervals ; sometimes half a dozen birds
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 71
together and again in large compact flocks. If the weather is clear they fly at a
height of over one hundred feet from the ground, hut on foggy mornings they
whiz along skimming just over the surface of the earth, in a flight that is very
rapid for blackbirds. At such times they are entirely silent, in surprising contrast
to the loose, straggling bands of Bicolors that go creaking along before dark on
many a fall evening.
This species was foimd breeding on June S. 1907. in a large clump of rank
tules that were growing in about four feet of water in a pond above Letcher.
There were some young birds, but in about two hundred nests there were either
three or four eggs, vvitli a few sets of five. All appeared uniformly and very
highly incubated. The almost deafening uproar produced by these birds in an
attempt to sing en masse was heard for two hundred yards and it was this won-
derful medley of vocal efforts that attracted me from afar, although the tules
were concealed by a dense canopy of willows. I have yet to hear the bird that
can produce a more unmusical, strident series of notes than a Tricolored Black-
bird, and when two or three hundred unite to vociferate in concert, the result ab-
solutely defies all description — yet I would willingly listen to them for hours.
The very harshness seems to appeal to a bird lover, when more musical bird
songs would pass as commonplace.
Another large breeding colony was encountered on April 30, 1907, about
eight miles north of Wheatville. For a more detailed account of the habits of
Ag^claius tricolor the reader is referred to The Condor, ix, 1907, p. 177.
Western Meadowl.-vrk. Sturnella neglecta Audubon.
As our Meadowlark is being made the subject of a special investigation the
author will leave the discussion of its economic value to those more competent,
and will simply state that this species has, in some manner, fallen into very bad
repute with farmers throughout the county, who seem to unite in urging its de-
struction. Certain it is that these birds show a marked partiality for newly
sprouted grain, especially oats, but to just what extent they damage these crops
is a matter as yet not clearly determined.
In the areas that have been thickly settled this species has decreased in num-
bers quite noticeably during the past ten years, but it is still an abundant resi-
dent wherever large fields remain, or where grain or alfalfa ranches are to be
found.
Scattered during the summer months in pairs or small companies, this species
often assembles late in the fall in quite large flocks. October 10. 1905. just at
sundown I witnessed a flight of Meadowlarks unlike anything I had ever seen.
A very large flock of these birds, estimated at about one hundred and twenty
five, came sweeping in from a half-section of stubble, and settled for just a mo
ment in an adjoining vineyard ; then the whole mass arose again and in a com-
pact body flew back to the stubble. In every movement this flight was sugges-
tive of ducks and the flight resembled a flock of Sprigs coming in from some ir-
rigated wheat field, settling for an instant on a pond and then again taking wing.
While Meadowlarks, no doubt, nest abundantly throughout the valley. I
have never been able to find anything like the number of nests that would be ex-
pected to exist; Init as they are very artfully concealed it requires most careful
search to discover them unless the brooding bird is accidentally flushed.
72 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
May i8, 1902, during a very high wind that prevailed for the greater part
of the day, I was surprised by a Meadowlark flying up almost from under my
feet, and I soon found her nest among the rank grass partly concealed by a clod.
As this nest was in a very damp location the lining was thoroughly saturated, and
it seems hardly probable that the bird could have maintained a temperature suf-
ficient to have successfully completed the task of incubation. There were five
eggs of the Meadowlark in the nest, and two of the Valley Quail, all being slight-
ly incubated.
About the middle of the following June I noticed a Meadowlark alight
among some dry grass and select a piece of nest material with which she took
flight toward an alfalfa field not far away. By watching where she settled I
thought I had marked down the location of her nest, and this proved to be a cor-
rect surmise; for on June 26 I had little difficulty in flushing the female from a
bulky, canopied nest in which there were five fresh eggs.
Other nests have been seen in alfalfa fields and among thick growths of
weeds ; but what I consider the most unusual site was located April 23, 1908, when
a Meadowlark was plainly seen sitting on her nest while I was yet over one hun-
dred feet distant. This nest was found near a berry patch, the grovmd having
been plowed early in the winter, later a sparse, stunted growth of oats springing
tip. At the time the nest was found the oats were not over six inches in height,
and so thin and scattering as to afiford almost no protection or concealmetit. In a
slight hollow, not over three-quarters of an inch in depth, were four eggs resting
on the bare, damp ground, without a semblance of nesting material either over,
under, or around them.
The song of the Western Meadowlark, heard just at sunrise on a bright
February morning as the bird perches on a fence post, is one of the most pleas-
ing and musical of all bird voices. The silencing of it by removing legal pro
tection from the songster would be little short of a calamity.
Bullock Oriole. Icterus bullocki (Swainson).
The males of this species usually arrive in the vicinity of Fresno during the
last week in March. This year (1911) the first one came on the twenty-fifth.
In T906 they made their appearance on the twenty-sixth, and in 1908 it was
March twenty-eighth. Some of these first arrivals frequent the trees about town
and those along canals in the country, while many small companies of from two
or three to half a dozen may be found passing the time among the wild tlowers
and bushes on the grassy, treeless slopes near the river. It is nearly the middle
of April before the females are noticeable.
The great majority of our orioles depart about the twentieth of July, or at
the close of the nesting season. No doubt a scarcity of food during the hot, dry
months of August and September is responsible for the short stay of these birds.
Probably they scatter out and range up into the higher hills, as many summer
residents do in the southern part of the state. This species has been noted in
small numbers along the San Joaquin River during August.
My earliest record for a complete set of eggs of the Bullock Oriole is of a
set of five found May 8, 1905, in which incubation was scarcely noticeable. From
that date on through all of May and June the birds are busy with household
duties. Four or' five eggs generally constitute a set, but three is by no means an
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 73
uncommon number especially during- June. Occasionally six eggs are deposited.
May 30, 191 1, four nests were examined of which the first one held four
slightly incubated eggs, another contained large young birds, in the third nesl
was a brood of very small birds, while the contents of the fourth proved to be
two fresh eggs.
This species nests most frequently in the willows along canals and ditches,
but eucalyptus and cottonwood trees are also often chosen. At least one pair of
orioles are almost sure to locate for the summer about nearly every farm house,
taking possession of any kind of tree that is to be found there. Some nests are
built in upright forks of very small willows in swampy places, but in such cases
they are always suspended from small twigs above and are not dependent tor
support upon the large branches of the fork, the latter, seemingly, being used for
protection from wind and enemies. I have found such nests as low as eight feet
from the ground, but the typical nest of Icterus bitllocki is suspended from the
extreme tip of a willow branch from tw^enty to thirty feet up, where an examina-
tion of the nest is an almost impossible task.
Nests in this section are composed largely of horse-hair, with string, if it is
obtainable, woven into the framework. One or two specimens have been found
that were made almost entirely of wild oat heads.
These horse-hair nests hanging to the leafless branches all through the fol-
lowing winter often prove a death trap to other birds, and the writer has fre-
quently seen a linnet or other small bird hanging by the neck from an old oriole's
nest. Last winter, after much throwing of sticks, my smaller brother and myself
brought down such a nest from a height of about twenty-five feet and were not
a little surprised to see that the bird, which was suspended by a horse-hair fas-
tened securely arovmd its neck, was none other than a Sierra Junco. T do not
know how this terrestrial species could have met with such an accident unless it
had sought shelter at night in the nest.
The small yellow butterfly that is found in such numbers in alfalfa fields at
certain seasons seems to be especially attractive to the orioles, and countless doz-
ens of them are devoured. I have seen this bird in the role of flycatcher at such
times, flying from a fence wire and seizing a butterfly on the wing, a rather clumsy
efifort but serving the purpose.
It has been suggested that we cannot count the date of the arrival of this
oriole in the spring from the time its note is first heard, unless the bird is actually
seen, as the Western Mockingbird is said to imitate the notes in a most deceptive
manner just before the orioles arrive. With that thought in mind the writer eager-
ly awaited the month of March this year, but failed to prove the correctness of
that statement. A pair of Mockingbirds spent the entire winter in the trees along
the street near his home and although they were heard singing, more or less, all
through the winter, not a single note was heard that in any way resembled the
call of an oriole, so I concluded that these particular birds either did not know or
had forgotten the oriole's song. Tn view of this fact it seems reasonable to con-
clude that even had the notes that were heard on March twenty-fifth proven to
have been produced by a Mockingbird it would, nevertheless, have been suf-
ficient evidence of the arrival of at least one oriole.
74 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
Brewer Blackbird. Euphagus cyanocephalus (Wagler).
Probably because the region about Fresno does not offer a sufficient amount
of suitable food and the protection of trees in which to nest, the Brewer Black-
bird has not been found breeding within the region treated in this work, although
it is one of our most common winter visitants.
The arrival of these birds in the fall has been noted as follows : September
20, 1903; September 15, 1904; September 7, IQ05 ; September 16, 1906. Thus
this species may be confidently looked for after the first week in September ; af-
ter this it gradually becomes more numerous, but the maximum abundance is
seldom reached before the first of December. In the spring these blackbirds re-
main until nearly the first of May. my latest records being April 30, 1904, and
April 29, 191 1 ; but from the first week in March they became noticably scarce.
Just where these black-coated hosts go during the breeding season is a mat-
ter that has not been fully determined. I have found a small colony breeding at
Shaver Lake in the Sierras (Condor, xt, 1909, p. 83), but the great majority must
resort to the oaks of the foothill regions. August 9, 1905, I noted quite a number
of Brewer Blackbirds above Millerton on the San Joaquin River, some few miles
north of Friant. There were also numerous old nests scattered along through
the willows, and these nests were much like the usual structures built by this
species.
From what T have been able to observe T think the Brewer Blackbird is a
beneficial species, and should not be charged with the destructiveness of which
the blackbirds of the genus Agelaiits are accused. During the winter and early
spring this species has a habit of following a plowman and feeding upon the
grubs and worms that are exposed. If the workman walks along without ap-
pearing to notice their presence these birds will often follow at a distance of
not over two or three feet, each one endeavoring to be the first to seize any un-
fortunate grub that comes to light ; but should the plowman turn about or even
hesitate for just a second the birds fall back with a questioning "k-chick."
Open ground, especially summer fallow, is preferred by these birds, and an
acre or two of pasture land is their especial delight. Every ranch has a flock that
spends the winter feeding about the corrals.
One spring vast numbers of rose beetles invaded the country about Clovis
and after destroying the rose flowers they took to the vineyards, where they did
considerable damage to the foliage by boring numerous holes through the leaves,
causing them, eventually, to wither and drop off. Every day for nearly a week
a great flock of Brewer Blackbirds hovered over a certain vineyard that I had
an excellent opportunity to observe. ' Crawling over the branches or alighting on
the topmost shoots, these black plumaged birds were conspicuous objects against
the green of the tender new foliage. As a result of the efforts of the birds, the
vineyard was, in a short time, almost entirely free from the beetles. Truly this
was a valuable service well worth recording.
Linnet. Carpodacus mexicanus frontalis (Say).
After observing the habits of the friendly little Linnet, or House Finch, as
this bird is often called, the writer early became convinced that the number of
individuals of this species occurring in the Fresno district showed little or no
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 75
increase from year to year, notwithstanding the fact that conditions appeared to
be favorable for the maintenance of a much larger number of these birds than
were to be found at any one time. With seemingly an almost unlimited supply of
food during the greater part of the year, and a long, warm summer, it was not
an easy matter to determine why Linnets were not really abundant at all times.
Among the possible causes the English Sparrow \^'as considered but was soon
freed froni suspicion, as these imported pests are established at only a few widely
separated points outside the towns.
It has been only during the past two or three years that anytliing like a
satisfactory explanation has presented itself: I now attribute the failure of our
Linnets to increase in numbers to the fact that there appears to be, each season, a
large proportion of non-breeding birds represented among the Linnet population
of the valley.
During early February each year for the past three seasons I have noted the
appearance of from twenty to forty of these birds in a warehouse where raisins
are stored, but to which an easy access is gained through a foot or more of coarse
wire mesh, all around the building just beneath the eaves. I am positive that
none of this flock nested anywhere about the building, and am convinced that
there were no breeding birds represented. This belief is based not only on the
fact that this flock remained until well along in June but also upon the examina-
tion of one or two specimens.
Although the flock each year was made up of about an equal number of males
and females yet they were all, to the best of my knowledge, unmated. It must not
be thought that the writer is endeavoring to convey the impression that Linnets
are anything but abundant residents in all the region about Fresno wherever the
original arid conditions have been modified, for, without a doubt, they are, in
point of numbers and wide distribution, the most common of birds in this part of
the state outside of the towns. There, of course, the English Sparrows hold un-
disputed sway.
It seems unnecessary to describe the habits of a bird of so wide a range,
especially since there appear to be no noteworthy variations in this region. In
ten years of observation I have only seen two Linnets that were unlike the usual
specimens in coloration, one of these being a male noted on May 27, igo6, in
which the usual red areas were a brilliant yellow throughout. The other was an
albino of a rather streaked pattern but very noticeable among a flock of normally
colored individuals.
A nest of this species with five almost fresh eggs, found March 31, 1908,
is the earliest nesting record that I have from this district. April, May and June,
all have their quota of nesting I^innets in about equal numbers. I have found
sets of four eggs to predominate, but five is by no means an uncommon number.
Willow Goldfinch. Astragalinus tristis salicamans (Grinnell).
"Wild Canary" is the name by which this handsome little bird is most com-
monly known, and it is a matter for congratulation from the standpoint of a
bird lover at least, that these cheery yellow-plumaged birds have noticeably in-
creased in numbers during the past few years. The name "willow" seems to
have been well chosen, as the favorite haunts of this species are along the canals
76 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
and ditches, or wherever else a sufficiently marshy area exists to support a growth
of willow saplings.
These goldfinches appear to be distributed everywhere through the low-
lands of Fresno County, wherever conditions are suitable for them, and when
not found along streams they may often be seen in peach orchards and in trees
around dwellings. Their subdued whistling call is often heard in early spring-
time in the trees along the city streets, but it sounds more cheerful on some foggy
winter afternoon as a mixed flock of linnets and goldfinches gleans again through
some sunflower patch for the few seeds that may have been overlooked on a
previous search.
x\ny time from the last week in April until the first of July a pair of Willow
Goldfinches may begin the construction of a nest, which later will contain four
or five eggs of the palest blue color. These nests are beautiful, compactly wov n
cups, made of light plant fibers, bark strips, and cotton, and fastened in the forks
of a willow or peach tree at a height of from six to fifteen feet from the ground,
as a rule. The plainly clad female presents quite a contrast to her bright-plum-
aged mate, but the most interesting color contrasts are to be found in the males
just before the breeding season, when they are in the midst of the pre-nuptial
moult.
Green-backed GoldEinch. Astragalinus psaltria hesperophilus Oberholser.
Apparently this species and the Willow Goldfinch require different environ-
mental surroundings. While the latter has become much more numerous as a
result of the settling up of the country, this bird, never especially numerous in
this region, has responded much less favorably to cultivation, and has decreased
in numbers, to some extent, during the past ten years.
When the country was given over largely to grain ranches, with occasional
weed-grown, uncultivated areas here and there, this goldfinch found conditions
much more to its liking and was more often to be met with. Wherever sunflower
patches occur it is still to be found, and during the winter months it often as-
sociates with Linnets, going about in large flocks. Probably much the same sort
of food is sought by each of these species.
Lawrence GoldEinch. Astragalinus lawrencei (Cassin).
Excepting the Cedar Waxwing, there is probably no bird more erratic in its
occurrence than this species. The few individuals that I have observed have all
been noted in the month of April, with the exception of a single bird seen near
Clovis, June i6, 1907. On that date a single individual was seen in a patch of
weeds, where it was associating with Linnets and other goldfinches. I had a close
view of it as it hung head downward, deftly extracting seeds from a woolly
weed.
April 29, 191 1, I found one male and at least three females of this species in
a weed grown corner of an oatfield on the river bank below Lane's Bridge.
There were also a number of very highly plumaged Willow Goldfinches and a
few Linnets feeding in the same place.
I have heard of but one instance of the Lawrence Goldfinch nesting in this
region and that was furnished me by Mr. Chas E. Jenney who found a nest with
four slightly incubated eggs on April ii, 1906. This structure, which was built
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 77
in an almond tree in his yard, did not differ greatly in appearance from nests of
our other goldfinches, but the eggs were perfectly white in color, a feature that
at once distinguishes them from the pale blue eggs of the two other species
of Astragoliutts occiuTing in Fresno County. The habits of this gray-plumaged
and black-throated finch apparently do not differ greatly from those of other
members of this genus.
English Sparrow. Passer domesticus (Linnaeus).
Gladly would we ignore this invader from a foreign land, but the fact of its
presence cannot be overlooked. It should be the cause of no little alarm, smce
these sparrows are becoming well established in the country, after having literally
taken possession of the city. During the gloomy winter days the little flocks that
feed so confidently about our yards in town often endear themselves to us, but
the following spring, when we look in vain for the native birds that should nest
with us, our opinion of the English Sparrow is frequently much altered. Only
the Mockingbird seems to be able to maintain his place within the city, while the
linnet, goldfinches, and orioles have decreased in numbers as breeding birds. I
have yet to learn of anything commendable in regard to the English Sparrow,
while its habit of crowding out our own feathered friends is sufficient to con-
demn it.
Western Vesper Sparrow. Pooecetes gramineus confinis Baird.
The Vesper Sparrow is one oi the several varieties of small, inconspicuous,
brown sparrows that remain throughout the winter. The earliest date upon
which I have observed this species in the fall was September 12 (1903), and ar-
rivals should be confidently looked for by the twentieth of that month ordinarily.
They have been known to remain as late as April 7 (1911), but as a rule nearly
all have disappeared by the last day of March.
Like most of the ground-feeding sparrows, this bird must be highly beneficial
as it eats quantities of weed seeds of various kinds.
Often, in March, I have observed one of these sparrows perched on a clod
and pouring forth its pleasing song, or engaging in short animated flights, the
white outer tail feathers serving to identify the species at some distance. Their
song resembles the vocal efforts of a Western Lark Sparrow, perhaps, more than
anything else, yet it lacks the rich fullness of the song of the latter, and seems
to have less of finished quality. Weedy, waste fields and pastures are this bird's
favorite haunts, but it is not strictly terrestrial, and is often seen upon a low bush
or fruit tree, if one is afforded near its feeding ground.
This part of the state is probably visited by both the western subspecies of
the Vesper Sparrow, confinis and affinis, but the Oregon Vesper Sparrow seems
not to have been detected here as yet.
Western Savannah Sparrow. Passerculus sandwichensis alaudinus Bona-
parte.
As one tramps around through tall dry grass along ditches and fences,
through alfalfa fields and along the borders of vineyards, this little sparrow
often flushes from almost under the very feet of the intruder; and we have
just a glimpse of the plain, brownish colored little bird as it rapidly zig-zags
78 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
along, just skimming above the ground, and after a short flight pitching into the
first bunch of weeds that offers concealment.
Sometimes a startled, squeaky note is heard as the bird takes flight, the only
attempt this sparrow ever makes to voice its feelings during its winter sojourn
with us. Except when startled into these sudden flights it spends all its time on
the ground, and nearly always in grass where it cannot be seen ; so that one
might remain unaware of its presence for years unless an especial search was
made for it.
The Western Savannah Sparrow is just one of many plain little sparrows
and has nothing about its appearance or habits to render it noticeable, yet it is
withal, a most interesting bird and well worth observing. No doubt a careful
study of it would prove immensely interesting and worth while.
I have seen this species as early as September 24 (1905), and Mr. Grinnell
has recorded it from an adjoining county as late as May 4 (Condor, xiii, 191 i,
p. no).
Western Grasshopper Sparrow. Ammodramus savannaniin bimaculatus
(Swainson).
Western Grasshopper Sparrows are probably not as rare in the winter as
might be supposed, but their habits render them inconspicuous and they are easily
overlooked. Old, weedy fields, weed-grown vineyards, and berry patches are
their favorite resorts, where they are found with Western Savannah and Western
Vesper sparrows. I have found it very difficult to identify with certainty some
of the smaller sparrows in the field, or to distinguish between one or two 01 the
several terrestrial species as the birds skulk through the weeds or dart away Irom
under the feet of a pedestrian, only to settle again a few yards away after an •
erratic and apparently aimless flight. In the case of the present species, however,
I have observed a tendency to run away rather than to fly, and in fact it requires
some fast walking to get them to take wing.
February 18, 191 1, I secured a male of this species near Clovis. The locality
was a weed-grown young vineyard from which the brush had been pruned and
allowed to lie where it fell.
I have suspected that possibly, on rare occasions, the Western Grasshopper
Sparrow might be found breeding in this vicinity, and based this belief on
the following incidents. One year, in late August, I had occasion to cross a large
summer-fallow field, and when about at the middle came upon the bed of a
slough that was then dry but had carried quite a volume of water earlier in the
season. For twenty yards or more on either side was a thick growth of tall sun-
flowers and cockleburrs, and while passing through these I happened to notice
a small nest neatly concealed among the weeds at the base of a sunflower stalk.
This nest was undoubtedly the work of some small sparrow but was unlike any
with which I am familiar, being much too small for a nest of our most common
ground-nesting member of this family. In fact, it answered very well to the de-
scriptions of nests of the Grasshopper Sparrow, but as there were no birds pres-
ent at the time I had no means of determining, for a certainty, what species had
constructed it.
On the" eighth of June, 1912, the writer enjoyed a day in the field with Mr.
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 79
J. Eugene Law. We explored some overflowed land about four miles east of
White's Bridge where we encountered a scattered colony of Grasshopper Spar-
rows. They were frequenting ground grown up with clumps of a species of bunch
grass, and bordered by quite an extensive area supporting some kind of "sage-
brush." During the time we were in that vicinity we flushed several of the birds
and also heard their insect-like song. The late date and the fact that the birds
appeared quite at home seemed to indicate a breeding colony of at least three or
four pairs, but we failed to find any nests.
Western Lark Sparrow. Chondestes ^ammacus strigatus (Swainson).
In this age when the bird student marks with regret the gradual but certain
decrease in the numbers of so many of our birds, as a result of the rapid settling
up of the few remaining tracts of uncultivated land, it is certainly a pleasure to
note that here we have a species that has responded favorably to a changed en-
vironment, and seems to be actually on the increase.
Formerly, when our vast grain fields extended for miles in all directions,
and the stock ranges had not felt the influence of the plow, then, amid far more
arid surroundings than at the present time, we found Western Lark Sparrows
living in company with Ground Owls and horned toads ; and thriving on grass-
hoppers and such wild grain and seeds as nature provided.
Since the last few years have wrought such a transformation, this same
species has accepted the change without any apparent hardship ; and the Lark
Sparrows now lead happy and useful lives amid the orchards and vineyards that
have sprung up everywhere over the valley like a crop of mushrooms that often
appear in a single night. Although a resident, and common throughout the year,
this species is more abundant during the summer than during the winter months.
The Lark Sparrow population also, varies somewhat from year to year.
Aside from the inimitable Western Mockingbird, I know of no other bird
that sings so often at night. On more than one occasion I have refrained from
sleep in order to listen to the notes that ring out with such wonderful sweetness
when heard in the still night hours when all other bird voices are hushed. The
peculiar "burring" note so characteristic of this species serves to distinguish
the Lark Sparrow's vocal efforts from the song of any other of our birds. While
the same note appears in the songs of several of the other finches, yet in none of
these is it present in such numbers ; nor do the other birds sing so persistently as
this friendly "fan-tail," for by that name many a schoolboy knows the Western
Lark Sparrow.
Excepting the Linnet, 1 know of no bird that makes use of a greater variety
of nesting sites, and no doubt the species owes its abundance at the present time,
in a measure, to the diversity of positions in which it conceals its home. Nests
have been found on almost bare ground, in alfalfa fields, and among weeds, the
amount of concealment varying from almost none at all to so much that the nests
could be considered artfully hidden. Other nests have been noted in bushes and
grape vines, sometimes just a few inches above the ground and from that height
up to six feet or more; still other pairs choose an orchard or shade tree and
place their rather bulky structure as high sometimes as ten feet, but more often
not more than six feet up.
80
PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA
No. 9
I have observed nests bnilt up to a height of four or five inches and placed
on hard dry ground, and have seen others that were sunken in an excavation so
deep that the female bird on the nest was hardly visible. Probably seven out of
every ten in this part of the valley are well hidden on the ground, at the base of
a vine in a vineyard.
The nests are usually well made, there being a substantial outer structure of
dry weed stems, grass and rootlets, lined, almost without exception, with long
black horsehairs.
In my experience the Lark Sparrows are quick' to resent any molestation of
their home, not infrequently deserting, even when the nest is not touclied; but
the following incident will show that such is not always .the case. Late in April,
1907, a nest was found with one fresh egg. Two days later I visited the place and
could not find either of the owners, nor could I account for one of the eggs being
on the ground fully eight inches from the nest while the other two were just
outside and resting on the edge of the nest material. The horsehair lining was
undisturbed so I replaced the three eggs. The following day one of the birds
was occupying the nest again, and had added another egg to the set.
In one case that came under my observation the eggs hatched on May 4, and
the last young bird left the nest on the 15th. It is interesting to note that the
elongated type of eggs that are occasionally met with, resemble in size, shape
and markings, certain specimens produced by the Bullock Oriole, although the
usuallv almost spherical eggs of the Western Lark Sparrow can be distinguished
at a glance from those of any other bird.
The following table will show the nesting dates recorded by the author in the
past ten years :
Date
Contents
of Nest
Incubation
May
16
1902
3
eggs
well begun
April
30
1903
4
"
somewhat advanced
May
12
4
"
fresh
"
12
"
5
a
slight
5
1904
3
a
well begun
"
3
1905
3
a
commenced
"
8
u
4
ti
begun
June
10
'*
2
n
advanced
July
14
"
3
young
5 or 6 days
April
25
1906
5
eggs
slight
"
28
a
4
(f
fresh
"
29
<(
4
((
fresh
May
3
a
4
((
advanced
"
4
a
4
"
begun
(t
8
a
4
((
advanced
u
II
"
4
"
begun
"
II
a
4
"
begun
"
14
"
4
((
advanced
June
9
li
3
((
begun
April
26
1907
4
ft
very slight
"
28
"
4
<(
begun
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 81
Date
"■
28
May
2
**
2
a
7
"
8
a
9
'^
9
June
22
April
28
**
30
May
4
"
6
"
10
April
29
May
8
* *
15
June
12
April
30
1908
I9I0
I9II
Contents of Nest
Incubation
4
fresh
4
well along-
4
slight
4
begun
4
well along
3
well begun
4
well begun
4
advanced
3
well along
3
well begun
4
advanced
3
slight
3
advanced
4
well begun
4
well begun
4
advanced
4
about half
5
begun
Intermediate Sparrow. Zonotrichia leucophrys gambeli (Nuttall).
Without the slightest doubt this form of the White-crowned Sparrow is the
commonest member of the sparrow family occurring in the valley during the
winter months. Every brush pile, hedge row, orchard or weed grown fence
corner has its flock varying in size from a half dozen to literally hundreds of
birds according to the amount of protecting cover near at hand.
The startled squeak of one of these sparrows as it rises from the grass is
far from musical, but the subdued caroling of a half hundred birds m concert,
as they dry their plumage on a brush pile, after a shower, is one of the most pleas-
ing efforts that could greet the ear of a bird student.
The Intermediate Sparrow, by which name this species is most commonly
known though it is also called Gambel Sparrow, usually arrives in the vicinity of
Fresno during the latter part of September. In 1905 the first birds were seen
on the 17th of that month; in 191 1 they appeared on the 24th. The last few-
days in April, as a rule, witness the departure of the great majority ot these
sparrows, but occasionally one or two individuals remain for several days after
that date. Although the late April weather in 1904 was quite warm, it did not
hasten the departure of these sparrows and they were still very numerous on May
2. The weeds along fences near Lane's Bridge had a full quota of sparrows April
9, 191 1, but a subsequent visit, on the 29th, revealed only a few scattered birds.
It would probably not be too high an estimate to state that these sparrows
comprise fifty percent of the food of all the Sharp-shinned Hawks that frequent
the lowlands in midwinter. This fact alone is sufficient grounds for condemning
that little tyrant, for it seems that an enormous quantity of weed seeds must be
consumed each day by this army of ground feeding sparrows.
Many a gloomy day has been enlivened for the author by the presence of
a flock of these white-crowned little creatures about the vard or in the garden.
82 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
for they always seem more friendly during the most foggy weather when other
birds are all too inconspicuous.
Golden -CROW NED Sparrow. Zonotrichia coronata (Pallas).
How frequently, in the study of ornithology, does the unexpected happen 1
On the fifteenth of last March the writer greatly enjoyed a brief visit from Mr.
Joseph Grinnell, of Berkeley, and in the forenoon we drove out north of Fresno
five or six miles. I had just informed him that the Golden-crowned Sparrow was
one of the rarest of our winter visitants, and that only two days before I had
noted my first bird in ten years. Hardly had 1 finished speaking when a half
dozen or more of these birds arose from some weeds near the roadside and flew
to a row of willows along a ditch. This, to me very unexpected appearance,
must have caused my companion to doubt the thoroughness and accuracy of my
previous observations !
March 13, 191 1, I saw two Golden-crowns on the lawn in front of my home.
They were noted before sunrise in company with several migratmg Western
Chipping Sparrows. Previous to that time I had watched for them during ten
winters but had never detected even a single individual, although Miss Winifred
Wear tells me that she has a number of records from November 10 (1910) until
April 26 (1908). Until more of these birds have been observed the writer cannot
record the Golden-crowned Sparrow as anything but a rare winter visitant.
Western Chipping Sparrow. Spizella passerina arizonae Coues.
Although an abundant spring migrant through the valley, this little sparrow-
is one of the least common of our summer visitants. Each day during the last
half of March a goodly number of these red-capped little fellows appear, usually
as soon as it is daylight, and remain for several hours ; but by noon all have dis-
appeared, and until the following morning brings another company, an observer
would not suspect the presence of this species anywhere in this part of the valley.
During these brief forenoon calls the birds usually feed about lawns in the city,
or trill musically from the shade trees along the street. March 28, 191 1, I count-
ed six of these sparrows on the lawn in front of my home and there were a doz-
en more in the yard. The first arrivals were noted on March 13 that year.
Although I have several times seen Chipping Sparrows at a time when the
species should be nesting, yet only one instance of actual breeding has come
within my notice, on June 8, 191 2, when a nest with four half-incubated eggs
was found near Clovis. June 23, 1905, a single Western Chipping Sparrow was
seen in company with several Western Lark Sparrows, but there was nothing to
indicate that it might be a breeding bird.
All through the month of June, 191 1, from one to five or six of these spar-
rows were to be seen in the Fresno County court house park where they hopped
along the grass chipping contentedly. They appeared thoroughly at home, yet I
doubt if they nested in the park.
As this bird lives, to a great extent, on food picked up from the ground, it
can do no harm during its short stay in the spring. It might be easily overlooked
entirely by one not familiar with its habits and song.
Brewer Sparrow. Spizella breweri Cassin.
Brewer Sparrows, although almost unknown in the region about Fresno up
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 83
to five or six years ago, have seemingly become well established throughout the
vineyards northeast of Fresno, and elsewhere also. The presence of this bird
was first suspected in early May, 1906, when a small, long-tailed sparrow was
frequently seen and heard in a vineyard near Clovis, but not until June 5 was the
identity satisfactorily established. On that date a nest with three eggs was found.
An account of the habits of this bird was published by the writer in The Condor.
XII, 1910, p. 193.
At the present time the Brewer Sparrows are much more generally distri-
buted, and may be found in nearly all the vineyards near the city. They were
found near Malaga the first week in July, 191 1, and near Tarpey during May.
In a certain small willow-grown swampy area near Clovis, on September 4, I
found quite a flock of small sparrows in a thick foliaged tree. They were in
full song and their vocal efforts were not at all unlike a chorus of Intermediate
Sparrows, but lacked some of the rich quality of the latter. Individuals were
constantly appearing on the outer branches, singing a few notes and then diving
down into the heavy foliage below, when others took their places. I was not a
little surprised to find that these were the little mouse-like SpizcUa breweri, as I
had always been led to believe that this s-^pecies frequented only the sage brush of
dry hillsides, and they seemed out of place in a swamp where Bermuda grass and
willows suggested song sparrows more than anything else.
Although the ornithological books do not give this bird as a resident as far
north as Fresno, yet it certainly does remain with us in limited numbers, as was
evidenced by the author finding several of them in a weedy old berry patch near
Clovis on December 26, 1910.
As these little birds do no damage whatever, they should be encouraged to
nest in vineyards, as they must glean many an insect from the leaves during the
long summer days.
SiivRRA JuNCo. Junco oregamis thurberi Anthony.
Surely everyone is familiar with the little black-headed snowbirds that seem
to especially rejoice in the coldest, most stormy weather, this preference having
given rise to their common name. Among those who live in the foothills the idea
prevails that the assembling of a flock of these birds certainly presages a snow-
storm.
Juncos nest abundantly in the Sierras in Fresno County, but appear in the
valley only during the winter months. My earliest record for their appearance
in the fall is October 24, 1905 ; but I feel certain that they had appeared earlier
than that. In the spring they remain until the middle of March and sometimes
later. April 11, 191 1, three or four juncos were noted in some willows near
Clovis. As this species feeds like the sparrows on the ground where, no doubt,
it destroys numberless weed seeds, it should be encouraged to frequent vineyards
and pasture lands.
The writer has frequently observed an entirely different jtmco, jjrobabiy
Jiiiico hyemalis hyemalis, the eastern Slate-colored Junco, but until a specimen
has been preserved for identification this point cannot be determined. These in-
.lividuals are always more shy than the birds with which thev associate, and upon
the slightest provocation take to the nearest brush or trees. They appear after
84 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
severe storms as lone individuals in flocks of the Sierra Junco, and soon disap-
pear again.
California Sage Sparrow. Amphispiza nevadensis canescens Grinnell.
The occurrence of this bird in Fresno County was brought to my notice by
my friend Joseph Sloanaker who found it to be the most common winter sparrow
in the vicinity of Raisin, with the possible exception of the Intermediate White-
crowned Sparrow.
The plains in that part of the county are covered with clumps of bushes
characteristic of the semi-arid regions, and apparently exactly suited to this des-
ert-loving bird.
1 have no information as to whether or not this sparrow, as recorded from
Raisin, is a breeding species, but conditions there seem favorable ; future field
work will have to determine this point. The first record of the occurrence of the
California Sage Sparrow in this region appeared in The Condor, xiii, 1911,
p. 76.
HeERMAnn Song Sparrow. Melospiza melodia heermanni Baird.
The presence of water is such an essential to the welfare of this sparrow
that the bird's range may easily be determined by learning where water is to be
found. As has been pointed out by Mr. Grinnell (Condor, xiii, 1911, p. no),
the irrigation system that is at present extended to so many points in the valley,
has been the means of giving this bird a much wider range than it had in former
years. Reasoning from the theory that any given locality is tenanted by as many
birds as it will support, we may safely assume that there are at present at least
three times as many song sparrows in Fresno County as there were in 1900.
Definite breeding stations within the Fresno district may be mentioned a.^
follows : Fresno, Clovis, Letcher, I^ane's Bridge, Malaga, and Wheatville. Doubt-
less many other points could be added to this list with a little field work.
This is a bird that is easily overlooked, as it prefers the seclusion of rank
grass, tules, and willow saplings. It sometimes comes into view, however, and
pours forth its monotonous, yet pleasing, song from a swaying tule stalk from
which the singer can hurriedly dive to a place of concealment at the slightest
alarm. The vocal efforts of this bird always suggest the cool, moist, willow-
grown areas where the blackbird's "kong-ker-ee" and the whistling notes of the
Western Yellowthroat make a fit accompaniment. A sort of sentiment attache^
to the song sparrow, having a tendency to cause it to find favor with nearly ev-
erybody ; and since it can be accused of taking neither fruit nor grain it is worthy
of our protection at all times. Doubtless untold hundreds of insects that would
breed in swampy places and spread out over adjoining fields and vineyards, are
destroyed by this sparrow.
As this species is resident wherever it occurs, it is an early breeder. The
birds begin nesting early in April and continue from that time until the last of
June, my earliest and latest dates being April 8 (1911), for four fresh eggs, and
Tune 27 (1901), for a like number in the same condition. Probably two broods
are raised under normal conditions. Heermann Song Sparrows are not at all
particular when it comes time to select a site for a nest, the principal requisite
being a tuft of grass or bunch of leaves that will conceal the nest and at the same
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 85
time permit its owner to remain near water. I have found nests in thick bunches
of grass not three inches above the water, and at other times ten feet up in willow
trees, but the typical nests are built among willow shoots along smaller canals,
where they average from one to four feet above the ground. Dried willo\\'
leaves enter largely into the composition of these frail nests ; the lining is almost
invariably of dried, round, grass stem^s. Four greenish, brown-spotted
eggs are laid unless it be late in the season, when sets of three are not infrequent-
ly seen.
FoRBUSH Sparrow . Melospiza lincolni striata Brewster.
These interesting little sparrows have been detected at only two jjoints in
this region. In Thu Condor (xiii, 191 i, p. 76) T recorded the taking of a speci-
men near Clovis on December 26, 1910 ; and Mr. Grinnell has recorded them in
the same publication (Condor, xiii, 191 t, p. iii) as occurring near Lane's
Bridge April 9 and 10, 1911. At the latter place I had some slight chance to ob-
serve them but they proved very shy. They were frequenting a marshy place at the
base of a hill, the lower slope of which was covered with a thick growth of hoar-
hound bushes. At the slightest disturbance these birds and a few Heermann
Song Sparrov^s that shared the marsh with them, v/ould betake themselves to
this weed patch, and dive in at full speed. Sometimes when I had marked the ex-
act spot where one of these birds disappeared, I woidd attempt to flush it by hur-
riedly tramping through the brush, guided by an occasional glimpse of the spar-
row as he sneaked along ahead of me ; but generally the birds could outdistance
me, and it required no little exertion on my part to get them to take wing again.
When we retreated some distance and quiet reigned again, the little sparrows
could be seen dropping in short quick flights down into the swamp.
If the form lincolni occurs in this region it has not yet been detected, so far
as I am aware.
Slate-colorKd Fox Sparrow. Passerella iliaca schistacea Baird.
Slate-colored Sparrows appear to be of regiflar occurrence in very limited
numbers during the early winter, especially from late C'ctober until the last of
December, when they disappear or are rendered inconspicuous by the appearance
of not a few of the larger form, insularis. Until more evidence is brought to
light I do not think we would be warranted in rating this sparrow as a winter
resident, and I am inclined to believe that the birds merely tarry here for a
month or more on their way to their winter home. The difficulty of identifying
with certainty, in the field, the two or three forms of fox sparrows that occur in
Fresno County during the winter, has caused me to hesitate tc give any definite
dates for the arrival or departure of these birds. No doubt a little more sys-
tematic work would bring to light a number of interesting facts regarding tlieir
distribution in this part of the valley.
November 20, 1910, Mr. Joseph Sloanaker and myself observed two small
fox sparrows in Roeding Park, and watched them for some time as they scratched
among the leaves within ten or fifteen feet of where we were concealed, l-our
days later I saw another of what I felt certain was the same species, in a big
brush pile at the edge of a weedy pasture near Clovis. This last bird v/as added
86 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
to my collection and was identified as schistacca by Mr. Joseph Grinnell, of the
University of California. This was recorded in The Condor, xiii, 191 1, p. 76.
Kadiak Fox vSparrow. Passereila iliaca insularis Ridgway.
This is the largest of our sparrows, and in the field appears at times but lit-
tle smaller than the California Towhee. It comes to us a little later than the host
of sparrows that winter in the San Joaquin Valley, and does not reach the high
tide of its abundance until the month of December. Even then it is at no time
abundant, and soon begins to decrease in numbers. Fox sparrows of all kinds
are rare after the first of the year. I have a specimen of this fine bird, taken
near Clovis, December 26, 1910.
A fox sparrovv^ collected by Joseph Sloanaker near Raisin on C'ctober 13,
i()io, was identified by Mr. Grinnell as "nieriiloidcs," a form not recognized, as
yet, by the American Ornithologists Union.
There is no more interesting group of birds than these large, richly colored
sparrows, and the writer hopes to become more intimately acquainted with them:.
California Brown Towhee. Pipilo crissalis crissalis (Vigors).*
Brown Towhees occur in varying numbers over much of the higher, more
dry, portions of the region about Fresno, being very scarce or entirely v/anting in
the swampy and treeless areas. Brush and various low-growing shrubs, with
occasional trees, form the ideal habitat of this species ; so it is not surprising to
find its center of abundance along the larger canals and at the outlets of the foot-
hill creeks along the eastern part of this district.
Kearney Park, with its wonderful variety of trees and bushes, forms an ideal
retreat, where the towhees are never molested, and where the species is repre-
sented in greater numbers than in all other parts of this district combined. Gar-
dens and orchards are favorite resorts, but vineyards are shunned along with aii
the more open tracts.
The bulky horse-hair-lined nests are usually constructed in thick bushes or
trees, from three to eight feet above the ground, a favorite site being a bunch of
small second-growth shoots at the top of a willow stump.
The usual complement of eggs is four, but 1 have found several sets of but
three, and in at least three different instances the birds began the duties of in-
cubation with just two eggs to their credit. The sets of two were in each case the
first ones laid, so far as I could determine. May and June are the nesting months,
my earliest record being May i ( 1906) for considerably incubated eggs. A set
well along in incubation was found June 30 of the same year, while all other
dates have fallen between these two extremes.
The towhees are big, good-natured fellows, in no way injurious to man's in-
terests, while they, like other sparrows, render valuable service by gleaning from
the ground much that might prove harmful to agriculturists.
San Dmc.o Towhee. Pipilo maculatus megaloiiyx Baird.
The ornithologist is often hard pressed by his friends, especially by those
who do not make any claim to knowledge along this line, to find satisfactory ex-
planations for some of the seeming inconsistencies that occur among the common
*This name is used in accordance with the A. O. U. Check-List. Possibly our tow-
lice may be referable to the form senicula (see Grinnell, Condor, xiv, 1912, p. 199).
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 87
names of birds as set furth in the A. O. U. Check-List. After we have spent
years in teaching a none-too-wilHng subject that a certain shy, gay-plumaged
bird is a "Spurred Tovvhce", it is disheartening to have to inform our pupil that
this same bird has suddenly discarded its well-earned name and must now be
called "San Diego Towhee." Any explanation that we of¥er is sure to be met with
some such response as "Well, what the deuce to you want to call it a San Diego
Towhee for, anyway, when it is just as common in Fresno as it is down there?"
Now, it must not be understood that the writer would attempt to criticise the
Committee that labored so earnestly to produce the new Check-List, but it does
here seem justifiable to retain "Spurred Towhee" rather than to adopt the name
"San Diego Towhee" proposed by them.
Nowhere in the immediate vicinity of Fresno has this handsome species been
found breeding, but Mr. Chas. E. Jenney has found one or two nests along the
San Joaquin River, and a pair of birds were located by the author in a thick
growth of nettles and willow brush in the river bottom near Lane's Bridge, April
29, 1911.
Few of these towhees are to be found at our low elevation during the nest-
ing season, but in October they begin to appear, and gradually become more com-
mon from that time on. Through all the winter months they are present in great-
er numbers than their shy, retiring habits would seem to indicate. Their favorite
resorts are the brush piles and thickets, at the edges of vineyards and along ditch-
es, where there is always some protecting heap of brush. At the least disturbance
the birds dive into these brush heaps, from which their single harsh note is some-
times heard, although the elusive owner of that catlike voice may not permit us
even a glimpse of his handsome black, white and orange coat.
If the spring is late the Spurred Towhees remain until several of April's best
days have gone, especially if there is a cold, rainy period during the preceding
month. When, as frequently happens, March brings along a succession of bright,
warm, cloudless days, the desire to return again to their summer homes in the
mountains becomes too strong ; and before we are aware of the fact the v^purred
Towhee is no longer present in the valley.
Black-headed Grosbeak. Zamelodia melanocephala (Swainson).
Black-headed Grosbeaks occur sparingly in the spring along some of the
larger ditches, among the willows in the river bottoms, and wherever in the valley
a half apology for timber is to be found.
Nearly all of the few that I have observed were males in most brilliant plu-
mage ; and T have generally been attracted by the loud rich song, which always
brings to memory my boyhood days, spent so pleasantly in the Tehachapi Moun-
tains.
Grosbeaks — a single male in each case — have been noted as follows : in the
willow swamp near Sunnyside, April 22, 1906 ; in a willow thicket on the Gould
ditch near Tarpey, June 12, 1910; and near Lane's Bridge, on the San Joaquin
River, April 29, 191 1. I am informed on good authority that they occasionally
nest at the last mentioned place.
The spring of 1912 was remarkable for the unusual number of grosbeaks
that appeared in all parts of the valley. Late in April and during the first half
88 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA . No. 9
of May numerous pairs were observed in many of the willow clumps and along
the ditches.
The splendid song of these migrants was much in evidence although tiie birds
themselves were rather shy. So far as could be observed all of these handsome
vocalists pas.^ed on to a more suitable summer h(jme, none remaining to nest with
us.
WjiSTERN Blue; Grosbicak. Guiraca caerulea lazula (Lesson).*
While tramping- around in late spring among the rank weeds and grass along
the ditches or at the edge of tule ponds, a bird-Iovcr in the San Joaquin Valley
is often attracted by a sudden explosive "spink"" from a large-billed, blue-coated
bird, and very often this call is answered in a more subdued "pink" by a urown-
colored bird, otherwise quite similar in appearance to her mate. If the date be
the 1 8th to 20th of April it is safe to assume that a newly arrived pair of West-
ern Blue Grosbeaks have been encountered, for these birds are among the last
of our summer visitants to arrive each spring in the vicinity of Fresno.
The presence of water close at hand seems to be one of the chief requirements
of this species during the nesting period. Quite as noticeable is their complete
disregard for it after family cares are over, when the grosbeaks seek the dryest
grain fields and roadside weed patches, where they may often be seen clinging to
swaying wild oats. This plant, together with the cultivated variety, forms one of
their favorite foods during the month that they remain in this vicinity after their
nesting season terminates, in late June or the first week in July.
Among the last birds to arrive in the spring, our Grosbeaks are probably the
first to depart, and the southward migration begins early in August. Beginning
before sunrise on the morning of August 8, 191 1, and for the next two days at
least, a migration wave of these birds was observed at Fresno. On the morning
mentioned I was attracted by a subdued finch-like song hastily executed, as the
singer perched just for a moment on a telephone wire that ran through the outer
extremities of one of the branches of a young eucalyptus tree growing in front
of my home. Hardly had the song been finished when the bird flew away toward
the south, to be followed in a very few minutes by another that went through
precisely the same maneuvers, even to perching on almost the exact section of
wire that the other had occupied. So far as my observation could determine, the
individuals seen on those three mornings were all males. Each one was travelling
alone, but was probably keeping within calling distance of another. Although
only about a dozen grosbeaks were seen on the three mornings, yet I had reason
to believe that many others were passing over the city at the same time.
Along many of the canals and ditches in the valley grow patches of a plant,
the name of which T do not recall, but which greatly resembles in appearance and
manner of growth the Chrysanthemum. It would probably be no exaggeration
to state that seven of every ten grosbeak nests are built in the clumps of this plant,
being fastened to two or three upright shoots in much the same manner that a
blackbird attaches its basket-like nest to a bunch of tules.
When built in such situations the nests vary from six inches to five feet
*Guiraca caerulea salicarius of Grinnell. See Proceedings Biological Society of Wash-
ington, xxiv, 1911, p. 163.
1913 BIRDS OF THK FRESNO DISTRICT 89
above the ground, and while ridiculously easy to find when one is familiar with
the birds' habits, it is doubtful if anything but mere accidental discovery would
ever reveal the majority of nests to the chance prowler. Since only one pair of
grosbeaks may occupy any clump of these plants, it follows, when there are not
enough such sites to go around, that numerous pairs are often compelled to seek
other places in which to construct their homes. A second choice becoming neces-
sary, nests are not infrequently built in the thick bunches of small willow sap-
lings where, again, they bear resemblance to the work of the Bi-colored Black-
bird.
Tt sometimes happens, too, that a pair of grosbeaks will take up their resi-
dence in an orchard, when they will be found nesting in a peach tree at a height
of from eight to twelve feet. The average height from the ground of the many
nests observed by the writer has been about four feet ; but at times a more ele-
vated situation is chosen. Such an instance was noted on May 30, 191 1. A stick
was thrown into the branches of a large willow tree, where a bird of some sort
could be seen occupying a nest fully twenty feet from the ground, and at the end
of a small horizontal branch the tip of which took an abrupt vertical turn and
hung out over a ditch full of water. With the characteristic "pink" a female Blue
Grosbeak left her nest. Early in the summer of 1905 a pair of these birds built
a nest about fifteen feet up, on the end of a horizontal branch of a poplar tree in
a yard ; so it will be seen that the bird's habits are not uniformly as terrestrial as
might be supposed.
Nests of the Western Blue Grosbeak are well-made, light baskets of dry
grass, weed stems and rootlets, lined with black horse-hairs if such are obtainable.
T have yet to find a nest that did not have either a piece of paper or a dry, paper-
like leaf woven into the framework somewhere. Sets of three and four eggs are
found in about equal numbers, the time ranging from May 18 (1906) to June 23
(1901). One instance of later nesting came to my notice in 1905, when young
just out of the nest were seen July 15.
The song of the male Western Blue Grosbeak greatly resembles that of a
Linnet, but is not quite so loud nor prolonged.
Lazuli Bunting. Passerina amoena (Say).
Throughout the valley this beautiful little finch is of regular occurrence,
though in very limited numbers, being far outnumbered by its near relative, the
Western Blue Grosbeak ; but along the foothills the reverse order of abundance
prevails, and the little blue bunting with the white wing-bars is most often seen.
Berry patches and gardens are the favorite haunts of the Lazuli Bunting
during the few months that it is with us. I observed them in greater numbers
near Riverdale, July 13, 191 1, than I have ever seen them elsewhere in the valley.
At least one pair has been known to nest for several years in a garden in the city,
and each year from late April until June one or two individuals have been noted
near Clovis.
May 22, 1906, a nest was found among a tangle of weeds and willow shoots
along the Gould ditch near Tarpey. This nest was saddled on a small dead
branch, and supported by two or three upright green stems, a situation not unlike
that often chosen bv the Blue Grosbeak. The composition and appearance of the
90 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
nest was more like the work of a Keermann Song Sparrow than the usual type
of grosbeak nest, being composed of strips of grass blades and stems, lined with
finer grass stems and a few horse-hairs. Incubation had begun, in the three pale
blue eggs that composed the set.
Western Tanager. Piranga ludoviciana (Wilson).
This is one of the species that occur conmionly in the higher mountains but
are seen in the valley only as stragglers. Miss Winifred Wear records a Tanager
seen within the city on May 8, 1907, and the author observed a beautiful male
near the Scandinavian Colony schoolhouse the first day of June, 1908. This bird
flew into the lower branches of a mulberry tree at the roadside, and I drove past
only a few feet away. From all appearances the bird was perfectly healthy; but .
I suspect that possibly it had been injured earlier in the season, or it would hard-
ly have remained in the heat of the valley at the time of the nesting season of this
species in the high Sierras.
The present season (1912) seemed to bring quite a migration wave of Tan-
agers. On May 12 fully a dozen were seen in a half hour's walk along the Gould
ditch near Tarpey. All appeared to be males in the brightest plumage and were
quite fearless. One fine fellow, panting with the heat, perched not ten feet away
while I slowly walked past. Later, on the twentieth day of the same month, an-
other was seen flying from a bush at the roadside near Easton, south of Fresno.
Western Martin. Progne subis hesperia Brewster.
The Western Martin has been observed on only two occasions, and
both of the birds were probably migrants. August 22, 1904, just at dusk in the
evening a Martin flew over in company with several Barn Swallows traveling
toward the south. The long wings and wonderfully rapid flight gave a strange
batlike appearance to this bird, which soon disappeared into the fast approaching
night. Some days previous to this another individual was seen under much the
same conditions, but none have been observed since that time.
Miss Winifred Wear tells of having noticed this species near Riverview,
April 27, 1907.
Clife Swallow. Petrochelidon lunifrons lunifrons (Say).
The first arrivals of this species in the spring precede the Barn Swallows by
two or three days, the two species not at any time traveling in company so far as
I have observed, although it is not an uncommon sight to see Cliff Swallows and
the handsome Violet-greens traveling together. As recorded in The Condor
(xiii, 191 1, p. 168), the earhest records I have in the spring are March 14, 1903
and 1904, but the species seldom becomes numerous until the last week of that
month. In late September large flocks may be seen journeying toward their win-
ter home south of the United States. September 23, 1904, a warm, cloudy day,
was remarkable for the great number of these birds that were seen in migration.
As the bluffs along the river bear but slight resemblance to cliffs they do not
offer much attraction in the way of nesting sites, but nevertheless a small colony
of these swallows sometimes nests in comparative safety just above Lane's Bridge
on the Aladera County side. Aside from the river bluffs there is not the slightest
semblance of a cliff anvwhere near Fresno, and as a consequence the Cliff Swal-
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 91
lows nest in barns and sheds, choosing- those that are near some ditch or creek
where mud may be obtained.
Considerable variation in nesting dates has been observed, as I have found
young birds in nests examined April 29 (1910), and fresh eggs on various dates
in June, up to the 27th. Four eggs, as a rule, constitute the sets in this vicinity,
five being exceptional in my experience.
Barn Swallow. Hirundo erythrogastra Boddaert.
All aspiring ornithologists in the Fresno district take heart! If we cannot
regale our readers with accounts of Bohemian Waxwings, Western Evening
Grosbeaks, and other rarities, we can at least claim one world's record ! On the
15th day of March, 191 1, Mr. Joseph Grinnell and the author, while driving along
the road north of Fresno, observed a pair of Barn Swallows quietly preening
their wings, on a telephone wire over a bridge that crossed a large canal. Mr.
Grinnell has recorded this occurrence (Condor, xiii, 191 1, 11 1) as probably the
earliest date on record for the appearance of this swallow anywhere in Califor-
nia. At the time, the fact of Barn Swallows being present by middle March did
not impress me as being anything out of the ordinary, for I have always confi-
dently looked for the species by March 20 each year. In the fall the great major-
ity of these swallows departs during September, and excepting for a lone bird
noted October i, 1905, I have no records later than the last week in September.
One or two of my bird-loving friends from other parts of the state have ex-
pressed surprise when I mentioned the nesting of Barn Swallows in Fresno
County. Their surprise would be even greater if they could see the hundreds of
birds that literally swarm about some of the larger bridges crossing the sloughs
southwest of Fresno in the Wheatville region.
The writer cannot call to mind even a single nest of this species that was
Imilt in a situation other than under a bridge. Eastward from Fresno, where
bridges are fewer in number and usually of a smaller size, the number of nesting
swallows decreases correspondingly, but even the smallest span is sure to harbor
at least one or two pairs. The one essential, so far as I can learn, is the presence
of running water beneath the bridge, as this renders difficult of access to enemies
a nest that would otherwise be easily destroyed.
Probably at least two broods are reared each season, as occupied nests may be
found from the last week in April until early August at least, the height of the
breeding season being the month of June.
Very little variation exists in the nests of this species, all of them consisting
of a firmly built wall-pocket composed of mud pellets mixed with long horse-hair
and dry grass stems, and lined with chicken feathers in preference to all other
materials, even when it requires long journeys to secure them. One pair of Barn
Swallows that nested not far from my home, lined their nest entirely with white
feathers, although the nearest farmhouse was half a mile away.
This species feeds almost entirely a-wing, and it is not surprising to see half
a dozen Barn Swallows following a mowing machine during haying time on a
ranch where alfalfa is raised, gathering in the insects which take flight as the
machine passes.
92 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
Tree S^\'ALLO\v. Iridoprocne bicolor (Vieillot).
The Tree Swallo^v is the only representative of the family Hirnndinidae that
is to be found in Fresno County during the winter months. The species is mi-
gratory to a great extent, but a small number winter in this part of the San Joa-
quin Valley each year, being met with in the vicinity of ponds and sloughs more
often than elsewhere.
November 29, 1904, two Tree Swallows were seen flying over a small body
of water near New Hope, and the following day a flock of a dozen birds was
noted flying over another pond near the same place. January 25, 1905, a lone
bird was observed near Clovis as it flew overhead, traveling toward the south and
twittering cheerfully. February 13, 1906, another was seen travelling in the same
direction. February 27, 1906, and the following day, several were noted, all
southward bound. This tendency of theTree Swallows to travel toward the south
during January and February has been mentioned before (Condor, xiii, 191 1, p.
168) ; but I have not yet been convinced that these same individuals are a part of
the migrant host that appears from the south during early March (6, 7, and 13,
1906), just in advance of the other species of swallows that summer with us or
pass on through the valley.
April 26, 1909. a scattered colony of Tree Swallows was nesting in vari-
ous natural cavities and behind loose bark, in a number of large old sycamore
trees growing in a wide grassy fl.at near the San Joaquin River above Riverview.
None of the nests were examined but the reluctance with which the birds left
their nests seemed to indicate that they were incubating full sets of eggs. Else-
where T have come upon but one colony of this species, and that was at Shaver
Lake in the Sierras, at an elevation of about 5300 feet, where the nests were in
dead pine stubs standing in the lake. The date was May 28, 1908, and the nests
contained small young or eggs highly incubated.
It is a difficult matter to determine just when those individuals that spend
their summer north of Fresno pass through this place in the fall, but probably
their departure is made at the same time as, and in company with, the flocks of
other swallows. This, however, is merely conjecture, as I find that after the
breeding season an entire colony will scatter over the valley and gradually
diminish in numbers, until the observer finally comes to realize that the species
has all but disappeared, leaving no clue to the time or cause of departure.
Northern Violet-green Swallow. Tachycineta thalassina lepida Mearns.
This species occurs commonly and sometimes abundantly as a migrant
through this part of the San Joaquin Valley, arriving in the spring about the
same time as, but not always in company with, the several other species of
swallows that pass through in large numbers. Two of my earliest dates for
spring arrivals near Fresno, are March 16, 1903, and March 17, 1906. The great
majority of these swallows pass on northward, but a few small colonies find con-
ditions suitable for their requirements along the San Joaquin River just where
it comes out of the hills. No time is lost after their arrival, in beginning the
serious business of nest building. A small colony encountered March 25, 1906,
just eight days subsequent to the date of the first arrival that year, was flying
around and into the cavities of a dead sycamore stub that contained a dozen or
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT V3
more woodpecker excavations. At this time none of the birds were carrying-
nesting material, but in 1908 at least one pair of these swallows had made some
progress on their summer home, as early as March 28. They were seen to enter
a dead sycamore branch time and again, first carrying a dry twig, then a grass
stem, in a most businesslike manner. This instance of what seems to me very
early nesting has been recorded in The Condor (xiii, 191 i, p. 168).
The return flight in the fall has been known to begin as early as September
12 (1903), and it continues for nearly a month, as I have a definite record for
October 8, 1905. The southward migration is made in a leisurely matter, and
often nearly a whole day is spent in circling over a pond of water or an alfalfa
field, with occasional perchings on telephone wires.
I have often thought as I watched one of these iridescent beauties, as it
skimmed along over a field or perched on some dead branch, that here at least
was a case where the common name was highly appropriate. Were some of
our other birds as well named it would not be such a difficult task to answer
some of our non-ornithological friends when they ask us why Podasocys mon-
lanns is called "Mountain" Plover!
Rough-winged Swallow. Stelgidopteryx serripennis (Audubon).
The steep banks along the San Joaquin River that afford safe retreats for
Rock Wrens and Barn Owls, have seemingly also met the conditions required
by this swallow, and each spring finds several small colonies scattered along
the bluffs in the vicinity of Lane's Bridge. This species arrives during late
March or the first few days in April. They were observed in small numbers April
6, 7, and 8, 191 1, when Mr. Grinnell and the writer found them as single in-
dividuals circling over the alfalfa fields, or prospecting in pairs along the face of
the bluff", where they were seeking nesting sites.
It probably requires a full month's time after their arrival for the Rough-
winged Swallows to complete a nest and begin the duties of incubation, for nest
building was still in progress on April 29, 191 1.
Natural cavities or those excavated by some of the smaller mammals are
chosen, but before occupancy they are thoroughly renovated, as is evidenced by
the small mounds of dust, leaves and trash that are to be seen below the en-
trances to occupied cavities.
I believe that only in exceptional cases do the birds excavate their own nest
cavity, as the hard formation of these banks would seem to make such a task very
difficult. Dry leaves, grass stems, and not a few twigs enter into the composi-
tion of the nests. These are placed from two to four feet from the entrance, and
often several inches above the mouth of the excavation, so there is no possibility
of even a driving rain entering their tunnel.
In the spring migration, and again when they depart in the late summer, it
is probable that these swallows follow the course of the river, for some distance
at least, as the birds are seldom observed away from the water at any time.
Cedar Waxwing. Bombycilla cedrorum Vieillot.
Although the author has spent the past eleven winters in Fresno County, the
presence of Cedar Waxwings has been noted just twice previous to last winter.
The first time the birds were seen was on the cold foggy morning of De-
94 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
cember 30, 1906, when a flock of about fifty was encountered in the fig trees near
the Las Palmas vineyard, east of the city. T was much interested in their subdued
lisping- twittering, and especially in their manner of tiight. As I drove along
they would perch in the top of some leafless tree ; suddenly the whole flock
would take wing, with the intention, seemingly, of leaving the state, but after
flying a few yards they invariably dropped en masse into the top of another tree
in a surprisingly abrupt manner.
The 9th day of the following March another flock of about the same number
of birds was found in the tall cottonwoods along Dry Creek east of Clovis, but
unlike the first ones seen, they were wild and unapproachable, and remained in
the tallest trees, from which they took wing whenever I came within three or
four hundred feet of them.
The winter of 1910-11 was remarkable for the great number of Cedar Birds
that frequented the valley. They were first seen about the middle of February,
but did not become especially noticeable until the rainy week beginning March i,
when half a dozen flocks, varying in size from a dozen birds to nearly a hundred,
were seen in various parts of the city. All through the stormy weather of March
they remained, and even when the rain gave way to a succession of warm sultry
days in early April, they showed do disposition to leave. Four individuals were
seen on May 9, a small flock on the 17th, and a large flock, the last of the sea-
son, on May 24. In the last instance the birds flew into a large mulberry tree
in the city.
A curious departure from the usual feeding habits of these birds was noted
during their sojourn in the valley, for they fed almost entirely on raisins, and
from all indications the diet had a most beneficial effect upon them. Along tHe
railroad reservations on each side of the city are numerous packing houses, and
around the rear of each of these may at any time be found a varied assortment
of raisin stems and other refuse, among which there is a small quantity of per-
fectly good raisins. How the waxv/ings became aware of this food supply is not
easily understood, as they would hardly be expected to select as a feeding ground
the buildings along "Raisin Row,'' but be that as it may, the fact remains that
nearly every house had its attendant flock of birds. They remained motionless
for an hour at a time perched with almost military precision along the edge of
the roof, to suddenly become an animated mass of hissing, excited birds that
greedily scratched and tore through the piles of stems in search of the few-
raisins that still adhered thereto. Sometimes when partly concealed I have had
a flock of waxwings within six feet of me, and they paid little attention to the
presence of a man at a distance of thirty feet, so long as that individual did not
appear to notice them. The slightest recognition, or a sudden move toward them
would send the whole flock away in wild disorder.
When not actually feeding, these birds could be found in the tops of some
tall leafless elms along one of the residence streets, where it seems probable that
they spent the night, as the first faint rays of daylight often revealed them sitting
motionless on the topmost twigs. Surely a colder or more exposed site could
not have been selected.
The small boys with their sling shots found the waxwings always willing
to allow them to test their skill, and not a few of the birds succumbed from that
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 95
cause; while several others are known to have perished from strangulation, in
an attempt to swallow a raisin too large to pass down the throat.
The majority of the specimens examined showed very little of the wax-
like tipping on the wings, only one bird having a sufficient amount to be notice-
able at a distance of thirty feet.
Phainopepla. Phainopepla nitens (Swainson).
Phainopeplas occur commonly along the oak covered hills of the Upper So-
noran zone, which extends along the western slope of the Sierras in this county.
Only on rare occasions do they get down into the valley.
March 26, 1906, I was somewhat surprised to hear the call of this species on
Dry Creek, some seven miles east of Clovis, and soon located the bird, feeding
in a bunch of mistletoe that grew in a large cottonwood. This was a female
bird and it remained in that vicinity for some time, as I heard the unmistakable
call near the same place on April 15, when I happened to be passing nearby.
California Shrike. Lanius ludovicianus gambeli Ridgway.
The "butcher bird," as this species is generally called, is found in abundance
on the arid plains west of Fresno, and on the large wheat and alfalfa ranches to
the southwest, and it is met with little less commonly all through the more highly
cultivated districts to the east of the city. It seems equally at home anywhere in
the valley, vvhile in late June, 1906, a pair were seen on a board fence above Toll
House, at an elevation of about two thousand feet and quite above the digger pine
belt.
Certainly no one can but feel an interest in this bird in spite of his rather
bad reputation, which he seems to deserve, in part at least.
I have been impressed with the wonderful eyesight that this species possesses.
Frequently I have seen one of these birds fly a distance of sixty feet or more
from its perch, and pick up an object so small that it was not visible to me at
less than half that distance.
During the summer months a surprising number of grasshoppers, lizards,
and small horned toads are hung up, presumably to dry, with a thought, pos-
sibly, of providing against a time of food scarcity. Sometimes these unfortunate
creatures are impaled on a barb of a fence wire or a splinter of wood, but as often
they are wedged into a small fork of some bush or shrub.
Several instances of attacking and killing smaller birds have come to my
notice. One evening just before dark I heard a commotion in a large blue gum
tree, and arrived on the scene in time to see a shrike tlying away with a Linnet.
The prey was almost too much for him to carry, however, so I started in pursuit.
T finally caused the outlaw to drop his victim, but just too late, for. with a con-
vulsive gasp, the finch expired in my hand. On March 11, 1904. while driving
home through the rain, I saw a shrike fly up from some weeds at the roadside.
He was carrying a small bird, and made an attempt to alight on the lower wire
of a fence, but was compelled to drop the bird in order to maintain his balance.
As the shrike sat facing me he appeared to be all that his common name implies.
A large tuft of bloody feathers was still held in his bill, while another villain
rasped his approval from a nearby post.
On October 29, 1905. I drove two butcher birds from a feast they had just
96 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
begun. A goldfinch had been impaled on a fence barb, stripped of feathers, and
partly devoured. Their rasping notes never sounded more unmusical, and they
seemed to be expressing their opinion of me in no uncertain terms for disturbing
them. A number of other similar instances have come under my notice, and in
the majority of them the Western Vesper Sparrow has been the victim. As
the shrike seems to be on the increase, especially throughout the cultivated dis-
tricts, he may in time become quite a menace to the welfare of some of our
smaller birds.
In the region about Fresno, where trees are fairly numerous, the California
Shrike nearly always selects a tree as a place in which to build its nest, but out on
the treeless plains, westward from the city, they often select rather extraordinary
nesting sites. On March 20, 1907, a nest was found near McMuUen in a bunch
of tumble weeds that were lodged against the railroad fence. This nest, which
held six eggs, was just one foot above the ground, while another, scarcely an
arm's length away, appeared to be of the previous season's use. April 6, 1906,
a nest was found on a sill in an old abandoned barn near the New Hope school-
house. There were three eggs in this nest, and one more was found on some
straw beneath. The nest had listed somewhat from having overbalanced in its
rather insecure situation. Another nest with five eggs was found on top of a
gate post between two nearly vertical boards, in just such a situation as would
be chosen by a pair of Western Kingbirds. The few willow and poplar trees in
that region contained one or more nests each.
On March 21, 1907, while looking up nests of the Western Red-tailed Hawk,
along a steep, rocky canyon on Little Dry Creek, I discovered a bulky nest fif-
teen feet up in a scrub oak. The nest was supposedly that of a California Jay,
so of course I began to tear my way up through the numerous short, stiff
branches, but I had not climbed far before a pair of shrikes put in an appearance
and began protesting. The interior of the nest and the four eggs it contained
did not differ from those found in the valley, but the birds seemed strangely out
of place on that rocky hillside, with oak trees all around and the roaring creek
with its towering sycamores far below. At this time, and during a second in-
spection made on April 3, at which time the nest held small young, the parent
birds were fearless, and I could have almost caught them with my hands.
In the vicinity of the city the favorite nesting sites are in the ragged, bushy
willows that are found along canals, the nests being placed from two to twenty
feet above the ground, averaging, however, about eight feet. A row of poplars
along the roadside is a close second, for numbers of nests, while others have been
found in grape vines, piles of brush, eucalyptus and fig trees, and rarely in um-
brella trees.
Nests of the California Shrike are bulky and well built, with a foundation of
twigs and coarse weed stems, the inner cavity being compactly put together with
fine, stiff grass and weed stems. Where wool or cotton is obtainable a thick
coat of these materials is used as a lining, but in the absence of these, various
kinds of plant fuz and woolly seed pods are made use of. I have met with but
one instance where any feathers were used for lining, and in that case feathers
were about the only material obtainable.
1913
BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT
97
Below
are given
my records
of
thirty-one sets of the California
examined during
the last ten years :
Date
Contents
of Nest
Incubation
(i) April
8
1902
5
eggs
begun
te
II
(<
5
far advanced
tt
II
i(
6
advanced
«
II
a
7
6 addled eggs, i bird
<<
12
ti
4
fresh
<t
21
<<
5
begun
(2) "
23
27
((
6
6
begun
far advanced
May
12
((
6
Taegun
(3) "
12
"
8
'begun
(4) "
31
it
7
slight
April
6
6
1906
ti
7
7
nearly fresh
large embryos
(1
6
it
7
about half
It
7
"
6
well begun
te
7
<<
5
probably well along
n
10
<(
6
begun
ti
15
ti
5
fresh
(<
24
ti
5
jbegun
a
25
tt
6
jbegun
March
a
a
9
20
20
1907
4
6
6
small embryos
good sized embryos
nearly fresh
i(
21
it
4
begun
April
17
tt
5
small embryos
<<
II
1908
4
advanced
((
12
((
5
well begun
March
29
1909
7
fresh
((
31
191 I
6
incubation not determined
li
31
ti
6
incubation not determined
April
II
it
7
advanced
Shrike
The figures before certain dates in 1902 indicate the first, second, third, and
fourth sets of one pair of birds, a more complete record of which can be found
in The; Condor (xi, 1909, pp. 82, 83).
From the foregoing table it might seem that practically all our shrikes nest
in April, with only an occasional early pair starting housekeeping in March, but
it should be noticed that the list enumerates nests with eggs only, no record behig
given for nests with young birds. On April 6 and 7, 1906, besides the five nests
mentioned, nearly a dozen were observed that held young birds, some of which
climbed from the nest at my approach. Mr. Joseph Sloanaker reports a nest of
almost fully fledged young found near Raisin on March 31. 191 1. On April 12,
1902, I found in a large willow a nest that the young had just left, as they were
still climbing about in the branches, while but a few feet away, in the same tree,
the parents had a new nest with a single fresh egg.
98 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
On the plains to the west and southwest of Fresno, fully as many occupied
nests could be found in March as in April, and two broods are often raised ; but
throughout the cultivated region east of the city it is not often that a nest con-
tains eggs before the first week in April, and seldom, if ever, is more than one
family raised in a season.
A difficult task awaits the ornithologist who attempts to convince some peo-
ple that the series of liquid, musical, warbling notes, often heard in winter or
very early in the spring, are really produced by a '"butcher bird." I cannot agree
with those who suggest that the song is given from a place of concealment and
for the purpose of attracting smaller birds within striking distance. On every
occasion when this song was heard I have been able to locate the bird perched on
the highest point of vantage to be found. Sometimes the top of a tall weed is
selected, often a fence post or telephone wire is chosen, and not infrequently the
topmost branch of a leafless tree is made use of. In either case the bird is gen-
erally visible for a long distance.
As almost all of our feathered neighbors, by song or mannerism, make
known to us the approach of their nesting time, it seems to me that the vocal
effort of our shrike is nothing less than an expression of exuberance he feels
at the approach of another nuptial season.
CALiifoRNiA L^AST ViREo. Virco belli pusillus Coues.
On more than one occasion the writer has endeavored, while listening to
this bird, to formulate a good description of its remarkable song, if such vocal
efforts could be called by that name. Each attempt, however, has been a failure.
The only object of the bird, seemingly, is to keep everlastingly at it, much as
some people sing or whistle at their work, almost unconscious of the fact them-
selves. Over and over, for hours at a time, the Least Vireo repeats its succes-
sion of seven or eight not very musical notes with a persistency worthy of a
better effect, yet there is a certain indefinable charm about it that prevents the
song from becoming monotonous.
The volume of sound seems much too great to come from so small a bird ;
but the little singer never seems to tire, and continues to vocalize, always with
the same zest, as it searches for food totally oblivious of the presence of any other
creature. Sometimes, but not often, the Least Vireo raises its voice and emits
a little squeaky mouse-like song for a few seconds, but always drops back at
once to the same old grind again.
In the Fresno district, from the first of April until the end of the nesting
season, the Least Vireo is a common species over much of the lower part of the
valley, being found along the canals and ditches. Here it frequents the willows
preferring the large trees, when on its foraging expeditions, rather than the more
dense growths of saplings, but choosing the lower clumps for suitable nesting
sites.
May 25, 1906, during a steady rain that prevailed the greater part of the
day, I was so fortunate as to find two nests of this bird, built but a short dis-
tance apart, in the willows along the Gould ditch southeast of Clovis. One of
these nests was hung in the forks of a small, swaying, green willow branch,
just four feet above the ground, in a dense growth of horizontal willow shoots
clustered thickly around the stump of an old tree on the ditch bank. Rank
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 99
grass and wild oats partly concealed the nest, and a neater, more skillfully woven
one it would be hard to imagine. The upper walls were less than a quarter of
an inch in thickness but were so well put together with very fine dry grass stems,
plant fibers, and cotton, as to be quite waterproof. The inside diameter
was one and three-quarter inches while the interior depth was one and
one-half inches. There were four fresh eggs.
In marked contrast was the second nest, which was suspended in plain view,
from a dead branch three feet above the ground, near the path along the ditch
bank. The very lack of concealment made this nest rather difficult to detect,
even after I had first discovered it, as on a subsequent visit it required no little
search to find it. The owner was covering four heavily incubated eggs.
Other nests found were in similar situations often being suspended directly
above the running water and scarcely a foot from it. In two cases that came
under my notice, however, the nests were fully twelve feet above the ditch in
large willows, one of them being artfully concealed in one of several tufts of a
cotton-like substance that had lodged in the branches. The nesting season of
this species is a very short one, as my earliest record is May 15, 1910, for an
incomplete set of fresh eggs, while the few nests discovered after the last week
in May were found to contain small young. Justice to the various owners of
the several nests discovered, compels me to confess that they were not detected
by any skill on my part ; for in every case, so far as I remember, I was attracted
from some distance by the persistent singing of one of the birds, either on or
very close to the nest.
California Yellow Warbler. Dendroica aestiva brewsteri Grinnell.
Yellow Warblers are common summer visitants in limited numbers along
nearly all the water courses in the valley. I have not found them breeding any-
where except in the willow association that marks the larger canals and sloughs.
This network of ditches is selected as a migration route by this species, as well
as by nearly all the others of the smaller migrants that pass through this part
of the state. Although quite a noisy, persistent singer the Yellow Warbler is
not much in evidence in spite of its gay plumage.
Ordinarily this species arrives in the vicinity of Fresno during the last week
in April, and remains, probably, until late July. All of the nests the writer has
examined, were composed to a large extent of a silvery colored, long plant fiber,
and were placed from six to thirty feet above the ground in the small forks 01
willow trees, where the colors of the nest blended well with the light colored
branches.
Four eggs almost invariably constitute the set, and I have found them far
advanced in incubation on May 30, and only slightly incubated in mid-June.
Audubon Warbler. Dendroica auduboni auduboni (Townsend).
One of the characteristic winter visitants to the valley is the Audubon
Warbler, that restless mite of animation, whose energy seems unlimited and
whose appetite is never quite satisfied. With a businesslike "chick" he sallies
forth from a leafless cottonwood to seize a passing insect, then with the same
"chick" he resumes his search among the branches for whatever may oflfer. The
trees around a farmhouse, and a lonely grove far from the sound of human
100 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
voices, are equally attractive, and each has its share of birds from late September
until the last of them have departed early in April.
Audubon Warblers share with Say Phoebes the habit of catching flies from
a window, sometimes becoming so engrossed in this occupation as to cling for
several seconds to the screen where a south- facing window affords a bountiful
supply of this kind of food.
A period of two or three unusually cold nights frequently results dis-
astrously for these little warblers, and my observations show that there is a
greater mortality among this species than in all other birds combined. After a
hard freeze it is not an uncommon occurrence to see certain individuals that
appear so benumbed as to be almost unable to fly, and not a few dead birds have
been found under trees along the streets. Probably we are safe in assuming that
these unfortunates have either been injured at some time, or have become weak-
ened through lack of food, and have finally been unable to succeed in the struggle
for existence.
Since the cultivated areas with orchards and vineyards provide a foraging
ground that is probably almost as productive as the former wild growths, we
may expect the Audubon Warblers to be influenced less by the rapid transforma-
tion of the country than almost any other winter visitant.
Black-throati:d Gray Warble:r. Dendroica nigrescens (Townsend).
This warbler is given a place among the birds of this district on the authority
of Miss Winifred Wear, who mentions seeing a single bird near Fresno, May 15,
1907. If this species occurs commonly anywhere in this region, it is during the
spring migration ; but as this part of the San Joaquin Valley appears to be not
in line with the route followed by most of the migrant warblers, it is probable
tliat Dendroica nigrescens appears only as a straggler, and at more or less in-
frequent intervals.
Western Yellowthroat. Geothlypis trichas occidentalis Bicwster.
This is one of the iiandsomest, and unfortunately one of the siiyest, of the
warbler family that occurs in the Fresno district. Unless the observer is familiar
with its song the species m.ight remain undetected where it is really quite common.
April 6, 191 1, Mr. Grinnell and the author found the Yellowthroats present in
some numbers in the rank growth of nettles and young wilkws in the river
bottom near Lane's Bridge. Several pairs, probably, were frequenting the tangle
near camp.
The distribution of this species over the valley is limited to such tracts as
have felt the influence of irrigation ; hence Yellowthroats, like our song sparrows,
are found for the most part along canals and in the few natural swampy areas.
The flume ponds east of Clovis support a few pairs annually, and each spring I
have seen one or two along the Gould ditch. It seems safe to assume, although
it has never been proven, that the overflowed areas near Wheatvillc would sup-
port nine-tenths of all the Fresno County Yellowthroats. Although the writer
has at times searched persistently he has succeeded in finding but one nest, and
that one was stumbled upon unexpectedly April 22, 1906, in a willow swamp
near Sunnyside. A bunch of tules about eight inches above a pool of slimy
water supported the nest, which was in all respects remarkably like the average
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT
101
song- sparrow's work, though perhaps just a shade smaller in interior measure-
ments. This nest was overrun with ants, but they had not in any way damao-ed
the single fresh eg^g-. The nest was a framework of dry grass, scantily lined v;ith
horse-hair. During the time that I was present one of the owners of the nest
remained nearby, frequently uttering- a guttural "chuck", but alwa}'s keeping
well concealed in the tules.
LoNG-TAiLEi) Chat. Icteria virens longicauda Lawrence.
The splendid whistling voice of this near rival of our Mockingbird often
greets the bird student who prowls about among the thick clumps of willo'A-
saplings and tangled vines. We are probably safe in assuming that the owner
of that voice is not far away, but it usually requires a deal of patience and no
little caution to prove the correctness of such a surmise.
I consider the Chat a regular summer visitant to this part of the valley, but
in very limited numbers. Usually, somewhere along the course of one of the
larger ditches, a pair of Chats are to be encountered, but it may be a mile to
the next pair.
April 29, 191 1, long before reaching the thick growth of the river bottom
near Lane's Bridge, I was aware of the presence of, it seemed, not less than fifty
Chats. The willows fairly echoed with their voices, as the birds whistled, called,
scolded, sang, and chattered, apparently from half-a-dozen places at once ; and
it was with some difficulty that I convinced my companion that this medley of
notes was produced by just one pair of birds.
Often, in early summer, I have heard the scolding of this bird near Tarpey,
where, along a large ditch, a number of blackberry vines have run riot among
the willow shoots. It was there, on June 12, 1910, that I found a cleverly con-
cealed nest built three feet above the ground. This nest contained in its make-up
a number of dead leaves having a texture much like paper, the whole nest being
remarkablv light in weight. There were four eggs in which incubation was just
begun.
Golden Pileolated Warbler. Wilsonia pusilla chryseola Ridgway.
From the evidence at hand it seems that this handsome, black-capped warbler
pursues a course on its northern journey in the spring diiTerent from the route
selected for the return migration in the fall. At any rate this species has not
been observed before the nesting season, but appears regularly in limited numbers
during the month of September. Chryseola is an early migrant, my earliest re-
cord being September 17, 1905, when a single bird was seen. From that time
until the end of the month they were quite common, and frequented the brush
piles and low bushes rather than the higher trees. I have no record of a Pileo-
lated Warbler occurring later than October 8 (1904), so it seems that these
birds must hurry through the valley with hardly a pause. Probably the food
supply during September is at low ebb, and the birds find it necessary to seek
more profitable foraging areas.
American Pipit. Anthus rubescens (Tunstall).
Pipits are of common but somewhat irregular occurrence through the
winter, over nearly all the region about Fresno. Their querulous voice, their
102 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
nervous teetering- up and down as they run along the ground, and especially
their habit of suddenly dropping into a field or vacant lot to begin feeding
greedily, often tends to create the impression that they are transients, and
have just stopped over for lunch in the midst of a long journey.
Open fields, especially those that have been recently plowed or are free from
weeds or stubble, are the favorite feeding grounds of these birds ; and it is prob-
ably because their requirements in this regard are so similar to those of the
California Horned Lark that the two species are often found together.
Pipits arrive in the fall about the middle of October along with the host
of migrant sparrows, my earliest record being October 20 (1905). In the spring
the last individuals do not depart for their northern nesting grounds until well
into April. I have a definite record of one seen April 11, igo6.
This species was unusually numerous during the past winter ('1910-11), one
flock feeding in the railroad yards in the city, where they were often seen,
especially late in the afternoons and on dark, cloudy days just preceding rain
storms.
Wi^sTKRN Mockingbird. Mimus polyglottos leucopterus (Vigors).
Mockingbirds are so well and favorably known that extensive comment
upon them seems unnecessary. It might not be out of place, however, to give a
few dates from this locality for comparison with those from other parts of the
state.
This species is, on the whole, one of the most abundant of the non-gregarious
birds occurring in the Fresno district, their numbers not varying noticeably
from year to year in the cultivated areas, but showing a decided increase where-
ever new tracts of land have been brought under cultivation in recent years. The
writer has observed Mockingbirds in a small orchard surrounding a ranch house,
far out on the plains near Wheatville. among the tangle of swamp growths below
Riverdale, and along one or two of the creeks that lead down from the foothills ;
Imt the center of their abundance seems to be the most highly cultivated and
thickly settled tracts in the valley. Orchards, hedge rows, fig-bordered vineyards,
and shade trees around dwellings are favorite haunts of this famous vocalist ;
and from the tops of windmills, the topmost branches of trees, or the roofs of
buildings, they pour forth their wonderful repertoire of song. They sing not
only during the daylight hours, but, in summertime, frequently throughout the
entire night as well, especially if it be moonlight.
The nesting season commences in early April, as is evidenced by the find-
ing of a nest with four considerably incubated eggs on April 11, 191 1, and
numerous other nests all through the same month. . Not until the first half of
August has passed may we feel safe in asserting that the breeding season has
closed.
August 6, 1902, a nest was found with three small young birds, August i,
1904, another nest contained three incubated eggs, and on the same date the
following year a pair of these birds were found to be incubating a set of five
eggs. My records for July, as well as May and June, are too numerous to men-
tion. Three or four eggs usually constitute the sets, but five is not an uncom-
mon number. A record of fortv-one sets definitely recorded shows seventeen
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT
103
of three, eighteen of four, and six of five eggs each, and this proportion would
probably hold good from year to year.
A tendency to deposit their eggs late in the forenoon has been noticed in
this species, more than in any other. April 25, 1907, a nest was found with two
eggs, and neither of the owners were anywhere about although it was then after
ten o'clock. Shortly afterwards one of the birds flew to the nest, and a glance
into their home in mid-afternoon revealed a third egg. This and other similar
instances somewhat upset a theory that I had entertained in my vounger days,
to the effect that birds, as a rule, deposit their eggs early in the morning.
It may be said that any kind of a bush, shrub, or tree that affords some slight
degree of concealment is liable to be chosen as a nesting site. The height from
the ground varies from two feet when the nest is built in a grape vine, up to
fifteen feet in willows, but an average height would be from five to seven feet.
Any mention of this species would be incomplete unless the writer related
a rather amusing incident that occurred several years since. A lady visiting this
city from Pasadena was heard to express her dislike for a place where Mock-
ingbirds were not to be found, and she assured one of her friends that in thtr
two or three days that she had been in this vicinity she had neither seen nor
heard one of these, her favorite birds. All this despite the fact that not sixty
feet distant in the top of a shade tree, a Mockingbird was pouring forth a flood
of melody that could hardly have failed to arouse enthusiasm in any bird lover,
even had the bird been concealed !
California Thrasher. Toxostoma redivivum (Gambel).
This thrasher is mentioned on the authority of Miss Winifred Wear, who
records a single bird seen in the brush near Riverview, on the San Joaquin River,
May 9, 1908.
The writer has seen but one thrasher in this part of the state, and that one
was observed on a brush-covered hillside above Toll House, June 27, 1906. Upon
being too closely approached the bird arose and flew across a small canyon. This
record is, of course, outside the limits of the region treated in the present paper,
but is given on account of the rarity of the species in Fresno County.
Rock Wren. Salpinctes obsoletus obsoletus (Say).
Along the rocky bluff that i)aiallels the San Joaquin River near Lane's
Bridge, several pairs of Rock Wrens find conditions suitable tc their require-
m.ents, and may often be seen climbing up the rough surface of a boulder or
engaging in short flights along the face of some ledge. The loud whistling song,
echoing along the bluffs, is one of the most pleasing of all the tuneful ditties
that greet the bird lover, but perhaps just a little of its charm lies in the fact
that the only other bird voices heard in contrast are the screams of the Barn
Owls that sally forth at dusk from these sam.e cliffs, and occasionally the cawing
of a band of Crows over among the willow thickets.
On the ninth of April, 191 1, a Rock Wren's nest was found in a small
cavity that led upward about three feet in the soft crumbling rock. The entrance
was quite conspicuous, even at some little distance, on account of the many
small pieces of rock that were placed about the mouth of the excavation in
such a manner as to leave only a very small hole through which the wrens en-
104 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
tered. As a means of protection against the various rodents that inhabit this
bluff, no doubt, a number of thorny twigs were placed near the entrance and
down the small passageway that led to the nest cavity. There a loose collection
of dry grass stems was placed in a slight hole scratched in the dry dust. At
that date the female had not commenced to lay, although the nest was apparently
ready for eggs.
Three weeks later another pair of wrens were found singing near a small
cave, and one of the birds was seen to fly from the inside on two different occas-
sions, but no nest was to be found.
San Joaquin Wren. Thryomanes bewicki drymoecus Oberholser.
The nature of the country about Fresno is not such as to attract wrens of
any kind in numbers. Wood sprites they are, and must have a well timbered
country ; so it is not surprising that the present species occurs, within the range
of this paper, principally along the San Joaquin and Kings rivers and at the mouth
of one or two of the creeks that lead down out of the hills. From these places
they make somewhat extended visits to other parts of the valley during the winter
months, and are sometimes encountered in brush piles along the canals and
ditches. Here they climb over logs, dodge into brush heaps, or pry into the holes
in partly dead willows, picking up from such places whatever offers in the way of
food. While quite generally distributed some winters, they are not at any time
abundant.
April 8, 191 1, the writer secured for identification an example of this wren
from a large, ragged old willow tree growing near the river below Lane's Bridge.
This specimen is now in the Museum at the University of California, and has
been identified by Mr. Grinnell as the "San Joaquin Wren", a form not recog-
nized by the A. O. U. Committee, but which differs markedly from typical
charienhirus.
April 20, 191 2, wrens were heard singing in the tangle of brush and wil-
lows at the Madera County end of Lane's Bridge. When I remained quiet for
a few minutes one of the birds appeared with a bill full of what seemed to be
nesting material. She sang several times but seemed to be suspicious. I was not
able to wait for her to reveal to me the location of her nest, which was no doubt
located somewhere about the timbers of the bridge.
TuLE Wren. Telmatodytes palustris paludicola (Baird).
Marsh wrens of anv species are far less numerous in Fresno County than
would be expected, when we consider the hosts of marsh blackbirds that are
attracted to the valley, and find conditions well suited to their needs.
In all my tramping among the tules, and wading in frog ponds, I have never
found a nest of these little wrens ; neither have I ever seen one of the birds dur-
ing the summer months. In midwinter, by tramping through the tule beds and
along ditch banks, a marsh wren may sometimes, but not often, be made to take
wing. From the information at hand I should put this species down only as a
regular but not abundant winter visitant.
A specimen collected near Raisin City, November 10, 1910, by Mr. Joseph
Sloanaker, has been identified by Mr. Grinnell as paludicola.
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 105
Sierra Creeper. Certhia familiaris zelotes Osgood.
The winter of 1910-11 was remarkable for the number of unusual visitants
among our avian friends, that appeared in the vicinity of Fresno. By no means
the least interesting of these were the little creepers, which occurred quite
numerously in the willow trees that border some of the larger ditches, and
doubtless elsewhere as well. December 26, 1910, and February 18, 191 1, were
the only days that I was able to spend in the country, but on each occasion creep-
ers were found along the Gould ditch near Clovis, where, for the first time, 1
heard their squeaky, chattering song, if song it might be called.
Nature has decreed that the creeper must seek its food, not among the
branches as the warblers do, but from the rough bark of the tree-trunk; and to
facilitate this she has provided them with sharp spine-like tail feathers, such
as the woodpeckers have, to assist in clinging to the tree as the bird hitches up
and around a tree trunk. The relatively wide, flat body of these little birds tends
to give them a certain resemblance to lizards, and the spotted brownish back
looks, at a little distance, as if it might be covered with scales instead of feathers.
Really, the resemblance that a creeper bears to a lizard as it sidles up a branch,
is at times remarkable.
The creeper's method of concealment is as effective as it is unique. On one
occasion I was watching one of these little birds in a small willow tree, when a
Sharp-shinned Hawk f^ew over with a Mockingbird in its talons. As the report
of the shotgun died away I was sure that the creeper had not flown ; but after
picking up the hawk I could not again discover my little friend, so began a care-
ful scrutiny of every branch. After completely encircling the tree, I finally de-
tected the creeper flattened against the trunk not ten feet from the ground. Al-
though I could probably have dislodged him with the gun barrel, he had not
moved in several minutes, and so perfectly did his plumage blend with the colors
of the rough bark that the bird would certainly have been passed unnoticed had
I not been aware of almost his exact location.
Slender-billed Nuthatch. Sitta carolinensis aculeata Cassin.
This is another bird that is given a place on the present list as a result of
the observations of Miss Winifred Wear, who has informed me that the specie.-^
was found in the oaks near Laton, February 17, 1909. The Slender-billed Nut-
hatch should be confidently looked for in winter throughout the oak covered re-
gion south of Fresno, and possibly along the San Joaquin River below Friant ;
but over most of the valley the conditions are hardly suitable for a bird that is
so closely associated with oak timber.
Red-breasted Nuthatch. Sitta canadensis Linnaeus.
I have been unable to find more than one record of the occurrence of this
nuthatch anywhere in this part of the valley. Miss Winifred Wear was given a
single bird by one of the children in her school, late in the winter of 191 1. The
writer examined this specimen but did not at the time note the date of capture, or
sex, and it seems to have disappeared from Miss Wear's collection. Unfortu-
nately there was no data other than that on the tag which was attached to the
skin.
106 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
Pigmy Nuthatch. Sitta pygmaea pygmaea Vigors.
I have only one record of this handsome little nuthatch, and that is of a
single silent individual that I chanced to find on the afternoon of November i,
1903. A large cottonwood tree growing on the bank of the Gould ditch some
two miles south of Clovis seemed to offer great possibilities in the way of food
for the nuthatch worked head downward from the highest branches to the base,
and then flew up near the top several times to begin a more thorough search
for some morsel overlooked on the previous round. What a num.ber of insect
eggs this one bird must have gleaned from even a single tree ! The occurrence of
this bird was recorded in The Condor (xi, 1909, p. 81).
California Bush-tit. Psaltriparus minimus californicus Ridgway.
Over the greater part of the floor of the valley there is an entire absence
of these little mouse-like birds, due, no doubt, to the lack of brush suitable for
the characteristic foraging expeditions, such an essential to every well ordered
flock of bush-tits. The species is very common all through the foothills, but
so far as I have been able to observe, it occurs within the limits of this paper
at only two or three points. It is resident in the brush and willows along the San
Joaquin River below Friant, and doubtless follows down the Kings River bottom
for some distance, at times.
A small flock of bush-tits that have often been encountered along Dry Creek,
six miles east of Clovis, proved to be less noisy than is usual with this species,
and uttered their lisping "tsit," "tsit," at rather infrequent intervals, even when
the little flock was scattered over considerable area. They always appeared to be
in a hurry, and hardly paused in any tree long enough to make a thorough search
for the minute insects they sought.
Nest building with the members of this species begins very early in the spring
as was shown by a nest found on the first day of April, 1906, in which were three
tiny birds and three eggs on the point of hatching. This was a bulky, thick-
walled pouch, suspended from a bunch of dead mistletoe just twelve feet from
the ground, in a large cottonwood tree growing in the creek bed. In spite of
the size of the nest it was not at all conspicuous, owing to the fact that it was
composed almost entirely of willow blossoms and lichens, exactly the color of
dead bark.
Two other nests examined May 9, 1908, near the same place, were very
similar to the one described, and I was impressed with the thickness of the
lining, especially in one of them. There was a solid mass of material almost as
large as a base ball, composed of small feathers, many of them being a bright
yellow color, evidently from a yellow warbler. In each of these nests a brood of
voung had been reared some weeks previously.
Ruey-crownEd Kinglet. Regulus calendula calendula (Linnaeus).
The subdued scolding notes of the kinglets are sometimes heard in the shade
trees about the city as early as October 15th. But not until a week or more has
been spent in the higher treetops does this little creature become sufficiently
accustomed to its winter home to allow us more than a glimpse of his tiny
greenish form as the bird flits about from branch to branch in a most restless
manner. When once its shyness has been overcome, however, this is one of the
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 107
most fearless of all our winter birds. In point of size this species is one of
the smallest of the many winter visitants to the valley, but its trim form, bright
eyes, and friendly manner combine to make it a most interesting little creature.
The majority of our kinglets depart for their summer homes in the mountains
during late March, but as late as April 15 (1906) a few were still to be seen
along the Gould ditch near Clovis.
During the winter months the kinglets often associate with Audubon Warb-
lers, probably because the feeding habits of the two species are so similar. The
frequent short, flycatcher-like sallies, with their resultant snapping of bills, in-
dicate the capture of untold insects, often so minute as to be invisible to the hu-
man eye.
I was much interested one warm January day. in the efforts of a kinglet to
remove from its plumage a quantity of resin or gum that had adhered to ^t
from contact with the branches of a pepper tree. As the little fellow perched
scarce six feet away, twisting first to one side then to the other, the occasional
flash of his brilliant crown-patch contrasted strongly with the bright green
background of leaves. Resting a moment after each violent exertion the diminu-
tive creature would suddenly seize a particle of the troublesome matter in his
bill, and tug until it seemed that he would actually pluck the primary feathers
from his wings. Finally the gum was sufficiently removed to allow free use of
each feather, and Kinglet again became a busy, restless little sprite, with no time
for anything but the serious business of getting a meal.
We;ste;rn Gnatcatcher. Polioptila caerulea obscura Ridgway.
The gnatcatcher is of common occurrence in late summer and fall over the
valley, but more particularly in that portion lying adjacent to the Sierra Nevada
Mountains. It occurs casually at other times also, but does not breed commonly
below the foothill belt. Single birds, or small scattered companies, sometimes
make their appearance in orchards and brush piles as early as August 15, and
from that time through all of September and the first half of October they may
often be encountered. January i, 191 1, was a clear, warm day followmg <»
heavy frost of the night preceding, and I was fortunate in finding a gnatcatcher
in a weed-grown berry patch within the city limits in the northern part of Fresno.
The characteristic "k-gee" attracted my attention as the bird passed by, jerking
about nervously. January 22 two more were seen near the same place ; so that
the species is sometimes a winter visitant with us.
Gnatcatchers were quite numerous in the willow^ along the Gould ditch,
south of Clovis, during March and April, 1906, and several pairs remained to
nest for the first, and also the last, time within my knowledge. A bluish-colored,
lichen-covered nest found on June 6, was built fourteen feet above the ground
on a dead horizontal willow branch. One of the birds was occupying the nest,
in which were five fresh eggs. A more beautiful structure it would be hard to
imagine, and it was almost exactly the color of the bird herself. A framework
of very fine plant fibers, cobwebs and feathers, formed a light but strong basket,
over which were placed tree lichens, to make the nest harmonize with the branch
on which it was built.
That same day another nest was located fifteen feet up, in the vertical forks
of another dead willow branch. Similar in appearance to the one described, this
108 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
nest had long been deserted, and held the dried up remains of two nearly grovv^n
young birds. Another nest, differing but little in composition or position, was
found on June 2T,, 1906, placed twenty feet up in a large willow. The five eggs
it contained were quite heavily incubated.
It would be interesting to know what peculiarly favorable conditions existed
that year to attract these interesting little birds, and to induce them to remain
through the breeding season.
Dwarf Hermit Thrush. Hylocichla guttata nanus (Audubon).
From mid-October until March occasional examples of this thrush may be
found in the willows along the ditches, where they seclude themselves for the
most part in the gloomiest shady clumps of large trees. They are quite silent
during the time they remain with us, and of such sluggish natures as to appear
almost stupid at times. I have sometimes walked up to within five or six feet
of one of these birds without causing it the least alarm. At a nearer approach
it would leisurely hop to another branch, just out of arm's reach, where it would
assume an air of indifference, and remain motionless for some time. The only
specimen I ever collected was secured with a shot cartridge in a twenty-two
caliber revolver, at a distance of about seven feet.
It is a difficult matter to attempt to ascertain in what numbers this bird
occurs, as the species might easily be overlooked entirely.
Western Robin. Planesticus migratorius propinquus (Ridgway).
Some winters robins appear in large numbers and spread out over the val-
ley in flocks of from twenty to fifty or more individuals. At other times hardly a
bird will be seen all winter. Climatic conditions seem to govern their abundance,
and doubtless the food supply has much to do with their scarcity during certain
intervals. Alfalfa fields, pasture land, and small overflowed sections are the
favorite feeding grounds for Western Robins in this vicinity, and because of a
like preference on the part of the Brewer Blackbird, the two species are often
observed together on the ground.
Occasionally robins appear in small numbers early in November, but they
are seldom much in evidence during that or the following month, and not until
February do they become especially noticeable. The winters of 1903 and 1907
were notable for the abundance of these birds, particularly over much of the
region northeast of Clovis and extending toward the hills.
As a rule, the last week in March may be expected to see the departure of
all but a few stragglers from the lower parts of the valley, those that remain be-
ing in most cases single birds. April 4, 1907, one of these late sojourners was
observed, and another was recorded the following day, while one silent individual
was noted April 7, 191 1. m some willows near the river below Lanes Bridge.
The caroling of these birds is seldom heard here in the valley, their most
common notes being an unmusical squeak and the characteristic "'kwee-kwee-
kuk."
Northern Varied Thrush. Ixoreus naevius meruloides (Swainson).
The occurrence of this handsome bird in winter has been reported to me
on two or three different occasions ; but the best record obtainable is that of Miss
1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 109
Winifred Wear, who has observed Varied Thrushes several times near Fresno.
In one case the bird was drinking from a hydrant in a front yard. February 27,
1907, another was seen near Fancher Creek, east of the city. The Western
Robins are said to be constant companions of this thrush.
Weste;rn Blukbird. Sialia mexicana occidentalis Townsend.
During- January and February each year there occurs what I term a local
migration, involving, if the winter be a mild one, only a few scattered flocks of
this species ; but some seasons, as in 1906 and 1907, large numbers of birds are
afifected. A succession of two or three heavy frosts is an almost infallible sign
for the appearance of Western Bluebirds, coming from the Sierra Nevada foot-
hills. At such times these birds often fly at a great height, sometimes being al-
most or quite indiscernible to the unaided eye, although their clear, musical, but
somewhat melancholy call notes ring out distinctly, and call attention to the loose
flocks of from seven or eight to fifty birds.
So far as the writer has been able to learn, these wanderers do not com-
monly travel far to the westward, for bluebirds are always more common in the
vicinity of Clovis than about Fresno. It would seem that the individuals prefer
to remain in the hills, and leave with reluctance ; so that when forced by cold or
a diminishing food supply to abandon their favorite haunts, they simply scatter
out over the valley, remaining as near to their former home as conditions permit.
Of a more restless nature than the Mountain Bluebird, the present species
seldom remains long in one place while here, a flock continually engaging in
short flights from one vineyard to another. By the loth of March these attractive
visitors have usually all disappeared.
Although somewhat out of the district included in this paper, it might be of
interest to record a nest of Western Bluebird discovered on April 30, 1910.
While walking along the roadside near Cottonwood Creek, in Madera County, a
bluebird suddenly alighted on a branch not ten feet away, but seeing me she sang
for several seconds a peculiar, subdued, warbling medley of notes, and then flew
to another perch, still holding in her bill a mass of small insects of some sort.
A short search revealed a nest about one foot down in a knot hole in a willow
tree. The entrance was only three feet from the ground. There were several
small young in the cavity.
The elevation at that place was about nine hundred feet, and while it was
but a short distance up the creek to oak timber, yet it was even a shorter dis-
tance back to the dry stubble fields, the home of countless horned larks.
Mountain Bluebird. Sialia currucoides (Bechstein).
Unlike the preceding species, this bluebird visits the lowlands regularly each
winter, though in varying numbers. The present year (1912) this species was
noticed in some numbers as early as October 14, but as a rule few are seen until
November. The time of their greatest abundance is during the first two months
of the year. March 8 (1903) is the latest I have known them to remain, atid
probably all the flocks depart at about the same time in the spring.
During their stay in the valley the Mountain Bluebirds are associated in
small companies of from three or four to ten birds, with only an exceptional
Mock numbering as many as twenty-five.
no PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 9
A jnarked preference is shown for staked vineyards, where the birds spend
their time either perching on the stakes or hovering in mid-air, Sparrow Hawk
fashion. A company of these bluebirds in flight may be identified at a distance
by their pecuHar manner of poising for a few seconds on rapidly beating
wings, then flying ahead in undulating swoops. They are often seen in
company with Linnets, the two species frequently perching for many minutes in
neighborly manner on telephone wires. The bluebirds take wing one at a time
and fly ahead at the approach of an intruder, the different units of a flock some-
times becoming quite widely scattered.
Ill
INDEX
A
Accipiter cooperi, 41
velox, 40
Acchmophorus occidentalis, 13
Agelaius phoeniceus californicus, 69
tricolor, 70
Aix sponsa, 17
Aluco pratincola, 47
Animodramus savannaruni biniaculatus, 78
Amphispiza nevadensis canescens, 84
Anas platyrhynchos, 15
Anser albifrons gambeli, 18
Anthus rubescens, 101
Aphelocoma californica californica, 66
Aquila chrysaetos, 43
Archibuteo ferrugineus, 43
lagopus sancti-johannis, 43
Archilochus alexandri, 58
Ardea herodias herodias, 21
Asio flammeus, 48
wilsonianus, 48
Astragalinus psaltria hesperophilus, 76
lawrencei, 76
tristis salicamans, 75
Asyndesmus lewisi, 55
Avocet, 24
B
Baldpate, 16
Bittern, American, 20
Least, 21
Blackbird, Bicolored, 69
Brewer, 74
San Diego Red-wing, 69
Tricolored, 70
Yellow-headed, 68
Bluebird, Mountain, 109
Western, 109
Bombycilla cedrorum, 93
Botaurus lentiginosus, 20
Branta canadensis canadensis, 18
hutchinsi, 18
Bubo virginianus pacificus, 50
Bunting, Lazuli, 89
Bush- tit, California, 106
Buteo borealis calurus, 41
swainsoni, 42
Butoridcs virescens anthonyi, 21
Calyptc anna, 58
Carpodacus mexicanus frontalis, 74
Cathartes aura septentrionalis, Zl
Certhia familiaris zelotes, 105
Ceryle alcyon, 53
Chaetura vauxi, 58
Chat, Long-tailed, 101
Chen hyperboreus hyperboreus, 18
Chondestes grammacus strigatus, 79
Chordeilcs acutipennis texensis, 56
Circus hudsonius, 39
Coccyzus aniericanus occidentalis, 53
Colaptes cafer collaris, 55
Columba fasciata, 34
Condor, California, 37
Coot, 23
Corvus brachyrhynchos hesperis, 66
corax sinuatus, 66
Cowbird, Dwarf, 67
Crane, Little Brown, 22
Sandhill, 22
Creeper, Sierra, 105
Crow, Western, 66
Cuckoo, California, 53
Curlew, Hudsonian, 30
Long-billed, 30
Cyanocitta stellcri frontalis, 66
Datila acuta, 17
Dendrocygna bicolor, 19
Dendroica aestiva brewsteri, 99
auduboni auduboni, 99
nigrescens, 100
Dove, Western Mourning, 35
Dryobates nuttalli, 54
pubescens turati, 54
Duck, Ruddy, 17
Wood, 17
112
PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA
No. 9
Eagle, Bald, 44
Golden, 43
Elanus leucurus, 39
Erismatura jamaicensis, 17
Euphagus cyanocephalus, 74
F
Faico columbarius columbarius, 46
mexicanus, 44
peregrinus anatum, 44
sparverius sparverius, 46
Falcon, Prairie, 44
Flicker, Red-shafted, 55
Flycatcher, Ash-throated, 60
Fulica americana, 23
G
Gallinago delicata, 29
Gallinula galeata, 23
Gallinule, Florida, 23
Geococcyx californianus, 52
Geothlypis trichas occiden talis, 100
Gnatcatcher, Western, 107
Goldfinch, Green-backed, 76
Lawrence, 76
Willow, 75
Goose, Canada, 18
Hutchins, 18
Lesser Snow, 18
White-fronted, 18
Grebe, Eared, 13
Pied-billed, 13
Western, 13
Grosbeak, Black-headed, 87
Western Blue, 88
Grus mexicana, 22
Guiraca caerulea lazula, 88
salicarius, 88
Gull, California, 13
Gymnogyps californianus, 37
Haliseetus leucocephalus leucocephalus, 44
Hawk, Cooper, 41
American Sparrow, 46
Duck, 44
Hawk, Marsh, 39, 49
Northern Pigeon, 46
American Rough-legged, 43
Ferruginous Rough-legged, 43
Western Red-tailed, 41, 96
Sharp-shinned, 40, 81
Swainson, 42
Heron, Anthony Green, 21
Black-crowned Night, 22
Great Blue, 21, 47
Himantopus mexicanus, 25
Hirundo erythrogastra, 91
Hummingbird, Anna, 58
Black-chinned, 58
Rufous, 58
Hydrochelidon nigra surinamensis, 14
Hylocichla guttata nanus, 108
Ibis, White-faced Glossy, 20
Icteria virens longicauda, 101
Icterus bullocki, 72
Iridoprocne bicolor, 92
Ixcbrychus exilis, 21
Ixoreus naevius meruloides, 108
Jay, Blue-fronted, 66
California, 66, 96
Junco hyemalis hyemalis, 83
oreganus thurberi, 83
Junco, Sierra, 83
Slate-colored, 83
K
Killdeer, 31
Kingbird, Western, 59
Kingfisher, Belted, 53
Kinglet, Ruby-crowned, 106, 52
Kite, White-tailed, 39
Lanius ludovicianus gambeli, 95
Lark, California Horned, 62
Larus californicus, 13
Linnet, 74, 79, 95
Lophortyx californica vallicola, 32
1913
BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT
113
Magpie, Yellow-billed, 65
Mallard, 15
Mareca americana, 15
Manila americana, 17
Martin, Western, 90
Meadowlark, Western, 71
Melanerpcs formicivorus bairdi, 54
Melospiza lincolni striata, 85
melodia heermanni, 84
Merganser, Red-breasted, 15
Mergus serrator, 15
Mimus polyglottos leucopterus, 102
Mockingbird, Western, 102, 32, 40, 41, 50, 51,
61, 79
Molothrus ater obscurus, 67
Myiarchus cinerascens cinerascens, 60
Myiochanes richardsoni richardsoni, 62
N
Xettion carolinense, 16
Nighthawk, Texas, 56, 49
Xumenius americanus, 30
hudsonicus, 30
Xuthatch, Pygmy, 106
Red-breasted, 105
Slender-billed, 105
Xycticorax nycticorax naevius, 22
0
Olor columbianus, 19
Oreortyx picta plumifera, 32
Oriole. Bullock, 72, 42, 59
Otocoris alpestris actia, 62
Otus asio bendirei, 49
Owl, Barn, 47, 33, 42, 49
Burrowing, 51
California Screech, 49
Long-eared, 48
Pacific Horned, 50
Short-eared, 48, 49
Southern Spotted, 49
Oxyechus vociferus, 31
Passerina amoena, 89
Pelecanus erythrorhynchos, 15
Pelican, White, 15
Petrochelidon lunifrons lunifrons, 90
Pevvee, Western Wood, 62
Phainopepla nitens, 95
Phainopepla, 95
Phalacrocorax auritus albociliatus, 14
Phalarope, Northern, 24
Phoebe, Black, 61
Say, 61
Pica nuttalli, 65
Pigeon, Band-tailed, 34
Pintail, 17, 16
Pipilo crissalis crissalis, 86
maculatus megalonyx, 86
Pipit, American, 101
Piranga ludoviciana, 90
Pisobia minutilla, 29
Planesticus migratorius propinquus, 108
Plegadis guarauna, 20
Plover, Mountain, 32
Podasocys montanus, 32
Podilymbus podiceps, 13
Pooecetes gramineus confinis, 77
Progne subis hesperia, 90
Psaltriparus minimus californicus, 106
a
Quail, Mountain, 32
Plumed, 32
Valley, 32, 40
Querquedula cyanoptera, 16
R
Rail, Virginia, 23
Rallus virginianus, 23
Raven, Western, 66
Recurvirostra americana, 24
Redhead, 17
Regulus calendula calendula, 106
Road-runner, 52
Robin, Western, 108, 109
Passer domesticus, 77
Passerculus sandwichensis alaudinus, 77
Passerella iliaca schistacea. 85
insularis, 86
Salpinctes obsoletus obsoletus. 103
Sandpiper, Least, 29
Sapsucker, Red-breasted, 54
114
PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA
No. 9
Sayornis nigricans, 61
sayus, 61
Selasphorus rufus, 58
Shoveller, 17
Shrike, California, 95
Sialia currucoides, 109
mexicana occidentalis, 109
Sitta canadensis, 105
carolinensis aculeata, 105
pygmaea pygmaea, 106
Snipe, Wilson, 29
Sparrow, Brewer, 82
California Sage, 84
English, n, 75
Forbush, 85
Gambel, 81
Golden-crowned, 82
Heermann Song, 84, 90
Intermediate, 81, 40
Kadiak Fox, 86
Oregon Vesper, 11
Slate-colored Fox, 85
Western Chipping, 82
Western Grasshopper, 78
Western L,ark, 79
Western Savannah, 11
Western Vesper, 11, 96
Spatula clypeata, 17
Speotyto cunicularia hypogaea, 51
Sphyrapicus ruber, 54
varius daggetti, 54
Spizella breweri, 82
passerina arizonae, 82
Stelgidopteryx serripennis, 93
Sterna forsteri, 13, 14
Stilt, Black-necked, 25
Strix occidentalis, 49
Sturnella neglecta, 71
Swallow, Barn, 91, 90
Cliff, 90
Northern Violet-green, 92
Rough-winged, 93
Tree, 92
Swan, Whistling, 19
Swift, Vaux, 58
White-throated, 58
Teal, Cinnamon, 16
Green-winged, 16
Telmatodytes palustris paludicola, 104
Tern, Black, 14
Forster, 13
Thrasher, California, 103
Thrush, Dwarf Hermit, 108
Northern Varied, 108
Thryomanes bewicki drymoecus, 104
Totanus melanoleucus, 29
Towhee, California Brown, 86
San Diego, 86
Spurred, 87
Toxostoma redivivum, 103
Tree-duck, Fulvous, 19
Tyrannus verticalis, 59
Vireo, California Least, 98
Vireo belli pusillus, 98
Vulture, Turkey, 37
w
Warbler, Audubon, 99, 61
Black-throated Gray, 100
California Yellow, 99
Golden Pileolated, 101
Waxwing, Cedar, 93
Wilsonia pusilla chryseola, 101
Woodpecker, California, 54
Lewis, 55
Nuttall, 54
Willow, 54
Wren, Rock, 103
San Joaquin, 104
Tule, 104
X
Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus, 68
Yellow-legs, Greater, 29
Yellow-throat, Western, 100
Tachycineta thalassina lepida, 92
Tanager, Western, 90
Zamelodia melanocephala, 87
Zenaidura macroura marginella, 35
Zonotrichia leucophrys gambeli, 81
coronata, 82
COOPER ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB
PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA
NUMBER 9
SOME BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT, CALIFORNIA
BY
JOHN G. TYLER
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA
Published by the Club
October I, 1913
PRICE LIST
COOPER CLUB PUBLICATIONS
THE CONDOR
Vol. I, 1899 "Bulletin of the Cooper Ornithological Club" - $
No complete volutne on hand
Vol. II, 1900 Complete --.... 5^00
-Vol. Ill, 1901 " - - - - - - - 5.00
Vol. IV, 1902 /' - - - - - - 3.00
Vol. V, 1903 " - - - - - - - 2.00
Vol. VI, 1904 " - - - - - - - 2.00
Vol. VII, 1905 " - - - - - - - 2.00
Vol. VIII, 1906 " - - - - - - 1.50
Vol. IX, 1907 " - - - - - - - 1.50
Vol. X, 1908 " --.... 1.50
Vol. XI, 1909 " - - - - - - - 1.50
Vol. XII, 1910 " - - - - - - 1.50
Vol. XIII, 1911 ''------. 2.00
Vol. XiV, 1912 " -----. 1.50
Vol. XV, 1913 Current - - - - - - - 1.50
Vol. XVI, 1914 Advance - - - - - - 1.50
PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA
No. 1, 1900 Birds of the Kotzebue Souivd Region, Alaska; 88 pp. and map 75c
By J. Grinnei,i<
No. 2, 1901 I,and Birds of Santa Cruz County, California; 22 pp. - - 25c
By R. C. McGregor
No. 3, 1902 Check-List of California Birds; 100 pp. and 2 maps - - $1.50
By J. Grinnei.1v
No. 4, 1904 Birds of the Huachuca Mountains, Arizona; 75 pp. - - 50c
By H. S. SwARTH
No. 5, 1909 A Bibliography of California Ornithology; 166 pp. - - $1.50
By J, Grinneliv
No. 6, 1909 Ten- Year Index to The Condor; 48 pp. - - . . $1.00
By H. B. KaEDING
No. 7, 1912 Birds of the Pacific Slope of Southern California; 122 pp. $1.50
By G. WhLETT
No. 8, 1912 A Systematic List of the Birds of California; 23 pp. - - 50c
By J. Grinnei^L
No. 9, 1913 The Birds of the Fresno District; 114 pp. - - - -$1.50
By J. G. Tyler
No. 10, 1913 Distributional List of the Birds of Arizona; (in press) - $1.50
By II. S. SwARTH
Address W. LEE CHAMBERS, Business Manager
Eagle Rock, Los Angeles Co., California
Live Music Archive
Librivox Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Internet Arcade
Console Living Room
Books to Borrow
Open Library
TV News
Understanding 9/11