35^ 



Bird - Lore 



Cormorants were to be seen in large numbers. 

 While I saw Western Grebes everywhere 

 suitable conditions prevailed, Flagstaff Lake, 

 of the Warner group, and Upper Klamath 

 fairly swarmed with them. The usual desert 

 birds, such as Sage Thrashers, Sage and 

 Brewer's Sparrows, Kingbirds, and Arksanas 

 Kingbirds, and Shrikes were abundant and 

 ever present. The Sage Hen seems to be fast 

 disappearing. Each year fewer are noted in 

 traveling through this region. 



During early September a few days were 

 spent on the beaches of Tillamook County. 

 The weather was fair and warm and fewer 

 migrating shore-birds were noted than is 

 usual at this season. A few Hudsonian 

 Curlew, Marbled Godwit, Sanderling, and 

 Western Sandpipers were all that were seen. 



Duck-shooting season opened in western 

 Oregon on October i. The weather has been 

 warm and the water low, consequently fewer 

 Ducks have been reported. A larger number 

 of Shovellers and Geese than usual are 

 present, but the total number of birds is not 

 as large. Wood Ducks are also reported as 

 quite common along the Columbia River. — 

 Ir.a. N. Gabrielson, Portland, Ore. 



San Francisco Region. — A cursory 

 glimpse of the water-birds on Bolinas Lagoon 

 on August 1 6 revealed the presence of both 

 White and Brown Pelicans. At Point Rich- 

 mond, on the same day, one Wandering 

 Tattler was seen. On August 20 a trip was 

 made to the Farallone Islands by members 

 and friends of the Audubon Association of 

 the Pacific. They reported the birds seen as 

 follows : 



California Murres. The colony has been 

 much reduced in number. A few were still 

 nesting and the young were under constant 

 danger from the attacks of the Western Gulls. 



Pigeon Guillemots. A few. 



Cassin Auklets. A few. Young were found 

 in burrows by two difi'erent investigators. 



Tufted Puffins. Numerous. 



Western Gulls. The most abundant species 

 on the island. 



Cormorants, both Brandt and Farallone. 

 Nests contained half-grown young. 



Fulmar. Seen from the boat before reaching 

 the island. 



Shearwaters. A flock seen on the return 

 trip. 



Brown Pelicans. Seen from the island. 



Ruddy Turnstone. One seen. 



Wandering Tattler. Two seen. 



Rock Wrens. Numerous. 



English Sparrows. Numerous. 



Report s from Baumberg, where both 

 fresh and salt water is abundant, are 

 dated September 17 and 20, and include 

 Bonaparte's Gulls, Farallone Cormorant, 

 innumerable Pintails in eclipse plumage. 

 Great Blue Herons, Coot, a few Northern 

 Phalaropes, about 25 Avocets, 4 Stilts, 

 30 Dowitchers, a few Sandpipers, about 

 35 Yellowlegs, and many Killdeer. In addi- 

 tion to the resident land-birds, on September 

 20, great aggregations of Violet-Green Swal- 

 lows were hawking over the marshes or resting 

 on the telephone wires. A few Barn Swallows 

 (a species which nests in the region) flocked 

 with them. 



On the Alameda shores Mrs. Kelly reports 

 the Curlew in diminishing numbers since 

 mid-August. Dowitchers have not been 

 abundant at any time; Willets and Godwits 

 increasingly abundant; Western Sandpipers 

 augmented by the Least on September 3 and 

 by the Red-backed on September 19. 

 Black-bellied Plover reached their height on 

 September 19, when 100 were counted in 

 separate feeding-places, presenting all phases 

 of plumage. On August 25 and October 7, 

 Semi-palmated Plover were seen, and on 

 September 28, on a sandy beach, 2 Snowy 

 Plover. The draining of Bay Farm Island is 

 apparently driving the Clapper Rails to the 

 outer edges of the island, where Mrs. Kelly 

 heard 6 on September 3. Forster's Terns were 

 first seen on September 23. On the bay, 

 Northern Phalaropes are numerous near the 

 piers, and Heermann Gulls mingle with the 

 other Gulls which follow the boats. On Sep- 

 tember 16, Mrs. Kelly saw Brown Pelicans 

 near the ferry-boats. 



Of the land-birds that come in for the 

 breeding season, Western Flycatchers and 

 Yellow Warblers were last recorded on 

 August 31 (Miss Wythe), Black-headed 

 Grosbeaks on September 9 (Mrs. Allen), 

 Russet-backed Thrushes on September 20 

 (Dr. Storer), Pileolated Warblers on October 



