Vol. XXI 

 igo4 



1 Eaton, Spring Bird Migration, igo^. 343 



The writer was surprised to learn how many of these migrants 

 are Broad-winged Hawks, but they were certainly a conspicuous 

 part of the procession, from the 21st of April to the 17th of May. 

 We were again reminded of this fact while spending the month of 

 August near Lake Restoule in Canada, where the Sharp-shinned 

 and Broad-winged Hawks were the commonest of the family. 

 None of this latter species breeds about Rochester, and it is either 

 of irregular distribution or much more a bird of the Northern For- 

 ests than we had previously supposed. 



During the spring of 1903 there was a striking scarcity of some 

 birds which are usually very common at our station. Among this 

 number may be placed all warblers with the exception of the 

 Myrtle Warbler, Mourning Warbler, Yellow Warbler, and Redstart. 

 The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was not more than one-fourth as 

 abundant as in the preceding year ; the White-throated Sparrow 

 much less abundant than usual, and the Baltimore Oriole was, per- 

 haps, sparingly represented. 



Among the birds which were noted as unusually common were 

 the Crested Flycatcher, Phcebe, Purple Finch, J unco. Indigo Bird, 

 Yellow-throated Vireo, House Wren, Winter Wren, Ruby-crowned 

 Kinglet, and Bluebird. The last-named species was certainly three 

 times as abundant as in any spring since 1895. As many as 

 twenty-seven of these birds were noticed in a single flock during 

 the latter part of March. Their notes were everywhere heard 

 along the roadside as one journeyed about the country. 



The most peculiar feature of the spring migration of 1903 was 

 the striking manner in which the general relationship between 

 weather and bird waves was illustrated. During the third week 

 in March a remarkably warm wave brought us the Phoebe and the 

 Great Blue Heron on the 20th,- at least a full week ahead of time; 

 while the Robins, Bluebirds, Crackles, Blackbirds, and Meadow- 

 larks, which had first appeared early in the month, became very 

 common. Then as April progressed the season seemed to halt 

 and falter. Although the average temperatvu'e was as high as 

 usual, there was no decided warm wave. The early flowers came 

 on in due time, but the leaving out of the trees was slow. April 

 29th found the shadbush just coming into bloom. On May 10 the 

 foliage of the maples was about half out. Beeches, hornbeams, 



