I had the good fortune to spend the last eight days of December, 1897, on Santa Catalina Island, which lies about 25 miles off the coast of southern California. My ornithological observations were confined to the east end of the island in the vicinity of Avalon. Catalina Island consists ofa range of hills rising 1000 to 3000 feet above the sea and very much resembling in formations some sections of the mainland Coast Range of which system it is evidently a part. These hills are furrowed by innumerable ravines and canons, and are clothed more or less thickly with low brush and cactus. The shady north slopes generally present a heavy growth of larger bushes, which often reach the size of small trees.
Birds were most numerous in the larger canons, especially where there was any water. The majority of birds in point of numbers were winter visitants. Out of the 29 species identified, 14 are known to me to be resident on this island. They are: Callipepla californica vallicola, Zenaidura macroura, Buteo borealis calurus, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Selasphorus alleni, Sayornis nigricans, Corvus corax sinuatus, Carpodacus mexicanus frontalis, Pipilo maculatus meagalonyx, Lanius ludovicianus gambeli, Salpinctes oboletus, Helminthophila celata sordida, Mimus polyglottos, and Thryothorus bewickii spilurus.
I was surprised not to find several birds which are numerous on San Clemente Island, for Catalina lies almost exactly between that island and the mainland. Song Sparrows and Horned Larks were remarkable by their apparent absence from Catalina, and besides these, the Chipping Sparrow, Meadowlark and Bell's Sparrow were not discovered. Horned Larks and Song Sparrows are also abundant on Santa Barbara Island which lies about 20 miles northwest of Catalina. The following is a briefly annotated list of the birds detected on Santa Catalina Island during my December visit.
Callipepla californica vallicola. Valley Partridge. - Very abundant in the brushy canons. The 'Quail' is not native on the island, but was originally introduced from the mainland.
Zenaidura macroura. Mourning Dove. - I saw several pairs among the hill-tops toward the interior of the island.
Buteo borealis calurus. Western red-tail. - Scarcely a day passed but what two or three of these large Hawks were seen circling among the hills. An immature specimen in very dark plumage was brought in by a local hunter.
Haliaeetus leucocephalus. Bald Eagle. - Common along the precipitous margins of the island.
Asio accipitrinus. Short-eared Owl. - I examined a newly-mounted specimen in a taxidermist's shop in Avalon; it had been shot about a week before.
Speotyto cuniculata hypogaea. Burrowing Owl. - I saw a single individual on a hill-top in the interior. I was told that this Owl becomes quite numerous at times.
Ceryle alcyon. Belted Kingfisher. - Tolerably common along rocky shores.
Colaptes cafer. Red-shafted Flicker. - Tolerably common, being usually flushed from the shady sides of the canons where they dig in the damp turf for insect larvae.
Calypte anna. Anna's Hummingbird. - An adult female was taken and another seen, in a canon in the interior.
Selasphorus alleni. Allen's Hummingbird. - Very abundant about the blossoming eucalyptus trees at Avalon, and in small numbers along the canons and ravines wherever there were flowers. The Allen's Hummingbird is a resident species on this island, as it is found breeding commonly in the spring months. On the adjacent mainland this species is found only during the migrations, and it seems rather strange that it it should be so numerous as a permanent resident only thirty miles distant.
Sayornis saya. Say's Phoebe. - Tolerably common about the hilltops.
Sayornis nigricans. Black Phoebe. - I saw but three individuals and they were along the steep rocky cliffs near the beaches on each side of Avalon.
Corvus corax sinuatus. American Raven. - Common.
Carpodacus mexicanus frontalis. House Finch. - Very numerous on the hill-sides in the interior of the island. The Linnets were feeding to a large extent on the cactus fruits, and there was scarcely a cactus thickett that did not harbor a flock of these birds.
Spinus psaltria. Arkansas Goldfinch. - I saw only three pairs, and they were in the immediate vicinity of Avalon.
Zonotrichia leucophrys intermedia. Intermediate Sparrow. - Very common in brushy ravines.
Zonotrichia coronata. Golden-crowned Sparrow. - Tolerably common in thick brush in the canon back of Avalon.
Melospiza lincolni. Lincoln's Sparrow. - I saw an individual on two occasions in a door-yard in Avalon.
Passerella iliaca unalaschcensis. Townsend's Sparrow. - Common in brushy canon-beds.
Passerella iliaca megarhyncha. Thick-billed Sparrow. - Nearly as common as the last, and associated with it. Many specimens of both forms were secured.
Pipilo maculatus megalonyx. Spurred Towhee. - Abundant in brush along dry water-courses. About 40 specimens were secured on Catalina Island. They are readily distinguishable from P. clementae, and yet are slightly different from the mainland form. The bill is longer and proportionately slenderer than in the mainland bird, but in the male the upper and anterior parts are fully as jet black. The 'Catbird' call note of the Catalina bird is very different in quality from that possessed by the mainland bird. When I first hear it, I was positive that a California Jay was on a distant hill-side, although the Towhee was only a few yards from me.
Lanius ludovicianus gameli. California Shrike. - I did not see more than five individuals, and only one specimen was secured.
Helminthophila celata sordida. Lutescent Warbler. - Tolerably common but very quiet and secretive. Nearly all the specimens secured had been eating the cactus fruits and their digestive organs and surrounding tissues were colored a bright wine-color. A partial albino specimen was taken.
Dendroica auduboni. Audubon's Warbler. - Probably the most numerous bird on the island and seen everywhere from the pebbly beaches to the highest hills.
Mimus polyglottos. Mockingbird. - Common among the cactus patches from the canon-beds to the hill-tops. Their faces were in many cases brightly stained with the cactus fruit juice.
Salpinctes obsoletus. Rock Wren. - Tolerably common on the cliffs and steep hill-sides.
Thryothorus bewickii spilurus. Vigor's Wren. - Tolerably common in the smaller ravines, but very shy. The 10 specimens secured agree in having the bill quite perceptibly longer than the mainland bird.
Regulus calendula. Ruby-crowned Kinglet. - A very few were observed.
Turdus aonalaschkae. Dwarf Hermit Thrush. - Tolerably common on the shady hill-sides, and in the deeper canons. They were feeding on the berries of the California holly.
Joseph Grinnell is absolutely incredible as a vertebrate biologist, ornithologist, and naturalist. My research has shown that Joseph Grinnell spent a considerable time at sea. He did studies at Catalina Island in 1897, where he went on a small rowboat along the island shore in pursuit of seabirds. He went on a longer voyage to explore San Clemente Island, Santa Barbara Island, and San Nicolas Island. He visited two other Channel Islands, Anacapa and Santa Cruz Island. It appears that there were only two Channel Islands that he did not visit: San Miguel and Santa Rosa Island. I estimate that he spent about 30 days at sea on boats during his puruit of biological studies on birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians.
On land, he found 29 species of birds at Catalina. This number is fairly low for spending eight days in one location, but Catalina Island, as do all islands, have naturally less birds than the mainland. The depauperate number of birds on Catalina, as do all islands of California is a function of the isolating distance from the mainland of California. Although Joseph Grinnell did not explicitly state it, he was suggesting to his readers that the most important birds of Catalina Island are those that nest there. Thus, the 14 species identified in his list in the previous paragraph are more important in priority of conservation than the 15 species that are merely vagrant, accidental, and consequently ephemeral members of the bird fauna of Santa Catalina Island. Among the nesting birds those subspecies that are endemic native birds to the Channel Islands are the most important bird to insure that no extinction occurs.
I learned through research, that Hilda Wood Grinnell, wife and partner of Joseph Grinnell, was also on the visit to Catalina. It was also a trip that he made during winter break from his teaching assignment at Throop Institute in Pasadena. In essence, Joseph Grinnell and Hilda Wood spent Christmas and New Years on the exotic island of Catalina birdwatching. They even collected Allen's Hummingbird on Christmas Day. Hilda Wood Grinnell was a significant biologist and naturalist in her own right. She would publish many years later, the most important monograph on the Bats of California, in the University of California Publications of Zoology. This monograph was completed while also raising three children.