Volume XI No. 2 - August, 1938

Check lists of bird species in specific areas are indispensable to the scientific investigator but not much use to the average tourist who is interested in birds. The tourist may be impressed with the richness of the display on paper, which many years of investigation on the part of a number of observers has accumulated, but what he would like to know is, "What birds am I likely to see in a given locality if I go there during a certain season of the year".

To fill this need a few bird census reports have been made of some of the areas in Crater Lake National Park which are readily accessible to tourists who may wish to study birds. Vernacular names for the observed species are used and they are written in the order in which the birds were encountered.

Head of Lake Trail, Rim Village
8:30 to 10:00 A.M., June 24, 1937
Elevation - 7100 feet

Clark's Nutcracker
Northern Pine Siskin
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Sierra Hermit Thrush
Thurber's Junco
Townsend's Solitaire
Cassin's Purple Finch
Audubon's Warbler

Information Building, Rim Village
1 P.M., June 26, 1937
Elevation - 7100 feet

Bailey's Mountain Chickadee
Black-headed Jay
Townsend's Solitaire
Hawk (Sharp-shinned)
Cassin's Purple Finch
Thurber's Junco
Clark's Nutcracker
Western Chipping Sparrow
Audubon's Warbler

Crater Lake Rim Village Area
8:30 to 11:30 A.M., June 27, 1937
Elevation - 7100 feet

Clark's Nutcracker
Cassin's Purple Finch
Mountain Bluebird
Western Robin
Northern Pine Siskin
Thurber's Junco
Western Chipping Sparrow
Audubon's Warbler

Sun Notch, East Rim of Crater Lake
9:00 to 11:30 A.M., July 2, 1937
Elevation - 7115 feet

Bailey's Mountain Chickadee
Northern Pine Siskin
Thurber's Junco
Western Chipping Sparrow
Cassin's Purple Finch
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Audubon's Warbler

Launch Trip on Crater Lake
9:00 to 11:45 A.M., July 7, 1937
Note: This report includes observations made
from the launch circling the lake as well as along
the trail going to and from the lake.

Trail Down to the Lake

Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Red-tailed Hawk

Near Wizard Island

Olive-sided Flycatcher
Thurber's Junco
Townsend's Solitaire
Spotted Sandpiper

Steel Bay

Red-tailed Hawk

Grotto Cove

Bald Eagle

Danger Bay

Violet-green Swallow

Trail up from Lake

Audubon's Warbler
Cassin's Purple Finch
Western Tanager

Forest Road West of Pinnacles and Sand Creek Valley
9:00 to 11:00 A.M., July 11, 1937
Elevation - 5,500 to 6,000 feet

Western Robin
Mountain Bluebird
Green-tailed Towhee
Black-headed Jay
Western Chipping Sparrow
Western Tanager
Sierra Hermit Thrush
Bailey's Mountain Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Calaveras Warbler
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Thurber's Junco
Olive-side Flycatcher
Western Flycatcher
Rough-winged Swallow
Northern Pine Siskin
Swainson's Hawk
Golden Pileolated Warbler

Sand Creek Valley
9:00 to 11:00 A.M., July 13, 1937
Elevation - 5,500 to 6,250 feet

Mountain Bluebird
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Black-headed Jay
Western Chipping Sparrow
Sierra Hermit Thrush
Western Tanager
Bailey's Mountain Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Calaveras Warbler
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Green-tailed Towhee
Thurber's Junco
Western Pileated Woodpecker
Audubon's Warbler
Golden Pileolated Warbler
Cassin's Purple Finch
Western Flycatcher
Northern Pine Siskin
Swainson's Hawk
Rough-winged Swallow

It may be seen from the above lists that certain birds like the Siskins, Juncos, Audubon's Warblers, Chickadees, Chipping Sparrows, and Olive-sided Flycatchers are widely distributed in the park. The lists explain too, why many tourists comment on the poverty of bird life in the park. Tourists spend most of their time along the rim where possibly because of the ubiquity of the Clark's Nutcrackers, very few species are to be found. At elevations lower than the rim, especially in the well watered valleys, twice as many species may easily be observed.