Eastern California Occurrences of the Golden-Crowned Sparrow
Eastern California Occurrences of the Golden-crowned Sparrow
That Zonotrichia coronata is a common migrant along the eastern Sierras, is indicated by the following personally taken notes. The locality is 6700 feet altitude and just east of Sierra City, Sierra County. October 5, 1911, one immature taken and two more seen; October 6, half a dozen seen, two of which were adults; thereafter increasingly common until October 18 when they out-numbered Zonotrichia I. gambeli about two to one; thereafter decreasing in numbers till November 8, when one was taken. At this last date there was two feet of snow at this altitude, and open ground under heavy brush must have been difficult to find. In 1916 an adult female was taken September 23. Little time was available for collecting that year so that the single entry does not necessarily indicate any scarcity of birds. In the D. R. Dickey collection is an immature bird taken by L. M. Huey at Potholes, Imperial County, April 18, 1916. This is a short distance up the river from Yuma and is therefore practically on the Arizona line.
A. J. Van Rossem
Los Angeles, California, March 25, 1921
