April 12, 1944 Mtn. Home (continued): Field Mice (Microtus)(2), brownish tail above, gray below. Reddish-brown back. Short and fat. Belly, throat, and cheeks were white. Tail 3" long. Body 3 1/2" long. Magpie Nests: On April 7 we found 2 with eggs in and today we checked those, and found 3 new ones. Enough to make a study, so here goes: Nest 1: Now has 6 eggs arranged: [illegible] On April 7 it had 4 eggs. The M & F were close by. Nest 2: Now has 8 eggs arranged: [illegible] On April 7 it had 3 eggs. F on nest. Nest A: Has 1 egg Nest B: Has 3 eggs Nest C: Has 4 eggs (See attached map showing nest locations. Me measured distances between.) April 13, 1944 - Mtn. Home Idaho: Flushed pair of Hungarian Partridges from a stubble field at the edge of town. Pale Goldfinches (30) W. Ruby-crowned Kinglet (1) White-crowned Sparrows (125) Engl. Sparrows (100's) and their nests in strips of Poplar trees used as windbreaks. Also one nest in a cavity 25' up in a locust tree. April 13, 1944 12 noon to 4 p.m. Wind 15 mph. Very sultry, cumulus, cumulonimbus and Sc clouds. Very little sunn Today my wife, Joan, and I decided to census the House Finch population with the limits of Mtn. Home, Idaho. We divided the town into five divisions because of convenience of environmental conditions. The divisions were not of equal size. Section 1: This took in that minor part of town south and west of the RR tracks. Area of approximately 16 blocks, 4 of which were business district. We saw 46 males and 36 females Found nests in Poplar trees at 8 feet and 10 feet " " Apple trees at 12 feet and 13 feet " " WhiteBirch at 15 feet. Section 2: Consisted of a strip one block wide and 10 blocks long running between the RR and main street. Mostly buildings. 3 blocks of park. Saw 7 M & 4F. Section 3: On the N and W side of town with many open lots and fields within the area. Perhaps it was an area total of 30 blocks. We saw 120 males and 109 females. Found nests in forks of limbs in Elm trees at 15' & 15'. " " locust trees at 14' and 15' Other nests at 23', 20', and 18'. One nest in honeysuckle vine on porch at 6 1/2 feet. Section 4: Consisted of a strip 3 blocks wide, running NE from Main Street. There were four blocks of business district in this section. Total area 30 blocks. We saw 87 males and 59 females. One nest in a locust at 25 feet. Section 5: Consisted of the rest of the town. NE of Main St. and SE of Section 4. Total area in this is about 32 blocks. We saw 115 males and 77 females Summary: Section 1 Males Females Total " 2 7 4 11 " 3 120 109 229 " 4 87 59 146 " 5 115 77 192 Totals 375 285 660 Males: 375 Fmles: 285 Total: 660 14 Nests with total ht: 209.5' Average Nest height: 14.96 feet According to all laws, we couldn't see them all, if they were all active, and this was definitely their quiet period (early afternoon). I venture to say that there are over 1000 House Finches in the city of Mountain Home, at this date.