Birds of Mount Shasta Finches

Entry 75. Coccothraustes vespertinus montanus. Western Evening Grosbeak.

One of the commonest and most characteristic birds of the Shasta fir belt (Canadian zone), and much less common in the alpine hemlocks (Hudsonian zone). At Wagon Camp, near the lower border of the Canadian zone, small flocks were seen or heard daily whenever the camp was occupied, from the time of our arrival, the middle of July, until our departure, September 25. At Squaw Creek Camp, in the Hudsonian zone, they were much less common, but still by no means rare, and during early August their distinctive call, a short whistle, was heard every day.

In September they were rarely observed on upper Squaw Creek, but September 18 a flock was seen near the head of Panther Creek. They were common in Mud Creek Canyon about the end of July and beginning of August. On September 29 I visited the juniper forest in Shasta Valley, and was surprised to find there were dozens of evening grosbeaks, and still larger numbers of Townsend solitaires, feeding on the fat berries of the junipers (Juniperus occidentalis). At Sisson in September R.T. Fisher found flocks flying restlessly over the valley.

When in the molt the extraordinary color combinations of the males surpass even those of the crossbills.

Entry 76. Carpodacus cassini. Cassin Purple Finch. [Cassin's Finch]

A common summer resident in the Canadian and Hudsonian zones. Specimens were collected in July and August at various points from Wagon Camp, in the lower edge of the Shasta firs, to timberline, at the upper limit of Pinus albicaulis; and during our circuit of the mountain near timberline July 22 to 25 the species was heard or seen every day. At our camp in the alpine hemlocks on upper Squaw Creek, it was common and tame, and in early August usually began sining about daylight. On August 5 I saw one sining in a small white-bark pine on a ridge east of Mud Creek Canyon at an altitude of 8,800 feet, far above continuous timberline. A flock, probably migrating, was observed at the head of Panther Creek September 18.

Entry 78. Loxia curvirostra bendirei. Sierra Red Crossbill. [Red Crossbill]

Red crossbills are common on Shasta. Small flocks were heard nearly every day throughout the season and were frequently seen to light in the tops of the high firs, both at Wagon Camp and Squaw Creek Camp, but they never came into camp to feed, and were rarely seen nearby. One was killed at Sisson September 12 by R.T. Fisher, who found the species common there at that time, feeding in the tall pines and also on the garden sunflowers. Several killed by us near timberline lodged in the dense foliage of the alpine hemlocks. C.H. Townsend obtained three specimens on Shasta. The crossbill of Shasta is intermediate between the northern subspecies minor and the southern subspecies stricklandi. It is the same as the Fort Klamath form named by Ridgway as subspecies benderei; and specimens collected near Mount Whitney in the southern High Sierra by the Death Valley expedition, thought published as stricklandi, are practically indistinguishable. It is customary among ornithologists to name recognizable intergrades which have definite and clearly defined breeding ranges. On this basis benderei seems entitled to stand, since it occupies the isolated crest of the Sierra Nevada of California from the southern end north to Shasta, and pushes on a short distance into southern Oregon (to Fort Klamath, its type locality). At Diamond Lake, in the southern Cascades, only a few miles north of Fort Klamath, subspecies minor occurs. The Diamond Lake specimen was shot by my assistant, E.A. Preble, August 13, 1896, and is an adult male. Owing to the late date and to the well-known erratic habits of crossbills, this bird may have been a wanderer from farther north. Hence the actual northern breeding limit of benderei and the southern breeding limit of minor remain to be established.

It is a singular fact that two of the specimens obtained by C.H. Townsend on Lassen, between Shasta and the High Sierra, are as large and have as large bills as stricklandi. They were killed in summer and may have been stragglers from some of the mountains to the southeast.

Call of Red Crossbill © 1999 Doug Von Gausig.

Entry 82. Spinus pinus. Pine Siskin. [Carduelis pinus]

Fairly common throughout the Shasta fir forest, and ranging thence upward into the alpine hemlocks and white-bark pines. Seen or heard at frequent intervals from the time of our arrival, the middle of July, until late in September.

Flight display song of Pine Siskens © 1998 Doug Von Gausig.

Entry 85. Zonotrichia leucophrys. White-crowned Sparrow.

Probably breeds near timberline in the Hudsonian zone, where, near the head of Mud Creek, one was shot August 4 by W.H. Osgood. About the middle of September numbers were seen just below timberline on Panther Creek-- doubtless migrants--and a little later they were common in the bushes from Wagon Camp to Sisson and along Shasta River in Shasta Valley.

Entry 86. Spizella socialis arizonae. Western Chipping Sparrow. [Spizella passerina arizonae]

As the chipping sparrow is not an inhabitant of dense forests it was not seen in the Shasta fir belt; but in the openings along the lower edge of this belt it breeds, and was feeding young at Wagon Camp in July. After the breeding season it was seen from time to time near timberline. It is a common breeder at Sisson and in Shasta Valley.

Entry 87. Junco hyemalis thurberi. Sierra Junco. [Junco hyemalis Dark-eyed Junco]

Common from timberline down to the lower edge of the Shasta firs. The commonest 'ground bird' of the forest. Several nests with eggs or young were found near Wagon Camp the latter part of July.