The Season 



313 



The Yellow Warbler must travel on a very 

 rigid schedule; for many years past its latest 

 date in Denver has been August 29, or 30; 

 this year it was August 31. The Black- 

 headed Grosbeak is often seen here as late as 

 September 10; this year all seem to hav^e left 

 by August 28. 



Warblers have been very scarce here this 

 fall: the Pileolated was seen on August 2g, 

 and on September 4, and 25; Townsend's on 

 September 30; Virginia's on September 8; 

 Orange-crowned on September 24; Audubon's 

 on several days during the last week of 

 September and today (October 15). All 

 these individuals were seen in our parks, and 

 on October 8, the writer saw an Audubon's 

 Warbler in the heart of the city on some trees 

 opposite the U. S. Mint. And a single Ruby- 

 crowned Kinglet was noticed in the same 

 trees on September 26, attention being 

 attracted to it by its weak attempt at its 

 summer song. 



Our Thrushes have been irregular in ap- 

 pearing in the region; the Olive-backed 

 arrived on September 8 and was again seen 

 on October i, while Audubon's Hermit 

 Thrush was noted on September 25 and on 

 October 14. 



Single individuals of the following species 

 or subspecies were detected in or about 

 Denver as follows: Cassin's Vireo on Sep- 

 tember 8; Rock Wren on September 10; 

 Green-tailed Towhee on September 11; and 

 Townsend's Solitaire on September 8. 



The Gray-headed Junco arrived here for 

 its usual winter residence on September 24, 

 and the Pink-sided Junco not until October 8; 

 these two being the only winter Juncos which 

 have reached us so far. A Slate-colored 

 Junco was seen on October 9; this species is 

 more or less a straggler in Colorado. 



The House Wren was last noticed on Sep- 

 tember 13, the Plumbeous Vireo on Sep- 

 tember 21, the Wood Pewee on September 23, 

 the Western Tanager and the Warbling \'ireo 

 on September 10. 



Bronzed Grackles were seen feeding on the 

 fruit of the so called 'russian oli\^e,' much to 

 the writer's surprise, as this fruit is passed 

 over by most, if not all of our other birds. 



The season has been one of unbroken 

 clear weather, with cool nights, and with no 



precipitation except a slight fall of snow on 

 the night of October 6; all traces of this had 

 disappeared by the following night. The 

 writer has seen more different species here 

 during the past eight weeks than he expected 

 to encounter considering the mild weather, 

 but fewer individuals of all sorts except 

 Robins. — W. H. Bergtold, Denver, Colo. 



S.\N Francisco Region. — The withdrawal 

 of summer birds seems practically complete; 

 only an occasional Allen's Hummingbird 

 contests the right of the Anna's to corner the 

 supply of nectar. The Pileolated Warbler 

 was last seen September 5, the Russet- 

 backed Thrush, September 12, and the Black- 

 headed Grosbeak and Western Flycatcher, 

 September 21. There is still a possibility, 

 however, that the Flycatcher and the 

 Warbler maj' be recorded again. 



The winter birds so far noted are Town- 

 send's Warbler (September 13, Dr. Grinnell), 

 Golden-crowned Sparrow (September 28), 

 Audubon's Warbler (September 29), Hermit 

 Thrush (September 29, Mrs. Kelly), Inter- 

 mediate Sparrow, Sierra Jimco, Ruby- 

 crowned Kinglet, and Sharp-shinned Hawk 

 (October i, Mr. Storer), and Fox Sparrow 

 (October 2). 



Among the transients seen were the Lewis's 

 Woodpecker (October i, Mr. Strong), West- 

 ern Tanager (September 4), and Western 

 Gnatcatcher (September 29). Unusual birds 

 seen on the campus of the University of Cali- 

 fornia were the Barn Swallow (August 24), 

 and the Western Belted Kingfisher (Au- 

 gust 20 and September 7). 



Mrs. Kelly's notes on the shore birds in 

 Alameda show that the main migration of 

 Curlews and Semi-palmated Plovers began 

 July 19 and ended about August 29. Willets, 

 seen first on July 24, are still plentiful on 

 October 11, the fiocks running up to sixty, 

 ilarbled Godwits came in about July 29, but 

 were most abimdant during September. 

 Dowitchers were seen first on July 31 and 

 were numerous until September 26. Western 

 Sandpipers have the longest season. They 

 were seen first on July 19 and continued 

 abundant throughout the period. The first 

 Red-backed Sandpiper was noted on Oc- 

 tober 8, and the Black-bellied Plover, which 



