6 dg E- “AsUtD9U BONE eB Ur ele ialen, 
the lake front, were rare; however, on May 22 a black-bellied plover was 
seen on the island in the sanctuary. 
Hawks were seen in some numbers, mostly sharp-shinned and Cooper’s. 
Sparrow hawks are seen often and are likely nesting in the park. One pigeon 
hawk was seen May 3. On April 238 six recalcitrant marsh hawks were seen 
flying south over the beach. (On Oct. 15, a wonderful Indian summer after- 
noon, 15 accipiter hawks spent several hours soaring lazily over the lagoon.) 
Here is a chronological account of new arrivals in the park. Not all are 
mentioned but a complete list of the birds we saw in the park appears on 
page 8. 
Wintering land birds were not numerous; they included several tree 
sparrows, a half dozen juncos, several cardinals, downy woodpecker, spar- 
row hawk, and starlings and English sparrows. Winter ducks were numer- 
ous, including an American scoter seen Jan. 15. On March 4, a cold, wintry 
day, three redpolls were taking baths in a small pool. The same day the first 
coot returned. The earliest bronzed grackle returned Feb. 19, but not until 
March 5 was he joined by friends. On March 20 the first Bonaparte’s gulls 
since early winter appeared, along with two mourning doves and a king- 
fisher. The kingfisher had not left the park until after Dec. 25. On March 
£3, field sparrows, phoebe, flicker, and black-crowned night herons were 
seen. On March 25 we saw 25 species; the new ones that day were the red- 
tailed hawk, song sparrow, and brown creeper. The first large flocks of 
female robins also arrived the 25th, about a week after the homesite-seeking 
males. 
By April 1 the towhee, red-winged blackbird, hermit thrush, golden- 
crowned kinglet, and fox sparrow had arrived. Also present were large num- 
bers of juncos, and tree and white-crowned sparrows. Most of the winter 
ducks had left, but a few scaup, goldeneye, and old-squaw were seen up to 
April 15. 
April 13 brought ruby-crowned kinglets, a blue-gray gnatcatcher (the 
only one seen until several weeks later), bluebirds, cowbird, and the one owl 
seen during the year, a brown-phase screech owl, who sat blinking in a tall 
maple on Wooded island. 
April 15, a miserably cold and blizzardy day, was memorable for us be- 
cause it brought five common loons into the lagoon. Jim had the day off— 
Good Friday—and spent several hours watching them and the mergansers, 
resulting in a cold which kept him in bed three days. The next day, when 
Marjorie saw them, the weather was better. The first myrtle warblers also 
appeared April 15. The loons remained for 10 days. 
Between April 21 and 24 one female hooded merganser, six marsh hawks, 
common and Forster’s tern, seven ruddy ducks, horned grebe, purple mar- 
tin, brown thrasher, and olive-backed thrush were seen. April 30 the first 
yellow warblers, 20 purple finches, little green heron, spotted sandpipers, 
and gray-cheeked thrush appeared. 
May 1 brought the first small group of warblers numbering about 15. 
These included Blackburnian, black-throated green, and black and white. 
