Birds and Seasons 67 



Northern Shrike (should have been included in the notes for February and March) ; 

 April 7, Mallard* and Pintail Ducks;* 17, Herring Gull; 19, Fox Sparrow and Short- 

 eared Owl;* 23, American Rough-legged Hawk; 25, Tree Sparrow; May 2, Purple 

 Finch;* 5, Canada Goose* and Golden Plover; 7, Hermit Thrush ; 8, Junco, Ruby and 

 Golden -crowned Kinglets; 12, Sapsucker; 15, Sharp-shinned Hawk;* 16, Lapland 

 Longspur; 19, Brown Creeper; 24, Ring-necked Duck.* 



APRIL AND MAY BIRD-LIFE AT STOCKTON. CALIFORNIAt 

 Bv Lyman Belding 



BIRDS OF THE SEASON 



April Migrants. — April i-io, female Bullock's Oriole and increase of earlier arrivals, 

 Black-chinned Hummingbird, Rufous Hummingbird, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Western 

 Chipping Sparrow, Yellow Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, 

 Hermit Warbler, Pileolated Warbler; April 20-30, Black-headed Grosbeak, Lazuli Bun- 

 ting, Louisiana Tanager, Cassin's Vireo, Least Vireo, Lutescent Warbler. 



May Migrants. — Western Wood Pewee, Western Flycatcher, Little Flycatcher, 

 Hammond's Flycatcher, Wright's Flycatcher, Western Blue Grosbeak, Russet-backed 

 Thrush. 



Most of the following are often met with during the spring migration: Northern Phal- 

 arope, Long-billed Dowitcher, Least Sandpiper, Red-backed Sandpiper, Western Sand- 

 piper, Greater Yellow Legs, Yellow Legs (rarely), Western Willet, Spotted Sandpiper, 

 Long-billed Curlew, Hudsonian Curlew, Black-bellied Plover, Semipalmated Plover, 

 Snowy Plovei'. 



The following abundant winter visitants leave us about May i : Intermediate Sparrow, 

 Golden-crowned Sparrow, Junco, Townsend's Sparrow, American Pipit. Most of the 

 northern breeding Ducks and Geese leave us prior to May. 



SUGGESTIONS FOR THE SEASON'S STUDY 



Birds and Seasons.— Compare the preceding outlines of the characteristics of the 

 bird-life of Boston, New York, etc., with their accompanying lists of April and May 

 birds. 



Migration. t — Too much time cannot be spent in the field during the migration. If 

 possible one should go out both in the early morning and late afternoon, visiting as great 

 a variety of ground as opportunity permits. A knowledge of what birds to expect greatly 

 increases the probability of seeing a species on or soon after its arrival. 



Weather conditions should be observed as closely as the migration itself, and the charts 

 issued by the Weather Bureau, at Washington, should be studied. The blooming of 

 plants, shrubs and trees and the advance of vegetation in general, together with the ap- 

 pearance of various forms of insect life, calling of hylas, etc., should all be closely noted 

 and these phenomena recorded with as much detail as the arrival of birds. 



The record of each migrant should show when it was first observed, the number seen, 

 giving, if possible, the sex, if in song on arrival, if migrating singly, in scattered com- 

 panies or in flocks, if observed to migrate during the day. Succeeding observations of the 

 same species should be entered with as much detail as the first one in order to ascertain its 

 increase or decrease in numbers. 



*Sumnier resident in northern Illinois. 



fXhe notes here given refer to the country within a radius of fifteen miles of Stockton. These data being de- 

 signed wholly for popular use, it has not been deemed necessary to employ the latest subspecific names. 

 + See also Bird-Lore tor February, 1901. 



