Page:Condor14(1).djvu/11

 Jan., 1912 THE SHORE BIRDS OF SANTA BARBARA 11 individuals was seen, which would allow no closer an approach than two hundred gards, even by the most careful stalking. This flock remained a couple of weeks, dwindling slightly in numbers and becoming very I much tamer. A male taken September 16 was still in almost complete nuptial plumage. By the first of Octo- ber they had become so tame that one could readily walk on the open beach to within thirty yards of them. 0xyechus vociferu8. Killdeer. An abundant, noisy, and suspicious resident, serving as an alarm for all the leathered 'folk within hearing. A flock of these birds spent the nights on the lawn in front of the Potter Hotel during the first part Of September, and always maintained an intermittent outcry until past midnight. There are occasionally heavy migrations, one of which occurred on October 10, 1911, when Mr. Bowles counted sixty-seven in a small pool on the mud flat, with many others in the vicinity. JEgialitis semipalmata. Semipalmated Plover. Regular and fairly common spring and fall migrant. Spring: April 18 to May 16, 1910. Fall: July 12, 1910, to November 1, 1911. These immaculate little gentlemen were usually to be found in pairs and quartets in the vicinity of the sandpipers, but were considerably less in- clined towards human company. JEgialitis nivosa. Snowy Plover. Common resident, but much more abundant in winter than in summer. Appears in large nnmbers about the middle of Decem- ber, at which times flocks of fifty or more individuals may be seen. The nesting season is a long one, as heavily incubated eggs were found from April 18 to July 28. They colonize to a very considerable extent, sometimes as many as six or eight pairs nesting within a small area of sandy beach. In the number of sets laid during the season it is probable that these birds are largely governed by the num- ber destroyed. Owing to the small tidal waves that frequently sweep across the beaches, as well as sand drifted by the wind aud eggs destroyed by animals, it seems a wonder that the poor creatures are able to bring up any families at all. Aphriza virgata. Surf-bird. Mr. Howell took one male and one female on September 16, 1911, and Mr. W. Leon Dawson secured another. These were part of a flock of five that was feeding with two marbled Godwits. The remaining birds were remarkably tame and unsuspicious, allowing a close approach. At a distance we mistook them for Black Turnstones, being unable to see their breasts clearly because of the glare of the sun and sand. They seemed too large, however, and for the same reason, as well as because they were too stocky, they did not resemble Knots. This comparison of size is really the only way they can be identified at a distance, except when on the wing. Arenaria interpres morinella. Ruddy Turnstone. Rare, as a rule, but not uncommon during the fall of 1911. Mr. Howell took the first specimen on August 28, 1911, and about a dozen more were seen in the next three weeks, the largest number noted at one time being a flock of five on September 12. This is unusual for Santa Barbara, as in 1910 none at all were observed, and it seems to be unusual for the rest of the state as well. Arenaria melanocephala. Black Turnstone. Regular, but never common, fall migrant. None noted in spring. The earliest seen was one on July 29, 1910; the latest a flock of seven on October 15, 1910, in company with fifteen HudsonJan Curlew and two Marbled Godwits. Only two birds were seen in 1911; in fact the Ruddy Turnstones seemed to have almost entirely replaced me/anocepJa/a this fall.