•M 



E * OOLOGIST.^ 



Vol. VI, 



ALBION, N. Y., APKIL, 1889. 



No. 4 



The Raptores of Michigan. 



I!V SCOLOPAX, KALAMAZOO, MICH. 



Elaniis krirnis (Vieill.) AVlute-tailed 

 Kite ; Black-shoTiklcred Kite. 



This is a rare species as a Michigan bird 

 and I feel uncertain about recording it here, 

 but cannot well ignore the species -when it 

 is entered in lists of Michigan birds. 



Dr. H. A. Atkins, an observer for over 

 a quarter of a century at Locke, Ingham 

 ('O. , Mich., wrote me. shortly before his 

 unfortunate taking off, that this species was 

 " a rare summer resident" in his neighbor- 

 liood. A. B. Covert, of Ann Arbor, this 

 State, in his list " Birds of Washtenaw 

 County, Mich.," says; "A very rare 

 straggler from the south; two specimens 

 taken." It is on these authorities that I 

 embrace this species in this list. 



Circti-s hudsouius (Linn. ) Marsh Hawk ; 

 Marsh Harrier; Harrier. 



This is an abundant species in many 

 sections of the State where suitable territory 

 can be found. In many quarters of Mich- 

 igan, forests are too dense and large, and 

 where clearings do exist, the nature of the 

 surface is not of that character appreciated 

 by the Harrier. However, locality seems 

 to have much to do with the preference of 

 the birds, entirely aside from the nature of 

 the surface. For example, there are many 

 sections of our State where the surface is 

 apparently exactly suited to the Marsh 

 Hawk, where an individual is never or rarely 

 seen. This bird was embraced by Dr. 

 Sager in his pioneer list of Michigan birds 

 in 1839, and has been recorded by nearly 

 all lists since. Thus far, no lists or author- 

 ity from the upper peninsula, that I can 

 learn of, lists this species, nor did I find it 

 there It, however, is found undoubtedly, at 

 least to a limited extent north of the Straits 

 of Mackinaw as it is found in the British 

 possessions. 



March 10 is mv earliest recorded arrival 



in the southern part of the State, and the 

 birds generally are not seen before the 15 

 or 20 of that month and sometimes, in late 

 seasons, I believe even later. Our first 

 knowledge of their presence as well as our 

 last record of them about November 10, is 

 by seeing one sailing across a field with 

 that gentle undulating motion so character- 

 istic of the species. Perhaps it is a marshy 

 tract over which the the new arrival wends his 

 way, and this more probable if the mercury 

 is much below the freezing point, from the 

 reason that the small mammals are moving 

 earlier in the spring than those of the dry 

 upland fields, and especially are they more 

 active on a cold day than their relatives of 

 greater altitudes. I have especially noted 

 that this bird when inclined to hunt about 

 the fields and uplands, invariably selects 

 southern slopes of hills in cold weather, 

 thereby gathering a greater harvest than 

 would be found on the northern sloi^e, 

 where the small mammals keep within their 

 holes. About May first to tenth the birds 

 begin to pair, that is, go through all of 

 the extravagant manifestations of the spring 

 alliance, usually common to birds in this 

 quarter. I am aware that the Raptores are 

 generally supposed to be mated for life, 

 and do not doubt it, but certain I am that 

 birds that I have observed, of several 

 different species of hawks are given to gi-eat 

 demonstrations each spring. At this time 

 the male makes a peculiar cry or scream- 

 and is not infrequently answered by the 

 female. The scream uttered is a ky yi, 

 something like a bmall dog's alarm when 

 alarmed, and is almost continuous for a 

 minute or so by turns. The note is less 

 harsh than that of any of the hawks. The 

 scream is not uttered while the 1)ird 

 hunts. 



The nest is placed, always, so far as I 

 am able to learn, in a marsh on a hummock 

 of from one to three feet elevation above 

 the surrounding surface. Generally a 

 good deal of water hasto be waded through 



