[432-] BIRDS OF OREGON 



Coll. No. 2.488), and we saw two birds on Heceta Head on September 30, 

 1930, one of which was taken. Walker (1914) recorded one taken at 

 Elaine on October iz, 1919, which is the only record for Tillamook 

 County. 



This bird breeds early, as Bendire (i88ib) reported taking a full set of 

 eggs on April 4, 1878, near Camp Harney and finding a nest containing 

 newly hatched young on April 2.2., 1876 (Bendire 1876, 1877, i88ib). On 

 April i, 1932., Braly took a newly hatched bird from a nest near Sisters. 

 The egg from which this bird was hatched must have been laid early in 

 March. Young birds are on the wing by May i and are common about 

 their timber-line haunts by June i. 



After the nesting season the birds gather into loose flocks, from a 

 dozen to several hundred in number. They travel over the country, feed- 

 ing either in the trees or on the ground. In the latter case, the birds in 

 the rear are continually rising and flying to the front ranks, the move- 

 ment appearing as that of a flattened wheel rolling slowly forward. The 

 birds are noisy, keeping up a continual scolding and calling, so that one 

 is instantly aware of the presence of a flock. The largest flock of this 

 kind we have seen was feeding steadily along the yellow-pine forests of 

 Wallowa County on September 2.4, 1933. Four birds collected from the 

 several hundred present were all crammed with seeds of yellow pine. 



Titmice and Bush- tits: Family Paridae 



Long-tailed Chickadee: 



Penthestes atricapillus septentrionalis (Harris) 



DESCRIPTION. "Like atricapillus [the Black-capped Chickadee], but paler- throat, 

 top of head and nape black; back pale ash, tinged with brownish; wings with white 

 patch and edgings; tail feathers edged with white; sides of head and under parts 

 white; sides and flanks washed with pale buffy. Si%e: Length 4.75-6.00, wing 

 1.55-1.80, tail 1.55-3.00." (Bailey) Nest: In holes in trees, made of fur, feathers, 

 hair, and vegetable fibers. Eggs: 4 to 8, white, spotted with reddish brown and lilac, 

 particularly around the larger end. 



DISTRIBUTION. General: Breeds from Kenai Peninsula, central Michigan, and 

 northern Manitoba south to eastern Oregon, northern Mexico, Kansas, and western 

 Iowa. In Oregon: Permanent resident and breeding species from various localities 

 in eastern part of State. 



THE LONG-TAILED CHICKADEE is a species of the cottonwoods and river 

 bottoms, though it extends also into the mountains along the stream 

 bottoms. It is quite a common bird, particularly in the valleys that lie 

 around the base of the Blue Mountains in Wallowa, Union, Baker, Grant, 

 and Umatilla Counties. Our records extend through the year, and the 

 birds seem to be as abundant in winter as in summer. Bendire (Brewer 

 1875) reported it at Camp Harney in November and December 1874, and 



