The Season 



255 



always been extremely rare in this region, 

 there having been only one or two previous 

 summer records. A local plague of tent cater- 

 pillars may account for the presence here of 

 these birds. Yellow-billed Cuckoos, unac- 

 countably scarce last summer, seem to be 

 present in their usual abundance this year. 



The season withal seems to have been 

 most favorable to nesting birds, and at least 

 one species (the Mourning Dove) is so abun- 

 dant this year as to cause comment among 

 casual observers not specially interested in 

 birds. — Harry Harris, Kansas City, Mo. 



San Francisco Region. — The San Fran- 

 cisco region has enjoyed a very 'open' sum- 

 mer. The birds that ordinarily winter here 

 through the summer must have felt them- 

 selves out of their zone when Lower Sono- 

 ran weather struck us the third week in June 

 and again the first week of July. Probably 

 they, as well as the human inhabitants, wel- 

 comed the ensuing fogs as a blessed relief. 

 During half of the period observations were 

 limited to one small pocket in the hills op- 

 posite the Golden Gate, so that my notes are 

 very brief. 



Blue Jays have been distressingly abun- 

 dant, while Russet-backed Thrushes are re- 

 ported as rare all along the East Bay shore. 

 I am wondering if the cool spring in southern 

 California induced a larger proportion of the 

 Thrushes to breed in that vicinity. The re- 

 port from that region in the last number of 

 Bird-Lore suggests such a' solution. Dr. 

 Grinnell reports a Traill's Flycatcher on the 

 University Campus, June 16. Cliff Swallows 

 are reduced to very small numbers in Berke- 

 ley, but on June 29 a flock of 30 to 40 flew 

 over and up the Bay. Judging from ex- 

 periences in other years, they may have been 

 on their way to a rendezvous on the Suisun 

 Marshes where I have seen them assembled 

 in enormous numbers after the middle of 

 July._ 



Being stationary myself, I could only judge 

 of the progress of events in the bird world 

 by their scattering into my neighborhood. 

 Robins did not nest within hearing distance 

 I feel quite sure, but scattered into the canon 

 on July 8. Russet-backed Thrushes could be 

 heard singing at the head of Strawberry 



Canon but did not come down into the 

 garden until July 22, while the Olive-sided 

 Flycatcher spent July 23 and 24 in the near 

 neighborhood. Spotted young of the San 

 Francisco Towhee were on the feeding-table 

 beginning July 27, and young Wren- tits were 

 giving their ventriloqual calls and accepting 

 food from their parents as late as August 6. 

 Flocks of Bush-tits were very large by the 

 middle of July. On August 9 molting 

 Thrashers, San Francisco Towhees, and Song 

 Sparrows looked extremely unhappy. 



Mrs. G. E. Kelly has very kindly con- 

 tributed the following notes on the migration 

 movements of birds on the Alameda shore: 

 Hudsonian Curlew, Semipalmated Plover 

 and Western Sandpipers were first seen on 

 July 19 and were common ten days later. 

 Two Western Willets were seen July 24, a 

 Marbled Godwit July 29, and 12 Dowitchers 

 and I Black-bellied Plover on July 3 1 . For- 

 ster Terns are numerous and on July 19 a 

 Caspian Tern was seen. — Amelia Sanborn 

 Allen, Berkeley, Calif. 



Los Angeles Region. — On June 18 a 

 trip was made to a locality in the Tejunga 

 Wash where Cactus Wrens are still left in 

 possession of a limited area of their fast-di- 

 minishing domain. A Black-tailed Gnat- 

 catcher first claimed attention among the 

 junipers, then the nest of a Mockingbird 

 containing a full complement of eggs placed 

 deep in the heart of a cholla cactus plant. 

 The male bird sang from the top of a nearby 

 tree, and, on approaching the nest a second 

 time, the female was seen to slip quietly 

 from the nest. 



Several pairs of Phainopeplas were about 

 the large Rhus integrifolia bushes, and a nest 

 containing two eggs was very soon located 

 in full view saddled on an outer branch 

 little more than 6 feet from the ground. The 

 nest was a closely woven shallow cup of gray 

 plant-fibers and the small, dry flowers of 

 pearly everlasting, bound together with spi- 

 der-web. Photographs of the nest, eggs, and 

 both birds were secured by Mrs. F. T. 

 Bicknell. As we withdrew, the male bird re- 

 sumed his interrupted incubation, after an 

 apparently anxious survey of nest and eggs. 

 A Cactus Wren sang from a Sycamore tree, 



