Sept, 1911 
AN EARI.Y SPRING TRIP TO ANACAPA ISLAND 
1()5 
the top of the cliff a pinnacle twenty-five feet high had been formed by the years of 
crumbling away of the rocks, and it was on tlie very top of this that the mass of 
sticks had been shaped into a nest. And there reaching from the base to about 
half way to the top of the pinnacle was another great pile of sticks which had no 
doubt been used for years as a home by the eagles, but liad l)een deserted for the 
new site. 
The rope, whicli was in two pieces, was tied together and one end dropped 
over the edge of the cliff, but it lacked about ten feet of reaching to the base of the 
pinnacle. Luckily for us though, there was a ledge on the face of the cliff down 
about 100 feet, which was wide enough to give a safe footing, and also giving the 
opportunity to get some photos of the nest at close range, as the top of tlie pin- 
nacle stood out within thirty-five feet of the ledge. 
Peyton went down first on the rope, taking the collecting pail and the shot-gun 
in case things got too warm for us. I followed next with the camera, and was soon 
on the ledge beside him. A photo was taken of the nest and the two eggs, which 
could be plainly seen in the cup-shaped place in the center of the ne.st. A section 
of the rope was next lowered down to us by Mr. Harrison, and with the assistance 
Fig. 47. ARCH ROCK, AT THE EAST END OF ANACAPA ISEAND, CADIFORNIA 
of tliis, Peyton got on down to the base of the pinnacle. B_V climbing up over the 
old nest he was soon on top of the pinnacle and reaching over after the two dirty 
white treasures, which were carefully packed away in the collecting pail. 
The nest, which was about five feet across, was built up of sticks and limbs 
of all sizes up to the size of a man’s wrist, the top being a soft bed of dead fox-tail 
grass. As there are very few trees on Aiiacapa, the sticks used in making the 
two nests must have been carried over from Santa Cruz Island, which lies about 
five miles to the west. From the size and amount of material used it must have 
been the accumulation of years, and required a great deal of labor and perseverance 
on the part of the old birds. 
It was some relief when we got back on solid ground again with the set all 
safe. I have followed Mr. Peyton and his brother on some of their trips after 
White-throated Swifts and Ravens on the mainland, and though that’s usually 
pretty rough wmrk, I believe the Bald Eagles have them beaten for choosing rough 
nesting sites, this pair especially. The experience was worth the risks, though. It 
was a great sight from the top of the cliff. Looking across the channel one could 
plainly see mountains rising up on the mainland, the higher ranges, capped with 
