144 



Bird - Lore 



April I (Rhinebeck — M. S. Crosby). At a 

 corresponding date (April 3) Griscom and 

 Janvrin found the following species on the 

 Overpeck Marshes: American Merganser, 

 Mallard, Black Duck, Pintail, Green- 

 winged Teal (4), Shoveller (i drake) Lesser 

 Scaup (34), Ruddy Duck (3). 



Usually some spring changes may be 

 observed among the land birds on Long 

 Island by the end of February. This year 

 nothing of the sort was noticed in two 

 days spent at Mastic at that time, doubt- 

 less due to the storm of the 20th from 

 which the ground was still snow-covered. 

 Ring-billed Gulls and Great Blue Herons 

 had doubtless been present all winter. The 

 snow was gone the beginning of March, 

 and the earliest migrants came at about 

 their average dates. 



From this point, as regards vegetation, 

 the spring advanced with unusual rapidity; 

 so that from the 5th to the loth of April 

 cherry trees and Norway maples were in 

 flower, other maples coming into leaf, and 

 shrubbery becoming quite green. Though 

 there was not much general acceleration 

 of migration to meet these conditions, 

 several species were ahead of time and 

 some notably early records of arrival were 

 obtained. The Ruby-crowned Kinglet and 

 Hermit Thrush were generally scarce, or 

 late in appearing, though from the Bronx 

 a report of the former on April 3 and of the 

 latter on April 4 has come to hand (F. F. 

 Houghton). Among the early records are: 

 March 20, Chipping Sparrow, and April 3, 

 Bittern, near Plainfield, N. J. (W. DeW. 

 Miller); March 25, Vesper Sparrow, 

 Mineola, L. I. (J. T. N.); March 27, Pied- 

 billed Grebe, Fish Hawk, Tree Swallow 

 (2 flocks). Vesper Sparrow, and April 3, 

 Yellow Palm Warbler at Englewood, N. J. 

 (Griscom and Janvrin); March 11, Phoebe, 

 March 26, Vesper Sparrow, March 29, 

 Chipping Sparrow, April 2, Ruby-crowned 

 Kinglet (M. S. Crosby), and April 10, 

 Purple Martin (Crosby and Griscom). At 

 Rhinebeck, Dutchess County, Cowbirds 

 became generally distributed toward the 

 end of March; April 14, Solitary Vireo, 

 Central Park, New York City (Granger 

 and Griscom). 



Robins were actively building at Garden 

 City April 8. — J. T. Nichols, New York 

 City. 



Washington Region. — If birds about 

 Washington, D. C, were uncommonly 

 silent throughout January, 1921, they cer- 

 tainly were not so during February and 

 March. Most of the resident song-birds, 

 such as the Cardinal, Song Sparrow, Tufted 

 Titmouse, and Mockingbird, began singing 

 regularly about the ist of February and 

 continued in full song thereafter. They 

 have seemed more than ordinarily active 

 in this respect, though, of course, with 

 intermissions. The weather at this time 

 of year has apparently great influence on 

 the song as on other activities of birds, and 

 it is interesting to note its effect, although 

 of this, as of other phases of their life his- 

 tory, much is still to be learned. Their 

 singing at this time of the year is greatly 

 stimulated by warm, still weather, whereas 

 a windy or damp, cold day seems largely 

 to seal the fountain of song. Sudden 

 changes in temperature or other weather 

 conditions are more likely to cause these 

 changes than gradual transitions. Such 

 variations in activities have been par- 

 ticularly remarked during February and 

 March of this year. 



The generally warm weather of these 

 two months has apparently had some in- 

 fluence on the northward movement of 

 early migrants, though not to the extent 

 of bringing them here long in advance of 

 their usual time, nor of breaking many 

 records of early appearance. This effect 

 may best be seen in the following list of 

 arrivals that are earlier than the average, 

 which is added in parentheses after each: 

 Mourning Dove, observed February 6 

 (average date of appearance, March 16); 

 Fox Sparrow, February 19 (March 4); 

 Red - winged Blackbird, February 22 

 (March i) ; Killdeer, February 22 (March 7) ; 

 Towhee, March 7 (March 28); Belted 

 Kingfisher, March 7 (March 23); Phoebe, 

 March 7 (March 11); Pine Warbler, 

 March 12 (March 31); Osprey, March 20 

 (April 11); Pied-billed Grebe, March 20 

 (April i); and Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, 

 March 30 (April 8). It should be noted, 



