13 



GENERAL ACCOUNTS OF THE BIRDS 



Western Grebe. Aechmophorus occidentalis (Lawrence). 



The Western Grebe is not of common occurrence anywhere within the re- 

 gion covered by this paper. Hunters tell of the occurrence of this Grebe during 

 the winter months on some of the larger sloughs. This species may possibly 

 breed in the vicinity of Summit Lake, especially in seasons of high water. The 

 fact of its remaining through the summer on Tulare Lake and Buena Vista Lake, 

 in Kern County, would indicate that it is not averse to climatic or other condi- 

 tions in the valley. 



June 8, 191 2, Mr. J. Eugene Law and the writer observed what we felt quite 

 certain was a Western Grebe near White's Bridge. All the lower areas in the 

 pasture of the great Chowchilla Ranch lying along the north side of the road 

 were inundated by the overflow from several sloughs. As we drove along the 

 grade the bird, at first sight taken for a cormorant, was seen to fly across the road 

 and plunge into a pond probably two hundred yards away. It swam with arched 

 neck and bill pointing upward at quite an angle, frequently diving and remaining 

 under for several seconds. There seemed no way of approaching it more closely 

 but we watched it for some time through a powerful glass and agreed that it was, 

 with very little doubt, a Western Grebe. The silvery white underparts and long 

 pointed bill seemed sufficient characters upon which to base our identification. 



PiED-BiLLED Grebe. Podilymbus podiceps (Linnaeus). 



Grebes of any kind seem scarce anywhere within the Fresno district and 

 those that do occur are so secretive and retiring that they are not often seen, es- 

 pecially in the summer months. Personally I have only found one nest. That 

 one was probably rendered unfit for occupancy through my desire to be certain 

 that no eggs were buried in the mass of decaying vegetation composing it. This 

 material floated, partly submerged, in two feet of water in a small tule pond six 

 miles east of Clovis. The date was June 9, 1908. My disturbing the nest was not 

 the only fatal circumstance, for a subsequent visit showed the pond to be drying 

 up, and no Grebes were to be found. 



A small grebe is known to occur in winter on some of the ponds and sloughs, 

 but I am not prepared to say whether it is this species or the American Eared 

 Grebe. 



California Gull. Larus calif ornicus Lawrence. 



This Gull is a winter visitant to many of the larger sloughs along the western 

 border of the Fresno district, being most often noted in the region northward 

 from Summit Lake. I have never noticed any tendency for it to assemble in 

 large flocks, companies of even four or five being much less common than single 

 birds. 



November 28, 1904. a gull was examined near the artesian well twenty miles 

 southwest of Fresno. It had evidently been shot by hunters some days previous to 

 my visit to the lake. 



FoRSTER Tern. Sterna forsteri Nuttall. 



This species was noted in large numbers the last week in June, 1902, when 

 thousands of acres of pasture land and not a few grain fields were inundated by 



