Page:Condor10(4).djvu/38

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168 THE CONDOR VoL. X Grand Junction, but Mr. Sullivan writes that he has not seen it at the same point during the summer. Prof. Cooke states that they are "not rare at Grand Junction in summer." The writer has seen it only once during the summer and this was a lone specimen observed July 8, 1899, at 6500 feet in Plateau Valley. Pica pica huds0nica. American Magpie. Resident, abundant. Probably the most generally distributed bird.occurring in the County. Is. common everywhere and at all altitudes. Nests in April and May according to altitude and breeds abun- dantly from 4800 to 10000 feet. My earliest date for eggs is March 31 at 6500 feet. It is a source of great annoyance to the farmers and cattle men attacking open sores on the cattle, sometimes with serious results, and stealing large numbers of young chickens and eggs. It nests in all sorts of locations including cottonwoods, cedars, pinyons, willows, service-berry, box-elder and alder and at heights ranging from 6 to 60 feet, above ground. The birds are most common in the settled country dur- ing the winter but I have found them as high as 8000 feet in January and miles from a ranch, when the upper country was under three feet of snow. During the winter they live largely on dead animals, but it is during the spring and summer that their depredations are most conspicuous. Cyan0citta stelleri diademata. Long-crested Jay. Resident, common. Much more in evidence during the winter than summer, but I am inclined to think this is due to their seclusive habits during the breeding season rather than to a diminu- tion of their numbers. Breeds during june in the spruce everywhere above 8500 feet and winters commonly up to at least 6500 feet. They do not leave their winter quarters for the spruce until late in April returning to the valleys late in October. Aphe10c0maw00dh0usei. Woodhouse Jay. Resident, common. A bird fre- quenting lower altitudes than the preceding during the summer, but found every- where in company with C. s. dademata during the winter. Frequents the open scrub-oak hillsides from 5500 to 7500 feet during the breeding season where it nests commonly during June, and evidently winters near the breeding grounds, altho it may perform a slight vertical migration. It is the commonest of the larger birds with the exception of the magpie around the ranches in winter feeding on grain in the barnyards and stables and becomes very tame. Peris0reus canadensis capitalis. Rocky Mountain Jay. Resident, common in suitable localities. Wherever an altitude of 10,000 feet or over is attained these birds are common both during winter and summer, but they are seldom seen below 9500 feet even in winter and are consequently rather inconspicuous. No informa- tion is at hand concerning their breeding habits in this County. Corvus c0rax sinuatus. American Raven. Resident, common. I am led to believe that Ravens perform practical'ly no migration. They are equally plentiful in summer and winter and I have never noticed any migratory signs. They breed commonly during April from 5000 to 7000 feet, frequenting rocky unsettled locali- ties and nesting in high sandstone cliffs. They are particularly numerous in all the box canyons emptying into the Grand Canyon. Mr. W. P. Ela states that they formerly nested commonly on the Little Dolores River but he has not known of their nesting there of late years. They are commonly found with the Turkey Vulture around carcasses and the two are evidently on the best of terms. A bird of solitary habits but occasionally seen in small flocks. Nucifraga c01umbiana. Clarke Nutcracker. My notes on this singular bird are very incomplete. I have seen them in March at 5000 feet and in June at 7000 feet in small flocks. Judging from these dates it is not improbable that they breed in the County and records from surro?lnding localities seem to support the sup-