Birds and Seasons 137 



BIRDS OF THE SEASON 



For permanent residents, see Bird-Lore, December, 1900, p. 186. 



Arrivals in August. — Olive-backed Thrush, Solitary Sandpiper. 



Departures in August. — i-io, Traill's Flycatcher, Orchard Oriole, Blue-winged 

 Warbler, Long-billed Marsh Wren, Wilson's Thrush; 10-20, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, 

 Purple Martin, Rough-winged Swallow, Yellow Warbler, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher; 20-31, 

 Bartramian Sandpiper, Nighthawk, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Phoebe, Cliflf Swallow. 



Arrivals in September — i-io, Bonaparte's Gull, Sanderling, Semi-palmated Plover, 

 Greater Yellowlegs, White-crowned Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Black and 

 White Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Black-throated Blue 

 Warbler, Magnolia Warbler; 10-20, BlackpoU Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Blue- 

 headed Vireo, Winter Wren; 20-30, Black Tern, Pintail, Shoveler, Pine Siskin (rare), 

 Myrtle Warbler, Palm Warbler, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Golden-crowned Kinglet. 



Departures in September. — i-io. Kingbird, Crested Flycatcher, Bobolink, Baltimore 

 Oriole, Migrant Shrike, Yellow-breasted Chat, Wood Thrush; 10-20, Great Blue Heron, 

 Sanderling, Green-crested Flycatcher, Wood Pewee, Spotted Sandpiper, Red-headed 

 Woodpecker, Grasshopper Sparrow, Scarlet Tanager, Warbling Vireo, Bank Swallow, 

 Cerulean Warbler, Redstart, Ovenbird, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Brown Thrasher; 

 20-30, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Black-billed Cuckoo, Barn Swallow, Maryland Yellow- 

 throat, Indigo Bunting, Red-eyed Vireo, Catbird, House Wren, Nashville Warbler, Mag- 

 nolia Warbler, BlackpoU Warbler. 



BIRDS OF STOCKTON AND VICINITY 

 By L. Belding 



I wrote the notes in the March-April BiRD-LoRE with the purpose of 

 interesting and instructing the school children of Stockton, relying upon 

 my observations of former years for necessary data, knowing, however, 

 that there had recently been a great change in the area under consideration 

 but did not think the change as great as it is. The western half, or 

 thereabout, of this area was until recently tule marsh in which water birds 

 were abundant all of the year, but it has been mostly drained, plowed 

 and quite deserted by the water birds. In extensive explorations through 

 the tule ground in May of this year I did not see a solitary Egret, and 

 other conspicuous species which, like the Egrets, were formerly very com- 

 mon appeared to be entirely absent. 



In the city, owing to the superabundance of the English Sparrow, but 

 few native birds breed now. Fortunately, the Western Martin is still very 

 common and some other fine songsters breed sparingly A few Black - 

 headed Grosbeaks, House Finches and Bullock's Orioles manage to hold 

 the fort against the Sparrows which are rapidly spreading through the 

 surrounding country. Our spring migrants all arrive on or before May 10, 

 and by August i the birds, excepting the Mourning Dove and rare individ- 

 ual exceptions, have finished breeding and most species are in flocks. 

 Millions of Blackbirds fly every morning from their roosts in the tule marsh 

 to the grain fields to the eastward, at night returning to their roosts; and 

 this occurs every day of the year when these birds are not breeding. 



