Birds and Seasons 63. 



APRIL AND MAY BIRD-LIFE NEAR PHILADELPHIA 

 Bv WiTMER Stone 



April and May are preeminently the months of migration. March, with 

 its frequent cold and stormy days, offers many a setback to the traveling 

 birds, but once past the early days of April, the tide sweeps steadily on, 

 reaching its highest point during the first week of \lay. The great waves 

 of Warblers which arrive suddenly over night and fairly swarm in the tree- 

 tops are characteristic of the May migration. The first of these waves 

 usually reaches Philadelphia about the first of May and is followed by others, 

 until the 20th or 25th, when the flight begins to wane, and by Decoration 

 Day all the transients are gone save a few stragglers, mainly Black -polls 

 and Gray-cheeked Thrushes. 



The great wealth of bird -life, the swarms of minute Warblers in the 

 tree-tops and their various songs that we have not heard for a whole \ear. 

 are almost disheartening to the careful observer. There is not time to 

 identify every individual of this host, and who knows but we may have 

 passed by a Cerulean or Mourning Warbler, or other rarity! 



With the presence of all our summer and permanent residents as well as 

 practically all of our transients. May naturally affords opportunies for very 

 large daily lists. My notes show fifty-four species observed within the 

 northern limits of Philadelphia on the morning of May 13, i888- and again 

 May 19, 1891, but 1 was not very favorably situated. Across the river, at 

 Haddonfield, N. J., upward of eighty species have been noted on a single 

 day at the height of the migration, by Mr. Samuel N. Rhoads. 



Beside the numerous arrivals from the south wc have not a few of our 

 winter visitants with us during April, and some Juncos and White -throated 

 Sparrows stay regularly until after May i.'^ 



Many of our summer residents begin nesting during April and May and 

 some of the earliest breeders have young on the wing before the ist of June. 



BIRDS OF THE SEASON 



f^ir permanent tesitients and winter visitants see BiRD-I.ORE, Dec, 1900, p. 185. 



.•//>;■// Miirrants. — April i-io, Green Heron, Vesper Sparrow, Savanna Sparrow. 

 Chipping Sparrow, I'ree Swallow, Purple Martin, Myrtle Warbler, Hermit Thrush: 

 10-20, Chimney Swift, Towhee, Barn Swallow, Bank Swallow, Yellow Palm Warbler : 

 20-25, Solitary Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, Whip-poor-will, Rough-wing Swallow : 

 Blue-headed Vireo, Black and White Warbler, Maryland Vellow-throat. House Wren, 

 Brown Thrasher; 25-30, Least Flvcatcher, CliflF Swallow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Red- 

 eved Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Black-throated Green Warbler, Blue-winged NN'arbler. 

 Parula Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Redstart, Ovenbird, Catbird. Wood Thrush. 



May Miirrants. — Mav i-io, \'cllow -billed Cuckoo, Black-billed Cuckoo, Night- 

 hawk, Kuby-tliroatcd I luiiiniiiigbird , W'ixhI Pcwce, Crested FlycattluT, Green -cresteil 



*An unaccnunlahlc slip of the pen in the Kcbruary Bikd-LORE implie-i that our winter visitants usually 

 leave about April i. As a matter of fact, all our rtfular winter visitants, except the Tree Sparrow, remain until 

 the enil of the month, at least. 



