MODESTO SONG SPARROW 1553 



The sparrows reacted to marsh hawks just as strongly during 

 normal tides. They always detected an oncoming hawk well before 

 the human observer did and, giving thin, chip alarm notes, moved 

 down to soil level, quite out of sight and reach of any hawk. 



Distribution 

 Suisun Song Sparrow (M. m. maxillaris) 



Range. — The Suisun song sparrow is resident in brackish marshes 

 surrounding Suisun Bay in central California (Southampton Bay, 

 Grizzly Island, Port Costa, Pittsburg). 



Casual record. — Casual in Santa Clara County, California (Palo 

 Alto). 



Samuel's Song Sparrow (M. m. samuelis) 



Range.- — -The Samuel's song sparrow is resident in central California 

 in salt marshes on the northern side of San Francisco and San Pablo 

 bays (Richardson Bay to Vallejo) and on the south side of San Pablo 

 Bay (southwest to San Pablo Point). 



Egg dates. — San Pablo Salt Marsh, Contra Costa County, California: 

 157 records, February 28 to June 18; 78 records, March 20 to April 10. 



Alameda Song Sparrow (M. m. pusillula) 



Range. — The Alameda song sparrow is resident in salt marshes 

 surrounding the south arm of San Francisco Bay, California (San 

 Francisco, Alviso, Stege). 



MELOSPIZA MELODIA MAILLIARDI Grinnell 



Modesto Song Sparrow 

 Contributed by Val Nolan Jr. 



Habits 



This non-migratory race is confined to the central lower basin of 

 the Great Valley of California, the lowland between the Coast Range 

 and the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Grinnell and Miller (1944) 

 state that it breeds "chiefly, perhaps entirely, below 200 feet eleva- 

 tion" but may occur rarely at greater altitudes along streams of the 

 Sierran foothills. The same authors state that the habitat is "Fresh- 

 water marshes and riparian thickets. Predominant plant cover 

 consists of willow and nettle thickets and growths of tules and cattails." 

 No other material on the life history has been found. 



J. Grinnell (1911b) described the race mailliardi, giving as diagnostic 

 characters the generally large size, large bill, and broad and dark 



