20 



THE OOLOGIST 



after arrival. My 60 odd nesting 

 records indicate tliat tlie usual inter- 

 val between this bird's arrival and 

 first egg is about 20 days. In regard 

 to the nesting of this bird it is not 

 at all unusual to find one or two part- 

 ly unfinished nests near the one fiaal- 

 ly used. 



not think it requires over two days 

 for a Sora to construct a nest. 



Green Heron. 

 Prom the time that the "Shyte-poke" 

 arrives it does not do much "poking" 

 around before it proceeds to get busy 

 immediately constructing its frail plat- 

 form nest of twigs with the lining of 

 slender twigs arranged just so, with 

 the ends laid in the center and radiat- 

 ing towards the rim, after the fashion 

 of wheel spokes. 



The Green Heron arrives as early 

 as April 20th and late as May 2nd, 

 but the average date for 26 years is 

 April 25th. 



In 1907 they arrived on May 2nd and 

 on May 13th 1 found a nest with five 

 eggs having tiny embryos. I figured 

 that this bird commenced her nest or 

 repaired an old one within two days 

 after the arrival. Incubation was 

 close to four days, so it seems logical 

 that the first egg was laid about May 

 4th. During these years I worked 

 near a big cattail swamp, and the "tag 

 alder" haunts of Green Herons and 

 I am satisfied that this bird could not 

 have been here several days unseen, 

 therefore, I believe this record is fair- 

 ly accurate. In other years my dates 

 show sets of four and five fresh eggs 

 prior to May 20th with fresh to large 

 embryos sets from May 20th to May 

 30th. 



Sora Rail. 



The Sora arrives as early as April 

 13th, but usually close to the 20th 1 

 have found finished nests as early as 

 April 29 and nests with first eggs as 

 early as April 30th and May 1. I do 



Virginia Rail. 



This Rail has arrived here as early 

 as April 7th. This is, however, a rare 

 date, the usual date being close to 

 April 16th. 1 have usually noted the 

 Virgiina Rail from two to three days 

 before the Sora and surely both birds 

 are noisy enough to not escape notice 

 even if not actually seen. 



The earliest first egg I have noted 

 of the Virginia Rail was on May 2nd 

 and this happened to be in a year 

 when they arrived on April 9th. 



While the Virginia Rail always pre- 

 ceeds the Sora in arriving at their 

 nesting haunts by three or four days, 

 their nesting dates begin in unison. 

 We might explain this feature as an 

 effect of the usual inclement weather 

 during the latter part of April. 



Bronze Crackle. 



The Grackle is another bird that 

 gets busy almost as soon as arriving 

 here. They take immediate possession 

 of their old nesting colonies in the sev- 

 eral evergreen groves that adorn the 

 woodsy hamlet of Branchport. The 

 Grackle unlike the Red Wing is er- 

 ratic in time of arrival. They vary 

 anywhere from March 6 to 28, but I 

 have more records between March 12 

 to 17 than any other date. The earli- 

 est date that I have observed them to 

 carry nest material — and I saw them 

 daily — was on April 9th. 



One set of five eggs taken April 

 27th had large embryos. 1 estimate 

 the first egg was laid on April 17th. 

 One year I collected 10 fresh sets from 

 May 1 to 7. The latest nesting date 

 recorded is four fresh eggs on May 

 30th. 



Ovenbird. 



The Ovenbird being a bird of sedate 



