154 



Bird- Lore 



Meadowlark, Song Sparrow, and Towhee 

 on the 26th. This completed the first 

 real wave of migration. The usual first 

 wave is composed of the Crow, Robin, 

 Killdeer, and Bluebird, and the second 

 wave of Canada Goose, Meadowlark, 

 Bronzed Grackle, Song Sparrow, Northern 

 Flicker, and Red-winged Blackbird. This 

 time the Northern Flicker did not arrive 

 until March 21 — two weeks late — while 

 the Towhee was nineteen days early. 



The second wave of migration comprised 

 the Black Duck, Baldpate, Red-winged 

 Blackbird, Pintail, and Merganser, all on 

 March i, and Redhead and Canvasback on 

 the 3rd. Cowbird on the loth. Greater 

 Scaup on the nth, and Mourning Dove 

 and Hooded Merganser on the i6th, make 

 up the usual scattering records for the 

 middle of this month. Cold weather 

 interfered with any real movement. 



The third wave began on the 20th with 

 the arrival of the Chipping Sparrow; 

 Norther Flicker and Field Sparrow came 

 on the 2ist, Phoebe on the 2 2d, Vesper 

 Sparrow and Coot on the 24th, Red- 

 breasted Merganser, Belted Kingfisher, 

 Turkey Vulture, Shoveler, Lesser Scaup, 

 Hermit Thrush, and Pied-billed Grebe on 

 the 25th, and Rusty Blackbird on the 

 26th, closing the migrations for the 

 month, with Wilson's Snipe and Swamp 

 Sparrow late, and Hermit Thrush and 

 Pied-billed Grebe early. 



A study of the records given above, in 

 comparison with the averages for all of 

 the records for the vicinity of Oberlin, 

 reveals a great irregularity for this sea- 

 son's movement, with only Belted King- 

 fisher, Phoebe, and Vesper Sparrow even 

 approximating their average dates of 

 arrival for twenty-one years. This is 

 exceptional. — Lynds Jones. 



Kansas City Region. — A dry winter 

 with no ground-cover of snow or sleet 

 furnished favorable conditions for seed- 

 eating birds. This may account for the 

 unusual thousands of Thick-billed Red- 

 winged Blackbirds {Agelaius phaeniceus 

 forlis) that spent the winter in the vicin- 

 ity. Smaller droves of these northern 



birds occurred last year, but the numbers 

 were quadrupled this winter. These Red- 

 wings began to leave about the first of 

 March, and those taken after March 5 

 were our nesting subspecies, predatorius. 



A census of birds taken at various 

 times during the winter showed the usual 

 number of winter residents with, per- 

 haps, an increase in the number of Cardi- 

 nals and somewhat fewer Blue Jays. Win- 

 ter Wrens also seemed more common than 

 usual. Kinglets, Robins, and Bluebirds 

 were occasionally seen throughout the 

 winter. 



A colony of twenty Short-eared Owls 

 frequented a rodent-infested weedy tract. 

 Several Goshawks were seen in different 

 sections. They are not often reported for 

 this region. Several Gambel's Sparrows 

 were taken in February and early March, 

 thus establishing a new record for the 

 eastern range of this western bird. 



Messrs. Harry Harris and Ralph Hoff- 

 mann took a Bohemian Waxwing in Janu- 

 ary. They also report the Northern 

 Shrike for January and three Mocking- 

 birds in different sections of the city 

 throughout the winter. 



By the last week of February there was 

 a general return of Fox Sparrows, Harris's 

 Sparrows, and Song Sparrows. Two 

 Leconte's Sparrows were found February 

 25. Robins, Bluebirds, and Meadowlarks 

 were generally distributed at this time. 

 Lapland Longspurs, Pine Siskins, and 

 Horned Larks were also found February 25. 



The effect of the migratory game law is 

 quite noticeable. The lakes used as 

 resorts for the Kansas City hunting clubs 

 are teeming with water-fowl. Mr. Ralph 

 Hoffmann, returning from a recent trip to 

 these lakes, reports thousands of Coots, 

 hundreds each of Shovelers, Blue-winged 

 Teal, Baldpates, Gadwall, and White- 

 fronted Geese; dozens of individuals of 

 each of half a dozen other species of 

 Ducks and Geese, and many shorebirds. 



At the last of March, the Tree Sparrows, 

 Fox Sparrows, White-throated and White- 

 crowned Sparrows, Harris's Sparrows, 

 Juncos, and Siskins are still common. — 

 Albert E. Skirling. 



