10 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK 



flowers and the trees. Insects appeal strongly to the few 

 ^\\'j have had an introduction to their study, and even rep- 

 tiles and mammals have secrets that are worth knowing. 



Finally, after some hesitancy, I determined to re-write 

 and re-arrange some rather extensve notes taken during the 

 past few years relative to the birds of Swope Park; hoping 

 thus to call the attention of a few more people to the pleasures 

 that may be enjoyed through an appreciation of Nature. This 

 appreciation, by the way, cannot be obtained through mere 

 reading, but must be attained through patient looking and 

 listening, and by frequent rambling alone or in small groups 

 through the country. Books help, but it is the personal 

 observation and experience that awaken the real spirit of 

 response. 



The discussion of Swope Park birds that follows is 

 primarily a study of the species found in the Park during 

 the summer, and hence they are classed as nesting birds. The 

 discussion deals not only wth the different species but also 

 with the numbers of each species. Moreover, these are con- 

 sidered not only for the Park as a whole, but also for the dif- 

 ferent regions of the Park. This gives opportunity for com- 

 parisons, and for conclusions as to the conditions more favor- 

 able for bird population, and for the distribution of species. 



The study would be incomplete without at least some 

 mention of other birds of the Park besides those found nest- 

 ing here; and hence some lesser consideration is given to the 

 winter residents, and to those spring and autumn travelers 

 that pay us a brief semi-annual visit. 



There may be some readers of this report who are not 



