1398 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 23 7 part 3 



they are caught in an April blizzard, when the deep snow in the 

 forest forces them to feed in the beds of brooks, and drives some to 

 visit barnyards and feeding stations, and to accustom themselves to 

 human beings." 



A study of Audubon Field Notes (1951-1957) indicates that many 

 of the big influxes of fox sparrows reported, especially in coastal 

 states, were associated with severe snowstorms. The spring of 1956 

 was a notable example. Following a severe winter, the Middle 

 Atlantic Coast Region experienced "a heavy snowfall just as spring 

 arrived. * * * A deluge of Fox Sparrows hit the area about Phila- 

 delphia, March 22-26. Unprecedented numbers reported from 

 Maryland also; 25 were trapped at Wenonah, N.J. in one day, March 

 24." In the Northeastern Maritime Region: "From mid-March on, 

 feeders were swamped with unprecedented numbers of Fox and Song 

 Sparrows, etc., as these birds, having arrived in numbers, struggled 

 to survive three feet of snow followed by freezing rain." 



Harrison F. Lewis informs me by letter dated Apr. 9, 1956, that 

 similar conditions prevailed near his home at West Middle Sable on 

 the Nova Scotian coast: "This spring we are having an extraordinary 

 visitation of fox sparrows. They were first seen yesterday during a 

 snowstorm. Today they were conspicuous visitors to our feeding 

 station where we provided hayseed and rolled oats for them. I 

 counted a maximum of 11 there at one time. Many more were 

 scattered in thickets all along our road. And how they sang! Single 

 songs at first, but eventually a full chorus of clear and joyous music." 



Winsor M. Tyler (1922) mentions two similar concentrations in 

 the Boston region: "No such flight of Fox Sparrows as occurred this 

 year [1922] has taken place since the remarkable flight in April, 1907. 

 This year, as was the case fifteen years ago, a heavy snowfall came in 

 April and prevented the birds from advancing northward. The Fox 

 Sparrows were singing everywhere and collected in such numbers 

 about our dooryards that they attracted the interest and admiration 

 of many people who never saw, or heard, or heard of, a Fox Sparrow." 

 Later he (1924) considers that such storms do not delay migration 

 materially: "The Fox Sparrow appears to be an exception to the rule 

 that favorable weather hastens migration in a marked degree. My 

 records of migration dates of this bird during the past fifteen years 

 show a remarkably slight range, in spite of extremes of weather. 

 The numbers of Fox Sparrows which visit us from year to year vary 

 enormously, but their dates of arrival and departure [at Boston] 

 come respectively very near March 15 and April 15." 



As the fox sparrows approach their summer homes they move 

 more rapidly. Ralph S. Palmer (1949) says that in Maine "the peak 

 population may be present within a very few days after the first 



