Bird lore - Project Puffin

86 Bird -Lore
Six new records were established for late departures of winter birds, namely:
Loggerhead Shrike, April i ; Fox Sparrow, April 6 ; American Pipit, April 6
Brown Creeper, April 19; Song Sparrow, April 28, and White-throated Sparrow,
May 19. Two former records were duplicated and seven of the remaining four-
teen species noted were from four to fourteen days later than the average. It
is plain that species which leave normally before the sixth of April could have
been delayed a few days by the severe weather of late March and early April;
but it is not easy to understand how it could have affected, to any marked
extent, the species which depart in late April and in May.
The migration at Raleigh was also characterized by an unusually great
variety of species, including a number of very rare birds. A Black-crowned
Night Heron taken on April 4 and a Bay-breasted Warbler observed on May 5
constitute new local records. Other rare or uncommon species worthy of especial
mention are the Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Osprey, Black-throated Green
Warbler, Yellow-legs, Pectoral Sandpiper, Bartramian Sandpiper, Cape May
Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Baltimore Oriole,
Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and Wilson's Warbler. The total number of species
whose arrival was observed amounted to no less than sixty-eight in all, which is
the largest number yet recorded at Raleigh during a single season. This fact
can probably in no way be attributed to the abnormal weather conditions
before mentioned (except possibly in the case of the Night Herons), but rather
to the large amount of time spent in making observations. Also the fact that
two observers were in the field did not play so large a part in this as might be
expected, as one of them alone observed all but one of the sixty-eight species
recorded.
A. COMMONER SPECIES
I. Species normally arriving before April i.
Chipping Sparrow
Name
Yellow-throated Warbler . .
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher . . .
Blue-headed Vireo
Pectoral Sandpiper
Louisiana Water-Thrush
Maryland Yellowthroat .
.
.
.
.
Black-and-White Warbler . .
Black-throated Green Warbler
White-eyed Vireo
American Osprey
Average
date of
arrival (i)
Arrival 1915
Days later
or earlier
than average.
March 7 March 19 12 late
March 24 April 7 14 late
March 24 April 7 14 late
March 25 April I 7 late
March 25 April 13 19 late
March 26 April 7 12 late
March 26 April 7 12 late
March 27 April 6 10 late
March 27 April 10 14 late
March 31 April 9 9 late
March 31 March 28 3 early
II. Species normally arriving from April i to 10 inclusive.
Tree Swallow
Lesser Yellowlegs
Barn Swallow
Green Heron
Parula Warbler
Whip-poor-will
April 3
April 3
April 7
April 9
April 10
April 13
April 13
April 13
April 14
April 15
ID late
10 late
6 late
5 late
S late
April 10 April 18 8 late
;