354 Bailey, Birds of the Upper Pecos. \u\y 



Sphyrapicus varius nuchalis. Red-naped Sapsucker. — Nuchalis was 

 seen on the Pecos in the Transition zone at Sooo feet. 



Sphyrapicus thyroideus. Williamson Sapsucker. — A pair of thyroi- 

 deiis, collected at about Sooo feet, had their stomachs full of ants. The 

 highest altitude at which the birds were seen was 9500 feet. 



Melanerpes formicivorus. Ant-eating Woodpecker. — A single indi- 

 vidual was reported near Glorieta about July 8. 



Colaptes cafer collaris. Red-shafted Flicker. — Flickers were fairly 

 common in the mountains from 7400 to 11,600 feet, where we found a pair 

 feeding young nearly ready to fly on August 16. The adults were then 

 calling vociferously. At 11,000 feet an old bird was feeding full grown 

 young, out of the nest, August 6. At 13,000 feet, in a protected timberline 

 alcove on the south side of Truchas, a flicker was seen on August 11 with 

 a party of migrants. 



Phalaenoptilus nuttallii. Poor-will. — A Poor-will was heard at dusk 

 near Glorieta early in July. 



Chordeiles virginianus henryi. Western Nighthawk. — Nighthawks 

 were heard booming near Glorieta about July 8. 



Aeronautes melanoleucus. White-throated Swift. — A single swift 

 was seen flying over the top of Pecos Baldy on July 31. In San Miguel 

 County, Mr. Mitchell says, it is "not common." "Breeds in cliffs during 

 May from 8000 feet to timberline." 



Selasphorus platycercus. Broad-tailed Hummingbird. — The Broad- 

 tail was fairly common from 7000 feet at Glorieta to 11,600 feet at the foot 

 of Pecos Bald}', where numbers were seen as late as August 16. Others 

 were noted the second week in August flying over the saddle of Pecos 

 Baldy at 12,000 feet, at timberline on Truchas at 12,300 feet, and going 

 over the peak of Baldy at 12,600 feet. The throat of one shot was full of 

 honey and long-tailed, wasp-like insects. On August 25 two young platy- 

 cercus vf^re taken from a flock of hummingbirds three miles south of Pecos 

 in the juniper and pinon pine belt. 



Selasphorus rufus. Rufous Hummingbird. — The large numbers of 

 hummingbirds recorded by Mr. Henshaw M'ere absent from the section of 

 the mountains that we visited. On July 25 we made an eight mile horse- 

 back trip to secure a pair that Mr. Bailey had located at some flowering 

 spirea and holodiscus bushes at 10,200 feet. Later on we found the birds 

 as high as 12,600 feet, above timberline, on Truchas Peak, and saw one 

 flash across the saddle of Baldy at 12,000 feet. The species does not occur 

 at all in Mr. Mitchell's list of the birds of San Miguel County, which in- 

 dicates at least that it is not abundant on the east slope of the range in 

 this region. The only large gathering of hummingbirds that we encoun- 

 tered was on August 25 at the southern base of the mountains, three miles 

 south of Pecos. Here a patch of thistles in the bottom of a dry wash had 

 attracted about thirty hummingbirds of various species. As they were 

 nearly all females or young we could not tell what they were, but there 

 was one adult male rufus, and young oi platycercus and calliope were both 

 taken. 



