Brewer Sparrow Breeding in Simi Valley
Brewer Sparrow Breeding in Simi Valley
I have found the Brewer Sparrow (Spizella breweri) to be a rather common resident of the Simi Valley, Ventura County, and have found many nests containing eggs and young in that vicinity. Two sets of eggs in my collection are as follows: Set of five, fresh, taken with female bird May 21, 1899, and set of three slightly incubated, taken May 28, the same year. The birds are very shy, sneaking from the nest and running through the grass instead of flying; consequently the nests are rather difficult to locate. All the nests that I have found have been on a south slope, sparsely covered with sage brush and cactus, with a thicker growth of smaller plants and shrubs between. The nests were in these smaller shrubs, generally not over a foot above the ground.
