22 CALIFORNIA PISH AND CAME 



the mouth of Santa Rosa Creek. These birds were kepi in view until 

 they passed Piedras Blancas and continued on northward. This 

 appeared to be ;i northward migratory movement. 



Brant appeared at Morro Bay unusually early in the Autumn of 

 1941. The earliest arrivals reported were about TOO birds seen a1 

 Muma Beach, a mile south of Piedras Blancas Lighthouse on October 

 8, 1941. A week later, 200 brant were seen on Morro Bay. 



Warden llecker stated that the early brant noted at Muma Beach 

 were the only birds reported seen along the San Luis Obispo County 

 coastline during the past Winter, lie said this condition was unusual 

 for the area, for in past seasons the birds were commonly found feeding 

 close inshore or resting- on the beaches throughout the Winter in the 

 area between San Simeon and Piedras Blancas. During the past 

 Winter, apparently all of the brant of the region fed in Morro Bay. 

 This information suggests that there was no acute shortage of eelgrass 

 locally, else the brant would likely have fed to some extent, as they 

 formerly did, along the ocean coast. 



Warden Hecker reported that in his opinion the effect of defense 

 and war activities upon the brant of the area was slight. He stated 

 that patrol planes and firing by Coast Artillery units occasionally dis- 

 turbed the birds, but that neither activity seemed to have any lasting 

 effect upon them. When Hecker and Dr. Marshall returned to Morro 

 Bay after their trip up the coast late in the afternoon of February 10th, 

 the Coast Artillery did some practice firing near Hazard Creek, imme- 

 diately south of Morro Bay. As soon as the firing commenced, the 

 brant started flying out to the ocean, over the peninsula, and within 

 10 minutes there were none left in Morro Bay. 



Point Mugu 



This was the third census- conducted in this locality, as observa- 

 tions were only commenced in 1040 (Moffitt, 1940). Warden R. E. 

 Bedwell took the present, as well as the two previous censuses. Because 

 so few counts have been made at Point Mugu, the results are not tabu- 

 lated in Table 1, beyond. 



Counting on February 10. 1942, Bedwell found 508 brant present. 

 This number is contrasted with his 1041 total of 1,050 birds, and 

 1040 result of 500 brant on the same date in those years. In comment- 

 ing upon the 1042 census, Bedwell reported that the brant arrived at 

 Point Mugu much later than was usual in the preceding five seasons. 

 In 1940, they arrived in numbers from about December 20th to the 

 end of January, 1941. During the Winter preceding the 1042 census. 

 the brant did not arrive until late January, and then they appeared 

 but a few at a time. This condition, the exact reverse of that reported 

 by Hecker for Morro Bay, a short distance to the north, is difficult to 

 interpret, but may possibly have been due to deposits of silt over the 

 eelgrass beds in the lagoon at Point Mugu, reported by Bedwell and 

 mentioned beyond in this paper under eelgrass conditions. 



Mission and San Diego Bays 



AVarden E. H. Glidden, who has cooperated for many years in 

 brant censuses in the San Diego area, took the 1042 census on Febru- 

 ary 10th. He was assisted by L. M. Iluey. San Diego Natural History 



