l62 



Bird - Lore 



about the harbor all winter had decreased in 

 numbers very much and only an occasional 

 one seems to be present where there were 

 dozens a few days ago. — Ira N. Gabrielson, 

 Portland, Ore. 



San Francisco Region. — Spring has ad- 

 vanced with such lagging steps that Nature 

 is still wearing the garb of mid-March. The 

 tender green foliage of hazel, spirea, and live 

 oak are awaiting the encouragement of warm 

 sunshine and balmy air before venturing too 

 boldly forth. The birds, too, seem to be 

 waiting. 



On April 13, among the water-birds on San 

 Francisco Bay were many Bonaparte's Gulls. 

 Ordinarily they busy themselves about the 

 outlets of the sewers or sun themselves on the 

 tide-lands near the shore, but on this date 

 they were following the boats in company 

 with the other Gulls. Of these the California 

 Gulls were most numerous, Western Gulls 

 common, Ringbills scarce, and Glaucous- 

 wings limited to immatures. Lesser Scaup, 

 White-winged Scoters and Surf Scoters dotted 

 the bay, and only two or three Western 

 Grebes were seen. Shore-birds were con- 

 spicuous by their absence. Only two, the size 

 of Willets, were seen although the tide was 

 favorable for feeding. 



In Golden Gate Park, on the same day, 

 eight downy Mallard ducklings followed their 

 mother across North Lake, and Ruddy Ducks 

 were in nuptial plumage. Observation of 

 marsh-birds was limited to one day — March 

 18. Conditions were still those of midwinter 

 with vegetation very backward. Heavy rains 

 had flooded the country for miles about, so 

 that it was impossible to discover the rendez- 

 vous of Avocets and Stilts, if they were 

 present. Coots, Dowitchers, and Killdeer 

 were abundant. 



Among the land-birds, many of the per- 

 manent residents are mating and a few have 

 been found building. On April 6, Bush-Tits 

 had a nest half finished, while an Anna's 

 Hummingbird had a family partly raised. 

 Unfortunately for the latter, the owner of the 

 house under whose eaves she had built her 

 nest found it necessary, in order to do some 

 painting, to pull down the vine which gave the 

 nest support. The nest was removed to a 



nearby bush and protected by a roof of cor- 

 rugated paper. The mother bird, however, 

 continued her duties and the young are nearly 

 ready for flight (April 14). Purple Finches, 

 Rufous-crowned Sparrows, and Nuttall's 

 Sparrows are in full song, the last singing at 

 all hours of the night. A pair of Lark Spar- 

 rows was seen on April 2 on the hill above 

 Fort Baker. On April 13, in Golden Gate 

 Park, Pacific Yellow-throats and Vigors' 

 Wrens were evidently mated. 



Winter visitants have been more affected 

 by the unusually low temperatures than have 

 the permanent residents. Audubon's War- 

 blers have been reduced in numbers since 

 January, while Golden-crowned Sparrows 

 and Fox Sparrows have deserted their usual 

 feeding-grounds on north-sloping hills. A 

 banded White-throated Sparrow, an unusual 

 bird on this coast, has remained on the feed- 

 ing-ground since December 8. Intermediate 

 Sparrows are more numerous now than at 

 any time during the winter and are passing 

 through the prenuptial moult. Cedar Wax- 

 wings are feeding on the berries in the park at 

 Lake Merritt. Townsend's Warblers are 

 abundant in the Claremont Hotel grounds, 

 on the Berkeley campus, and in other favorite 

 spots, and are singing freely. Golden-crowned 

 Kinglets and Varied Thrushes have been 

 seen on the campus, but they have not been 

 abundant. The call of a little Western Winter 

 Wren, which has been a familiar note heard 

 daily through the winter, was missed early 

 in March. 



Earliest dates reported for spring migrants 

 are: Lutescent Warbler, March 14 (Snake 

 Road); Violet-green Swallow, March 18 

 (Baumberg); House Wren, March 22 (Clare- 

 mont Canyon); Pileolated Warbler, March 

 25 (Claremont Canyon); Western Flycatcher, 

 March 28, and Warbling Vireo, March 30 

 (Strawberry Canyon).— Amelia Sanborn 

 Allen, Berkeley, Calif. 



Los Angeles Region. — Continued wintry 

 weather, with frequent storms in the moun- 

 tains and cold winds from the extensive snow- 

 covered areas, retards the development of 

 vegetation and, apparently, also the north- 

 ward movements of birds. According to the 

 state crop report, issued April 10, the bloom- 



