Continued from Volume 17 page 1
Ornithological Notes of Interest
The summer of 1951 was somewhat unusual because of the very early disappearance of the snow and further because of the relatively high temperatures and the almost total lack of precipitation during July and August. Although it is not possible to designate these factors as causal, it is nevertheless of interest to note, in correlation, certain interesting changes which occurred with respect to the avifauna of the park.
The summer was characterized by an unusual number of turkey vultures, Cathartes aura (Linnaeus). During the course of the summer ten individual observations were recorded; this is equal to the total records accumulated for all previous years. Two of the records are from high on the slopes of Garfield and Applegate Peaks respectively. The previous high-elevation records were from park headquarters (Sparrow, 1921) and Munson Meadows (Aldrich, 1937). Red-tailed hawks, Buteo jamaicensis (Gmelin), on the other hand, were considerably less abundant. For July and August, I recorded only five; during 1950 I saw eleven during the same period, and during August, 1949, I saw 20. On July 7 and 8, at Llao Rock and the Rim Village respectively, I saw single ferruginous rough-legged hawks, Buteo regalis (Gray). To the best of my knowledge, these are the first July records for the park. As usual, the first sparrow hawks, Falco sparverius(Linnaeus), appeared in the rim area during the first week of August. My first record was from Llao Rock on August 3; they were observed commonly thereafter.
The upward migration of the blue grouse, Dendragapus obscurus (Ridgway) appeared to be somewhat earlier than normal. On July 28 I flushed two at 7700 feet on Dutton Ridge and on August 2, C. F. Yocom saw a female and seven chicks at the headwaters of the East Fork of Annie Creek at about 6500 feet. On August 11, I saw a flock of seven at the summit of Timber Crater. Thereafter there were numerous reports of this species from higher elevations.
On July 4 I found a nest and four eggs belonging to a pair of spotted sandpipers, Actitis macularia (Linnaeus), in upper Munson Meadow. The nest was unsuccessful. There are previous records of breeding spotted sandpipers in this area for the summers of 1940 and 1944. As usual the species was fairly abundant on the lakeshore. California gulls,Larus californicus Lawrence, were somewhat more numerous on the lake than usual; on August 22 I saw 58 on the launch trip. Most of them were resting along Skell Channel.
In general the summer was apparently a poor one for woodpecker I saw no pileated woodpeckers, Ceophloeus pileatus (Linnaeus); Williamson sapsuckers, Sphyrapicus thyroideus (Cassin); Arctic three-toed woodpeckers, Picoides arcticus (Swainson); or American three-toed woodpeckers, Picoides tridactylus (Linnaeus). Flickers, Colaptes cafer (Gmelin); and hairy woodpeckers, Dryobates villosus (Linnaeus), were substantially less abundant than usual. Of particular interest was the white-headed woodpecker, Dryobates albolarvatus (Cassin), which I saw on Sand Ridge on August 5. There are only six previous records for the Park.
Another lower-elevation species which appeared in the higher parts of the park this summer was the Western wood peewee. They were seen repeatedly in the Shasta fir forest at the headwaters of the East Fork of Annie Creek; that breeding occurred there is indicated by the two juveniles which I saw begging from an adult on August 7. There were records from park headquarters and the lakeshore below Cloudcap. Normally this species breeds only in the lowest parts of the park such as along lower Annie Creek. Previously, however, it was found at higher elevations in 1926 and 1927 (Munson Meadow, by A. H. and Loye Miller), and in 1940 (several localities, Fletcher Palmer).
During the first week in August definite evidence of the breeding of Wright’s Flycatcher,Empidonax wrightii Baird, was obtained. An adult, positively identified as a specimen, was observed on the north slope of Sand Ridge feeding three young very recently from the nest.
Although the number of nutcrackers, Nucifraga columbiana (Wilson), at the Rim Village in early July approached normal levels, the characteristic increase in population which ordinarily occurs during July and August failed to materialize. Actually, they became less common after the first of August. I am inclined to regard this not necessarily as a decrease in the population of this species but rather as an indication of a more general dispersal throughout the park. In support of this my notes show considerably greater numbers than in other years at a number of localities. It is possible that this can be correlated with the substantially greater cone crops on several of the species of conifers. For example, on Dutton Ridge on July 22, I saw 18 in two hours; all were quietly feeding on white-bark pine cones.
Also among the lower-elevation species which appeared in considerable numbers was the chestnut-backed chickadee, Parus rufescens (Townsend). The two seen by C. F. Yocom at the headwaters of the East Fork of Annie Creek (6500 ft.) on August 2 constitute the highest record thus far recorded for the park.
The first dipper, Cinclus mexicanus (Swainson), noted in the Munson Creek drainage was seen near Castle Crest on July 8; the first seen on the lake was on July 10 (Duane S. Fitzgerald). The unusually early record for the lake agrees with the July 11 record for 1940 which was also characterized by early loss of snow.
Rock wrens, Salpinctes obsoletus (Say), were again commonly heard on the Garfield Peak Trail. I saw an adult carrying food repeatedly early in August but was unable to find the nest.
During the first two weeks in July, varied thrushes, Ixoreus naevius (Gmelin), could be heard in the vicinity of park headquarters and elsewhere in the mountain hemlock forests. I am convinced that there were substantially greater numbers this summer than there have been during any summer which I have spent in the park.
Although they were abundant in the lodgepole forests east of the park, there was a remarkably small number of ruby-crowned kinglets, Regulus calendula (Linnaeus), within the park. Very few could be found in the Kerr and Pinnacles valleys where they are ordinarily quite abundant.
On August 7, a juvenile specimen of a black-headed grosbeak, Pheucticus melanocephalus (Swainson), was obtained along lower Sun Creek. This is the third authentic record for the park.
Lazuli buntings, Passerina amoena (Say), were again relatively abundant. Each of the little meadows along lower Annie Creek canyon contained at least one lazuli bunting territory. However, there was also a marked upward expansion. Records were obtained of territorial males in Wheeler Creek Canyon, headwaters of the East Fork of Annie Creek, upper Castle Creek, and park headquarters. Previous summers in which this species was common at higher elevations were those of 1926 (A. H. Miller and Loye Miller) and 1940 (Fletcher Palmer and D. S. Farner). Pine siskins, Spinus pinus Wilson, were present in the last two years. During the summer of 1951, I saw siskins at the rate of about 9.0 per hour in the field; the rates for 1950 and 1949 were 2.2 and 2.6 respectively. Possibly this great abundance is to be associated with the substantially more abundant cone crops. More definitely to be associated with the abundant cone-crop is the irruption of red crossbill’s, Loxia curvirostra Linnaeus.
The Sapphire Lake becomes a cauldron of fog
The Red Crossbill Irruption of 1951
Unquestionably the most spectacular ornithological phenomenon of the summer of 1951 was the prodigious numbers of red crossbills, Loxia curvirostra Linnaeus.
These spectacular nomadic finches were reported continuously and in substantial numbers from all parts of the park. They were the repeated subject of questions and comments by large numbers of visitors most of whom have only the most casual interests in birds. At the Rim Village they could be observed repeatedly at distances of a very few feet as they pecked systematically, possibly for minerals, at the andesite blocks of the retaining wall. The same behavior was observed less frequently at fireplaces and at broken places on the pavement of the highways.
Crossbills were relatively abundant during the summer of 1950, but the numbers observed then were greatly eclipsed by the numbers recorded this season. My field notes yield a reasonably useful comparison in terms of the numbers of crossbills seen per hour in the field during several summers in the park.
| Year
|
Hours in the field
|
Number of Crossbills Seen per Hour |
| 1940 | 50 | 0.1 |
| 1941 | 50 | 0.1 |
| 1942-1945 | no records | |
| 1946 | 65 | 0.9 |
| 1947 | no records | |
| 1948 | 74 | 0.5 |
| 1949 | 42 | 1.0 |
| 1950 | 111 | 1.7 |
| 1951 | 110 | 5.5 |
Although no nests were found I am quite certain that breeding has occurred in the park during 1951. Pairs were seen repeatedly, singing was common, courtship display was observed several times, copulation was observed once, a juvenile bird was observed being fed, and the specimens obtained for the park collection were in breeding condition.
With respect to periods of abundance in the past it is interesting to note that Miller and Miller (ms. 1926) observed only a few in 1926. Superintendent E. C. Solinsky reported them as abundant in October 1930. Campbell (1934) saw none during the summer of 1934. According to Aldrich (1938, 1940) red crossbills were abundant during the summer of 1938 when there were good crops of cones on the white-bark pines and mountain hemlocks; they were less abundant again in 1939 and quite uncommon during 1940. During 1938 Aldrich (1940) observed a juvenile being fed by an adult.
The “mineral pecking” behavior which was observed so frequently this summer was also observed repeatedly during the summer of 1938 (Aldrich, 1939) and less commonly during 1939 and 1940.
The specimens obtained during 1950 and 1951 indicate that the race involved in this irruption is bendirei Ridgway.
References Cited
Aldrich, Elmer C.
1938. Notes on the Sierra Crossbill. Crater Lake National Nature Notes,11(3): 27-29
1939. Notes on the salt-feeding habits of the Red Crossbill. Condor, 41(4): 172-173.
1940. Notes on the birds of Crater Lake National Park, Oregon. Condor, 42(2): 89-90.
Campbell, Berry
1934. Annotated list of the vertebrates of Crater Lake National Park. Mimeographed, National Park Service, Crater National Park, 22pp.
Miller, Loye, and Alden H. Miller
1926. Birds observed in Crater Lake National Park during the season July 1 – August 15, 1926. Manuscript in the files of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley.
Unusual Bird Records
POORWILL (Phalaenoptilus nuttalli)
On September 6, 1951, Dr. Donald C. Lowrie and I found a dead poorwill on the rim road on Dutton Ridge one mile east of Sun Notch at an elevation of 7250 feet.
Apparently this bird had been killed by a car sometime during the night, for it was quite fresh at 8:30 A.M. when we found it. The skin was damaged beyond salvation, but the wings and tail were saved and placed in the study-skin collection at park headquarters. The blackish area in the middle of the crown, the back of the neck extensively marked with black, and a dull blackish-gray back suggests that this bird was a dusky poorwill(Phalaenoptilus nuttalli californicus). So far as I could learn, Dr. Donald S. Farner collected the only specimen ever previously reported in the park.
LEWIS WOODPECKER (Asyndesmus lewis)
The Lewis woodpecker migrates through the park each fall. The following observations record the start of their fall migration for 1951: September 2, one juvenile at 7700 feet of elevation of Llao Rock; September 6, two adults at 7430 feet near Reflection Point, 20 within ten minutes at the same elevation near Sentinel Point, and four near 8000 feet at the base of Mt. Scott.
AMERICAN PIPIT (Anthus spinoletta rubescens)
Pipits pass through the park on their way south. I observed them at higher elevations near the rim as follows: on September 2, three at 8046 feet in a sedge meadow on Llao Rock; on September 6, one at 8938 feet on top of Mt. Scott and six on the pumice slide on the west slope of this mountain. On September 3 three individuals, perhaps the same I had seen the day before, were seen on the very summit of Llao Rock by Dr. R. Whitaker and Don Holloway of Washington State College, naturalist assistant Roy Lee Rogers, and the park naturalist.
CEDAR WAXWING (Bombycilla cedrorum)
Few cedar waxwings have been observed in the park. I saw a single bird on the rim near Sentinel Point on August 12.
BREWER BLACKBIRD (Euphagus cyanocephalus)
Records for this bird within the park are rare although they are common near Fort Klamath. On September 6, Dr. Donald C. Lowrie and I saw two. One was seen at 8:30 A.M. hunting insects among the Newberry knotweeds one-half mile southeast of Sentinel Point. Another was seen at 1:30 P.M. on the pavement west of the Administration Building. A bird was seen at 7:00 P.M. in the same general area, but this was probably the same individual seen at noon.
SAVANNAH SPARROW (Passerculus sandwichensis)
I saw three savannah sparrows on the grassy summit of Llao Rock on September 2. This may be first record of these field-loving birds on this lofty summit, although the park naturalist informs me that he has seen them at lower elevations, namely in Copeland Meadows.
Special Numbers of Nature Notes
The Crater Lake Natural History Association is planning a series of special numbers to fill the demand for information on a variety of subjects in Crater Lake National Park and Oregon Caves National The Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel in Crater Lake National Park,” is already in the hands of the lithoprinter. It has been written by former ranger naturalist Dr. Ralph R. Huestis of the zoology staff of the University of Oregon. Dr. Huestis was famous for his lodge talks which sparkled with wit, cleverness of expression, and dependable fact. This product of his pen, a subject with which he delighted so many park audiences, will please the reader in similar ample degree.
In this issue, a pen and ink sketch of quillwort has been reproduced from an original by Dr. Charles Yocom. Dr. Yocom was assigned the task of drawing 120 different plants of the park and the Caves area this summer. These will be parts of two small portfolios on popular and common flowers of these areas. Other brochures will deal with birds, trees, Indians of the region, and mammals. At the present time, nine have been prepared or projected for the coming three years.
Winter Scene on the Run
Research on Salamanders
(Research is a vital part of the activity of the naturalists in our National Parks. It is the source of knowledge about what is in the park and what is occurring. Its results furnish the supply of information which the park needs to interpret its treasures for the public. Only by continuous study of problems with full possession of facts can intelligent administration and operation of the park be achieved. The pursuit of research is a stimulus which keeps fresh and vigorous the enthusiasm of the naturalists in their lectures, guided trips afield and other efforts. – Ed.)
During the summer of 1951, Dr. Donald S. Farner and I carried out intensive field work on park amphibians and reptiles. We were ably assisted by our fellow ranger-naturalists as well as by Lawrence Bisbee of the fire suppression staff, Fred Larmie of the ranger staff, and Roy Strand of the trail crew. Lawrence Bisbee made the first big discovery of the summer by collecting a specimen of the Oregon red salamander, Ensatina eschscholtzii oregonensis (Girard), from beneath a pile of boards near Annie Spring on August 7, at an elevation of 6080 feet. This is the first specimen of this salamander to have been found in the park and it is apparently the highest altitude record for any member of its genus. Although the specimen has been allocated to oregonensis, it is actually intermediate between oregonensis and platensis (Espada), according to the recent revision of Dr. Stebbins of the University of California. A thorough search of the area in which this salamander had been collected, failed to reveal other individuals. It is possible that others will be found in the park, if looked for earlier in the season when the ground contains a greater amount of moisture.
A second important addition to the herptofauna of the park occurred on September 15 when Lawrence Bisbee, Fred Larmie and I found the northwestern salamander,Ambystoma gracile Baird, occupying bog ponds in the vicinity of Crater Spring at an altitude of 5300 feet. The three ponds in which this salamander was first found are in the rarely visited northwestern section of the park, about one-half mile south of the end of Crater Spur Motorway. Two of these ponds are small, not more than six feet in diameter, but the third is larger — about 25 feet long and 10 feet wide. Each pond is surrounded by a floating mat of vegetation and the sides drop off almost vertically to a depth of four to six feet. From these three small bodies of water, we collected nine large larvae which have a mean total length of 165 mm. These larvae, although unmetamorphosed, are sexually mature and were breeding in the larval condition. This curious situation, neoteny, is oftentimes found in this and certain other species of salamanders.
Along the northern side of Crater Creek, I found A. gracile occupying a bog pond that was almost filled with vegetation. Large larvae of this species were seen in this pond; however, my collection consists of two smaller individuals.
In the vicinity of the park, Norman Davidson and I collected A. gracile in a cut-off section of the Rogue River below Hamaker Meadows and Philip Ross and I discovered it making up part of an abundant salamander fauna in Spruce Lake, an isolated montane pond at 4750 feet in Jackson County, a mile and a half from the western boundary of the park. The lake is about 200 yards long, 30 yards wide and approaches a maximum depth of eight feet. It supports an abundant population of A. gracile, associated with the Oregon newt, Triturus g. granulosus, and the long-toed salamander, Ambystoma macrodactylum. The isolated and undisturbed nature of this body of water along with its large salamander population make it an ideal place for the study of this species. My several visits to this pond, during the first two weeks of September, revealed an A. gracile population made up of large neotenic larvae, smaller larvae of several size classes, metamorphosing larvae, and completely metamorphosed individuals.
In each of the four localities where this salamander has been collected, its globular egg masses have been conspicuous. On July 25, in the cut-off portion of the Rogue River, hatching had already taken place in some of the egg masses but in others the embryos were present in the gel. At Spruce Lake on August 31, at least 150 masses of gel were seen, hatching having taken place sometime prior to that date. On September 22, I was extremely pleased to find an egg mass of this species containing well-developed embryos in a small bog pond along the northern side of Crater Creek. Along with the various size-groups of small larvae that have been found in Spruce Lake and in the bog ponds near Crater Creek, this unhatched egg mass indicates a long egg-laying season for this species.
The salamander for which Crater Lake National Park is zoologically famous is the Mazama newt, Triturus granulosus mazemae Myers, a “water dog” that is found no place in the world except in the waters of Crater Lake. It is closely related to the common Oregon newt, Triturus granulosus granulosus (Skilton), but differs in having varying amounts of dark pigment mixed with the orange or yellow of the under surface. Dr. Farner and I were unable to find specimens of Triturus that had been collected in the park other than from the lake. We were interested in securing newts outside of the lake, but near it, in order to see if they would be ordinary granulosus or the much less common mazamae. Accordingly, the two of us were delighted to find a single large adult newt on August 25, in a cut-off oxbow along Munson Creek. We examined it carefully, finding no evidence of any of the characters which distinguish mazamae from typical granulosus, despite the fact that it had been collected only two and one-half miles from Crater Lake. Two more specimens of typical granulosus were collected September 22 in the bog pond near Crater Spring which was mentioned previously in connection with Ambystoma gracile. We believe that these collections of typical T. granulosus within the park, but outside of the lake, give strong evidence toward the idea that the Mazama newt is a subspecies entirely confined to Crater Lake.
These brief notes give an idea of progress made during 1951 in our understanding of the herptofauna of the park. For those particularly interested in this group of animals, detailed information about the amphibians and reptiles of the park has been prepared for publication sometime during the coming months.
Botrychium
Botrychium is the generic name for a group of fern-allies called grape-ferns from the sporangia clustered like bunches of grapes. It is classified with the Adder’s Tongue Family, OPHIOGLOSSACEAE, each of whose members has an underground stem reduced to a short rootstock. A single leaf appears each year that is divided into a foliage part and a sporebearing spike or panicle that faces the former. The bud for the succeeding year’s frond grows within the base of the stalk or petiole of the leaf, and is circinate, that is, rolled downward from the apex.
The Crater Lake grape-fern was the object of avid search by the park’s scientist of promise, my budding sixteen-year-old helper, Roy Rogers. In his narration, he tells of its provision for existence in a rugged, exposed situation. Quite larger in size, growing in moister, kindlier situations is the leathery grape-fern, B. silaifolium Presl, that frequents shaded banks and sphagnum bogs from New England to California and north to Alaska. Great variation in size occurs among individual plants that cannot be referred to character of climate and soil.
On our botanical survey of the Siskiyous near Oregon Caves, Dr. Wm. S. Baker and I found this plant growing in a mossy site at the outlet of Lower Biglow Lake. I made a half-dozen hikes to the place before securing spore bearing specimens. This year, James Kezer added it to the park flora. He collected it at Spruce Lake and in the sphagnum bogs near Crater Spring, well within the park boundaries. Kezer’s specimens have been examined and classified by Dr. Robert Clausen of Cornell University as B. multifidum ssp. silaifolium (Presl) Clausen.
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