Bird observations were collected incidental to other 

 activities; therefore, the number of species observed should 

 be considered a minimum figure. Birds commonly observed in 

 the forest cover type on the study area included: gray jay, 

 varied thrush, golden-crowned kinglet, dark-eyed junco and 

 chipping sparrow. Birds which were regularly observed in 

 cutting units were: Lewis' woodpecker, olive-sided fly- 

 catcher and mountain bluebird. Birds which were consistently 

 observed in either the shrub or forest cover type were: song 

 sparrow, Steller's jay, Swainson's thrush and black-capped 

 chickadee. Species which did not appear to be limited to a 

 specific cover type included: rufous hummingbird, common 

 flicker, common raven and common crow. Dippers were observed 

 along most streams and the winter wren was commonly observed 

 in dense forests along streams. 



Nearly all observations of mountain bluebirds were made 

 at the site of the proposed tailing pond where the open 

 area, abundance of perches and availability of old woodpecker 

 holes or natural cavities for nesting (Jackman and Scott 1975) 

 provide critical habitat. Woodpeckers were also commonly 

 observed in this area and along Stanley Creek where feeding 

 and nesting trees were common. A commensalistic relationship 

 exists between mountain bluebirds and woodpeckers because old 

 woodpecker holes are usually used for nesting purposes by 

 mountain bluebirds (Jackman and Scott 1975). Power (1966) 

 notes that "Highly specialized nesting requirements have pro- 

 duced a relatively unadaptable species whose population has 

 declined as a result of environmental changes of recent 

 decades" . 



Amphibians and Reptiles 



Observations of herpetofauna were collected incidental 

 to other activities and were recorded according to month, 

 cover type and habitat type. Four species of reptiles and 

 four species of amphibians were observed on the study area 

 and are presented in Table 15. 



The tailed frog is classified as a "nongame species of 

 special interest or concern" by the MDFWP (Flath 1977) . This 

 species is restricted to well forested areas in the vicinity 

 of cold mountain streams having a rocky streambed (Stebbins 

 1954). The tailed frog was observed in Stanley Creek in the 

 immediate vicinity of the mine main entrance on August 2, 

 1977. 



Except for the rubber snake, all observed herpetofauna 

 were confined to moist areas. The rubber snake was located 

 at 1,220 m (4,000 ft) on top of Stanley Mountain in the 

 ABGR/CLUN habitat type. 



70 



