The Season 



97 



this condition has affected bird distribu- 

 tion without reports from all sections of the 

 state. In the Bay Region, there is an 

 apparent reduction in the number of 

 Ducks on Lake Merritt and on the lakes in 

 Golden Gate Park. This affects par- 

 ticularly the fresh-water species, as 

 Canvasbacks on Lake Merritt show no 

 decrease, while Pintails, according to Mr. 

 Dixon, are about two-thirds as numerous as 

 heretofore. The very abundance of fresh 

 water in inland lakes and flooded areas 

 might very well account for this diminu- 

 tion as it increases the territory affording 

 appropriate feeding ground. 



The land birds which show the effect 

 of increased rainfall are the Bluebirds, 

 Western Robins and Varied Thrushes. 

 They are not conspicuously more abun- 

 dant but they certainly are more scattered, 

 since they can dig worms anywhere regard- 

 less of lawn sprinklers or irrigation systems. 

 The western Robin, this winter, is a 

 duplicate in behavior of its eastern cousin, 

 as it hops about the lawns in the residence 

 section instead of being limited to the 

 neighborhood of berry-bearing trees or 

 shrubs. 



One wonders whether Golden-crowned 

 Kinglets and Red-breasted Nuthatches 

 are mutually exclusive. Last winter 

 Nuthatches were abundant but Golden- 

 crowned Kinglets were very scarce. This 

 year the tables are turned as the Kinglets 

 are abundant but Nuthatches are missing. 

 Perhaps the cones provide nothing but 

 worms this year. Crossbills are also 

 lacking so far. Flocks of Cedar Waxwings 

 have been small and those of Bush-Tits 

 very large. One is at a loss to account for 

 the apparent shortage of Hermit Thrushes 

 and Pipits. The latter are probably con- 

 gregated somewhere in the Bay Region 

 but have been few and far between in 

 Berkeley. Perhaps they prefer dry slopes 

 where the seeds have not all sprouted. 



Among the rarer land birds are the 

 Orange-crowned Warblers, reported by 

 several observers, Say's Phoebe (December 

 3), Western Gnatcatchers, again confined 

 to a Claremont hillside, a White-throated 

 Sparrow, on the campus of the University 



of California, and a Western Mockingbird, 

 observed in Oakland repeatedly between 

 December 19 and January 16, oy Miss 

 Margaret Wythe. 



Among water birds one might mention 

 the Green-winged Teal and European 

 Widgeon on Lake Merritt, the abundance 

 of Western Grebes on San Francisco Bay, 

 and the frequency with which Gulls are 

 seen in the parks of San Francisco and 

 about the school grounds and University 

 campus in Oakland and Berkeley. 



On the whole, the midwinter visitants 

 (which always exceed in number the mid- 

 summer residents) seem to me to be some- 

 what below the average both as to number 

 of species and of individuals. — Amelia S. 

 Allen, Berkeley, Calif. 



Los Angeles Region. — December was 

 characterized b^ fine, mild weather with 

 very little light rain, the storms that were 

 so frequent on the northern coast not 

 reaching this region until January. 



The Mountain Plover, reported in the 

 last issue, remained in the locality where 

 they were first seen throughout December, 

 and were still there in very large numbers 

 January 12. December 10, a Golden- 

 crowned Kinglet was seen near the Arroyo 

 Seco. This is the only record we have of a 

 resident of the higher altitudes seen in 

 lower regions this season. Townsend's 

 Warblers have been several times reported 

 from the Arroyo region. Echo Park, and in 

 Pasadena gardens. A Pileolated Warbler 

 has remained in Sycamore Grove through- 

 out December and January. On December 

 24, a female Phainopepla appeared in a 

 garden where it has lived for two winters 

 past. The pair of Blue-fronted Jays 

 that nested in Griffith Park are still there 

 with their two full grown young, and are 

 tame enough to come down to share the 

 luncheon of some of the park men. 



The Chinese Spotted Pigeon introduced 

 some years ago seems to have become 

 established in certain foothill localities 

 where it is seen and heard at all seasons of 

 the year. In December a Golden-winged 

 Flicker came in company with several of 

 the Red-shafted, to the Museum Building 



