Page:Bird-lore Vol 03.djvu/75

 6o Bird-Lore birds occur so rarely that it is impossible to sa^ with certainty that the first one seen is the first arrival. The weather has a greater influence on the date of arrival in April than in May. The continued warm weather in 1896 brought Black-throated Green Warblers to this vicinity on the 19th of April: two years later a cold spring kept them back till May 5, a differ- ence of over two weeks. Orioles, on the other hand, show surprisingly slight variation in a long series of years. A cold northeaster coming after many birds have started keeps them all back, so that when warm weather succeeds, birds come in a rush. The smallest gardens in large cities are then visited by almost any species. Continued cool, bright weather, on the other hand, seems to send the birds through in small bands, so that the migration makes little impression. I have given below, as in the list for March, two dates for each bird; the bird is not to be expected before the first, and should almost always be here before or on the second. The dates should in no sense be taken as showing the time when the whole number of the species arrive, but the time when keen and well-informed observers, much in the field, should see the first individual. The arrival of Blackpolls in force has been well said to sound the death -knell to migration, yet a few Black - polls almost always reach us in the first great Warbler wave, but are easily overlooked. Even when we judge the migration over, and some busy pair of Vireos bids us turn our attention to nest -building, we must still keep our ears open for the "quee-quee" of an Alder Flycatcher or the hurried warble of a Mourning Warbler. (Mr. Walter Faxon has kindly let me compare my dates of arrival with some of his.) BIRDS OF THE SEASON For permanent residents and winter visitants see Bird-Lore, Dec, 1900, p. 183. Jrri'Z'als in April and May. — April i-io. White-bellied Swallow,* Mourning Dove,* Marsh Hawk.* Pied-billed Grebe;* 1-15, Kingfisher;* 2-15, Pine Warbler; 3-12, Savanna Sparrow;* 4-10, Vesper Sparrow; 5-15, Myrtle Warbler, t Yellow Palm Warbler, t American Pipit, t Wilson's Snipe, t American Bittern, Great Blue Heron, 1 Purple Finch; 5-20, Field Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Hermit Thrush ;t 10-20, Ruby- crowned Kinglet, t Winter Wren, t Sharp-shinned Hawk;+ 10-25, Karn Swallow, Pur- ple Martin;t r2-2o, Swamp Sparrow; 13-30, Sora; 15-20, Cooper's Hawk.t Osprey,t Night Heron; 18-25, White-throated Sparrow, t Yellow-bellied Sapsucker; t 20-30, Blue-headed Vireo.t Virginia Rail; 22-29, Klack and White Warbler; 22-30, Towhee ; 23-30, Least Flycatcher; April 25 to May i. Brown 'I'hrasher, Spotted Sandpiper, Cliff Swallow, Bank Swallow; April 26 to May i, Black-throated Green Warbler; April 28 to May 3, Yellow Warbler, House Wren; April 28 to May 5, Whip-poor-will; May 1-8, Warbling Vireo; 1-9, Parula Warbler;*! i-io. Long-billed Marsh Wren,* King- bird; i-ii. Redstart; 2-5, Yellow-throated Vireo; 2-9, Ovenbird ; 2-10, Nashville Warbler; 3-8, Maryland Yellow-throat; 3-9, Baltimore Oriole; 3-10, C'atbird, Northern t Migrant. See, however, June list (in June BiRD-LOREJ for rare breeders. X Date uncertain.
 * Occasionally, or not infrequeiitly, earlier.