WESTERN BIRDS

Volume 24, Number 4, 1993

BREEDING BIRDS OF FOUR ISOLATED MOUNTAINS IN SOUTHERN

JOAN EASTON LENTZ, 433 PimientoLn., Santa Barbara,California 93108

The breedingavifaunas of FigueroaMountain and Big PineMountain in SantaBarbara County and Mountain and Mount Pinos in Venturaand Kern countiesare of great ornithologicalinterest. These four mountains supportislands of coniferousforest separated by otherhabitats at lower elevations. Little information on the birds of the first three has been publishedpreviously. From 1981 to 1993, I, withthe helpof a numberof observers,censused the summer residentbirds of these four mountains,paying particular attentionto the speciesrestricted to highelevations. By comparingthese avifaunaswith each other, as well as with thoseof the San Gabriel,San Bernardino,and San Jacinto mountains, and the southernSierra Nevada, I hopeto addto currentknowledge of thestatus and distribution of montane birds in .

VEGETATIO51AND GEOGRAPHY

The patternof vegetationin the surveyareas is typicalof thatfound on manysouthern California mountains. Generally, the south- and west-facing slopesof the mountainsare coveredwith chaparralor pinyon-juniper woodlandalmost to the summits.On the north-facingslopes, however, coolertemperatures and more mesic conditions support coniferous forest, which often reaches far down the mountainsides. Because the climate is arid, few creeksor streamsflow at high elevations,and most water is availablein the form of seepsor smallsprings. BothFigueroa (4528 feet, 1380 m) andBig Pine (6828 feet,2081 m) mountainsare locatedin the San RafaelRange, the southernmostof the CoastRanges (Figure 1, Norrisand Webb 1990). The San RafaelMoun- tainsare borderedby the SierraMadre, a low -coveredrange, to the northand the CuyamaValley to the northeast.The SisquocRiver drains west from the San Rafael Mountains and Sierra Madre to the Santa Maria River.To the southlies the foothillgrassland of the SantaYnez Valley. Western Birds 24:201-234, 1993 201 BIRDS OF FOUR ISOLATED MOUNTAINS

The vegetationof the FigueroaMountain area (including Ranger Peak, 4652 feet,1396 m)is a mixedforest of oaksand with patches of chaparraland foothill grassland (Barbour and Major 1988). Above 3500 feet(1067 m) the forest is dominated by Ponderosa Pine () andCoulter Pine (P.. coulteri), heavily interspersed with Canyon Live Oak (Quercuschrysolepis), Coast Live Oak (Q. agrifolia),and California Bay (Umbellulariacalifomica). On •e northsides of FigueroaMountain and RangerPeak stands of Big-ConeSpruce or Douglas-Fir()grow on the steep slopes and in shadedcanyons. Most of the understoryshrubs are chaparral species such as manzanita (Arctostaphylos sp.), Toyon (Heteromelesarbutifolia), and Coffeeberry(Rhamnus californica)(Figures 2 and 3). BigPine Mountain is 19 miles(30 krn)east of FigueroaMountain and possessesmore extensive coniferous forest (Figure 4). Chaparralcovers the south-facingslope almost to thesummit, but the vegetation near the summit andon the north slope is a mixedmontane coniferous forest. Here, Jeffrey Pine (Pinus}effreyi), Sugar Pine (P. lambertiana),White Fir (),and IncenseCedar (Calocedrus decurrens) furnish a dense canopyof tallconifers at elevationsabove approximately 5800 feet(1768 m). Withinthe coniferousforest are patches of montanechaparral: Bitter Cherry(Prunus emarginata), Western Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana var. demissa),Deer Brush(Ceanothus integerrimus), and Chaparral Whitethorn(C. leucodermis).On theeast and west-facing slopes, [e.g., on

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Figure1. •e fo• isolatedmo•tains su•eyed in •nta •rbara, Ventura,and Kern coun•es.

202 BIRDS OF FOUR ISOLATED MOUNTAINS

West Big Pine (6490 feet, 1978 m) and toward MadulcePeak], a drier JeffreyPine woodlandpredominates. Down a deep canyonon the north slope,the trail to Lower Bear Campgroundwinds through a mesicarea of mostlyIncense Cedar with CanyonLive Oak and somePonderosa Pine. A forest of Coulter Pine stretches across the southeast flank of the mountain in the vicinityof AlamarSaddle (Figure 5). Approximately19 miles(30 km) east of ,the narrow forestedridge of Pine Mountainextends east-west for approximately9 miles(14.4 km) (Figure6). It is a successionof summits,the highestbeing ReyesPeak (7510 feet, 2289 m). Borderedto the southby the SespeCreek drainageand to the north by portionsof the Cuyama and Lockwood valleys,Pine Mountain is surroundedby chaparraland pinyon-juniper woodlandthat reachesalmost to the summiton south-facingslopes. Above 6000 feet (1829 m), Jeffreyand scatteredPonderosa grow in a dry, open forestalong the boulder-strewnridgetop. Down the steepnorth slope, severalof the narrowcanyons support a more mesicforest of SugarPine and White Fir, (e.g., alongthe RaspberrySpring trail and on the north side of Reyes Peak). Bitter Cherry, ChaparralWhitethorn, and Deer Brush mingle with Wax Currant (Ribes cereurn) and Mountain Snowberry

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Figure 2. Detail of FigueroaMountain, Santa BarbaraCounty. The total area surveyed,above 3500 feet elevation,was about 1.3 squaremiles (3.4 kin2),out of a totalforested area of about2 squaremiles (5.2 km•).

203 BIRDS OF FOUR ISOLATED MOUNTAINS

($ymphoricarposparrishii) in a few forestoperiings, but the understoryis never dense(Figure 7). Mount Pinos(8831 feet, 2692 m) lies 16 miles(26 km) northeastof Pine Mountain.It is the highestpoint in a massof mountains--includingMount Abel, , and Grouse Mountain--separated from other ranges by interveninglow dividesand elevatedvalleys covered with sage- brush(Artemisia tridentata). The Mount Pinosregion provides an ecologi- cal link with the and TehachapiMountains to the northeast and the TransverseRanges of southernCalifornia to the southeast. The Mount Pinos area (Figure 8) has the most montane habitat in the surveyarea. At approximately6250 feet (1905 m), the lower slopesof pinyon-junipermixed with sagebrushgive way to a JeffreyPine woodland on the southand east slopes.On the north slopes,White Fir and Jeffrey Pine form a moisterforest, as along the trail to GrouseMountain and along Fir RidgeRoad on Mount Pinos.California Black Oak (Quercuskelloggii) and Canyon Live Oak mix with the pine-fir forestin the canyons,particu- larlyalong the McGilltrail on Mount Pinos.Above 8000 feet (2438 m), the vegetationresembles the montanesubalpine forest found in the Transverse and Peninsularranges of southernCalifornia (Barbour and Major 1988).

• -. . .

Figure3. Coniferousforest on FigueroaMountain Note the typicalconifer and oak mixturewith Big-ConeSpruce and CanyonLive Oak makinga densecanopy down north-facingcanyons. Photo by Joan Easton Lentz

2O4 BIRDS OF FOUR ISOLATED MOUNTAINS

The summitof Mount Pinossupports an open woodlandof LimberPine (Pinusflexiils) and JeffreyPine (Barbourand Major 1988). Montanechaparral here generallyoccurs in densepatches on exposed, steep,or rockyareas and is verysimilar to that foundin the southernSierra Nevada,San Gabriel, San Bernardino,and San Jacintoranges (Barbour and Major 1988). The common shrubsare currantsand gooseberries (Ribesspp.), Snow Bush (Ceanothuscordulatus), and manzanita.Very smallmeadows grow at Iris Meadow on Mount Pinos, Sheep Camp on SawmillMountain and at occasionalroadside seeps on Mount Pinos and Mount Abel. Thesesustain a numberof grassesand herbsalso found in alpinemeadows in the southernSierra Nevadaand the San Gabriel,San Bernardino,and San Jacintomountains (Figure 9).

CLIMATE

The climate of the areas studiedis Mediterranean,with dry, warm summersand wet, cool winters. With the exceptionof an occasional thunderstorm,very little rain falls during the summer.Average annual precipitationfor FigueroaMountain is 21 inches,for BigPine Mountain, 34 inches, for Pine Mountain, 23 inches, and for Mount Pinos 23 inches

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] AreaCensused • ...... Trail To Lille Pine Mtn...... ,,l::...... UnimprovedR•d Paved R•d ...... Creek Coun• Line Figure 4. Detail of Bi• Pine Mo•tain, S•ta Ba•ara Count. •e total area su•eyed,above 5300 feetelevation, was about 4.5 •uare miles(11.7 •, outof a totalforested area o[ about5 •uam miles(13 •. BIRDS OF FOUR ISOLATED MOUNTAINS

(SantaBarbara and Ventura County Flood Control personnel, pers. comm.). On Big Pine Mountain,Pine Mountain,and Mount Pinos,much of the precipitationfalls in the form of wintersnow. Average summer tempera- turesrange from daytime highs of 80 to 85øF(27-29øC) to nighttimelows of 52-56øF (11-13øC) (U.S. Forest Service personnel, Santa Barbara District,pers. comm.). From 1984 through1990, precipitationin Santa Barbaraand Ventura Counties--as in much of southern California--was well below average, possiblyaffecting both the diversityand abundanceof montanespecies frequentingthe areasstudied.

Figure5. Coniferousforest on Big Pine Mountain.This view is alongthe Big Pine MountainRoad, showing Sugar Pine, White Fir, and IncenseCedar at approximately 6200 feet elevation. Photo by doar•Eastor• Ler•tz 2O6 BIRDS OF FOUR ISOLATED MOUNTAINS

ORNITHOLOGICAL HISTORY Mount Pinos has receivedconsiderable attention since Joseph Grinnell campedin the area in June and July 1904 (Grinnell1905). Grinnell and Swarth (1913) describedthe boreal fauna of the San Jacinto Mountainsand comparedit with that of other mountainsof southernCalifornia, including Mount Pinos. Alden H. Miller and Seth Benson(1930) reportedon addi- tionalspecies observed on Mount Pinosduring the 1920s, recordingeight borealbirds not encounteredby Grinnell.Willett (1933) summarizedthe statusand distribution of southernCalifornia's birds, including records from the Mount Pinosarea. Grinnelland Miller (1944) mappedmany records from Mount Pinos.Finally, Miller (1951) analyzedthe bird geographyof California,incorporating the Mount Pinosregion. The wealth of informationavailable for the Mount Pinosregion is in sharpcontrast to the paucityof knowledgeabout the other mountainsI surveyed.William Leon Dawson,author of The Birdsof California (1923),

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...... Trail ...... ,., ...... Unimproved Paved Road Creek Coun• Line Figure6. Detailof PineMountain, Ventura County. The totalarea surveyed, above 6000 feetelevation, was about 5.5 squaremiles (14.3 kmZ),out of a totalforested areaof about10 squaremiles (26 kin2).

2O7 BIRDS OF FOUR ISOLATED MOUNTAINS

worked in the Santa Barbara/Venturaregion but almostexclusively on the coastalplain. Neither Willett (1933) nor Grinnelland Miller (1944) gave detailsof bird distributionin the higher mountainsof Santa Barbara or Ventura countiesother than Mount Pinos. Miller (1951:588) indicatedthe Big Pine Mountainarea on a map of borealdistricts of California,but he did not includesuch "very small detached boreal areas" in his analysis. It was not until the 1960s that local observersfinally began visiting FigueroaMountain (Lehman 1982) and Pine Mountainon a regularbasis. Several annotated checklists of the birds of Santa Barbara and Ventura

Figure7. Coniferousforest on Pine Mountainshowing the traildown to Raspberry Springat 6750 feetelevation with Jeffrey Pine and scattered White Fir. Note the lack of understoryeven on thesteep north-facing slope. Photo by doan Easton Lentz

2O8 BIRDS OF FOUR ISOLATED MOUNTAINS counties(Metcalf 1967, 1972, Websteret al. 1980) reflectedthe increased observercoverage of the region,although their format precludeddetailed descriptionsof the mountains'avifauna. In the 1970s, quarterlyreports in American Birds (AB) and seasonalreports of localobservers on file at the SantaBarbara Museum of NaturalHistory showed more frequentvisits to the mountains of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties; Mount Pinos still receivedthe mostattention. Garrett and Dunn (1981) addedgreatly to our knowledgeof the distributionof montanespecies in southernCalifornia, and Lehman (1982) furnishedthe most detailedaccount ever of Santa BarbaraCounty's birds. Althoughthe CaliforniaCondor had beenobserved carefully in the San RafaelMountains since at leastthe 1930s, no reliablereports on other aspectsof the mountains'bird life were published.The Big PineMountain region,largely because of its ruggednessand inaccessibility,was not com- prehensivelycensused until our field work on this surveybegan in the summerof 1981. The ideafor thispaper originated as a resultof that first visitto Big Pine Mountain,with the discoveryof ninespecies not previously knownto breedin SantaBarbara County.

SURVEY METHODS AND STUDY AREAS

Historicaldata were obtained from the publishedliterature; additionally, severalobservers who had beenactive in the studyareas since the 1970s contributedtheir records. The mostimportant resource was field notes and

roeste)8286' \ ]• Vi•as Chula •-'"'-•.•.L•cc•ill I rail • ".. Campgroundk '"ß, •,•wrnfilc• ' Mtn• Iris9 .-•Firt•idge Rgad ToFrazier Park _ •", ,• 8800, •,'.,•,..•[•/•'•'•Meadow • KernCounty ..... '• ß •' "&"-' • '"/ ,• • -- ' VenturaCounty GrouseMtn ß 8650.' ',• Mt•'•l•i•oo•'øs • Mt: P'mosPinos CamCan oa round --

',• AreaCensused ...... Trail ...... ,...... Unimproved Road Paved Road Creek County Line Figure 8. Detail of Mount Pinos and vicinity,Ventura and Kern counties.The total areasurveyed, above 6250 feet elevation,was about 7 squaremiles (18.2 krn•),out of a totalforested area of about20 squaremiles (52 krn•).

2O9 BIRDS OF FOUR ISOLATED MOUNTAINS sightingsfrom observerswho participatedwith me in the currentsurvey: LouisBevier, Allyn Bissell,Paul Collins, Jon Dunn, ShawneenFinnegan, Hank and Jan Hamber,George and Joan Hardie,Mark Holmgren,Paul Lehman,Barbara Millett, Jean Okuye, FlorenceSanchez, John Schmitt, Brad Schram,Guy Tingos,and T. Dion Warren. Our fieldwork extendedfrom 1981 to 1993, exceptat Mount Pinos, which was surveyedonly from 1988 to 1992. Most records,both recent and historic,are from the peribd15 May to 15 August,and mainlyJune andJuly. Occasionally, I have cited records from other times of the year from observersoutside this survey. Censusedstudy areas were subsetsof the entiremontane habitat on each of the mountaintops.I attempted to keep the studyarea size roughly proportionalto theamount of montanehabitat on eachmountain, although accessibilitywas sometimes a factorin coverage. On FigueroaMountain, we spenta totalof 120 hoursobserving on 17 May 1982, 6 July1983, 11, 21 June,and 12 July 1989, 18 June 1990, 29 June, 17 Julyand 4 August1991 and 27 May 1992. On Big PineMountain, total observer hours were 1304:30 June-1July 1981, 19-22 July 1982, 19-21 July 1983, 30 May 1985, 18-20 June 1986, 2 July1987, 21-25 Juneand 23-24 July1988, 21-23 June1989,

• ..

Figure9. Coniferousforest on MountPinos showing the open,park-like stands of Jeffrey Pine around a meadow at about 8300 feet elevationnear Chula Vista Campground. Photo by Joan Easton Lentz 210 BIRDS OF FOUR ISOLATED MOUNTAINS

21-23 June 1990, 25-27 June 1991, 5-7 June and 25-27 June 1992, and 10-12 June 1993. Big Pine Mountainis difficultto reach,owing to its isolationin the San Rafael WildernessArea. The nearest trailhead, Santa BarbaraCanyon, is a 16-mile hike away. Motorizedtravel is prohibitedin the wildernessarea and vehicleaccess is only by specialpermission of the U. S. Forest Service, Los Padres National Forest. San Rafael Mountain (6593 feet, 2009 m) was not in the Big Pine Mountainstudy area, but pertinentrecords from this peak are occasionally includedin the speciesaccounts. Lying 10 miles(16 km) west of Big Pine Mountain in the San Rafael Range, it supportsabout 2 squaremiles of coniferousforest near Mission Pine Spring, which we censused18-20 June 1982, 10-12 June 1989, 16-18 June 1990, and 21-23 June 1991. Access is via a 12-mile hike from Cachuma Saddle. We surveyedPine Mountainon 6 June 1981, 10 August1983, 29 June 1984, 1 July 1986, 18 July 1988, 9-10 June1989, 5 August1990, 7-8 June 1991, and 11-12 June 1992 for a total of 376 observerhours. On Mount Pinos we spent a total of 520 observerhours on 12 July 1988, 3, 10-11, 16, and 25 Juneand 6 July 1989, 24 May, 1-3 June,8, 14 June 1990, 12-13 July 1991, 5 and 19 Juneand 23 July1992. (Visits 12-14 May 1991 and 11 September1992 to searchfor BlueGrouse were includedin the observerhours.)

SPECIES ACCOUNTS

I focusedmy attentionon the speciesdefined as borealby Miller(1951), althoughmany species widespread also at lower-•elevations occur on the four mountains.I refer to these borealspecies as "montane,"rather than "boreal"; the former is more pertinent to an avifauna which exists in southernCalifornia generally above 5000 feet (1500 m) and is associated withoaks and conifers.These montane species are indicatedby a &. Other speciesare only brieflyannotated, except those of particularinterest. All uncreditedsightings are from my personalobservations or thoseof observerswho accompaniedme in the field;they are on file with me and at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (SBMNH). Sightingsof observersconnected with thissurvey but who were not accompaniedby me at the time, and sightingsof observersnot connectedwith the survey,are creditedindividually. I defined "common"as over 10 individualsseen or heardper day, "fairlycommon" as 5-10 individualsseen or heardper day, "uncommon"as 1-5 individualsseen or heard per day, and "rare" as speciesnot seen or heard every day and, when found, usuallyin small numbers.

TURKEY VULTURE (Cathartes aura). Uncommon on FigueroaMountain, rare on Big Pine Mountain, Pine Mountain, and Mount Pinos. CALIFORNIACONDOR (Gymnogypscalifornianus). Extirpated. As recentlyas the early 1980s it wasrare on Big Pine and Pine mountains,uncommon on Mount Pinos/Mount Abel, and a rare visitorto FigueroaMountain. By 1981, the total populationhad dwindledto lessthan 30 and by 1986 only 5 birdsremained in the wild. In 1987, the last wild bird was captured,and a remnant flock of California

211 BIRDS OF FOUR ISOLATED MOUNTAINS

Condorsnow resides in captivity.Reintroduction to the mountainsof VenturaCounty is in progress. Around Big Pine Mountain,California Condors were formerlyquite numerous, e.g., 20 were at San Rafael Mountain 14-15 July 1940 and 11 were at West Big Pinein August1946 (Koford1953). Fromat least1976 (Snyderand Hamber 1985) through1985 (J. Hamberpers. comm.), a pair of condorsnested regularly near Big Pine Mountain. Until 1983, condorsalso bred in the Pine Mountain area (J. Hamber pers.comm.). On both Big Pine and Pine mountains,condors nested on cliffledges or in caves. In the Mount Pinos/Mount Abel area, California Condorswere seen from at least 1904, when Grinnell(1905) reporteda singleindividual flying over the summit, throughthe 1980s. Althoughnesting was neverdocumented in the area, the birds werefrequently observed foraging there or whilepassing to andfrom roosting sites in late summerand earlyfall. SHARP-SHINNEDHAWK (Accipiterstriatus). No confirmedrecords, although the Sharp-shinnedHawk is a scarce summer resident in the San Gabriel, San Bernardino,and San Jacintoranges (no documentedevidence of nesting,Garrett and Dunn 1981). COOPER'S HAWK (Accipiter cooperil). Rare to uncommonon all of the moun- tains surveyed. &NORTHERN GOSHAWK (Accipiter gentilis). Rare, occurringin the Mount Pinosarea only. The goshawkis a rare residentin the San JacintoMountains (AB 41:1486) and possiblythe San Bernardino Mountains, but with no evidenceof nesting(Garrett and Dunn 1981). Prior to 1989, there was only one nestingrecord for the Northern Goshawkin southernCalifornia: an egg set taken at Mount Pinoson 6 May 1904 (Garrettand Dunn 1981). Other recordsfrom MountPinos are of individuals1 August1953 and 18 June 1976 (Garrett and Dunn 1981). On 10 June 1989 we discoveredan active nestwith 2 adultsand 2 juveniles,which laterfledged, in the vicinityof Mount Abel. In the sameyear, a pair of goshawkswas seen near MountPinos, where nesting was suspected(AB 43:1367). The MountAbel pair attemptednesting again in May-June 1990 (R. Moore pers. comm.), but the nest was abandoned.On 19 and 20 July 1991, E Sanchezsaw an adultand 1 (possibly2) immature(s),but no nest,at Mount Pinos. RED-TAILED HAWK (Buteo jamaicensis).Uncommon on all of the mountains surveyed. GOLDEN EAGLE (Aquila chrysaetos).Rare to uncommonon all four mountains. AMERICAN KESTREL (Falco sparverius).Uncommon on FigueroaMountain, Big Pine Mountain, and Pine Mountain,rare on Mount Pinos. ABLUE GROUSE (Dendragapusobscurus). This speciesmay still persistas a very rare residentof the Mount Pinos area, but further field work is necessaryto determineits statusaccurately. It is absentfrom the other mountainssurveyed. No reliablerecords exist south of the studyregion (Garrett and Dunn 1981). The BlueGrouse was first recorded from MountPinos by Grinnell(1905), who saw a female and juvenileand severaldust-wallows and reportedthat local residents capturedthe birdsfrequently. Dickey and van Rossem(1923) describedthe grouseof the southernSierra Nevadaand Mount Pinosas a subspecies,D. o. howardi, citing eight specimensfrom Mount Pinosand selectingone as the type. Willett (1933) wroteof a setof fiveeggs taken from the northslope of MountPinos 21 May 1928. The lastcertain records for grousein thisarea were in the 1970s, e.g., 1 on Mount

212 BIRDS OF FOUR ISOLATED MOUNTAINS

Abel on 23 September1976 (J. Hamber pers. comm.)and 5 betweenSawmill Mountainand Mount Pinoson 30 September1979 (M. Hinz, U.S. ForestService, MountPinos District, pers. comm.). Weiss (1979) and Bendelland Zwickel(1984) foundno evidenceof the speciesin the MountPinos area during surveys conducted in the springof 1979. A reportof 1 or 2 individualson 10 July1991 (AB 45:1161) lackedadequate documentation; however, an unconfirmedsighting on 2 August 1992 of a bird flushednear SawmillMountain (L. Allen pers. comm.)is intriguing. On 1 May 1993, R. and M. Chichesterwere hiking in snow near Sawmill Mountainwhen the former flushed2 birds,allegedly Blue Grouse,which disap- peared.Then theyheard 3 to 5 "booming"calls followed by a few low "clucks." The steepnorth slopes of MountPinos, Mount Abel, and Sawmill Mountain still seem to providesuitable habitat, but we wereunable to locatethis species there from 1988 to 1992. ForBig Pine Mountain, there is a singlerecord of a sightingby U. S. ForestService personnelof 2 BlueGrouse chicks on 8 June 1938 (Bartholomew1940).

CALIFORNIA QUAIL (Callipepla californica).Rare to uncommonon all of the mountainssurveyed. We usuallyfound California Quail near the lowestelevations of each studyarea. The CaliforniaQuail evidenfiycoexists in smallnumbers with the Mountain Quail, but the former is restrictedto the south-facingslopes where chaparralpredominates, e.g., we saw2 at McGilltrailhead (6250 feet, 1905 m) on Mount Pinos, 5 June 1992.

&MOUNTAIN QUAIL (Oreortyxpictus). Common on Big Pine Mountain,fairly commonon FigueroaMountain, Pine Mountain, and MountPinos. It occursin all of the mountainranges west of the desertsin southernCalifornia (Garrett and Dunn 1981). Big PineMountain, with itsbrushy patches of BitterCherry, Western Chokecherry, and Ceanothu$,attracts good numbersof MountainQuail. A high counthere is 50 individualsincluding young 30 Juneand 1 July 1981 (Lehman1982). Low rainfall probablyaffects this species, as numbersdeclined somewhat from 1984 to 1990 on all the mountainssurveyed.

BAND-TAILEDPIGEON (Columbafa$ciata). Common on Big Pine Mountain, fairlycommon on FigueroaMountain, Pine Mountain, and MountPinos. In February andMarch 1982 near Big Pine Mountain,J. Schmittobserved many concentrated in canyonssouth of MadulcePeak. He noted birdsin all phasesof reproduction:nest construction,nests and fresh eggs,young (fledgedand nestlings).In Februaryhe observeda well-leatheredyoung pigeon that musthave hatched from an egglaid in earlyto mid-January.An enormousacorn crop that yearmay havestimulated winter breeding. MOURNING DOVE (Zenaida macroura). Uncommon on all the mountainssur- veyed. &FLAMMULATED OWL (Otu$flammeolu$). Rare on MountPinos and Big Pine Mountain.There are no recordsfor FigueroaMountain and Pine Mountain, although with furtherfield work the speciesmay be found on the latter. It breedsin the San Gabrieland San Bernardinomountains (AB 39:962; Grinnelland Miller 1944) and possiblyin the San JacintoMountains (AB 42:1339). FlammulatedOwls were first recordedon Mount Pinos24-25 July 1935 (Miller 1936). On 1 June1990, on Fir RidgeRoad on the northslope of MountPinos, we hada birdrespond to tapedcalls. B. Broadbooksheard 1 callingat the samelocation on 8 June1990. K. Garrettfound a dyingjuvenile bird in thetown of FrazierPark on 7 August1992 (specimenin Los AngelesCounty Museum of NaturalHistory).

213 BIRDS OF FOUR ISOLATED MOUNTAINS

On Big Pine Mountain,Flammulated Owls were unrecorded'untilJ. Schmittfound 1 on 21 April 1989. Later that year,on the nightsof 21 and 22 ,June1989, we had 3 individualsrespond to tapedcalls at locations1/4 to 1/2mile apart along Big Pine Road in the densenorth-facing coniferous forest. Recordssince then at the same generallocation are 1 on 21 ,June1990, 2 on 25 ,June1991 (seenwell), and 2 on 25 and 26 ,June 1992. On Pine Mountain,we had no responseto severalhours of tapedcalls played on the nightsof 7 ,June1991 and 11 ,June1992. GREATHORNED OWL (Bubovirginianus). Uncommon on all four mountains. &NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL (G/aucidium gnoma). Uncommon on Figueroa and Big Pine mountains,rare to uncommonon Pine Mountain, and rare on Mount Pinos.It breedsin the San Gabriel,San Bernardino,and San ,Jacintomountains with a generaldecrease in abundancefrom northto south(Garrett and Dunn 1981). On Big Pine Mountain and West Big Pine, M. Holmgren countedup to 9 individuals,including 3 fledgedyoung, from 21 to 25 ,June1988. In the Figueroa Mountainarea, our high countwas 3, includinga pair, on 14 April 1989. On Pine Mountain, there is a record of 1 in the "summerof 1980" (R. Webster, unpubl.report in SBMNH), and we saw 1 on 10 ,June1989 and 8 ,June1991 at the samelocation on ReyesPeak and 1 near HaddockPeak on 11 ,June1992. The only recentrecord from Mount Pinos is of a familygroup at MountPinos Campground 1- 2 August1980 (K. Garrettpers. comm.). &SPOTTED OWL ($trix occidentalis).Uncommon on Big Pine Mountain, rare to uncommonon FigueroaMountain, Pine Mountain,and Mount Pinos.The species breedsin the San Gabriel, San Bernardino,and San Jacintomountains (Garrett and Dunn 1981). SpottedOwls were observedregularly on Big Pine Mountain,being found more commonlyat lower elevationsin shaded,narrow canyons where CanyonLive Oaks provideshelter for roostingand nesting.U.S. ForestService censuses since 1988 indicatethis owl is more widespreadthan previouslythought (Nancy Sandburg, U.S. Forest Service, Santa Barbara District, pers. comm.). Near , SpottedOwls frequent canyons on the northslopes, where a pair fledged2 youngin July1985 (P.Lehman, unpubl. report on file at SBMNH) and 2 were heardcalling in June 1991 (fide G. Tingos). On Pine Mountain, there is one record from the elevationssurveyed, of an individualwe heardcalling downslope from ReyesPeak on 11 June 1992. However, SpottedOwls can be foundin nearbynorth-facing canyons at lowerelevations, e.g., R. Moore heard up to 4 there in summer1989. On Mount Pinos,Grinnell (1905) recordeda SpottedOwl at 5500 feetand Willett (1933) cited1 at 6300 feet,but the absenceof oaksand riparianwoodlands contributes to the scarcityof the species there. LONG-EARED OWL (Asiootus). Rare in the Mount Pinosregion; no recordsfor the othermountains surveyed. Grinnell (1905) recordedthe specieson MountPinos at 5000 feet; a pair with 3 or 4 youngwere at 7500 feet on 1 August1981 (AB 35:979).

&NORTHERN SAW-WHETOWL (Aegoliusacadicus). Rare to uncommonon all of the mountainssurveyed. It breedsin the San Gabriel(AB 38:1060), San Bernar- dino, and San Jacintomountains, where it is uncommonand local(Garrett and Dunn 1981). The Northern Saw-whetOwl was first recordedon Mount Pinos by Miller and Benson(1930). Hall (1940) locateda nestthere with 4 eggsand 1 chick,and in early July1972 a juvenilewas on MountPinos (AB 26:907). Duringthe nightof 1 June

214 BIRDS OF FOUR ISOLATED MOUNTAINS

1990, we had 2 individualsof this speciesrespond to taped calls, 1 at Mount Pinos Campgroundand 1 at Fir RidgeRoad. We had anotherresponse to tapedcalls on 12 July 1991 at the samelocation on Fir RidgeRoad as the previousyear. From 22 to 26 July 1991, L. Sansonesaw 1 roostingnear Mount PinosCampground. On Big Pine Mountain,Northern Saw-whet Owls were firstrecorded from 29 June through 1 July 1981 (Lehman 1982). That year 4 were heard callingpersistently from the coniferousforest along the north slope.On subsequentvisits to Big Pine Mountain,we heard 1 on 22 June 1989, and M. Holmgrenhad 2 respondto taped callson 6 June 1992. On San Rafael Mountain, G. and J. Hardie observed1 on 11 June 1989. On FigueroaMountain, the NorthernSaw-whet Owl is foundirregularly on the north slopesin the pine-fir forestabove 4000 feet (Lehman 1982). In the Pine Mountain area, we observedan individualwhen it respondedto taped callson 11 June 1992 on the north slopeof ReyesPeak, a firstrecord for the specieson this mountain. COMMON POORWILL (Phalaenoptilusnuttalli). Althoughthis speciesinhabits the drier chaparralon the lower slopesof all the mountains,there are no recordsof it at the elevationssurveyed except the following:Grinnell (1905) observed2 on Mount Pinos,including 1 at the summit,in June and July 1904, and we observed singlebirds on Big Pine Mountainin the AlamarSaddle area on 20 July1982 and 12 July 1991. WHITE-THROATED SWIFT (Aeronautessaxatalis). Uncommon to fairly com- mon on all the mountainssurveyed. BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD (Archilochusalexandri). One at the summit of Big PineMountain on 22 July1982 is likelyto havebeen a postbreedingupslope wanderer. ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD (Calypteanna). Commonon Figueroa,Pine, and Big Pinemountains, and fairlycommon in the MountPinos region. COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD (Calyptecostae). Probably a rare to uncommonbut regularvisitor, particularly in high-elevationchaparral, on all the mountainssurveyed, but there are recordsonly for Pine Mountain,where we saw 1 on 9 June 1989, and Big Pine Mountain,where we saw 1 on 1 July 1981, 1 on 2 July 1987, 6 on 22 June 1989, and 1 on 22 June1991 andM. Holmgrensaw 1 on 6 June1992. In addition, we saw 2 on San Rafael Mountain 19 June 1982. &CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD (Stellula calliope). Uncommon in the Mount Pinos area, rare visitoron Big Pine Mountain, unrecordedon FigueroaMountain, and statusunclear on Pine Mountain.The speciesnests on the north sideof the San GabrielMountains (rare) and in the San Bernardinoand San Jacinto(rare) mountains (Garrett and Dunn 1981). Grinnell(1905) describedthis hummingbird as fairly common on MountPinos, but I did not find it so. Our highcount in the MountPinos/Mount Abel areawas 5 from 11 to 13 July 1991. CalliopeHummingbirds frequent currants (especially Ribes cereum)near Iris Meadow, at SheepCamp meadow, and along the McGilltrail. In the Pine Mountainarea, Garrettand Dunn (1981:228) reportedthat Calliope Hummingbirds"nest on ReyesPeak," but I havenot beensuccessful in locatingany records.There is one specimenat the Universityof Californiaat Santa Barbara (UCSB),an immaturemale 13 August1989, from the headwatersof PiedraBianca Creek, near Pine Mountainbut east of the studyarea. Althoughsmall patches of currantsare foundalong a 4-mile segmentof Pine Mountainridge from ReyesPeak to HaddockPeak, we observedno CalliopeHummingbirds there 8 June 1991 and 12 June 1992.

215 BIRDS OF FOUR ISOLATED MOUNTAINS

For Big Pine Mountain, there are three records: we saw an immature at ChokecherrySpring on 19 July 1982, and on 10 June 1993 we observeda male displayingalong the Big Pine Road. In addition,M. Holmgren collected2 on 30 August1989 (specimensin UCSB), whichwere probablymigrants. RUFOUSHUMMINGBIRD ($elasphorus rufus). Common fall (July-August) tran- sient on all the peaksexcept FigueroaMountain, where it is only fairly common (Lehman 1982). ALLEN'S HUMMINGBIRD ($elasphorussasin). Uncommon fall (July-August) transienton all the peaks surveyed.Because of the difficultyof distinguishing immatureRufous and Allen's hummingbirdsin the field, the statusof these two speciesremains somewhat unclear. ACORN (Melanerpes formiciuorus). Common on Figueroa Mountain, uncommonon Big Pine Mountain, and rare to uncommonon Pine Mountain and Mount Pinos. &RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER ($phyrapicustuber). Althoughthis speciesis uncommonto fairlycommon on Big Pine and Pine mountains,it is rare to uncom- mon on MountPinos. There are no summerrecords for FigueroaMountain. It breeds in the San Gabriel,San Bernardino,and San Jacintomountains (Garrett and Dunn 1981). The Red-breastedSapsucker was one of the speciesfound nesting on Big Pine Mountainfrom 29 Juneto 1 July1981 (Lehman1982), a firstsummer and breeding record for Santa Barbara'County, with 12 individualstallied includingan adult feedinga juvenile.Numbers there have declined somewhat since. We saw2 on San RafaelMountain on 19 June 1982, indicatingthe westernmostsummer occurrence of thisspecies in southernCalifornia. On Mount Pinos,the bird was first recordedby Miller and Benson(1930). It is surprisinglyrare in the MountPinos/Mount Abel area, and, althoughknown to breed there (Hall 1940; Garrett and Dunn 1981), sincethe late 1970s there have been recordsof onlya handfulof individuals:single birds on 1 July1978 (R. Websterpers. comm.)and 8 June 1991 (R. Moore pers. comm.)at Iris Meadow on Mount Pinos; 1 on 25 June 1989 on Mount Abel (B. Schrampers. comm.), and 1 on 15 May 1992 alongMcGill trail on MountPinos (F. Sanchezpers. comm.). Possibly the speciesis more numerousat lower elevationswhere Black Oaks predominate(J. Dunn pers. comm.). Red-breastedSapsuckers may be as scarceas Williamsoh'sSapsuckers in the Mt. Pinos region.

&WlLLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER ($phyrapicus th•roideus). Rare on Mount Pinos;one recordfor Pine Mountain;no summerrecords exist for Big Pine or Figueroamountains. Williamsoh's Sapsuckers breed in the San Gabriel(scarce), San Bernardino,and San Jacintomountains (Garrett and Dunn 1981). On Mount Pinos, neither Grinnell(1905) nor Miller and Benson(1930) recorded this species.Later, Miller (1951) listedthe Williamsoh'sSapsucker as one of the borealspecies occurring on Mount Pinos.Garrett and Dunn (1981) gave its status thereas rare with nesting evidence needed. Records from 1988 through1992 are of 1 on MountPinos on 8 July 1988 (A. Bissellpers comm.), 1 on MountAbel 3 June 1990 and 22 June 1991 (bothL. Sansonepers. comm.),1 on Mount Abel on 16 June 1991 (H. Brodkinpers. comm.), and "a pair"at IrisMeadow on MountPinos 8 June 1991 (R. Moore pers. comm.). On Pine Mountain,an adultWilliamsoh's Sapsucker accompanied by 2 immatures in the vicinityof ReyesPeak on 30 July1980 (AB 34:930) providedthe onlyknown occurrenceof breedingthere. I observedno Williamsoh'sSapsuckers there from 1981 through1992.

216 BIRDS OF FOUR ISOLATED MOUNTAINS

NUTFALL'S WOODPECKER (Picoidesnuttalli). Fairly common on Figueroa Mountain,uncommon on Big Pine Mountain;no recordsfor MountPinos and Pine Mountainat the elevationssurveyed. HAIRY WOODPECKER (Picoidesoillosus). Uncommon on all of the mountains surveyed. &WHITE-HEADED WOODPECKER (Picoidesalbolaruatus). Fairly common to common on Mount Pinos, Pine Mountain, and Big Pine Mountain; one summer recordfor FigueroaMountain. The northern,nominate subspecies occurs south to the southern Sierra Nevada and the Piute Mountains (Grinnell and Miller 1944). Birdsof the southernsubspecies grauirostris are residentin the San Gabriel,San Bernardino, and San Jacinto mountains. Grinnell(1905) firstrecorded this species on Mount Pinos.He suggestedthat the birdsthere are intergradesbetween the small-billednorthern albolaruatus and the large-billedsouthern grauirostris. Our high countin the Mount Pinos/MountAbel area was 28 from 11 to 13 July 1991. Dawson(1923:1003) reportedthat P. a. albolaruatuswas resident"on Mount Pinosand westthrough the San Rafaels."Not untilthe explorationof the Big Pine Mountain/SanRafael Mountain area in the early 1980s, however,was a sizeable populationof thesebirds found. Our highcounts were 19 on Big PineMountain from 25 to 27 June 1992 and 13 on San Rafael Mountain from 18 to 20 June 1982. The latter is the westernmostknown locationfor summeringof the speciesin southern California. P. Lehmanfound a singleindividual on FigueroaMountain on 17 June 1981. NORTHERN FLICKER (Colapresauratus). Fairly common on all the mountains surveyed. &OLIVE-SIDEDFLYCATCHER (Contopus borealis). Fairly common to common on Big Pine and Pine mountains;only fairlycommon on Mount Pinosand Figueroa Mountain.It breedsin all the major rangeswest of the desertsin southernCalifornia (Garrett and Dunn 1981). The dry, openJeffrey pine forestfound along the Pine Mountainridge and in the Big Pine Mountainarea, (e.g., West Big Pine and MadulcePeak) is well suitedfor Olive-sidedFlycatchers. High countsare 16 on Pine Mountain,9 and 10 June 1989, and 30 on Big PineMountain, 30 Juneand I July1981 (Lehman1982), although numbers on the latter have since declined. Grinnell(1905) firstrecorded this speciesas relativelynumerous on Mount Pinos. Our highestcount on Mount Pinoswas 7 on 5 June 1992. WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE (Contopus sordidulus).Common on all the moun- tains surveyed. &DUSKY FLYCATCHER(Ernpidonax oberholseri). Fairly commonon Mount Pinos and Big Pine Mountain, uncommonto fairly common on Pine Mountain, absentfrom FigueroaMountain. The speciesbreeds throughout the majormountain rangesof southernCalifornia (Garrett and Dunn 1981). On Mount Pinos, DuskyFlycatchers were first recordedby Miller and Benson (1930). We foundthem associatedthere with montanechaparral (Ribes spp. and Ceanothusspp.) adjacentto conifers,particularly near the summitand alongthe McGill trail. On Big Pine Mountain,Dusky Flycatchers were discovered30 June and 1 July 1981, a first Santa BarbaraCounty summerbreeding record (Lehman 1982, P. Collins,specimen in breedingcondition in SBMNH). Here, this speciesfrequents patchesof Ceanothus,Bitter Cherry, or WesternChokecherry, usually near pinesor firs.M. Holmgrenhad an unusuallyhigh count of 21 in the BigPine Mountain/West 217 BIRDS OF FOUR ISOLATED MOUNTAINS

Big Pinearea on 6 and7 June1992. DuskyFlycatchers may also breed farther west on San RafaelMountain, where we recorded15 from 18 to 20 June 1982. On Pine Mountain,Dusky Flycatchers are not as common,perhaps because the montanechaparral there is lessextensive. Our high countthere was 6 on 7 and 8 June 1991. PACIFIC-SLOPEFLYCATCHER (Empidonax difficilis). Uncommon to fairly commonon FigueroaMountain, Big Pine Mountain,and Pine Mountain.There is only one summerrecord for Mount Pinos,of an individualwe saw at the McGill trailhead on 5 June 1992. BLACK PHOEBE ($ayornisnigricans). Two records,probably of postbreeding upslopewanderers: 1 on MountPinos 14 June1980, 1 on BigPine Mountain 1 July 1981 (Lehman 1982). ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER (Myiarchus cinerascens).Fairly common on Figueroaand Big Pine mountains, uncommon on PineMountain, and rare on Mount Pinosat the elevationssurveyed. HORNED LARK (Eremophilaalpestris). Two birdswe sawflying over San Rafael Mountainon 19 June 1982 representour onlysummer record of thisspecies from the mountainssurveyed. However, a specimenat the Universityof Californiaat (UCLA) was collected by A. J. vanRossera on MountPinos at "9000 feet" on 3 July 1921. PURPLE MARTIN (Prognesub/s). Rare and irregularon Big Pine Mountain;no recordsfrom the other mountainssurveyed, although the speciesformerly nested near Mount Pinos at lower elevations(Garrett and Dunn 1981). On Big Pine Mountain,a pairnested on the summitin 1979 (Lehman1982), andthere have been scatteredrecords since. Our highcount was 2 pairsin the WestBig Pine area on 1 July1981 (Lehman1982). Fartherwest, G. andJ. Hardieobserved 6 on San Rafael Mountainon 10 June 1989. Also, we found 14 PurpleMartins nesting in holesin Ponderosa Pines 3 miles northeast of San Rafael Mountain on 19 June 1982. VIOLET-GREENSWALLOW (Tachycineta thalassina). Common on allthe moun- tainssurveyed except Figueroa Mountain, where the speciesis fairlycommon. CLIFF SWALLOW (Hirundo pyrrhonota). Fairly commonon all the mountains surveyedexcept Mount Pinos, for whichI haveno recordsat the elevationssurveyed. &STELLER'S JAY (Cyanocittastelleri). Common on all of the mountainssur- veyed.Ste!ler's Jay occursin southernCalifornia throughout montane areas with conifers (Garrett and Dunn 1981). SCRUB JAY (Aphelocomacoerulescens). Uncommon on all of the mountains surveyed. &CLARK'S NUTCRACKER (Nucifraga columbiana).Fairly common to com- mon in the Mount Pinos area; only one summerrecord for Pine and Big Pine mountains;absent from Figueroamountain. Clark's Nutcracker breeds in the higher portionsof the San Gabriel,San Bernardino,and San Jacintomountains (Garrett and Dunn 1981). On Mount Pinos,Grinnell (1905) foundClark's Nutcrackers abundant, and Willett (1933:118) wrote, "As full-grownyoung are plentifulin late May and earlyJune, nestingmust be early,probably in the latterpart of March."Our highcount for the Mount Pinos/Mount Abel area was 30 on 2 June 1990. The onlyrecords from Big Pineand Pine mountains are of 2 on the formeron 21 August1979 (Lehman1982), and 2 in the Thorn Pointarea (elevation6900 feet, 2092 m, 5 mileseast of HaddockPeak) of the latteron 30 July 1980. 218 BIRDS OF FOUR ISOLATED MOUNTAINS

COMMON RAVEN (Corvuscorax). Uncommonon all the mountainssurveyed. &MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE (Parus gambeli). Common on all but Figueroa Mountain,where it is fairly common.It occursin all of the forestedmountains of southernCalifornia (Garrett and Dunn 1981). PLAIN TITMOUSE (Parus inornatus).Fairly common on Big Pine and Figueroa mountains;no recordsfor Pine Mountainor Mount Pinosat the elevationssurveyed. BUSHTIT (Psaltriparusrainlinus). Common on FigueroaMountain, fairly com- mon on Big Pine Mountain, uncommonon Pine Mountain, and rare in the Mount Pinosregion.

&RED-BREASTEDNUTHATCH (Sitta canadensis).Fairly common on Big Pine Mountain,but uncommonand local on Mount Pinosand Pine Mountain,and rare and irregularon FigueroaMountain. The speciesbreeds in the San Gabriel, San Bernardino, and San Jacinto mountains(Garrett and Dunn 1981). Prior to our surveyof Big Pine Mountain, Red-breastedNuthatches were not knownto breedin SantaBarbara County (Lehman 1982). They are fairlynumerous in the pine-fir forestalong the Big Pine Road and in the roesicIncense Cedar forest alongthe trailto LowerBear Campground, where we sawa familygroup on 26 June 1992. We hada highcount of 24 in the BigPine Mountain area from 18 to 20 June 1986, but totalsseem to fluctuatefrom year to year. Not untilJuly 1929 wasthis species observed on Mount Pinos(Miller and Benson 1930), whereit continuesto be ratherdifficult to find.A highcount there was 6 on 27 July 1983 (P. Lehman, unpubl.report on file at SBMNH). On Pine Mountain, Red-breastedNuthatches are foundsparingly along the RaspberrySpring trail and on the northslope of ReyesPeak, possibly as scarce breeders. Our highcount was 4 on 9 and 10 June 1989. On FigueroaMountain, the speciespossibly breeds in someyears, [e.g., up to 6 there 23 April-27 June 1981 (Lehman1982), 3 there 14 April-12 July 1989]. We sawup to 8 at the headof Fir Canyonbetween 29 Juneand 4 August1991, and 2 were there 27 May 1992.

WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH (Sitta carolinensis).Fairly common on Big Pine and Figueroamountains, uncommon to fairly common on Mount Pinos and Pine Mountain. &PYGMY NUTHATCH (Sitta pygmaea). Common on all of the mountains studied.It is alsocommon in all of the majormountain ranges of southernCalifornia (Garrett and Dunn 1981).

&BROWN CREEPER(Certhia americana).Common on Big Pine Mountain, fairlycommon on Figueroaand Pinemountains and MountPinos. It breedsin all the major forestedranges in southernCalifornia (Garrett and Dunn 1981). Brown Creepersare commonon Big Pine Mountainin the mesicsections of the pine-fir forestnorth of Big PineRoad and in the predominanfiyIncense Cedar forest nearLower Bear Campground. We hada highcount of 39 in the areafrom 10 to 12 June 1993. C. a. zelotesis the subspeciesfound on MountPinos (Grinnell and Miller 1944) and presumablyoccurs on the other peakssurveyed, e.g., P. Unitt (pers. comm.)collected zelotes on Pine Mountainon 12 October1987 (specimenin Natural History Museum).

ROCK WREN (Salpinctesobsoletus). Uncommon and localon all of the moun- tainssurveyed. On 25 June1992, we counted10 nearWest Big Pinein the BigPine Mountainarea, an unusuallyhigh number.

219 BIRDS OF FOUR ISOLATED MOUNTAINS

CANYON WREN (Catherpesmexicanus). Uncommon on Figueroaand Big Pine mountains,rare at the elevationssurveyed on Pine Mountainand Mount Pinos. BEWICK'S WREN (Thryomanesbewickii). Uncommon to fairly common on Figueroa,Big Pine, and Pine mountains,rare to uncommonon Mount Pinos. HOUSE WREN (Troglodytesaedon). Common on Big Pine Mountainand in the MountPinos area; fairly common on Figueroaand Pine mountains. AMERICAN DIPPER(Cinclus mexicanus). There are no recordsof thisspecies at the elevationssurveyed owing to the lackof permanentstreams. However, American Dippersare rare and localpermanent residents at lower elevationsnearby, e.g., we saw I at Upper SisquocFalls near Big Pine Mountainat 5000 feet (1500 m) on 19 July 1982. &GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET (Regulussatrapa). Fairly common on Big Pine Mountain and Mount Pinos, uncommon and local on Pine Mountain, and absentfrom FigueroaMountain. It is an uncommonand very localbreeder in the higherportions of the San Bernardinoand San Jacintomountains (Garrett and Dunn 1981) and a rare summervisitor and possiblebreeder in the San GabrielMountains (AB 41:1488, K. Garrettpers. comm.). Golden-crownedKinglets were first recorded on MountPinos in the fir treeson the north slope (Miller and Benson 1930). Here, along Fir Ridge Road and Grouse MountainTrail,is still the mostreliable spot for the speciesin the MountPinos/Mount Abel area. On Big Pine Mountain,we tallieda highcount of 30, includingfledglings, for a first breedingrecord for Santa BarbaraCounty, on 30 June and 1 July 1981 (Lehman 1982). Subsequently,the populationthere appears to havedecreased: 8 from 21 to 23 June 1989 and 12 from 21 to 23 June 1990 are recent totals. On Pine Mountain, Golden-crownedKinglets are scarceand generallycan be found only in the firs along the north slopes,(e.g., RaspberrySpring Trail and the northslope of ReyesPeak), where we observeda highcount of 8 on 7 and 8 June 1991.

&RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET (Regulus calendula). This speciesno longer breeds in the Mount Pinos area, where it once was rare (Garrett and Dunn 1981). There are no summer recordsfor the other mountainssurveyed. The species formerlysummered in smallnumbers in the San Gabriel(J. Dunn pers.comm.), San Bernardino, and San Jacinto mountains,but there are no recent recordsfrom the San GabrielMountains (K. Garrettpers. comm.)and it is possiblyextirpated in the San Jacintorange (Garrett and Dunn 1981). Miller and Benson(1930:102) firstobserved the Ruby-crownedKinglet on Mount Pinoson 9 June 1919 "in fir timberon the north slopeof the mountain,"hearing and seeingit on succeedingdays up to 13 June. "The birdswere in full song.They were lessnumerous than the Golden-crownedKinglets." The mostrecent record for the Mount Pinosregion is of a singingmale on 18 June 1978 on Fir RidgeRoad (R. Websterpers. comm.).I foundnone of this specieson Mount Pinosor Mount Abel from 1988 through1992. Gaines(1988:238) reportedthe Ruby-crownedKinglet to be "oneof the scarcest of our summerresident songbirds" in the SierraNevada. BLUE-GRAYGNATCATCHER (Polioptila caeru lea). Fairly common to common on Big Pine Mountain,uncommon on Pine and Figueroamountains. There are no recordsfor MountPinos at the elevationssurveyed. WESTERN BLUEBIRD ($ialia mexicana).Fairly common to commonon all of the mountainssurveyed.

22O BIRDS OF FOUR ISOLATED MOUNTAINS

&MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD (Sialia currucoides).Uncommon and localonly in the Mount Pinos/Mount Abel area at lower elevations.Elsewhere in southern California it breedsin the easternSan BernardinoMountains (Garrett and Dunn 1981). The status of Mountain Bluebird on Mount Pinos is somewhat unclear. Garrett and Dunn (1981:284) stated, "The Mountain Bluebird breeds on Mount Pinos and in neighboringhigh sagebrushvalleys." Two immatureswere at the summitof nearby FrazierMountain on 7 July 1979 (R. Websterpers. comm.). However, we foundno Mountain Bluebirdsabove 6250 feet (1890 m) in the Mount Abel/Mount Pinos area from Junethrough late July from 1988 through1992. OnlyWestern Bluebirds were in pairsand feedingyoung in the open terrainat the MountPinos summit. Perhaps Mountain Bluebirdsbreed at lower elevations(as in LockwoodValley, where F. Sanchezobserved a male on 1 June 1990), then manywander upslope. &TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE (Myadestestownsendii). Uncommon on Mount Pinos, rare to uncommonon Pine Mountain, and unrecordedon Big Pine and Figueroamountains. It breedsin allthe majormountain ranges of southernCalifornia (Garrett and Dunn 1981). Bensonand Miller (1930) first recordedTownsend's Solitaires on Mount Pinos. We observedthem in the summitarea of MountPinos along rocky ridges above the steep north slope,as well as on Fir RidgeRoad and alongthe McGilltrail. On Pine Mountain,a smallbreeding population of this speciesinhabits the steep canyonsof the north slope.On 5 August1990, M. Holmgrenrecorded a high count there of 6, includingadults with juveniles. &HERMIT THRUSH (Catharusguttatus). Rare to uncommonin the MountPinos region; two summerrecords from Big Pine Mountain.The speciesis absentin summerfrom Figueroaand Pine mountains.It is an uncommonand localbreeder in the San Gabriel and San Bernardinomountains and possiblythe San Jacinto Mountains,where verificationis needed(Garrett and Dunn 1981). The Hermit Thrushis anotherof the speciesfirst recordedon Mount Pinosby Millerand Benson(1930). It is ratheruncommon on the shadynorth slope of Mount Pinosand on nearbyGrouse Mountain, where our high countwas 5 singingmales alongthe GrouseMountain trail on 3 June 1990. Two singingmales were north of Iris Meadow on Mount Pinos on 14 June 1990. On Big Pine Mountain,we heardan individualsinging from the north slopeon 20 June 1986 and againon 11 June 1993. AMERICANROBIN (Turdusmigratorius). Uncommon to fairlycommon on Big Pine Mountainand Mount Pinos,but uncommonon Figueroaand Pine mountains. VARIEDTHRUSH (Ixoreusnaeoius). On MountPinos, K. Garrettphotographed a singingmale near McGill Campground on 20 July1979 (AB 33:898). On Big Pine Mountain,we observeda male near Lower Bear Campgroundon 11 June 1993, a firstsummer record for SantaBarbara County. WRENTIT (Chamaeafasciata). Fairly commonon all of the mountainsstudied, exceptMount Pinos,where there are no recordsfor the elevationssurveyed. CALIFORNIA THRASHER (Toxostomaredioioum). Rare to uncommonon all of the mountains studiedexcept Mount Pinos, where there are no records at the elevationssurveyed. PHAINOPEPLA(Phainopepla nitens). There are two recordsfor Big Pine Moun- tain: 2 on 20 June 1986 and 2 on 22 June 1989, both at Alamar Saddle,where chaparralabuts the CoulterPine forest. &SOLITARY VIREO (Vireo solitarius).Uncommon on Figueroaand Big Pine mountains.The species'status on Mount Pinos and Pine Mountain is unclear;it 221 BIRDS OF FOUR ISOLATED MOUNTAINS

probablybreeds at lowerelevations nearby. The race cassiniiof the SolitaryVireo occurson the coastalslopes of the majormountains of southernCalifornia. Here, "its presentbreeding range is imperfecfiyknown, and the subspeciesappears to be absentfrom largetracts of suitablehabitat" (Garrett and Dunn 1981:301). SolitaryVireos are encounteredon Figueroaand Big Pine mountainsin shaded areaswhere oaksand conifersform a canopy,often near riparianvegetation. On FigueroaMountain our high count was 4 on 27 May 1992 at the headof Fir Canyon, and on Big Pine Mountain5 eachon 19 July 1982 and 26 June 1992, with most occurringalong the trail to Lower Bear Campground(P. Collins, specimenin breedingcondition in SBMNH). Grinnell(1905) wrote of a singlepair of SolitaryVireos near his campon Mount Pinosat 6500 feet (1981 m). The onlyrecent record is of 1 E Sanchezsaw near Iris Meadowon 23 July 1992. On Pine Mountain, there are recordsof single birds on 5 August 1990 (M. Holmgren pers. comm.) and 17 June 1992 (L. Ballardpers. comm.). At lower elevationsalong nearby Beartrapand Piedra Bianca creeks,riparian vegetation providessuitable nesting habitat.

HUTTON'S VIREO (Vireo huttoni). Uncommon on FigueroaMountain, rare on Big Pine Mountain.No recordsexist for the elevationssurveyed on Pine Mountain and Mount Pinos.

WARBLINGVIREO (Vireogilvus). Uncommon on Figueroaand Big Pine moun- tains;no recordsfor the elevationssurveyed on Pine Mountainand Mount Pinos.

ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER (Verrnivoracelata). Common on Big Pine Mountainand in the Mount Pinosregion, but only fairly commonon Figueroaand Pine mountains.

&NASHVILLE WARBLER(Verrniuora ruficapilla). Rare to uncommonand some- whatirregular on Big PineMountain; rare summer visitor., possibly breeding in some years,on MountPinos. There are two summerrecords for the PineMountain vicinity and none for FigueroaMountain. The NashvilleWarbler breeds in smallnumbers in the San Gabriel (AB 37:1028) and San Bernardinomountains; in the San Jacinto Mountainsnesting is suspected(Garrett and Dunn 1981; AB 41:1487). Sinceat least1979 (AB 33:898), NashvilleWarblers have been reported irregu- larlyon MountPinos with no evidenceof nesting.In 1990, we observed2 singing malesin two separateareas along the McGilltrail 24 May and againon 2 June. F. Sanchezfound a malealong a differentpart of the trail on 8 June 1990. On 18 July 1990, we foundno signof the birds,and nonewere observedin 1991 and 1992. The habitathere, a mixtureof BlackOaks and JeffreyPines with open patchesof Ceanothus,appears suitable for nesting. On Big Pine Mountain,we locateda family group of 2 adult and 2 juvenile NashvilleWarblers on 21 July 1982, a firstsummering and breedingrecord for this speciesin SantaBarbara County. Since then, NashvilleWarblers have been found as follows:a pair anda singingmale on 19 and 20 June1983, a singingmale 30 May 1985, a singingmale 22 and 23 June 1990, 4 adults(at least1 pair) from 25 to 27 June 1991, 5 (at least 1 pair) from 25 to 27 June 1992, and a total of 9 singing malesfrom 10 to 12 June 1993. They frequentthe patchesof montanechaparral, particularlynear Canyon Live Oaks, along Big PineRoad. In the Pine Mountainvicinity, there are two records:a singingmale 24 May 1980 at Thorn Meadowsarea (5000 feet, 1500 m), approximately5 miles east of HaddockPeak, and 1 on 10 August1983 at RaspberrySpring, the latterprobably a fall migrant.

222 BIRDS OF FOUR ISOLATED MOUNTAINS

NORTHERN PARULA (Parulaamericana). An out-of-rangevagrant. G. and J. Hardieobserved a singingmale on San RafaelMountain on 17 June 1990.

YELLOW WARBLER(Dendroica petechia). There are two records:1 on Big Pine Mountain on 30 May 1985 and 1 on Pine Mountain on 10 August 1983, both probablyrepresenting migrants. &YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER (Dendroica coronata). The subspeciesD.c. auduboniis fairlycommon to commonon Pine Mountainand MountPinos, and uncommonto fairlycommon on BigPine Mountain,but thereis onlyone recordfor FigueroaMountain. It breedsin montaneforests through the TransverseRanges to the San Jacinto Mountains(Garrett and Dunn 1981). Grinnell(1905:390) noted that Yellow-rumpedWarblers were "commonin the Jeffreypine belt above6500 feet" on MountPinos. On Pine Mountain,our high count was 15 on 9 and 10 June 1989. On Big Pine Mountain,the firstsummer record of thisspecies in SantaBarbara County was established29 June-1 July 1981 (Lehman 1982); subsequently,we observeda femalefeeding a fledglingon 20 June 1983. An unusuallyhigh count for the area was 17 from 25 to 27 June 1991. Yellow-rumpedWarblers also breed fartherwest on San RafaelMountain. On all the mountainssurveyed, this species occursin the moreopen, dry stretchesof JeffreyPine forest. On FigueroaMountain, Lehman (1982) observedon 16 May 1982 a singingmale, eithera late springtransient or possiblyon territory.

BLACK-THROATEDGRAY WARBLER(Dendroica nigrescens). Uncommon to fairlycommon on Figueroaand Big Pine mountains; status is poorlyunderstood on Pine Mountain and Mount Pinos. Two records on Pine Mountain: 1 each on 5 August1990 (M. Holmgrenpers. comm.) and 11 July 1992 (E Sanchezpers. comm.). We did not observeany in the Mount Pinos region at the elevations surveyed,but Grinnell(1905:390) noted "this speciesfrom 5500 feet to the summit,"finding it "bestrepresented, numerically, in thegolden oaks (i.e., Canyon LiveOaks) of the canyonsbetween 6000 and 7000 feet altitude." TOWNSEND'S WARBLER(Dendroica townsendi). Two records:1 near Sawmill Mountainon 3 June1990 and2 onPine Mountain on 10 August1983, undoubtedly latespring and early fall migrants,respectively. &HERMIT WARBLER (Dendroica occidentalis).Absent as a summer resident fromthe mountainssurveyed. It hasbeen recorded in smallnumbers annually in recentyears in theSan Gabriel (where it probablynests, K. Garrettpers. comm.) and San Bernardinomountains (where nesting is known,Garrett and Dunn 1981). Two recordsfrom Pine Mountain: 4 on 10 August1983, and 1 on 5 August1990 (M. Holmgrenpers. comm.). One was on MountPinos 22 July 1978 (Websteret al. 1980). All wereprobably fall migrants. &MACGILLIVRAY'SWARBLER (Opororn is tolmei).Rare and irregularsummer visitor(possibly breeding); no recordson FigueroaMountain. Uncommon summer residentin theSan Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains with nesting documented in both ranges(K. Garrett pers. comm.); recentlyobserved in the San Jacinto Mountains(AB 41:1489). The recordsfor the surveyarea: on BigPine Mountain, 2 singingmales 30 June and1 July1981 (Lehman1982), a firstSanta Barbara County summer record, and 2 singingmales there again on 6 June1992 (M. Holmgrenpers. comm.), which we couldnot relocatefrom 25 to 27 Juneof thatyear; in upperQuatal Canyon (west of MountAbel below coniferous forest), a singingmale with a femaleon 16 June1980; on MountPinos at IrisMeadow, a femaleon 23 July1992 (E Sanchezpers. comm.);

223 BIRDS OF FOUR ISOLATED MOUNTAINS

at Thorn Meadows(5 mileseast of HaddockPeak at 5000 feet, 1500 m) near Pine Mountain,a singingmale with a femaleon 22 May 1980. &WlLSON'S WARBLER(Wilsonia pusilia). Rare and irregularon Mount Pinos; two recordsfor Pine Mountain;absent from the other mountainssurveyed. An uncommonnester mostly in willow thicketsaround montane meadowsin the San Gabriel,San Bernardinoand, at leastformerly, San Jacintomountains (Garrett and Dunn 1981). In the Mount Pinos area, Wilson'sWarblers breed irregularlyin suitablehabitat suchas Iris Meadow. The mostrecent records are fromthe 1970s:a singingmale 30 June 1970 on Fir RidgeRoad (J. Dunn pers.comm.); 2 males,both singing, on 18 and 30 June 1978 at Iris Meadow; 2 there 1 July 1978, and an adult and an immaturethere 22 July 1978 (allR. Websterpers. comm.). One on Fir RidgeRoad on 30 July 1991 (R. Moore pers.comm.) could well havebeen a fall migrant. The two recordsfor Pine Mountain,of 1 eachon 19 June 1984 and 5 August 1990 (M. Holmgrenpers. comm.), probably represent a late springand an earlyfall migrant, respectively.

&WESTERN TANAGER (Pirangaludoviciana). Common on Big Pine Mountain, fairlycommon on Mount Pinos,uncommon on Figueroaand Pine mountains.The speciesbreeds in allthe majormountain ranges west of the deserts(Garrett and Dunn 1981). On Big Pine Mountain,where the WesternTanager frequentsoak-coniferous woodland,our high countwas 35 from 18 to 20 June 1986.

BLACK-HEADEDGROSBEAK (Pheucticus melanocephalus). Common on Big Pine Mountain,fairly common on FigueroaMountain and MountPinos, and uncom- mon on Pine Mountain.

LAZULI BUNTING (Passerinaamoena). Uncommon to fairlycommon fall tran- sient(mid-July through August) on all four mountainsand uncommonand irregular summerresident on all exceptMount Pinos. In 1992, unusuallyhigh numbers were singingon territoryin montanechaparral on Big Pine Mountain(e.g., 10 on 6 June, M. Holrngrenpers. comm.)and Pine Mountain(6 on 11 June).Adequate seasonal rainfallmay have influencedtheir abundancethat year.

&GREEN-TAILEDTOWHEE (Pipilochlorurus). Common on MountPinos, fairly commonon Pine Mountain,a rare visitoron Big Pine Mountain,and absentfrom FigueroaMountain. It breedson all the majormountain ranges west of the desertsin southernCalifornia (Garrett and Dunn 1981). Green-tailedTowhees are plentifulon MountPinos, where they were firstrecorded by Grinnell(1905). On Pine Mountain,they frequentopen rockychaparral of Wax Currant,Bitter Cherry, Manzanita, and Ceanothusalong Pine MountainRoad. Our high count here was 13 on 9 and 10 June 1989. From Big Pine Mountain, Bartholomew's(1940:18) record of "five birds in chokecherwthickets on Big Pine Mountain June 7 and July 7, 1938" precedes Lehman's(1982:328) citedvague record of "2 or 3 individualsduring the late 1950s or early 1960s." We foundnone from 1981 through1990. On 27 June 1991, we locateda singingmale in the West Big Pine area, on a rockyslope with scattered shrubsof Rabbitbrush(Chrysotharnnus sp.), Ceanothus,Sierra Gooseberry (Ribes roezlii),and Elderberry ($arnbucus mexicanus). P. Collinscould not find it on 12 July 1991. On 6 June 1992, M. Holmgrenobserved a singingmale in the BitterCherry- WesternChokecherry thicket north of the Big Pine Road,but we couldnot relocate it between25 and27 Juneof thatyear. On 12 June1993 we sawa singingmale in the same location.

224 BIRDS OF FOUR ISOLATED MOUNTAINS

RUFOUS-SIDED TOWHEE (Pipilo erythrophthalmus).Common on Big Pine Mountain, fairly common on Figueroaand Pine mountains,and uncommonon Mount Pinos.

CALIFORNIA TOWHEE (Pipilo crissalis).Rare, occurringregularly on Figueroa Mountainonly. On Big Pine Mountain,we observed3 in the AlamarSaddle area on 19 July 1982. RUFOUS-CROWNEDSPARROW (Aimophila ruficeps). Uncommon on Figueroa Mountain.Two recordsfor Big Pine Mountain:P. Collinssaw 1 on 2 July 1987, and we saw 1 on 22 June 1990. Unrecorded on Pine Mountain and Mount Pinos at elevationssurveyed. CHIPPING SPARROW(Spizella passerina). Fairly common to commonon all the mountainssurveyed. BLACK-CHINNED SPARROW (Spizella atrogularis).Fairly commonsummer residenton Pine Mountain;no recordsfor FigueroaMountain and Mount Pinosat the elevationssurveyed. The only Big Pine Mountain record between 1981 and 1991 was of 1 on 22 June 1989; then, in 1992, large numbersarrived: 23 were along the Big Pine Road in patchesof montane chaparralon 6 June 1992 (M. Holmgren pers. comm.), and on 10 June 1993 we observeda male and female carryingfood on WestBig Pine. On Pine Mountain,we counted15 on 11 and 12 June 1992, the hightotal there. Variationin the abundanceof the speciesappears to be tied to variation in rainfall totals. LARK SPARROW(Chondestes grammacus). Fairly common on FigueroaMoun- tain, but thereare no recordsfor the othermountains at the elevationssurveyed. SAGE SPARROW (Amphispiza belli). Rare to uncommonsummer visitor on all the mountainssurveyed. It breedsat lowerelevations, ar•.d its occurrence during June and July in montanehabitats is likelydue to postbreedingupslope movement. Two were on Big Pine Mountainin open pine foreston 30 June 1981 (Lehman1982), and we saw 1 there in montanechaparral on 27 June 1992. &FOX SPARROW(Passerella iliaca). Common on all the mountainssurveyed exceptFigueroa Mountain, from which it is absent.The speciesbreeds commonly in the San Gabriel, San Bernardino, and San Jacinto mountains(Garrett and Dunn 1981). From Big Pine Mountain, Bartholomew's(1940:19) record of Fox Sparrows nesting"in numbers"on Big Pine Mountainprecedes our visitof 29 Juneto 1 July 1981, whenour discoveryof a sizeablepopulation of Fox Sparrowswas thought to be the first summeringrecord of the speciesfor Santa BarbaraCounty (Lehman 1982). Thirty individualsfrom 21 to 25 June 1988 (M. Holmgrenpers. comm., specimenin breedingcondition in UCSB)is the highcount for the BigPine Mountain area.Fox Sparrowsinhabit the thicketsof BitterCherry, Western Chokecherry, and Ceanothusbordered by coniferousforest. The speciesalso breeds farther west on San Rafael Mountain,where our high countwas 26 from 18 to 20 June 1982, althoughnumbers there have sincedeclined. On Pine Mountain,Fox Sparrowsfrequent patches of montanechaparral within the coniferousforest in more shadedlocations on the northslope, in contrastto the Green-tailedTowhees, which residein thicketsin the sunnierareas of the mountain. Grinnell (1905:388) first recordedFox Sparrowson Mount Pinos as "fairly numerous."We foundthem most commonlyfrom Iris Meadowto the summitof Mount Pinosand along the GrouseMountain trail. The nestingbirds of all three mountainsare the large-billedrace, P. i. stephensi,which breeds in the mountainsof southern California.

225 BIRDS OF FOUR ISOLATED MOUNTAINS

&LINCOLN'S SPARROW(Melospiza lincolni). Rare and irregular only on Mount Pinos. It breedssparingly in the San Gabriel, San Bernardino,and San Jacinto mountains(Garrett and Dunn 1981) (AB 39:963). Lincoln'sSparrows were first found nesting on MountPinos at IrisMeadow on 18 June1978 (AB 32:907). Subsequenfiy,1 or 2 pairshave bred there irregularly: we observed5 includingjuveniles on 12 July 1988. No nestingoccurred from 1989 through 1992. &DARK-EYED JUNCO (Junco hyernalis).The subspeciesd. h. thurberi is commonon all of the mountainsstudied, as it is throughoutmontane areas of southernCalifornia (Garrett and Dunn 1981). BREWER'SBLACKBIRD (Euphaguscyanocephalus). Uncommon in the Mount Pinosarea only. There are no recordsfor the othermountains surveyed. BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD (Molothrus ater). Uncommon on Mount Pinos and rare to uncommonon Big Pine Mountain.I haveno recordsfor Figueroaand Pine mountains. NORTHERN ORIOLE (Icterusgalbula). One sightedon Big Pine Mountainon 1 July 1981 (Lehman1982) wasundoubtedly an earlyfall migrant. &PURPLE FINCH (Carpodacuspurpureus). Common on Big Pine Mountain, fairlycommon on FigueroaMountain, and uncommonon Pine Mountainand Mount Pinos.It breedsin all the majormountain ranges of southernCalifornia (Garrett and Dunn 1981). On Big Pine Mountain,Purple Finches are common,with 30 on 30 Juneand 1 July 1981 beingthe highcount (Lehman 1982). Numbershave declined somewhat in recentyears: we saw 10 there from 21 to 23 June 1990. Farther east, on Pine Mountainand Mount Pinos, Purple Finchesare greatly outnumberedby Cassin'sFinches. Where both speciesoverlap, Purple Finches occupythe moremesic sections of the coniferousforest, such as along the Raspberry Springtrail on Pine Mountainand along the McGilland GrouseMountain trails in the Mount Pinosregion. &CASSIN'S FINCH (Carpodacuscassinii). Common on Mount Pinos, fairly commonon Pine Mountain,uncommon and irregularon Big Pine Mountain;one summerrecord for FigueroaMountain. The speciesbreeds at higherelevations in the San Gabriel,San Bernardino,and San Jacintomountains (Garrett and Dunn 198 i). On MountPinos, Cassin's Finches have been recorded commonly since Grinnell's visitin 1904 (Grinnell1905). On PineMountain, they breed in moderatenumbers in the open coniferousforest along the Pine MountainRoad. On Big Pine Mountain,7 individualswere noted on 30 June and 1 July 1981 (Lehman1982). For the next 10 years,sightings there were occasional, until 12 July 1991 whenP. Collinsobserved 13 of the species,chiefly on Big Pinesummit and at West Big Pine (specimenin breedingcondition in SBMNH). He observedjuveniles beingfed by an adult,a firstbreeding record for SantaBarbara County. Farther west, on San RafaelMountain, our highcount was 9 on 18 and 19 June 1982. Lehman (1982) observed2 on FigueroaMountain on 17 June 1981. HOUSE FINCH (Carpodacusmexicanus). Fairly common on FigueroaMountain, uncommonon Big Pine and Pine mountains,and rare on Mount Pinos. &RED CROSSBILL(Loxia curvirostra).Uncommon and somewhatirregular on Mount Pinos and a rare and irregularsummer visitor on the other mountains surveyed.The speciesis believedto nestin the San Gabriel,San Bernardino,and San Jacintomountains, but nonbreedingindividuals have been collectedin midsummer on all of thesemountain ranges (Garrett and Dunn 1981). 226 BIRDS OF FOUR ISOLATED MOUNTAINS

Red Crossbillshave bred irregularlyin smallnumbers on Mount Pinossince 1904, ' whenGrinnell collected an adultpair (Grinnell1905). The highcount is 50 on Mount Pinoson 4 July 1984 (AB 38:1063). We noted 10 includingjuveniles at Iris Meadow on 12 July 1988; more recently,we counted28 in the Mount Pinos/Mount Abel area from 11 to 13 July 1991. There are a few summerrecords for thisspecies on the other three mountains:on Pine Mountain,2 on 10 June 1989, 3 on 5 August1990 (M. Holmgrenpers. comm.),and 8 on 8 June 1991; on Big Pine Mountain,2 on 21 July 1982, 4 from 21 to 25 June 1988 (M. Holmgrenpers. comm., specimen in nonbreedingcondition in UCSB), and 1 immatureon 21 June 1989 (P. Collinspers. comm., specimen in SBMNH); on FigueroaMountain, 1 on 6 July 1983 and 2 on 26 July 1984 (P. Lehmanpers. comm.).Also, a flockof 15 wason San RafaelMountain on 17 June 1990 (G. and J. Hardie pers. comm.). &PINE SISKIN (Carduelispinus). Uncommonto fairlycommon on Mount Pinos, two summerrecords for FigueroaMountain, and none for Pine Mountainor Big Pine Mountain.Siskins breed fairly commonlyin the San Gabriel,San Bernardino,and San Jacinto Mountains (Garrett and Dunn 1981). First noted by Grinnell (1905), this speciesis fairly common on Mount Pinos/ MountAbel, our high countbeing 11 on Mount Pinoson 6 July 1989. On Figueroa Mountain, 1 was seenon 24 June 1981 (Lehman 1982) and 2 were there on 4 June 1988 (P. Lehman pers. comm.). LESSERGOLDFINCH (Carduelispsaltria). Fairly commonon FigueroaMoun- tain, uncommonsummer resident on Big Pine Mountain,and rare on Pine Mountain. There are no records for Mount Pinos. LAWRENCE'SGOLDFINCH (Carduelislawrencei). Uncommon and irregularon Mount Pinos, Pine Mountain, and Big Pine Mountain, and rare on FigueroaMoun- tain. &EVENING GROSBEAK(Coccothraustes oespertinus•. Rare and irregularsum- mer visitoron Mount Pinos,Big Pine Mountain,and FigueroaMountain; no records for Pine Mountain.The speciesis an irregulartransient in the mountainranges of southernCalifornia west of the deserts(Garrett and Dunn 1981), the closestbreeding area being in the southernSierra Nevadaat Badger,Tulare County (Grinnelland Miller 1944). The recordsfor MountPinos/Mount Abel are of 2 on 31 May 1930 (Willett1933), 1 on 24 July 1986 on Mount Pinos(AB 40:1256), and 1 on 8 June 1991 on Mount Abel (R. Moore pers. comm.). Four were on Big Pine Mountainon 1 July 1981 (Lehman 1982). Two were on FigueroaMountain on 17 June 1981, and 2 were there on 15 and 16 May 1982 (bothLehman 1982).

DISCUSSION

Tables1-4 comparethe occurrenceof montane(boreal) species at the fourstudy areas and at selectedmajor mountain ranges in southernCalifor- nia andthe southernSierra Nevada. Although obtaining breeding evidence fora specieswas not the primary purpose of thesurvey, I noted breeding by most of the montane birds observed.The breedingcriteria are those recommendedfor North Americanbreeding bird atlases (Smith 1990). Johnson(1975) suggestedseveral variables contributing to the presence or absenceof a specieson biogeographicalislands like these:the island's total size, the extent of forest, the width of the barrier between one island

227 BIRDS OF FOUR ISOLATED MOUNTAINS

Table 1 BreedingStatus of Montane Speciesin Four Areas of Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Kern Countiesa

Big Pine Figueroa Mt. Pinos Pine Mtn. Mtn. Mtn.

N. Goshawk B+ ------Blue Grouse E? ------Mountain Quail B B B B Flammulated Owl B -- B' -- N. Pygmy-Owl B B B B SpottedOwl B B B B N. Saw-whet Owl B B" B B CalliopeHummingbird B SV SV -- Red-breastedSapsucker B B B -- Williamsoh'sSapsucker B" B+ -- -- White-headedWoodpecker B B B SV Olive-sidedFlycatcher B B B B DuskyFlycatcher B B B -- Steller'sJay B B B B Clark's Nutcracker B SV -- -- Mountain Chickadee B B B B Red-breasted Nuthatch B B" B B" Pygmy Nuthatch B B B B Brown Creeper B B B B Golden-crownedKinglet B B' B -- Ruby-crownedKinglet E ------Mountain Bluebird SV ------Townsend's Solitaire B B -- -- Hermit Thrush B -- SV -- SolitaryVireo B B" B B Nashville Warbler B" -- B+ -- Yellow-rumpedWarbler B B B -- Hermit Warbler SV ------MacGillivray'sWarbler B" -- B" -- Wilson's Warbler B+ SV -- -- WesternTanager B B B B Green-tailed Towhee B B B" -- Fox Sparrow B B B -- Lincoln'sSparrow B+ ------Dark-eyedJunco B B B B Purple Finch B B B B Cassin's Finch B B B+ SV Red Crossbill B SV SV SV Pine Siskin B -- -- SV EveningGrosbeak SV -- SV SV

aB, confirmedbreeding; B+, breedingconfirmed but irregular, not annual;B', probably breeding;B", possiblybreeding; SV, summervisitor, no breedingevidence; E, extirpated,formerly bred.

228 BIRDS OF FOUR ISOLATED MOUNTAINS

Table 9. BreedingStatus of Montane Speciesin the SouthernSierra Nevadaand Five Areas of Southern California ø

San San San San S. Sierra Mt. Rafael Gabriel Bernardino Jacinto Nevada Pinos Mtns. Mtns. Mtns. Mtns.

N. Goshawk B B+ -- -- SV B" Blue Grouse B E? .... Mountain Quail B B B B B B Flammulated Owl B B B' B B B' N. Pygmy-Owl B B B B B B SpottedOwl B B B B B B N. Saw-whet Owl B B B B B B CalliopeHummingbird B B SV B B B Red-breastedSapsucker B B B B B B Williamson'sSapsucker B B" -- B B B White-headedWoodpecker B B B B B B Olive-sidedFlycatcher B B B B B B DuskyFlycatcher B B B B B B Steller'sJay B B B B B B Clark's Nutcracker B B -- B B B Mountain Chickadee B B B B B B Red-breasted Nuthatch B B B B B B PygmyNuthatch B B B B B B Brown Creeper B B B B B B Golden-crownedKinglet B B B SV B B Ruby-crownedKinglet B E -- E SV E Mountain Bluebird B SV -- -- B -- Townsend's Solitaire B B -- B B B Hermit Thrush B B SV B B B" SolitaryVireo B B B B B B Nashville Warbler B B" B+ B+ B' B' Yellow-rumpedWarbler B B B B B B Hermit Warbler B SV -- B' B SV MacGillivray'sWarbler B B" B" B B B' Wilson's Warbler B B+ -- B B -- WesternTanager B B B B B B Green-tailed Towhee B B B" B B B Fox Sparrow B B B B B B Lincoln'sSparrow B B+ -- B B B White-crownedSparrow B ------B -- Dark-eyedJunco B B B B B B Purple Finch B B B B B B Cassin's Finch B B B+ B B B Red Crossbill B B SV B B B Pine Siskin B B -- B B B EveningGrosbeak B SV SV SV SV SV

øB, confirmedbreeding; B+, breedingconfirmed but irregular,not annual;B', probablybreeding; possiblybreeding; SV, summervisitor, no breedingevidence; E, extirpated,formerly bred. The listfor the southernSierra Nevada includes only those species currently or formerlyoccurring in southernCalifornia.

229 BIRDS OF FOUR ISOLATED MOUNTAINS

Table :3 Comparisonof Numbersof Montane SpeciesOccurring in Summer in Four Areas of Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Kern Countiesa

Big Pine Figueroa Mt. Pinos Pine Mtn. Mtn. Mtn.

Totalmontane species recorded 38 28 29 19 Confirmed,probable and possiblebreeders 35 24 25 14 Confirmedbreeders only 32 20 22 13 aData from Table 1. andanother, elevation of the highestpeak, latitude of the highestpeak, and diversityof habitat. On the mountainsI studied,the singlemost important factor influencing the distributionof montanebirds appeared to be the extent of habitat suitablefor a species.Three key variables--extentof coniferousforest, elevation,and rainfall--contributedto habitatsuitability. Another factor-- nearnessto other mountaintops--seemedto influencedistribution, but its effecton the variousspecies was much more difficult to measure.Figure 10 showsapproximate distances between the studyareas and the extentof coniferous forest found on each. Table3 comparesthe numbersof speciesof montanebirds on the four mountainsstudied. It showsthat Mount Pinoshas 11 confirmedor likely breedersnot knownto haveattempted breeding on Pine Mountain16 miles to the southwest(Northern Goshawk, FlammulatedOwl, Calliope Hum- mingbird,Clark's Nutcracker, Hermit Thr'ush,Nashville Warbler, MacGillivray'sWarbler, Wilson's Warbler, Lincoln's Sparrow, Red Crossbill, and Pine Siskin). The lackof sufficienthigh-elevation coniferous woodland on Pine Moun- tain probablycontributes to the absenceof the Northern Goshawkand

Mt. Pinos 8831' 20 sq. mi. forest

/ &•, 19 mi. •, - 19 mi. ) ß PineMtn. 7510' FigueroaMtn. 4528' BigPine Mtn. 6828' 10 sq. mi. forest 2 sq. mi. forest 5 sq. mi. forest Figure10. Comparisonof relativedistances between and extent of coniferousforest on the four isolatedmountaintops.

230 BIRDS OF FOUR ISOLATED MOUNTAINS

Clark'sNutcracker there. Very few patchesof White Fir exist,and the high, open Limber Pine habitatat the summitof Mount Pinos,which is attractive to the nutcrackers,is not found on Pine Mountain. The absence of moist chaparraland wet meadows(due to edaphicconditions) on Pine Mountain may precludethe Hermit Thrush, NashvilleWarbler, MacGillivray'sWar- bler, Wilson'sWarbler, and Lincoln'sSparrow from attemptingto breed there. Small tracts of habitat on Pine Mountain appear suitablefor the CalliopeHummingbird, Red Crossbill,and Pine Siskin,but they are not extensiveenough to inducethese species to nestthere. Pine Mountain and Big Pine Mountain are very close in number of breedingmontane species.Pine Mountain, though higher and supporting nearlytwice as muchconiferous forest, has one fewer speciesof montane breederthan does Big Pine Mountain. Of the montane speciespossibly breedingon Pine Mountain, only Williamson'sSapsucker and Townsend's Solitairedo not occuron Big Pine Mountain.Likely these two specieshave altitudinalrequirements that cannot be met by the comparativelylow- elevationforest on Big Pine. There is only one record of Williamson's Sapsuckeron Pine Mountain, and Townsend'sSolitaire would not find on Big Pine Mountain the steep, high canyonsit favors for breeding.In contrast,on Big Pine Mountain,the FlammulatedOwl, NashvilleWarbler and MacGillivray'sWarbler are present,though absent from Pine Mountain. The paucityof the moistchaparral understory on Pine Mountainprobably contributesto the absenceof thesespecies there. The confirmedbreeding of NashvilleWarbler and the possiblebreeding of MacGillivray'sWarbler on Big Pine Mountain attest to the more mesic conditionsfostering dense montane chaparral in certain locations there. The presence of the FlammulatedOwl on Big Pine Mountain(and on Mount Pinosbut not on interveningPine Mountain)shows this speciesmay be absentfrom suitable habitat for no apparent reason or that the mix of coniferousand oak woodlandon Big Pine Mountainis somehowmore attractive. The Green-tailedTowhee, which is fairlycommon on PineMountain, has attemptedbreeding on Big Pine Mountainin the past three yearsand may havebeen more numerousthere formerly.Perhaps it is a rare and irregular

Table 4 Comparisonof Numbersof MontaneSpecies Occurring in Summerin the Southern Sierra Nevada and Five Areas of Southern California a

San San San San S. Sierra Mt. Rafael Gabriel Bernardino Jacinto Nevada Pinos Mtns. Mtns. Mtns. Mtns.

Total montanespecies recorded 41 38 29 36 40 36 Confirmed,probable, and possiblebreeders 41 35 25 34 37 34 Confirmedbreeders only 41 32 22 33 36 29 aDatafrom Table 2. Thelist for the southern Sierra Nevada includes only those species currently or formerly occurringin southernCalifornia.

231 BIRDS OF FOUR ISOLATED MOUNTAINS breederon Big Pine, preferringthe more aridclimate and higherelevations found on Pine Mountain. Elevenspecies have attemptedbreeding on Big Pine Mountainbut are absentfrom FigueroaMountain (Flammulated Owl, Red-breastedSap- sucker,White-headed Woodpecker, Dusky Flycatcher, Golden-crowned Kin- glet, NashvilleWarbler, Yellow-rumpedWarbler, MacGillivray'sWarbler, Green-tailedTowhee, Fox Sparrowand Cassin'sFinch). Of these,all but the Golden-crownedKinglet, Nashville Warbler, MacGillivray's Warbler, and Green-tailedTowhee are foundas far westas San Rafael Mountain, only 10 mileseast of FigueroaMountain. In the FigueroaMountain area, the lower elevationentails coniferous forest and montanechaparral being lessextensive and the number of montanespecies being much lower. Most of the montanebirds breeding on FigueroaMountain are generaliststolerating oaks extensivelymixed with lower-elevationconifers such as Coulterand Ponderosapines. An exceptionappears to be the Red-breastedNuthatch, which has been presentin summerin smallnumbers in the FigueroaMountain area for the past three years, attractedby the rather mesic conditionsthere. Red- breastedNuthatches and Golden-crownedKinglets are examplesof mon- tane specieswhose habitat preferences are more affectedby rainfalland humiditythan by elevation.They are dependentupon a moistforest habitat and both are much mor• commonon Big Pine Mountainthan they are farther east on the more arid Mount Pinos and Pine Mountain, despitethe latterpeaks' supporting much more coniferous forest--and at highereleva- tion-than doesBig Pine Mountain. Thus, althoughthe numberof montanespecies generally declines from eastto westand from the highestmountain to the lowest,the drop-offis not uniform. Table 4 comparesspecies totals of the Mount Pinos region, the San RafaelMountains (including Big Pine and Figueroamountains), the south- ern Sierra Nevada,and three southernCalifornia mountain ranges. Evi- dently, the San BernardinoMountains have the most extensivemontane avifauna in southern California and that of the San Rafael Mountains is somewhatimpoverished in comparison.

SUMMARY

From 1981 to 1993, I and otherscensused the breedingavifaunas of fourmountaintops in SantaBarbara, Ventura, and Kern counties,empha- sizingthe montanespecies. Because much had alreadybeen published concerningthe montanespecies of the Mount Pinosregion of nearby Ventura and Kern counties,most of the field work focusedon the San RafaelMountains, particularly the BigPine Mountain area. Because of their inaccessibility,the San Rafael Mountainshad receivedvery little ornitho- logicalexploration prior to our work there. Ten montane speciesnot previouslyknown to breed in Santa Barbara Countywere discoveredin the Big Pine Mountainarea: FlammulatedOwl, Red-breastedSapsucker, White-headed Woodpecker, Dusky Flycatcher,

232 BIRDS OF FOUR ISOLATED MOUNTAINS

Red-breastedNuthatch, Golden-crownedKinglet, NashvilleWarbler, Yel- 1ow-rumpedWarbler, Fox Sparrowand Cassin'sFinch. We alsolocated on Big Pine Mountain three montane species previouslythought to be unrecordedin summerin Santa Barbara County: CalliopeHummingbird, MacGillivray'sWarbler, and Green-tailedTowhee (although a newlydiscov- ered recordfor the towhee showsit was presentthere in the 1930s). Comparisonof the summeringavifaunas of the four high mountainsin SantaBarbara, Ventura, and adjacent Kern countieswith those of the major mountainranges in southernCalifornia suggests that extent of suitable habitat(governed by elevation,rainfall, and soiltype) is the primaryfactor influencingthe distributionof montanespecies on thesemountaintops.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I am greatlyindebted to the followingindividuals who generouslyshared their notes and observationsand who visitedthe surveyarea in the 1970s or helpedwith the current study: Larry Allen, Larry R. Ballard, Louis Bevier, Allyn Bissell,Bruce Broadbooks, Hank Brodkin, Mark O. Chichester,Paul W. Collins, Jon L. Dunn, Robert O. Easton,Shawneen E. Finnegan,Kimball L. Garrett, JesseGrantham, Hank and Jan Hamher, George and Joan Hardie, Mark A. Holmgren, Paul E. Lehman, BarbaraMillett, RandyJ. Moore, Jean Okuye, FlorenceSanchez, Nancy Sandburg, Larry Sansone, John Schmitt, Brad Schram, Guy Tingos, T. Dion Warren, and RichardE. Webster.I am especiallygrateful to Larry Ballard,Louis Bevier,Paul Collins, Jon Dunn,Kimball Garrett, Paul Lehman, Mark Holmgren,and RichardWebster, who read and commentedon the manuscriptand withoutwhose cooperationand encouragementthis project would not havebeen possible.

LITERATURE CITED

Barbour,M. G., and Major,J. (eds.)1988. TerrestrialVegetation of California,2nd ed. Spec. Publ.Ser. 9, Calif. NativePlant Soc., Sacramento. Bartholomew,P.S. 1940. Bird life of the Gibraltarstudy area. LosPadres National Forest,California Region, U.S. ForestService. Bendell,J. E, and Zwickel,F. C. 1984. A surveyof the biology,ecology, abundance, anddistribution of the BlueGrouse ( Dendragapus), in Third International GrouseSymposium, pp. 163-192. WorldPheasant Assoc., Reading, England. Dawson,W. L. 1923. The Birdsof California.South MoultonCo., San Diego. Dickey, D. R., and van Rossera,A. J. 1923. Descriptionof a new grousefrom southern California. Condor 25:168-169. Gaines,D. 1988. Birdsof Yosemiteand the EastSlope. Artemisia Press, Lee Vining, CA. Garrett, K., and Dunn, J. 1981. Birdsof SouthernCalifornia: Status and Distribu- tion. Los AngelesAudubon Soc., Los Angeles. Grinnell,J. 1905. Summerbirds of Mount Pinos,California. Auk 22:378-391. Grinnell,J., and Miller,A. H. 1944. The distributionof the birdsof California.Pac. Coast Avifauna 27. Grinnell, J., and Swarth, H. S. 1913. Boreal fauna of San JacintoPeak compared with that of other mountain•s of southern California. Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool. 10:383-387. Hall, E. M. 1940. Saw Whet Owl nest on Mount Pinos. Condor 42:306.

233 BIRDS OF FOUR ISOLATED MOUNTAINS

Johnson,N. K. 1975. Controlsof numberof birdspecies on montaneislands in the . Evolution 29:545-567. Koford,C. B. 1953. The CaliforniaCondor. Natl. AudubonSoc. Res. Rep. 4. Natl. Audubon Soc., New York. Lehman,P. 1982. The statusand distribution of the birdsof Santa.Barbara County, California.Master's thesis, Univ. of Calif., Santa Barbara. Metcalf,T. N. 1967, 1972 (rev.).The birdsof SantaBarbara and VenturaCounties, California.Santa Barbara Mus.' Nat. Hist. Occ. Paper 8. Miller,A. H. 1951. An analysisof the distributionof the birdsof California.Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool. 50:531-644. Miller,A. H., and Benson,S. B. 1930. The summerresident birds of the borealand transitionlife-zones of Mount Pinos, California.Condor 32:101-104. Miller, L. 1936. The Flammulated Screech Owl on Mount Pinos. Condor 38:228- 229. Norris,R. M., and Webb, R. W. 1990. Geologyof California,2nd ed. Wiley, New York. Smith,C. R. (ed.)1990. Handbookfor AtlasingAmerican Breeding Birds. Vt. Inst. Nat. Sci., Woodstock,VT. Snyder,N. F., and Hamher,J. A. 1985. Replacement-clutchingand annualnesting of California Condors. Condor 87:374-378. Webster,R., Lehman, P., and Bevier, L. 1980. Birds of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties,California. Santa Barbara Mus. Nat. Hist. Occ. Paper 10. Weiss,S. 1979. Mount PinosBlue Grousestudy report. U.S. ForestService, Los PadresNational Forest,Mount PinosDistrict, Frazier Park, CA 93225. Willett, G. 1933. A revisedlist of the birdsof southwesternCalifornia. Pac. Coast Avifauna 21. Accepted 25 June 1993

Green-tailed Towhee Sketch by Shawneen Finnegan 234