50 THE AUDUBON BULLETIN 
Quincy Nature Diary for 1932 
By T. E. MussELMAN 
Until January 6 there were but two freezing nights. January 10 
I saw a few Tree Sparrows and Juncos, all singing, but counted 16 Blue- 
birds, 2 Robins, + Red-bellied Woodies, Hairies, Downies, Flickers, Nut- 
hatches, Titmice, Chickadees, lots of Cardinals, several Carolina Wrens 
and a flock of 75 Starlings, a Red-tailed Hawk, 5 Sparrow Hawks, Blue 
Jays, Prairie Horned Larks, and Crows. Saw my first dandelion. Jan- 
uary 13, first ladybug, hundreds of dandelions in bloom. January 18, 
first “Peto” of Titmice and “Pewee” of Chickadee. January 26, first 
Cardinals singing. January 28, complete set of Great Horned Owl eggs 
taken from a cavity in a sycamore tree. January 30, big flight of Cedar 
Waxwings came in on today’s zero wave. January 31, first Migrant 
Shrike. 
February 4, first Meadowlarks singing. Robins singing. Plenty of 
Bluebirds. February 7, saw my first pilot black snake. February 10, 
temperature 76 with thunder, lightning, and rain. February 22, Doves 
and Song Sparrows. Frogs chirping. “They were heard chirping every 
winter month this year. February 25, maples in full bloom. February 
28, thousands of Lesser Scaup Ducks passing over; first Kingfisher. Strings 
of Canada Geese fly over. First goatweed butterfly. February 29, elm 
trees in full bloom. Grackles and Red-wings here. 
March 1, big flock of Doves. March 5, caught and banded several 
Green-winged Teal; also Mallards and Pintail. Caught first Coot. To- 
day’s freeze killed the elm seeds, which means the Goldfinches will feed 
upon the ground, eating dandelion seeds this year. March 12, first Fox 
Sparrows. March 16, first Martin and Chewinks. Huge flocks of Red- 
wings passing over. First Great Blue Heron on Illinois River. March 
25, first Phoebe. Saw flock of forty Killdeer. Caught and banded a 
pair of Baldpates. First Field Sparrow. Carp have begun to roll. March 
28, first Shoveller Ducks. “Treetoads singing in water. March 29, first 
Brown Thrasher. Many Fox Sparrows here. March 30, Field Sparrows 
singing in the meadows. 
April 1—dwarf white trillium in bloom. First Greater Yellow- 
legs. April 2, first painted lady butterfly. hippies singing. April 3, 
‘Tree Swallows came in on last night’s south wind. Yellow butterflies 
are tagging the spring beauties and. hepaticas. Ruby-crowned Kinglets, 
like tiny olive wrens, are investigating the swelling buds of the lilacs, 
singing when their enthusiasm can’t hold itself longer. Black and white 
skipper butterflies are out. April 4, Brown Thrashers are singing. Found 
a dead Henslow’s Sparrow, killed by a bump against a plate glass window. 
April 5, first cabbage butterfly and many dragon flies. Poplar trees are 
in bloom, while the bloodroot first showed blossom today. Found my 
