The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-06-15
FAUNA ON THE SIERRAS.
Bird Migration in Southern California
The Flight of Cranes and Geese-Animal
Kleptomaniacs-Noctur Wanderers.
Corr. n. Y. Post.)


nature who has formed his ideas of GER
tain birds and other animals and their
habits in the East, is likely to have them
upset by a visit to California, where it is
a common saying that the rats live in
trees and the squirrels in the ground. In
southern California there is apparently
little need for bird migration, the condi-
lions being delightful the year around !;
yet there is a very pronounced movement
in the early spring and late fall. In the
former, in the San Gabriel valley, and it
is true probably of all others, there is a
veritable bird festival. They fill the
hedges and groves, and every tree in the
orchards seems preempted by songsters.
AS morning breaks and the the first sus-
picion of the sun appears in deepening
red in the east, the carol of the birds be-
gins, increasing. rap dly. as it grows light,
until the very air seems filed with
melody. The number of mocking birds
b ave its humming bird visitors. The
latter affect the orange groves, often
building on the limbs within reach of
the ground, but so protected by their pro-
tective mimicry that it is almost impossi-
BILE to discover Them without careful
search. One of these little creatures in
my garden was very tame, almost allow
ing me to touch her as she sat on the
diminutive moss covered nest.
A phase of bird migration in California
| that is worthy of attention is that which
concerns the movement of birds from
lower to higher attitudes. An Eastern
visitor to this region in April who re-
marked that he saw no robins in Califor-
mia, found the meadow in the Yosemite
valley covered with them when he visited
it nearly month later. do not know
that any careful notes on this kind of
migration have ever been prepared.
Among the birds here the orioles are
particularly noticeable for their camar-
| aderie. They are very sociable, and al
most every garden that has well grown
| banana tree can boast its oriole; they
seem to prefer the great leaves for nesting
they sew up the leaf into cone shape
| and in this deposit the material for the
nest, which thus finds ample protection
| from wind and weather.
In strolling through the canons which
cut the California mountains in every
direction, one sometimes meets with
bands of large pigeons, which, after the
severe SHOWS of winter in the upper range
come down into the warm region below.
| In the great oak groves which are found
here and there is occasionally seen the
Ea1i 10
cent creature but little behind its cousin
of the Andes in breadth of wing and
power of flight. A characteristic bird is
the road runner, richly colOred bird
with powerful bill and an eye like a
beam of light. 1t is commonly seen run
ming along the roads, and is often almost
run down before it will fly into the bush.
The roadrunners feed upon lizards chiefly
and the writer would fear to tax the
credulity of the reader by giving the re-
suits OF numerous post mOrtems, which
showed the bird to have at least an alb.
| normal appetite. In the deep gorges the
| canon wren makes its nest, while in the
pools the water ouzel can often be seem
Summer in southern California is an
nounced by the cranes and wild geese,
which begin to fly north; their voices,
high in air, by some peculiar quality of
| the atmosphere or mountains, are thrown
downward, attracting universal attention
| to one of the most interesting spectacles
| the land affords. The birds appear to
follow the Sierra Madre range, which
rises to the height of from 5000 to 5000
] feet and more, the average being about
| 5000 The birds first appear as a long
| indefinite line of white, perhaps halfway
up the range, standing out against the
| sombre rock ribbed sides in strong relief.
If closely watched it will be seen that
they are gradually sliding down hill;
they are soaring, the wings of each bird
| appearing locked. Lower and lower they
descend, until they are sometimes less
than L ,0O0 feet from the ground, when
| suddenly they seem to be thrown into the
| utmost confusion at finding themselves
| so near the earth, and fly abouj, appar-
emily aimlessly. But this is only for a
few moments, and then they whirl around
and begin a beautiful spiral flight up
| ward. If some unseen hand dropped hand
fuls of newly minted silver dollars from
| the sky every few seconds, the effect could
not be more charming, since, when the
| birds turn, as the sun strikes their breasts
| they shine out instantly like silver, which
| disappears as quickly, to reappear again,
| flashing brightly against the dark range
of mountains. Higher and higher the
spiral climbs until finally it stands out
against the blue sky above the range, a
mile above the sea. Then the sounds
cease. the leader suddenly turns and leads
the way, the rest falling into line, and
moving in long sinuous course, flying
at a rate of nearly mile minute. Soon
they begin to soar and literally to slide
down hill again, attaining great speed.
Such slide will carry them probably
from three to four miles, when they break
up again to climb the spiral stairway. In
this way, virtually climbing and sliding,
the birds reach the north along the Sierra
Madre and Coast Range.
| What might be taken for the enormous
nests of birds in the sycamores are the
nests of wood rats-among the most in
| teresting jewellers in the mountains. Their
nests often represent several bushels OF
leaves and twigs, in the centre of which
will be found warm lined apartment
| The wood rat is a big cared creature
which resembles an ordinary rat in other
ways. This little animal is often an an
| noyance to campers from it's remarkable
| habit of stealing everything. If there is
| a kleptomaniac in the lower animal king
dom, the wood rat is certainly the guilty
party. A certain fishing club in Los An
geles County has a log cabin on the banks
of little mountain stream, which is in
more or less constant use during the sim
mer. One night wakeful trout fisher
man SAW i'm the dim 1iUht a 1,rocacciop of