Vol. 16 No. 1 (1985)

Information on the effects of major habitat change on the distribution of owls is generally lacking. The result may be that marked changes in density or local distribution go unnoticed. I have compiled records and subjective impressions from several observers near China Camp Forest Service campground during a period interrupted by a major forest fire. This information is particularly valuable when it pertains to the California Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis occidentalis), a subspecies which is under study by the California Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Forest Service because of concern for its status.

The San Benito Mountain region of the southern Diablo Range, San Benito and Fresno counties, California, is of unusual biological interest for several reasons. The highest peaks, San Benito Mountain (5241 ft [1599 m]) and Santa Rita Peak (5165 ft [1575 m]), support on their upper slopes significant forest well isolated from such growth in other areas. The nearest major stands of mixed conifers appear approximately 50 miles (80 km) to the west, in the northern Santa Lucia Range, Monterey County. Eastward, a distance of approximately 93 miles (150 km) separates the San Benito conifers from the rich forests of the Sierra Nevada (Figure 1).

This report of the Western Field Ornithologists’ California Bird Records Committee (CBRC) contains 197 records of 78 species, divided as follows: 174 records (of 65 species) accepted; 18 (17) unaccepted, identification questionable; and 5 (5) unaccepted, origin questionable (i.e., possible escapees). A few of the accepted records involve returning birds or the reevaluation of records previously treated by the Committee. These figures represent a rejection rate of only 11.7%, which is similar to the rates in four of the six previous reports and to the overall average of 15.7%. This average is based on 1140 records treated, of which 179 were judged unacceptable (see Table 1). By way of comparison, the British Rarities Committee had an overall rejection rate of 22% during its first 10 years, with the lowest annual rate being 18% during the tenth year (Wallace 1970).

Heavy rains, cold temperatures and fog persisted throughout the winter and early spring of 1981-82 in the Sacramento Valley of California. Total rainfall in Chico, Butte County, California, for the period 1 March–15 April 1982 was 21.08 cm, 7.06 cm (50.4%) above normal for the entire months of March and April. Mean daily temperature during March was 11.1°C, a 0.2°C decrease from normal, and during April was 12.6°C, a decrease of 1.4°C (NOAA 1982a,b). During spring, 1982, we observed several incidents of mortality in swallows (Hirundinidae) which we believe were weather related.

Arid grassland birds are difficult to observe and follow in the field. Often it appears that a bird “must have disappeared down a hole somewhere.” Here we report observations showing that this behavior actually occurs. Grassland birds in southeastern Arizona occasionally enter rodent burrows to escape predation.

San Diego County, California, is certainly one of the most exciting counties for birds on the continent. Due to its strategic coastal location, varied habitats, and relatively long history of ornithological exploration, it presently boasts a list of over 450 species, highest of any county in North America. 

At a recent meeting of the Board of Directors, held during the hiatus between the Brambling and the Little Curlew, Western Field Ornithologists established the “__________” Endowment Fund. Proceeds from investment of this fund will be used primarily to publish Western Birds. Currently the fund is empty, but our Treasurer assures me that, nevertheless, it is there—waiting. . . . If anyone out there feels the urge to be the first (or even the second) to fill this void, here’s how.