i6o 



Bird - Lore 



species do not seem to have been incon- 

 venienced by it. — Harry Harris, Kansas 

 City, Mo. 



Denver Region. — Midwinter has here- 

 tofore seemed the least interesting, in an 

 avian way, of all our seasons. The winter 

 with us gives possibilities of noting many 

 interesting species because of the proximity 

 of the Rockies. This is true even of late 

 winter, notwithstanding that it is a transition 

 period. The past season (and in fact all the 

 winter) in and about Denver has seemed 

 exceptionally quiet so far as birds are 

 concerned. 



On January i8 we had zero weather, yet 

 Robins were noted in the city, and on the 

 2oth (zero weather again) a Batchelder's 

 Woodpecker was seen very busily cleaning 

 the tree trunks in my neighboring park. On 

 the South Fork of the South Platte River, 

 near Cheesman Dam, hundreds of Robins 

 remain all winter, attracted, doubtless, by 

 an abundance of food in the timber and shrub 

 growth. It is possible that a few of these 

 birds may wander, any time that it is ex- 

 tremely cold, into Denver (air line only about 

 30 miles) . 



On February 2 2 , a Sharp-shinned Hawk was 

 seen on the campus of the University of 

 Colorado (Boulder). This Hawk frequently 

 haunts our parks and small towns all winter; 

 it doubtless takes heavy toll of the English 

 Sparrow in such areas, but since its dis- 

 crimination is probably guided only by the 

 taste of flesh, it most likely also destroys 

 many House Finches. 



It is common to see two subspecies of 

 Chickadees here all winter, the Long-tailed 

 and the Mountain. During the season now 

 passing, only the Mountain form has been 

 observed; many have visited my home 

 neighborhood every day. This interesting 

 little bird frequently becomes so soiled by 

 the city dust, smoke, and grime that the 

 white supercilliary line seems black, making 

 it extremely difficult to determine if the 

 bird be the one form or the other. 



No Bohemian Waxwings have appeared 

 in the region during the entire winter but, 

 as said before, they have occurred in large 

 numbers in and about Grand Junction. 



Townsend's Solitaire is a bird of irregular 

 occurrence in Denver; some remain all winter 

 yet it is most commonly noted in numbers 

 during the fall and early spring migrations. 

 One appeared in the vicinity of my house on 

 February 9, and, at the time, I hoped it 

 portended an early spring, a wish not entirely 

 unsatisfied, since several species have arrived 

 in force somewhat earlier than usual, amongst 

 which are the Pine Siskin (seen on February 

 14), Robins almost daily since January 15, 

 Bluebirds from February 23 on. Meadow- 

 larks have remained in the region in large 

 numbers all winter and have invaded the 

 city suburbs considerably earlier than the 

 average, one being detected in Cheesman 

 Park on March 12. On the same day, and in 

 the same locality, four species and sub- 

 species of Juncos were seen, to-wit, Slate- 

 colored, Shufeldt's Gray-headed and Pink- 

 sided. Notwithstanding this, however, 

 Juncos continued relatively scarce as during 

 the previous winter months. 



No opportunity has presented itself for 

 me to visit a locality wherein Ducks and 

 other water-birds might be found; that they 

 are here is very evident, since the Killdeer 

 has been detected flying over the city and in 

 the suburbs on several different occasions. 



On March 26, the first Say's Phoebe was 

 seen, and the Gray-headed Junco still 

 lingers in the region, it being the last Junco 

 to leave the plains. Robins have appeared in 

 swarms after light snowstorms of March 18, 

 and April 9, and 12. 



The House Finch and the Bluebird both 

 are busy now building nests while the 

 resident Robins give us a chorus each 

 morning at daybreak. — W. H. Bergtold, 

 Denver, Colo. 



Portland (Ore.) Region. — The spring 

 months in the Oregon district have 

 been exceedingly backward, and, as far as 

 vegetation and crops are concerned, the 

 spring season is now nearly a month behind 

 the average. This has checked very markedly 

 the bird movement, and the birds have been 

 slow in arriving and have not been as 

 abundant in numbers as usual. While we do 

 not have the great migration waves so 

 noticeable in the Mississippi Valley and on 



