'Waucoba GJVews

Sponsored by The Bishop Museum & Historical Society, Bishop, CA 93514 Volume V
Founded and Edited by Enid A. Larson, Box 265, Big Pine, CA 93513 SUM MER - 1981
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Waucoba: A Paiute word for "pine tree"; also highest peak in Inyo Mts., 11,127

COMMON BIRDS OF THE EASTERN SIERRA REGION

The Horned Lark nests in the White Mts. at 11,800 ft. Contribution from the
Artist, Dian R. Mawby, Deep Springs College

Reports from the Inyo Mountains

Populations of the Inyo Salamander, VEGETATION TYPES IN THE SOUTHERN INYOS

Batrachoseps campi, have been studied
recently at the University of California,
Berkeley, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology.
Drs. Yanev and Wake have reported (1981)
~rom electrophoresis examinations of
specimens, most of which were collected
by Derham Giuliani, who was under con­
tract with BLM to survey the canyons in
the Inyo Mountains. This research
was published in Herpetologica 37 (1),
1981.
Unique genetic differences among populations
of this salamander were discovered among
individuals living in adjacent canyons
although not widely separated geographi­
cally. Populations at the southern end
of the Inyo Mountains turned out to be
distinctly different genetically from
those at the northern extremity of the
Range. Further research is needed to
attempt to discover relationships and
possible pathways of genetic flow.
From New York Butte to Keynot Peak there
is listed in a Draft Environmental Assess­
ment recently released by the Ridgecrest
Resource Area, BLM (July, 1981) three
Vegetation Types occurring in this region
of the Range. These types are:
Sagebrush Scrub
Pinyon-Juniper Woodland
Sub-alpine Woodland
The Sub-alpine Woodland is composed of two
species of pine: limber and bristlecone
with an understory of Large Rabbit Brush,
Utah Juniper, Mountain Tea, Mountain
Mahogany, Wild Currant (2 species), Buck­
wheat (2 species) and Service Berry.
The California Native Plant Society con­
siders one of the species of buckwheat
(Eriogonium microthecum) as rare and
endangered.
Four other plant species growing in the
vicinity of Cerro Gordo are regarded at
this time as unique for the Inyo Mts. and
of possible rare occurrence in Inyo County.

Leonardo da Vinci: "The day will come when men get to know animals well, and then any
crime against an animal will be considered a crime against humanitv."
 PRELIMINARY LIST FROM
THE INYO MTS.
Birds: (* - Known breeding species)
Red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)
American kestrel (Falso sparverius)
Chukar (Alectoris chukar)
w.hite-throated swift (Aeronautes saxatalis)
Common flicker (Colaptes auratus)
*Hairy woodpecker (Picoides villosus)
*Gray flycatcher (E.mpidonax wrightii)
*Scrub jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens)
Common raven (Corvus corax)
Pinyon jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus)
*Clark's nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana)
*Mountain chickadee (Parus gambeli)
Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus)
White-breasted nuthatch (Sitta ~rolinensis)
*Rock wren (Salpinctes obsoletus)
Mountain bluebird (Sialia currucoldes)
TOwnsend's solitaire (Myadestes townsendi)
*Blue-gray gnatcather (Polioptila caerulea)
Yellow-rumped warbler (Dendroica coronata)
*Black-throated gray warbler (Dendroica nigrescens) not seen in 1980.
Townsend's warbler (Dendroica townsendi)
Wilson's warbler (Wilsonia pusilla)
*Western tanager (piranga ludoviciana)
*Black-headed grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus)
Cassin's finch (Carpodacus cassinii)
*House finch (Carpodacus mexicanus)
*Red crossbill (Loxia curvirostra)
*Green-tailed towhee (Papilo chlorurus)
*Rufous-sided towhee (Pipilo erythrOphthalmus)
*Dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis)
Chipping sparrow (Spizella passerina)
Fox sparrow (Passerella iliaca)
Mammals:
coyote (Canis latrans)
Mountain lion (Felis concolor)
Golden-mantled ground squirrel
{Callospe:rmophil tii:r lei teraTis}
Uinta chipmunk (Eutamias uMbrinus)
Western harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys megalotis) Marquam, principal of BUHS in early 1920'~.
Deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus)
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Pinyon mouse (Peromyscus truei)
Desert woodrat (Heotoma lepida)
kept in terraria 3 years after being gathered
B1ack-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus californicus)
as caterpillars at the Crestview pine infes­
Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus inyoensis)
infestation in that area is under control
Desert bighorn sheep (~canadensis nelsoni)
though no sprays were used. Moths emerged
SOME BIRD SIGHTINGS
Deep Springs COllege:
May 15, 1981 - LARK BUNTING
Reported by John & Dian Mawby
May 28 - 30 - A SCARLET TANAGER
Reported by D. Weiss; visiting birders
June 1 - An OVERBIRD
Seen by John & Dian Mawby
INYO-KERN COUNTY LINE:
"At the junction of the Kennedy Meadows
turnoff road and Hiway 395, 7:25 p.m.
an OSPREY was seen perched on a dead
snag by Ronald Henry, Larry Wailles &
Mary Ann Henry, China Lake-Ridgecrest
WEST OF LITTLE LAKE: Vince Yoder, Lone Pine
reports the presence of a WRENTIT {Chamaea
fasciata)in the foothills of the Sierra
Nevada. It was singing while within cover
of riparian habitat and was associated with
Forestiera neomexacana. This is the first
known record for this bird along the eastern
slope of the Sierra; no chamise is present
there. Wrentits and chamise have hereto­
fore been thought of as in exclusive
association.
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China Lake reports on the Audubon Christmas
census coupts for 1979, 1980:
1980 - total number of birds 4785
species total 66
1979 - total number of birds 4169
species total 69
Comparison of the two lists showed 8 species
present in 1980 that were not seen in 1979;
9 species were reported in 1979 that were
Reported as present in 1980 but not in 1979:
Am. Bittern, Am. Avocet, Black Phoebe, Mt.
Chickadee, Verdin, Crissal Thrasher, Mt.
Bluebird, Cedar Waxwing
Reported as present in 1979 but not in 1980:
Bufflehead, Ferruginous Hawk, Greater
Yellowlegs, Least Sandpiper, Western
Sandpiper, Hermit Thrush, Solitry Vireo,
Am. Goldfinch, Brewer's Sparrow.
Lists were supplied by the Ron Henrys, China
Lake; D. W. Moore prepared the 1980 list
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PANAMINT LIZARD
D. Giuliani reports a Gerrhonotus panamintinus
at the mouth of Coldwater Creek, north of
the Inyo-Mono line; seen in July, 1981.
John Wehausen reports a sidewinder seen in the
mouth of Cottonwood Cyn, on the west slope
of the White Mountains, 1981, Mono County.
tttttttttttt
OSAGE ORANGE
Doris Fredendall.Big Pine, reports one of these
early introduced trees still growing at the
old Butler Ranch (Graham Ranch) east of
Big Pine.
Ina Piper, Bishop, reports 5 of these trees
growing and fruiting east of Bishop at the
old Billy Smith Ranch (later owned by L.
PANDORA MOTH
Adult moths emerged in July, 1981 from cocoons
tation. U.S. Forestry reports that this year's
in jars: 1 with soil and humus, the other
with no soil substrate or moisture added.
Reported by Jack Edell And n f'.f,,1 of - . ,