THE OOLOGIST 



111 



cana) were feeding along the bushy 

 margin of the slough and in the shal- 

 lows of the lake; the mated 'Honkers" 

 were again seen flying low against the 

 wind, over the swaying, rustling tules. 



The clouds cleared away and the 

 rain ceased in the evening, so we hur- 

 riedly packed our outfit and made 

 Okanagan Falls before dark. 



A resident told us that a pair of 

 Sandhill Cranes (Grus mexicana) bred 

 every year near the slough at Va«eaux 

 Lake, where we had camped; he had 

 seen half grown young the previous 

 year. 



April 28. A warm, clear morning we 

 visited the rock bluff near the falls 

 where the peregrines (Falco pere- 

 grinus anatum) had their eyrie, sev- 

 eral years ago, but no birds were seen. 



We then motored eight miles east 

 over a sandy road, through yellow 

 pine flats, to a mountain ranch. This 

 is mountain sheep country and the 

 protected a small flock for several 



years. In the winter the ewes and 

 yearlings come into his fields and feed 

 with his stock. A pair of Golden 

 Eagles have nested on a high rock 

 bluff, within sight of the ranch house 

 for several years. 



We collect more (Cyanocitta) 

 Jays and these all had the clear white 



eye-streak, diagnostic of ("annectens") 

 Started for Summerland at noon. 

 From Penticton the road runs along 

 the lake shore, under high sand cliffs, 

 sparsely dotted with sage brush. From 

 the car we could see flocks of Bald- 

 pates (Mareca americana) standing 



on the sandbars, and hanseme, sal- 

 mon-breasted green-headed mergan 

 sers (mergus americania) feeding in 

 the shallows. These and the Mal- 

 lards were all mated. 



At Summerland we saw more Tur- 

 key Buzzards and the first western 

 Chipping Sparrow (Spezella socialis 

 arizoneae). 



April 29. Twenty Sandhill Cranes 



seen flying over Trout Creek Point; 

 Western Chipping Sparrows and West- 

 ern Vesper Sparrows (Pooecetes 

 graminus confinis) are common and 

 we noted the first alder Flycatcher 



(Empidonax trailli alnoum). 



From a twenty-foot alder on the lake 

 shore, we collected a set of six West- 

 ern Crow (Covus brachyrnchos hes- 

 peris). The nest is typical, made of 

 sticks and lined with shredded bark. 



April 30. Bright clear day and we 

 made an early start for Vernon. 

 Stopped at Crescent beach where we 

 had previously seen a Long-eared Owl 

 (Asia wilsonianus) occupying a de- 

 serted crow's nest. This was in a 

 small patch of brush, Black Haw Al- 

 ders and Willows on the end of a 

 grassy point. The Owl was quite 

 hostile when we approached the nest, 

 elevating her ear tufts and glaring 

 with malevolent yellow eyes. There 

 was only one egg in the nest so we 

 did not disturb it. Collected a set of 

 six fresh Magpie eggs (Pica pica hud- 

 sonia). 



We crossed Okanagan Lake on the 

 ferry at Westbank and reached Ver- 

 non late in the afternoon, traveling all 

 day through settled country. 



June 7. Over the same ground as 

 on April 24, running as far as Hedley 

 on the Similkameen River. A great 

 difference in the number of birds seen 

 along the road; on the Summerland- 

 Penticton Road were dozens of Kes- 

 trels (Falco sparvernus phalaena) 

 setting on the telephone wires; Lewis 

 Woodpeckers (Asyndesmus lewisi) 

 flew ahead of the car, from tree to 

 tree, their flight suggesting the Red- 

 headed Woodpeckers of the east. 



We stopped for lunch at the top of 

 the Green Mountain Pass, under some 

 century old Douglas Fir. The harsh 

 call of a Western Tanager (Piranga 

 ludoviceini) was heard from the dark 

 green forest and in a bushy thicket 

 bordering a little stream, were Spured 



