THE OSPREY. 



An Illustrated Magazine of Popular Ornithology. 



Published [VIonThlv. 



Volume V. 



AUOUST, 1901. 



Numb'eh 8. 



Original and Selected Articles. 



BIRDS ABOPT LAKE TAHOE. 

 Bv Mil ton S. Ray, San Francisco, Cal. 



In all California I know of no place where the 

 ornithologist can spend a more enjoyable time 

 than on the southern shore of Lake Tahoe a1 an 

 altitude of 6,220 feet. Here is an abundant and 

 varied bird-life, a cold and bracing climate, and 

 an absence of thick brush which make long trips 

 tiresome. 



The weather, however, is liable to play strange 

 pranks at any time. We experienced magnifi- 

 cent thunder storms followed by a downpour of 

 rain and occasionally hail and light snow, and 

 a few hours later the sun would be shining, and 

 the sky clear. In the morning at times in June 

 the thermometer dropped as low as 2o . 



If one has continuity large he may spend his 

 time locating nests of the warblers in the gn 

 pines or as a change a more remunerative visit 

 to the marsh where the commoner eggs can be 

 taken in an almost unlimited quantity. From 

 the southern end of the lake a fertile table laud 

 extends almost IS miles south and about 10 miles 

 across, high mountains rising on all sides, 

 Tallac on the west to 9,715 feet, further back 

 snowy Pyramid attain-. 10,052 feet, while on the 

 east Job's and Freel's peaks have an altitude ol 

 10,b37 and 10,849 feet respectively. The Lake 

 Valley as it is called is thickly wooded with prin- 

 cipally a second growth of pine and tamarack 

 while on the mountain sides in addition are im- 

 mense forests of fir, spruce and cedar. 



We left San Francisco on May 28th, (1901), 

 passing through Fyffe, rather famous for its or- 

 nithological discoveries, on the way. The rise 

 of this road from Sacramento is very gradual, 

 7. .son feet being reached without any summits of 

 consequence. We arrived at Bijou on the lake 

 on June 4th. and erected our camp in a grove oi 

 young r tamaracks at the edge of a large meadow . 



I think a locality thoroughly examined will 

 yield considerably more than a much larger area 

 hurriedly gone over. By stealing silently along 

 and by sitting perfectly still until the birds 

 became unaware of my presence. I found nests 

 which would have otherwise escaped my notice; 

 My first find of importance was a nest of Thur- 

 ber'sjunco [/unco hyemalis thurberi) just blow- 



able on June 7th. The lies! wascompletely hid- 

 den by the wide drooping leaves of a wild sun- 

 r, and was situated on thi banh ol a ditch 

 two miles over the state line in Nevada. Scarce- 

 ly 50 yards En hi camp on June 10th, my brother 

 -.tumbled on a nest of the White-crown. . I 

 Sparrow (Zonotrirhia Icttcophry r) well concealed 

 among the grass at the fool of a small willow. 

 We had passed this spot a number of times, but 

 the parent had been 30 alerl as to steal away 

 unnoticed. The eggs, tour in number, were 

 fresh and of the finely speckled type. These 

 birds were rather scarce here, although abundant 

 coming over the summit, and extremelj common 

 at Burk's Ranch in Plumas County. I have 

 heard the male singing as late as 9 o'clock at 

 night, and at the firsl signs of daybreak. The 

 song is similar to that of /.. I. nuttalli, but the 

 ending is more abrupt. 



On the following day near cam]) I collect- 

 ed live fresh eggs of the Louisiana Tanager 

 \nga ludoviciana). This nest was placed 

 on a tamarack branch, only 25 feel from the 

 ground, while one found at Fyffe on June 2nd. 

 was 50 feel up in a pine. A verj common bird 

 was Cassin's Purple Finch (Carpodacus cassitii), 

 especially among the pines where the nests, 

 usuallj placed on the ends ,,f the branche - from 

 50 to 100 feet up, were almost impossible to reach. 

 Nighthawks [Chcrdeiles aculipetin't te.ve.t 

 were very numerous about the marsh, Hying 

 over the main land in large Socks on cloudy 

 days. Strange to say their cry greatly resem- 

 bles the name of the town here "Bijou." 

 Equally abundant were the usual varieties of 

 mountain birds. Woodpeckers, Flycatchers, 

 Warblers, etc., and I was also -one what sur- 

 prised to see such birds as the Mourning Dove. 

 (Zenaidura macroura), Belted Kingfisher Ceryle 

 alcyoti). Song Sparrow [Melospiza fasciataf). 

 Cliff Swallow Petrochelidon lunifrons) and 

 Barn Swallow- (Hirundo crythrogaster) in this 

 high altitude. Nests of the White-headed W< od 

 pecker (Xenopicus albolarvatus) and Western 

 Bluebird [Sialia mexicana occidenialis) were 

 found in excavations in dead pines, and eggs of 



