Nov., 1901. I 
THE CONDOR 
139 
the birds of the Pacific Coast. Mr. Her- 
man T. Bohlman of Portland, Oregon, 
has been unusually successful during 
the past summer in securing some fine 
photographs of Oregon birds. He was 
especially fortunate in securing a good 
series of pictures of the kingfisher, 
flicker and bush-tit, also in his work 
among the sea birds of the Oregon 
coast. While out photographing with 
Mr. Bohlman last summer among other 
things we found a Brewer’s blackbird’s 
nest in a fir tree a few feet from the 
ground. We were attracted by the 
calling of the young birds as they were 
being fed, and decided thej- were large 
enough to make a good photograph. 
After considerable preparation we were 
just ready to take a picture of the nest 
and its occupants when the mother, 
thinking her children in too much dan- 
ger, swooped down near the nest and 
gave a sharp call. 
It was easy to see what that meant 
for the youngsters until then had re- 
mained perfectly quiet, but at the loud 
command from the mother they all set 
out in dift'erent directions, each one fly- 
ing as far as his wings would carry him. 
After a long hunt we succeeded in find- 
ing three of the four birds and placed 
them back in the nest where we caught 
their picture just as the)^ were holding 
a consultation as to the next move. 
Some of the most interesting pictures 
were taken of the home of a pair of 
flickers. The nest was found in the 
top of a stump when it was first begun 
and many different pictures were taken 
of the nest, parents and young birds. 
A good many plates were spoiled but 
a few good bird photographs well pay 
for the failures and for the time that 
has been spent. Anyone having an in- 
terest in birds can find no better waj' of 
gaining pleasure and information than 
by spending his leisure hours in the 
field with a camera. 
Wii,lia:u T. Fmnlky. 
Berkeley, Cal. 
^ it 
Some Winter 
BV MRS. C. MOODY, 
T his does not profess to be a 
“paper,” still less a scientific es- 
say, — but a few hasty notes of 
bird life on our home place. This is on 
the Sycamore Grove Tract on what was 
evidently once the bed of a considerable 
river. The soil is light and sandy, the 
uncultivated parts appearing quite bar- 
ren during a dry year. 
From the last of September to this 
date (December 6,) the absence of birds 
about here was rather surprising to me. 
Possibly it was because we had only 
recently moved in and were strangers 
to them. The shrike and black phoebe 
I soon learned were daily visitors. The 
red-shafted woodpecker was often seen, 
busily drilling for food in the trees, 
while occasionally two others appeared, 
having conspicuous black and white 
markings, one with a red patch on the 
head. The latter I concluded was 
Gairdner’s woodpecker and the other 
Bird Notes. 
1.0s ANC.Kl.ES, CAl,. 
Nuttall’s, a species belonging to the 
ladder-backed group. 
This day, however, they came in 
crowds and with a great clatter. 
The songsters were unanimous in de- 
claring that it was an ideal morning in 
bird-land. A certain crispness in the 
air seemed to bring out the songs fuller 
and clearer. The linnets were to be 
heard above all the rest, .so that the 
little goldfinches had to work very hard 
to be heard at all. while they flitted 
from branch to branch of the sycamore 
trees, picking at the tassellated balls 
packed so full of tiny seeds. Meadow- 
larks and warblers joined in the chorus 
and from the distance came the loud 
call-note of the red-shafted woodpecker, 
by way of letting us know he was still 
with us. 
The shrike, usually so still and con- 
templative, caught some of the joyous 
spirit and I'olled out now and then a 
