110 



YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES 



fous. Nrsts in abandoned -woodpecker 

 holes or other cavities in trees. 



S. V. in brushlands, usually where 

 there arc a few trees. Breeds in the 

 Lower and Upper Sonoran life-zones. 

 G. V. at lower elevations in the Yo- 

 semite region. Occasionally seen in 

 Yoscmite Valley. 



BLACK PHOEBE (Sayornis nigri- 

 cans): 6/2 in. Head, breast, and upper 

 parts black; belly and under tail cov- 

 erts white; weakly crested. Immature: 

 Head and neck dark brown. Flics after 

 insects and returns to perch. Nest of 

 mixed mud and grass placed on sides 

 of buildings, bridges, cliffs, etc., over 

 or near water. 



BLACK PHOEBE Y^, 



ey^ :r^'-V,'. ; 



SAY'S PHOEBE 



7-8 



Closely associated with water, run- 

 ning or quiet, often where there are 

 trees, clilfs, or high banks. Widespread 

 R. breeding chiefly in the Upper So- 

 noran life-zone. S. V. to lower eleva- 

 tions in the Yoscmite region; breeds in 

 Yoscmite Valley, along Merced River. 



SAY'S PHOEBE (Sayornis saya): 

 7-8 in. Above grayish-brown; tail black- 

 ish, cut straight acro.ss when open, 

 slightly emarginate at rest; belly and 

 region under tail rust-brown. Plaintive 

 call, pee-er. 



Frequents open arid terrain. Breeds 

 chiefly in the Lower and Upper So- 

 noran life-zones. C. V. at low eleva- 

 tions in the ^'osemite region. Observed 

 in Yoscmite Valley. 



TRAILL'S FLYCATCHER (Empi- 

 donax trailli): 5-6 in. Above gray- 

 brown or olive-gray; head slaty; under 

 parts light gray, tinged with yellow pos- 

 teriorly; two light-colored, inconspicu- 

 ous wing-bars; eye-ring whitish. Song 

 psit-tweer given repeatedly; also a soft 

 staccato whit given two or three times. 



In the breeding season, closely re- 

 stricted to willows. Widespread S. V. 

 ranging from the Lower Sonoran to 

 the Canadian life-zone. Widespread at 

 lower elevations in winter. Common 

 S. V. to Yosemite region; present in 

 Yoscmite Valley. 



HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER 

 (Empidonax hammondi) : 5/2 in. 

 Above brownish- or olive-gray, darker 

 on head; two whitish wing-bars; breast 

 .dark gray, otherwise under parts pale 

 yellowish. Song, see'wit, pseet, swerz, 

 etc., the three notes emphatic and often 

 repeated. Call a weak pit. 



Summers in the Sierra Nevada, 

 breeding in the Canadian life - zone 

 where it is frequently found high (often 

 20 to over 100 feet) in coniferous trees, 

 particularly red firs and dense stands 

 of lodgepole pine. In migration far less 

 restricted, frequenting deciduous woods, 

 chaparral, and conifers. Has been seen 

 as high as 10,500 feet on Mount Clark 

 in the Yosemite region. 



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