VACATION EXPEDITIONS 217 



will probably adopt, especially if living in cities, is 

 to choose a favorable locality in some bird-country 

 not far away, and spend the vacation period there, 

 or perhaps divide the time between two places of 

 somewhat dissimilar fauna. It takes considerable 

 time, however, to become familiar enough with one 

 region to secure good results, so it is generally best 

 not to move around too much, unless a locality should 

 prove really unsuited to the purpose. 



The exact time of the trip will depend upon what 

 sort of birds one wishes to find nesting. Early June 

 is ordinarily the best time in the northern half of the 

 United States and southern Canada; the middle of 

 June for localities far north, such as the Magdalen 

 Islands, Newfoundland, and Labrador; and May 

 for the Southern States, exact dates varying accord- 

 ing to latitude. Early June is the time to be on the 

 ground in the wildfowl resorts of Minnesota, North 

 Dakota, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan. At these 

 times the bulk of the birds are breeding. But if one 

 wishes to look up special things such as the nesting 

 of the raptorial birds, it will be necessary to make 

 an earlier trip especially for them. About the mid- 

 dle of May is a good time for the smaller hawks and 

 middle of April for the large hawks and all the owls 

 except the great horned, the average time for the 

 latter being early March, though the young will be 

 in the nest till early or middle May. In the North- 

 west the middle of May is a good time for hawks and 

 owls. 



