TWELFTH ANNUAL BLACK BRANT CENSUS IN CALIFORNIA 21 



former counts. The 1942 total was 2,372 brant, a small number for 

 the locality as contrasted with the previous 11-year average of 5,915 ; 

 yet some improvement over the 1941 all-time low count of 1,540 birds 

 was evidenced. 



It was fortunate that the count was made early in the morning, for 

 about 9.40 a.m., when we had just finished counting south of Tom's 

 Point, two low flying Army airplanes came down the bay and greatly 

 disturbed the brant. About an hour later, just as the census was con- 

 cluded, these airplanes returned and all of the brant in the bay took to 

 wing. The birds circled about in a large flock at considerable altitude, 

 then after a few minutes when the planes had passed on, the brant 

 alighted on their feeding grounds whence they had been frightened. It 

 appeared that the airplane activities, unless too continued, would alarm 

 them only for a short period, and would probably not drive them from 

 the vicinity. 



Warden Laws counted the brant on Tomales Bay for the Federal 

 waterfowl inventory, January 24-26, 1942, when he estimated that the 

 average number of birds present for the three days was 2,333. This 

 figure is close to our total of 2,372 for February 10th. 



Drake's Bay 



Airplane activity that commenced just as Wardens Yates and 

 Hardin arrived to take the census, frightened all of the brant out to 

 the adjacent ocean, so that it was impossible to obtain a count in this 

 locality. It is regretted that for the second consecutive season, it has 

 been impossible to secure a census of the brant at Drake's Bay upon 

 the appointed date. 



Morro Bay- 

 Warden F. W. Hecker and Dr. A. P. Marshall of San Luis Obispo 

 again cooperated in taking the 1942 census in this bay on February 

 10th. Mr. Hecker reported that a satisfactory count totaling 8,861 

 brant was obtained in the calm, warm morning. The birds were found 

 rather evenly scattered over the southern three-quarters of the bay, 

 excepting for a concentration of about 1,800 at Grassy Island in the 

 north central part, and another group of approximately 2,300 at the 

 edge of the State Park tideflats between Cabrillo and El Moro points. 

 The 1942 census total in this locality compares favorably with the 

 previous 10-years' average of 5,964 brant. In fact, the present figure 

 was exceeded in the past only by the record count of 11,140 brant in 

 1939. Mr. Hecker remarked in reporting upon the present census that 

 while the numbers of brant on Morro Bay fluctuated as usual from 

 time to time throughout the Winter, it was his opinion that the average 

 number of the birds present during the Winter of 1941-1942 was 

 greater than the average for the past five years. He was not certain, 

 however, if this condition was caused by an actual increase in the 

 number wintering in the entire area including the San Luis Obispo 

 County coastline, or by the fact that last Winter it appeared that 

 most of the brant of the county were concentrated in Morro Bay. 



After taking the present census at Morro Bay, Hecker and Dr. 

 Marshall drove up the coast as far as Arroyo Cruz. The only brant 

 that they saw on this trip were 50 flying north, about a mile west of 



