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'Waucoba GJVews Sponsored by The Bishop Museum & Historical Society, Bishop,Founded and Edited by Enid A. Larson, Box 265, Big Pine, CASubscription: Four 9" long stamped self-addressed envelopes

CA 9351493513 Volume VSUM M ER - 19814 issues per yearor a membership ($5.00) in Bishop Museum

Waucoba: A Paiute word for "pine tree"; also highest peak in Inyo Mts., 11,127

COMMON BIRDS OF THE EASTERN SIERRA REGIONThe Horned Lark nests in the White Mts. at 11,800 f t . Contribution from theArt is t , Dian R. Mawby, Deep Springs College

Reports from the Inyo MountainsPopulations of the Inyo Salamander,

Batrachoseps campi, have been studiedrecently a t the University of California,Berkeley, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology.Drs. Yanev and Wake have reported (1981)~ r o m electrophoresis examinations ofspecimens, most of which were collectedby Derham Giuliani, who was under cont rac t with BLM to survey the canyons inthe Inyo Mountains. This researchwas published in Herpetologica 37 (1),1981.

Unique genetic differences among populationsof this salamander were discovered amongindividuals living in adjacent canyonsalthough not widely separated geographically. Populations at the southern endof the Inyo Mountains turned out to bedist inctly different genetically fromthose a t the northern extremity of theRange. Further research is needed toattempt to discover relationships andpossible pathways of genetic flow.

VEGETATION TYPES IN THE SOUTHERN INYOSFrom New York Butte to Keynot Peak there

i s l is ted in a Draft Environmental Assessment recently released by the RidgecrestResource Area, BLM (July, 1981) threeVegetation Types occurring in this regionof the Range. These types are:Sagebrush ScrubPinyon-Juniper WoodlandSub-alpine Woodland

The Sub-alpine Woodland i s composed of twospecies of pine: limber and bristleconewith an understory of Large Rabbit Brush,Utah Juniper, Mountain Tea, MountainMahogany, Wild Currant (2 species), Buckwheat (2 species) and Service Berry.

The California Native Plant Society considers one of the species of buckwheat(Eriogonium microthecum) as rare andendangered.

Four other plant species growing in thevicinity of Cerro Gordo are regarded atthis time as unique for the Inyo Mts. andof possible rare occurrence in Inyo County.

Leonardo da Vinci: "The day will come when men get to know animals well, and then anycrime against an animal will be considered a crime against humanitv."

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PRELIMINARY LIST FROMTHE 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 swi f t (Aeronautes saxatalis)Common f l icker (Colaptes auratus)

*Hairy woodpecker (Picoides villosus)*Gray flycatcher (E.mpidonax wrighti i )*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 (Sit ta ~ r o l i n e n s i s )

*Rock wren (Salpinctes obsoletus)Mountain bluebird (Sialia currucoldes)TOwnsend's sol i ta ire (Myadestes townsendi)

*Blue-gray gnatcather (Poliopti la caerulea)Yellow-rumped warbler (Dendroica coronata)

SOME BIRD SIGHTINGSDeep Springs COllege:May 15 , 1981 - LARK BUNTING

Reported by John & Dian MawbyMay 28 - 30 - A SCARLET TANAGERReported by D. Weiss; visi t ing birdersJune 1 - An OVERBIRDSeen by John & Dian MawbyINYO-KERN COUNTY LINE:"At the junction of the Kennedy Meadowsturnoff road and Hiway 395, 7:25 p.m.an OSPREY was seen perched on a deadsnag by Ronald Henry, Larry Wailles &Mary Ann Henry, China Lake-RidgecrestWEST OF LITTLE LAKE: Vince Yoder, Lone Pinereports the presence of a WRENTIT {Chamaeafasciata)in the foothil ls of the SierraNevada. I t was singing while within coverof riparian habitat and was associated withForestiera neomexacana. This i s the f i rs tknown record for this bird along the easternslope of the Sierra; no chamise i s presentthere. Wrentits and chamise have heretofore been thought of as in exclusiveassociation.

t t t t tU : t t tU : tChina Lake reports on the Audubon Christmascensus coupts for 1979, 1980:1980 - total number of birds 4785species to ta l 661979 - total number of birds 4169species total 69Comparison of the two l i s t s showed 8 speciespresent in 1980 that were not seen in 1979;9 species were reported in 1979 that were*Black-throated gray warbler (Dendroica nigrescens) not seen in 1980.Townsend's warbler (Dendroica townsendi) Reported as present in 1980 but not in 1979:

Am. Bittern, Am. Avocet, Black Phoebe, Mt.Wilson's warbler (Wilsonia pusil la) Chickadee, Verdin, Crissal Thrasher, Mt.*Western tanager (piranga ludoviciana) Bluebird, Cedar WaxwingReported as present in 1979 but not in 1980:*Black-headed grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus) Bufflehead, Ferruginous Hawk, GreaterCassin's finch (Carpodacus cassini i )*House finch (Carpodacus mexicanus)*Red crossbi l l (Loxia curvirostra)*Green-tailed towhee (Papilo chlorurus)*Rufous-sided towhee (Pipilo erythrOphthalmus)*Dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis)Chipping sparrow (Spizella passerina)Fox sparrow (Passerella i l iaca)

Mammals:coyote (Canis latrans)Mountain l ion (Felis concolor)Golden-mantled ground squirrel{Callospe:rmophil tii:r le i teraTis}Uinta chipmunk (Eutamias uMbrinus)

Yellowlegs, Least Sandpiper, WesternSandpiper, Hermit Thrush, Solitry Vireo,Am. Goldfinch, Brewer's Sparrow.Lists were supplied by the Ron Henrys, ChinaLake; D. W. Moore prepared the 1980 l i s t

t t t t i t tU t .UPANAMINT LIZARDD. Giuliani reports a Gerrhonotus panamintinusa t the mouth of Coldwater Creek, north ofthe Inyo-Mono l ine; seen in July, 1981.John Wehausen reports a sidewinder seen in themouth of Cottonwood Cyn, on the west slopeof the White Mountains, 1981, Mono County.

ttttttttttttOSAGE ORANGEDoris Fredendall.Big Pine, reports one of theseearly introduced trees s t i l l growing at theold Butler Ranch (Graham Ranch) east ofBig Pine.In a Piper, Bishop, reports 5 of these t reesgrowing and fruiting east of Bishop at theold Billy Smith Ranch ( la ter owned by L.Western harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys megalotis) Marquam, principal of BUHS in early 1 9 2 0 ' ~ .

Deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) Pinyon mouse (Peromyscus truei) Desert woodrat (Heotoma lepida) B1ack-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus cali fornicus) Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus inyoensis) Desert bighorn sheep ( ~ c a n a d e n s i s nelsoni)

ttUUttttttPANDORA MOTHAdult moths emerged in July, 1981 from cocoonskept in terraria 3 years after being gatheredas caterpi l la rs at the Crestview pine infestation. U.S. Forestry reports that this year 'sinfestation in that area is under controlthough no sprays were used. Moths emergedin ja rs : 1 with soi l and humus, the otherwith no soi l substrate or moisture added.Reported by Jack Edell And n f ' . f , ,1 of -. ,