Notes from Field and Study 



273 



had when 1 saw them on their way across 

 the bay. 



After this I saved birds' lives every 

 spring and fall in the same way. I think 

 a good deal could be done by erecting 

 bird-shelters on the steamers plying the 

 Great Lakes. This would only cost the 

 owners a few cents and would save thou- 

 sands of our feathered friends every spring 

 and fall. Just a Httle box between the 

 hatches here and there, where they would 

 find shelter from the rain would do. 

 The birds get very tame while aboard a 

 vessel and will almost eat out of your 

 hand. 



A few minutes on the cold steel deck in 

 a rainstorm soon 'keels' them over, so let 

 us start a campaign among the vessel 

 owners to have some bird-shelters built. — 

 Leonard A. Ericson, Dnluth, Miuu. 



Summer Birds of Swope Park 



This report is based upon a census of the 

 summer birds of Swope Park, Kansas City, 

 Mo. This park covers an area of 1,332 

 acres. The greater part is well-wooded 

 upland with hills having rather steep, 

 rocky slopes and ragged hmestone cliffs. 



A small stream, the Blue River, flows 

 through the park and furnishes some 

 alluvial flood plain. Other smaller streams 

 leading into the river furnish moist, well- 

 wooded regions suitable for certain 

 species. Other parts of the park are quite 

 dry in summer. 



Parts of the park are frequented by 

 great crowds of people, while other rather 

 e.xtensive areas are quite secluded and 

 offer shelter for the more retiring species. 



The census was begun the second week 

 of June, after the migrants had left. It 

 was conducted by carefully traversing a 

 different section each morning and listing 

 the singing male birds, every effort being 

 made to avoid an overestimate of the 

 numbers. 



A total of 2,026 male birds was listed, 

 representing 74 species. Supposing each of 

 these were .paired, there would be over 

 3 adult birds to the acre in the park. 



The birds that love semi-seclusion head 



the list, while the more sociable species 

 like the Robin, Thrasher, House Wren, 

 Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Chipping Spar- 

 row, English Sparrow, and Orioles are 

 fewer. 



The Indigo Bunting heads the list with 

 164 male birds; the Tufted Titmouse, 158; 

 Black-capped Chickadee, 153; Red-eyed 

 Vireo, 86; Downy Woodpecker, 76; and 

 Kentucky Warbler, 74. come next in 

 order listed. 



Nine species of Sparrows and their 

 relatives were listed, with 402 male birds. 

 (Enghsh Sparrows were not included in 

 the census.) There were 12 species of 

 Warblers with 244 males, the Kentucky 

 Warbler leading with 74 males; 5 species of 

 Vireos with 102 males, the Red-eye 

 taking the lead; 5 species of Flycatchers 

 with 156 males, the Great-crest being the 

 most numerous; 3 species of Woodpeckers 

 with 150 males, the Downies taking the 

 lead. 



The Turkey Vulture took the lead 

 among the raptores with 16 pairs. (Proba- 

 bly underestimated, the rock ledges being 

 quite favorable for this species.) 



Conditions in the park are unfavorable 

 for water birds, 3 Green Herons being the 

 only representatives of this group. 



A few other comparisons include: 41 

 pairs of Cowbirds, 73 Blue Jays, 42 Crows, 

 6 Whip-poor-wills, i Nighthawk, 27 Aca- 

 dian Flycatchers, 22 Scarlet Tanagers, 8 

 Summer Tanagers, 4 Bob-white. 



There were more Cerulean and Parula 

 Warblers than Robins or Bluebirds; more 

 Red-bellied Woodpeckers than Red- 

 headed Woodpeckers. The Wood Thrush 

 leads in the Thrush family with 55 sing- 

 ing birds. — Albert E. Skirling, Kansas 

 City, Mo. 



Notes on the Varied Thrush at 

 Bellingham, Wash. 



Of the winter birds here the Varied 

 Thrush is perhaps the most abundant, 

 equaling, if not surpassing, in numbers the 

 Rusty Song Sparrow, Oregon Junco, and 

 a few others which can be considered 

 common. 



