swamp and Henslow's sparrows, towhee, and red-shouldered and sparrow hawks. 

 The myrtle warbler, white-throated sparrows and ruby and golden-crowned king- 

 lets are in evidence among the underbrush and low trees. 



The April rains and sun have taken the frost out of the ground and the 

 warmth of ^lay restores the foliage to our trees and shrubbery. \Mth the 

 unfolding of the leaves appear myriads of insects and worms. Our later birds 

 now arrive, including the brightly plumaged orioles, scarlet tanagers, rose-breasted 

 grosbeaks, indigo buntings and bobolinks. Our daintily attired warblers and 

 retiring flycatchers are haunting tlie trees and vireos are carefully inspecting the 

 branches and leaf stems. More ducks, shore birds, and other water fowl have 

 arrived. The plover, and yellow legs are whistling and the gallinules and rails 

 call to each other from clumps of old rushes which afford better protection than 

 the young vegetation. 



The phoebe, bob-white, woodcock, song sparrow, red-shouldered hawk, screech 

 owl, mourning dove, bluebird, robin, bluejay, crow, brown thrasher and towhee 

 are all busily engaged in the duties of hatching their eggs and rearing their 

 young. This is the season when birds in their ecstasy become less cautious and 

 afford splendid opportunities for observation. 



You should arise before dawn, because with the first glimmer of dayhght 

 certain birds burst forth into song. Before the sun has risen many voices may 

 be heard on the meadows, in the woodlands or about the marshes. Some birds 

 found singing at- this time of the year are silent during the day, but with the 

 approach of twilight we are greeted with the carol of the wood thrush, the 

 hymn of the vesper sparrow and the cooing of the mourning dove. Night hawks 

 are conspicuous and, as the curtain of night falls, we hear the mournful cry 

 of the owl and the weird note of the whip-poor-will. 



In June nesting is at its height. The male birds are also in full song, but 

 the opportunity for bird observation is not so good. Our feathered friends have 

 more serious obligations and are now too preoccupied to devote much time to 

 courtship so we see less of the female. The males may be seen or heard regularly 

 for the next two to four weeks. 



Birds such as the prairie horned lark, killdeer, song sparrow, phoebe, blue- 

 bird and robin are preparing to rear a second brood. Two weeks ago their first 

 nests were occupied with eggs that hatched before many of our summer residents 

 had returned from the South. If we venture into the meadows, through the 

 orchards or to the woodlands, many fledgelings are encountered. The parents 

 are uneasy at our presence and manifest their displeasure by showing little fear 

 in their efforts to protect their offspring. The flycatchers, vireos, and thrushes 

 are now sitting upon their eggs. Th'-se birds usually rear but one brood during 

 a season. 



The marshes are graduallv drying up and the few hollows which still contain 

 water arc attractive places for rails, herons and bitterns. 



In July the goldfinches act as vivacious as most birds do in May. Thistle 



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