1925: Joseph Grinnell's field notes

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

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

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

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

Collector: Grinnell - 1925 Location: Lassen Section (Mineral) Date: June 16, 1925 Page Number: 2468

Sierra Hermit Thrushes nest: rim 800 mm above ground; supported mainly by branches of a little incense cedar (nest against its stem on one side) but also by twigs from small lodgepole pine, whose stem is only 145 mm. from that of cedar - nest not exactly between, though; total height of nest was 145 mm., diameter 160 mm.; divide diameter 65, depth 50; height of cedar 4 ft., of pine about 7 ft.; bases of these little trees surrounded by veratrum nearly to height of nest rim; general site about 75 fee from edge of willow bog and well-shaded beneath group of lodgepole pines 75-100 feet high; also tall firs nearby, from tip of one or another of which male sings a good deal of the time (within a radius of 100 yards of nest). It was thus I found it. Female on nest sitting down low in it, bill elevated, tail up at 80° angle from horizontal. Contents four plain blue eggs, evidently near to hatching; not taken. This is the nest Dixon has been photographing; I found it first on the 13th. 1 p.m. - a Red-breasted Sapsucker just came past camp to the vicinity of the spring - the first I have seen. A pair of Siskins keep visiting the summit of firs 75 feet or so high, close to camp, and I suspect a nest there. Mrs. G just found the Mariposa Fox Sparrow's nest we knew to be close to camp. It was hardly 75 feet away, and the old birds are continually

Collector: Grinnell - 1925 Location: Lassen Section (Mineral) Date: June 16, 1925 Page Number: 2469

feeding about our campsite. The male has frequently sung from a young fir tip scarcely ten feet directly above the nest, also from the brush all about it, and when hopping on the ground between or thru the bushes. The rim of the nest is 360 mm. above a mat of yellow pine needles; the nest itself is ensconced among the leaning stems of a rather sparse ceanothus integerrimus. It is a large structure, of much coarse pine and other twigs externally, and lined with shredded bark. There are two young, about 3 days old I think, helpless and downy rather than feathery. The old female is very solicitous, coming within 6 feet of us when at the nest; but the male shows little concern, and sings volubly immediately we leave, from within 20 feet of the nest. Mountain Chickadee's nest, with young, in woodpecker hole opening on under side of a leaning stub a foot in diameter and some 15 feet long. Entrance just my height from the ground - 5 ft., 7 in.; diameter of entrance, 44 mm. - so probably was made by a White-headed Woodpecker. Site open, surrounded by dry ceanothus slope; some very small yellow pines nearby, also two yellow pine stumps, sawed off so long ago they are rotting, cleft. The old chickadees come with food freely, altho I am only about 15 feet away under a bush on the dry (?) hill side. Each bird dives directly into the hole, as it arrives,

Collector: Grinnell - 1925 Location: Lassen Section (Mineral) Date: June 16-17, 1925 Page Number: 2470

without loitering at the threshold. But as it emerges, it looks about a moment, before flying away. Usually when leaving, an adult carries a pellet of excrement in its bill, taking it to a distance, beyond my range of sight. At times both old birds are in the nest hole together. The young must be very small, as I can hear no notes from them when being fed. Such food as I can see brought, consists of green caterpillars. Western Chipping Sparrow's nest: rises 65 inches above ground; in small yellow pine, one of a close growing clump of these out in open away from larger trees, bare ground predominating in vicinity, some clumps of ceanothus (snow-bush). Nest very shallow in outside proportions, resting on needles and two 1/2-inch branches and against main 1&1/2-inch stem of pine. One of the branches forming the support comes from an adjacent tree, but in adjoining against the other so as not to move in ordinary breeze. Bird was sitting closely, and there are four eggs, opaque when held towards the sunlight, so far incubated. June 17 Mollie and I left camp at 6:45 for Berkeley Mountain, via the trail to Viola which leaves the vicinity of Mineral on the gently rising ridge just east of Martin Creek. The trail is a good one tho little traveled, not at all yet this year, save by a horseman up as far as the snow allowed,