6o Bird-Lore 



birds occur so rarely that it is impossible to say with certainty that the first 

 one seen is the first arrival. The weather has a greater influence on the 

 date of arrival in April than in May. The continued warm weather in 

 1896 brought Black -throated Green Warblers to this vicinity on the 19th of 

 April; two years later a cold spring kept them back till May 5, a differ- 

 ence of over two weeks. Orioles, on the other hand, show surprisingly 

 slight variation in a long series of years. A cold northeaster coming after 

 many birds have started keeps them all back, so that when warm weather 

 succeeds, birds come in a rush. The smallest gardens in large cities are then 

 visited by almost any species. Continued cool, bright weather, on the other 

 hand, seems to send the birds through in small bands, so that the migration 

 makes little impression. 



I have given below, as in the list for March, two dates for each bird; 

 the bird is not to be expected before the first, and should almost always 

 be here before or on the second. The dates should in no sense be taken 

 as showing the time when the whole number of the species arrive, but 

 the time when keen and well-informed observers, much in the field, 

 should see the first individual. The arrival of Blackpolls in force has 

 been well said to sound the death -knell to migration, yet a few Black - 

 polls almost always reach us in the first great Warbler wave, but are 

 easily overlooked. Even when we judge the migration over, and some 

 busy pair of Vireos bids us turn our attention to nest-building, we must 

 still keep our ears open for the "quee-quee" of an Alder Flycatcher or the 

 hurried warble of a Mourning Warbler. (Mr. Walter Faxon has kindly 

 let me compare my dates of arrival with some of his.) 



BIRDS OF THE SEASON 



For permanent residents and winter visitants see Bird-Lore, Dec, 1900, p. 183. 



Arrivals in April and May. — April i-io, White-bellied Swallow,* Mourning 

 Dove,* Marsh Hawk,* Pied-billed Grebe;* 1-15, Kingfisher;* 2-15, Pine Warbler; 

 3-12, Savanna Sparrow;* 4-10, Vesper Sparrow; 5-15, Myrtle Warbler,! Yellow Palm 

 Warbler,! American Pipit, t Wilson's Snipe, t American Bittern, Great Blue Heron, t 

 Purple Finch; 5-20, Field Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Hermit Thrush ;t 10-20, Ruby- 

 crowned Kinglet, t Winter Wren, t Sharp-shinned Hawk;+ 10-25, Barn Swallow, Pur- 

 ple Martin;! r2-2o, Swamp Sparrow; 13-30, Sora; 15-20, Cooper's Hawk,! Osprey,! 

 Night Heron; 18-25, White-throated Sparrow,! Yellow-bellied Sapsucker; ! 20-30, 

 Blue-headed Vireo,! Virginia Rail; 22-29, Black and White Warbler; 22-30, Towhee; 

 23-30, Least Flycatcher; April 25 to May i, Brown Thrasher, Spotted Sandpiper, Cliff 

 Swallow, Bank Swallow; April 26 to May i, Black-throated Green Warbler; April 28 

 to May 3, Yellow Warbler, House Wren; April 28 to May 5, Whip-poor-will; May 

 1-8, Warbling Vireo; 1-9, Parula Warbler;*! i-io, Long-billed Marsh Wren,* King- 

 bird; i-ii, Redstart; 2-5, Yellow-throated Vireo; 2-9, Ovenbird; 2-10, Nashville 

 Warbler; 3-8, Maryland Yellow-throat; 3-9, Baltimore Oriole; 3-10, Catbird, Northern 



* Occasionally, or not infrequently, earlier. 



tMigrant. See, however, June list (in June Bird-Lore) for rare breeders. 



I Date uncertain. 



[ 



