FEATHERED TOURISTS 



bluebirds. On Brangman's, a quarter of a mile off, 

 I could detect the most delicate coloring of bills, 

 feet and eyes, and could identify any species of 

 Bermuda butterfly. 



With or without my telescope I kept South 

 Beach under observation for six migration seasons 

 — three north and three southward. This beach is 

 the only one hereabouts which is sheltered and yet 

 faces the open ocean. It receives more sargassum 

 weed than any other, and this indirectly brings the 

 migrants, for the weed offers shelter and nursery 

 facilities to the little Orchestia or sand-hoppers, 

 which, on Nonsuch, run the sun a close second as 

 the source of life. 



In the course of three years I have observed 

 seventeen species of shore birds, all migrants, on 

 South Beach. Seven of these I saw only once or 

 twice — phalaropes, dowitchers, yellow-legs, wil- 

 lets, Hudsonian Curlews, and black-bellied and 

 golden plovers. 



Nine birds were seen frequently enough to 

 be called regular annual visitors. Six of these 

 were sandpipers, least, semipalmated, sanderlings, 

 greater yellow-legs, solitary and spotted ; two were 

 plovers, semipalmated and piping, and the most 

 abundant were the turnstones. 



At first, to make sure of certain identifications, 

 I shot a few birds, until there was no question of 

 easy recognition at sight, and on days when no rare 

 species appeared I studied the regulars as species 

 personalities. All the birds I shot I found to be 



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