TURNSTOIS-E 279 



but remain within their winter ranges or far south of their breeding 

 ranges all summer. 



Many observers have stated that turnstone*- do not migrate in 

 large flocks in the spring, but I have seen some very large flocks on 

 Cape Cod containing several hundred. On the coast of New Jersey 

 during the latter part of May, 1927, Ave saAV a wonderful flight of this 

 and other shore birds; on the 20th we counted 3,600 turnstones, on 

 the 26th 4,500, on the 27th 5,000, and on the 28th 7,000; many of 

 these Avere in immense flocks of this species only, but more often they 

 were associated in large flocks with black-bellied plovers; one enor- 

 mous flock of the two species was estimated to contain 3,500 birds. 



The main migration route is along the sea coast. Migrants have 

 been known to reach Massachusetts as early as May 1, and my latest 

 date is June 5; but the main flight comes during the latter half of 

 May. Dr. W. Elmer Ekblaw tells me that it reaches its breeding 

 grounds in northwestern Greenland during the first week in June. 



There is a regular migration northward through the interior, but 

 in much smaller numbers. Pierce Brodkorb and Frank Grasett give 

 me dates for northeastern Illinois from April 30 to June 18. We col- 

 lected specimens in Nelson County, N. Dak., on June 5, and at Lake 

 Winnipegosis, Manitoba, on June 1 and 2 ; but we did not record the 

 species at all during the two seasons spent in southwestern Sas- 

 katchewan. Prof. William RoAvan tells me that it is rare in his 

 section of Alberta. The route is evidently northward from Mani- 

 toba through the Athabaska-Mackenzie region. Samuel F. Rathbun 

 has sent me the following notes on the former abundance of turn- 

 stones in Manitoba : 



In that Province we si>e!it the greater part of the spring and summer of 188J), 

 and on one occasion went to Lake Manitoba driving as directly as possible 

 across what was then an unsettled country. We clambered up one of the 

 dunes and looked over its top. and right in front of us and up and down the 

 beach almost as far as could be seen, were countless numbersi of shore birds. 

 On the sands nearly all of these were in constant motion, while over the surface 

 of the lake flocks were flying to and fro. By far the greater number of the 

 birds were turnstones and the flocks of these were always very large. I 

 hesitate to give my estimate of the number seen, but I made many countsi and 

 forming a rough guess fi-om these judged at the time that there must have been 

 somewhere near eight or ten thousand of the turnstones. And I have always 

 believed this estimate to be somewhere near correct. This was on the 30th 

 of May and it may have been that we were fortunate to have happened to 

 witness the height of the movement of these birds. 



The ruddy turnstone is a rather uncommon migrant on the Pacific 

 coast in April and May. Mr. Rathbun says in his notes that it — 



appears to be a regular spring migrant along the ocean coast of AVashington, 

 first being seen in early May. The earlier birds seem to arrive in small num- 

 bers, to be followed by flocks of fair size, but at no time are the turnstones 

 2316—29 19 



