Galapagos field notes, v579
Page 183
Image from the Biodiversity Heritage Library. Contributed by Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley. | www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Transcription
Benedict's 1964 (69) 1 Feb. Punta Espinosa, Fernandina Island, Galapagos. The active nest, which contained a second live juvenile mouse. This was just 3-4 sticks on a pile of fine sandy humus, dry, as was the original nest. The site must have been reached through the passageway between the two vertical lava blocks. After presenting the 2nd mouse I went with Ross Kieste to see the Night Heron Nest. We stomped around in the lava for a while and finally found the nest under a low mangrove against a lava ledge above high tide level. Lots of tropicbirds here. The heron was nervous because of our presence (rest stayed on the nest). The bird is very small, hardly larger than a Green Heron, and very slim at the neck, quite unlike a Black-ci. We saw 2 birds in mangrove trees. Saw a striped young Green Heron. Went into a web up p. postler - a bittern pose with the bill horizontal. We then worked out to a large grove of Mangrove around a large lagoon, which was mostly inaccessible. The mangroves were 70'-30' high ( instead of less than 20'), and about 95 yards thick. We climbed into it sat for a while, then squeezed. Got in 3 Plumaged finches, one? Camarhynchus parvulus, a ? fuliginosa, and a ?G. difficilis, a brown headed, white bellied bird, spotted breast, buffy ring legs, bill > liberac short cactospiza. Same size as Fuliginosa or smaller. Miller shot 2 birds with same bill. Also a pair of warblers and 10-20 Yellow Warbler. Saw one absolutely white below from the bill to the under tail coverts & :; looked much like a Hyachius . It was pecked out on the lava, and later was chased by a ?. A jov. Green Heron in mangroves. It followed us about for a while,