580 
BIRDS OF NEW MEXICO 
Arizona, and through Cascades and Sierra Nevada to San Bernardino Mountains, 
California; reported breeding in Transition Zone in mountains of Durango, Zaca¬ 
tecas, and Coahuila; winters from southern British Columbia and Montana south, 
straggling to central Texas, Kansas, and Illinois. Recorded from Saskatchewan and 
Manitoba. 
State Records. —As a breeder the Townsend Solitaire is rather rare in New 
Mexico, and is confined during the summer to the higher parts of the mountains. 
A nest with fresh eggs was found on July 28, 1903, at 12,000 feet on Pecos Baldy. 
On the same day a grown young one was taken at 11,000 feet, and later the species 
was found above timberline at 12,600 feet on Truchas Peak. It remained as high 
as 11,600 feet until at least August 17, but it was also seen-about July 15 at 8,000 
feet on the Pecos near Willis and undoubtedly nested at this altitude, as it does in 
Colorado. Young both in and out of the nest were found at 11,400-12,000 feet on the 
mountains above Taos, July 24, 1904, and spfickle-breasted grown young were Hying 
about between Twining and Amizctt, August 8, and at 7,900 feet in the Hondo Valley 
on August 13. Grown young were seen August 15, 1904, above Questa, at 8,050 feet 
(Bailey). [It is common in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains above 8,000 feet. 
Nests were found in Santa Fe Canyon, June 22, 1920, one with four eggs, and three 
others, respectively, with four and five eggs and five young; June 16,1921, a nest with 
three eggs; and in 1922, on June 11, a nest with three well-incubated eggs; June 27, 
one with four small young; and July 12, one with four fresh eggs (Jensen).1 In 
1873, a specimen was collected July 18, as low as Fort Wingate, 7,000 feet (Henshaw). 
It breeds in the Chuska Mountains, where it was noted in July, 1907 (Gilman); and 
eggs were found at 10,000 feet in the mountains above Las Vegas on June 7, 1898 
(Mitchell). [It was found apparently nesting, July 7, 1917, in the Black Range 
west of Harmosa (Ligon).] 
In the fall migration, late in August, 1851, it was taken in the Zuni Mountains 
(Woodhouse); and by September 2, 1889, individuals had worked south to Cooney 
(Barrell). On September 19, 1904, one was taken in the pines between Dulce and 
Lake La Jara, and it was common September 30 at the Burford Lakes (Bailey). 
On September 24, 1913, near Koehler Junction, two were seen and one taken (Kalm- 
bach); on October 24 and 26, 1893, near Clapham, two were seen and one taken 
(Seton); it descended to 5,000 feet at Fruitland, October 17-27, 1908 (Birdseye); 
and to 3,500 feet at Roswell, October 20, 1898 (Barber). 
In winter, it was fairly common at Las Vegas, 6,700 feet, December, 1882 (Bat- 
chelder); quite common at Currumpa, January 19,1894 (Seton); common at Espanola 
during December and January (Loring); and found all winter at Arroyo Seco, 8,000 
feet (Surber). It winters abundantly in New Mexico, gathering in flocks that some¬ 
times contain several hundred individuals, and at this season coming into southern 
New Mexico to Cliff, November 5, 1906 (Bailey); Silver City, November 29,1883, to 
March 24, 1884 (Marsh); Apache, October to April 30, 1886 (Anthony); Fort ^Veb- 
ster, October to late March (Henry); [Rio Grande Bird Reserve (Elephant Butte), 
seen between November 23 and December 9, 1916 (Willett)!; and east to Corona, 
October 23, 1902 (Gaut); while in the San Andres Mountains, December 7-20, 
1902, it was the most common bird found on Salinas Peak (Gaut). In the Guada¬ 
lupe Mountains it was plentiful above 5,000 feet in January, 1915 (Willett). [In 
December, 1918, it was seen in the cottonwoods in Albuquerque (Piper).]—W. W. 
Cooke. 
Nest. —On logs or stumps, on banks of streams, or on ledges of rock; usually a 
bulky, well-rounded cup, made largely of conifer twigs, bark, fine roots, grass, weed 
stalks, pine needles, and black moss, lined with fine grass; but sometimes made 
entirely of pine needles. Eggs: 3 to 6, faint grayish blue, ground color nearly ob- 
