Image from the Biodiversity Heritage Library.
Contributed by Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley.
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Transcription
Murray
1947
Junco
June 11 Sa Laguna, 6200+ ft., Sierra de la Laguna, Baja Calif.
Found them quite common here in the
course of two hours observation. The area
covered was the southwestern side and corner
of the valley, at a point where it broadens
and starts to bend. Went up a small stream
in dense woods, where there were many oaks
and pinon pines, madrones, a few large willows
and some other green trees and shrubs. Then
crossed over to the SE and up another stream
bed where only some pools of water remained.
I never could be sure of the sex distinction,
but found the birds often in pairs. Yet
there were just as often 3 or 4 birds
loosely grouped together. Saw several
young birds flying with the others, having
stripes of brownish color on their breasts.
I watched one first among the dense
dry leaves under oaks, then fly six feet
up on the trunk of a large oak, covered with
lichen. It moved up the trunk by a series
of short fluttering jumps, sometimes clinging
sideways. Looked a little awkward and
unbalanced. In another place one of a
pair behaved similarly and I saw several
briefly do the same. They all looked intent
on feeding.
Saw one chase another from branch to