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Bird - Lore 



On only one night this fall were conditions 

 favorable for hearing night migrants. The 

 evening of September 4 was warm and still 

 with low-hanging rain-clouds, and about 9 

 o'clock the piping of shore-birds and the 

 squawking of Herons began, with occasional 

 notes of other birds interspersed at long 

 intervals. The passing throngs were travel- 

 ing over the prairie regions and were heard 

 until long after midnight. 



From September 16 to 19, the usual heavy 

 migration of Nighthawks, Robins, Meadow- 

 larks, Bluebirds, and other common species 

 occurred, with the Robins singing and cack- 

 ling as in spring. 



The first migrant Sparrows noted were 

 several flocks of Song Sparrows on October 

 10. This is about an average date. The fine 

 weather continues in this region, and the early 

 cold storms in the North have caused no 

 unusual or noticeable effect on migration this 

 far south. — Harry Harris, Kansas City, Mo. 



Denver REGiON.^The past eight weeks 

 have given the writer some pleai^ant surprises 

 in the bird line in this region. 



A Red-naped Sapsucker was seen in a park 

 adjacent to his home on October 8 and 9. 

 This subspecies is more or less common be- 

 tween the foothills and timber, but is seldom 

 seen on the plains early in October, hence the 

 surprise over finding it here at this time. 

 The writer has never before detected this 

 bird within Denver, and knows of no pre- 

 vious record of its occurrence in the city. The 

 Creeper (Rocky Mountain form) is not com- 

 mon in Colorado, and, as a rule, comes down 

 from the 'hills' only in extremely cold 

 weather. The writer's records show that he 

 has noted it in this region only during the 

 winter months, December, January, and Feb- 

 ruary. Nevertheless, one was seen in Chees- 

 man Park (Denver) on September 27, another 

 on October 9 and two on October 12, all 

 in the same park. While watching the bird 

 of October 9, the writer was astonished to 

 hear it sing, the song being somewhat similar 

 to that of the Ruby-crowned Kinglet. He 

 had never before, in more than forty years' 

 experience, heard this species sing. The song 

 heard this fall was somewhat similar to that 

 described by Brewster. 



Waxwings are Colorado's most erratic 

 visitors. The writer has seen the Cedar 

 Wax wing in Colorado on but four different 

 occasions since 1893, to wit, in 1906, 1919, 

 and 1920. On September 25, six individuals 

 of this species were seen in his yUrd, where 

 they lingered a few minutes and disappeared, 

 and have not yet reappeared. All were 

 young of the year. On the same date, two 

 Poorwills were flushed in Cheesman Park. 

 This is noteworthy because the writer has 

 never before seen the species in Denver 

 during the fall migration. 



Each fall the Robin migration through this 

 region has been more and more impressive 

 in demonstrating that this species passes 

 over the area in successiv^e great waves. On 

 August 26, most of our local Robins had 

 apparently departed. The striking scarcity 

 of Robins noted at that date continued until 

 September i, when the species appeared in 

 large numbers over night, especially in our 

 city parks. In this wave there were a great 

 many individuals patently to be classified 

 as of the eastern subspecies, though the 

 western form was, naturally, in the majority. 

 Then, for a few days (until September 7), 

 Robins were again relatively scarce, but from 

 the 7 th to the loth, each day brought many 

 more. Near the writer's home there is an 

 old neglected cemetery, located on one of the 

 highest points in the city; from it one has an 

 unobstructed v^iew for miles to the south, the 

 west, and the north, in fact; the eye here can 

 follow a chain of mountain peaks from Pike's 

 Peak to Long's Peak, a line more than one 

 hundred miles in length. In the late after- 

 noon and up to evening twilight Robins in 

 flocks, never very large, can be seen passing 

 constantly over this eminence, winging as 

 true a south com-se as though compass-con- 

 trolled. During each Robin wave this fall 

 this highly interesting sight has been spread 

 before the eye. The days of September 21, 

 23, 25, 29, and 30 saw great assemblages of 

 Robins feeding in our parks during daylight, 

 with the usual southward departure at 

 twilight. 



In these last Robin waves none of the 

 eastern form was noted. October i brought 

 decidedly lower temperatures; no Robins 

 were seen where there had been hundreds. 



