ORNITHOLOGIST 



— AND- 



00L0GI8T. 



$1.00 per 

 Annum. 



rUHLISHEI) KY FRANK B. WEBSTEK. 



Established, March, 1875. 



Single Copy 

 10 cents. 



Vol. XV. 



BOSTON, MASS., APRIL, 1890. 



No. 4. 



The Shore Bird Migration at Mono- 

 moy Island, Cape Cod, Mass., 

 Summer of 1888. 



\() note.s were taken between May '27tli and 

 . I line .^tli, as I was away from tlie Island 

 during tliat period. .June 8, 1888, wind north- 

 east to north, fresh. Saw one small flock of 

 Bhaok-bellied Plover on tlie flats, and one 

 Greater Yellow-leg;s on tiie meadow. Large 

 (tuUs, (mostly Heiring) much decreased. 

 Water fowl seen were three Sheldrakes. Night 

 Herons increasing on the meadows. 



June ilth, wind northeast to southwest, 

 fiesh in the afternoon. No shore birds seen. 



June 12th, wind northwest to north, fresh; 

 weather, fair. A bunch of six Great North- 

 ern Divers seen out in (he bay, and six Rich- 

 ardson's .Jaegers i)assed over the island. 

 Hed -winged Blackbirds, Sharp-tailed Finches, 

 and Savannah Sparrows breeding at this date. 



June 13th. wind southwest, moderately fresh ; 

 weather fair. One Hock of about twenty 

 Black-bellied Plover passed over the island 

 high u}) in tiie air. 



June 14th, wind south, moderately fresh, 

 with rain in the afternoon. Found Least 

 'i'eins common on their breeding grf)und on 

 tlie high beach, but found none nesting. 

 Found two nests of Piping I'lover, one with 

 four eggs, and the other with one. Saw sev. 

 eral Scoters tlyiiig down the beach outside of 

 the bieakers. 



.lune l.")th, wind soutJi to southwest. m()der- 

 atc, witli light rain and fog. Took a long 

 tramp out over tlie Hats butsaw noshore birds. 

 Saw one tlock of seven Sheldrakes flying about 

 out in the bay. 



June Itlth, wind all ways, moderate: weatlier 

 fair. One (Greater Yellow-legs the only sh<u-e 

 bird seen. Saw six frreat Northern Divers out 

 in the bay. 



June ISth, wind soutliwest, fresli ; weather 



fair. Large Gulls tolerably common. A few 

 Sheldrakes remain. 



June lUth, wind northeast, fresh; weather 

 fair. One Hock of Sheldrakes noticed. Night 

 Herons abundant on the salt meadows. 



June 20th, wind southwest in forenoon, fresh, 

 northeast in afternoon, becoming calm. No 

 water birds seen excepting Night Herons. 



June 2 1st, wind southeast, fresh with thick 

 fog. Only shore birds seen were several Spot- 

 ted Sandpipers. 



.June 22d, wind southwest, fresh, with fog- 

 most of the day. Went up on to the high 

 beach. Found Least Tern nesting. A nest 

 with one egg found, and saw several fisher- 

 men that had collected several sets. Not a 

 day passes in the summer that the fishermen 

 about this island do not patrol the beach in 

 search of the Tern's and Piping Plover's eggs. 

 The birds have no chance to breed. When 

 I first visited the island about six years ago 

 there were several hundred pairs of Least 

 Tern breeding, but they have now become 

 reduced to less than twenty-tive pair. Several 

 Scoters seen flying about on the outside. 

 Found Piping Plover and Spotted Sandpipers 

 common at the Point. 



June 27th, wind northwest, fresh; weather 

 fair. A few Great Northern Divers still re- 

 main out in the bay. Some fifty or more 

 large Gulls are seen about the bars. Terns on 

 the increase. 



June 28th, wind northeast, fresh; weather 

 cloiuly with rain after 4 p.m. Saw fcnn- Great 

 Xorthern Divers near the beach. Saw two 

 "cripples."" a Semipahmted Plover and Sand- 

 l)iper in down, running about in the beach 

 grass. 



June 2i)th, wind northeast, fresh with light 

 lains. Visited the high beach and found sev- 

 eral sets of two eggs each of the Least Tern. 

 Large numbers of Roseate and Common Terns 

 seen flying ahnig over the beach or fishing (uit- 

 side of the surf. Large (iulls decreasing. 



Copyright. I.SK), by Fi!axk H. \Vehster. 



