GAMBEL'S WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW 1325 



My observations of Gambel's sparrows in migration were chiefly 

 from April 21 to 26, 1936, when I watched a few transients at Friday 

 Harbor. In marked contrast to the noisy breeding Puget Sound 

 sparrows, the Gambel's sparrows sang so softly that it was hard to 

 locate them even when they perched no more than 10 feet away. 

 The few I saw were either solitary or in the company of migrating 

 golden-crowned sparrows. Twice I found an individual perched in 

 semidarkness high on a rafter inside a barn, with some golden-crowns. 

 T. T. McCabe (personal communication) states that migrants may 

 arrive in mountainous country in British Columbia long before they 

 can live on the breeding grounds and may spend a month in valleys 

 directly below suitable breeding areas. 



The arrival of Gainbel's sparrows on breeding grounds at Mountain 

 Village and College, Alaska, differed from that of the Friday Harbor 

 sparrows in two respects: The Gambel's sparrow males arrived more 

 than a week ahead of the females, and they did not come in a body, 

 but filtered in gradually over periods of 2 or 3 weeks. The influx of 

 Gambel's sparrows destined to breed at Mountain Village in 1950 

 lasted at least 19 days. Two males came on May 9. I color-banded 

 one and followed it through the nesting cycle. From then until 

 May 25 males continued to come in. The average arrival date for 

 17 males was May 15. The females arrived between May 17 and 28, 

 and the average date for 11 females was May 23. These data accord 

 closely with those of Henry C. Kyllingstad (personal communication) 

 for the same locality from 1942 to 1948. I assume his records of 

 early arrivals are for males. His earliest record is for May 7, 1943, 

 and his average date for "first Gambel's sparrow seen" is May 10. 

 His average date when the species becomes common falls between 

 May 14 and 15. 



At College, Alaska, in 1957 the influx of males lasted at least 15 

 days. Gambel's sparrows were first reported in the area May 4, 

 and migrating flocks were seen May 6. My observations provide 

 the average arrival date of May 8 for 19 males I saw in places where 

 the day before there had been none. By May 11 the numbers of 

 males in the areas I was watching began to stabilize. The last male 

 I suspected of being newly arrived came May 19. On May 16 I 

 first saw a female. The average date of arrival for 12 females was 

 May 17. 



The Gambel's sparrows at both Mountain Village and College were 

 less vigorous in their territorial displays than were the Friday Harbor 

 Puget Sound sparrows, in spite of the fact that the Gambel's sparrows 

 arrived with gonads much larger and closer to breeding condition than 

 did the Puget Sound birds. On the margin of the range at Mountain 

 Village territorial behavior was so weak as to scarcely deserve the 



