Birds and Seasons 63. APRIL AND MAY BIRD-LIFE NEAR PHILADELPHIA Bv WiTMER Stone April and May are preeminently the months of migration. March, with its frequent cold and stormy days, offers many a setback to the traveling birds, but once past the early days of April, the tide sweeps steadily on, reaching its highest point during the first week of lay. The great waves of Warblers which arrive suddenly over night and fairly swarm in the tree- tops are characteristic of the May migration. The first of these waves usually reaches Philadelphia about the first of May and is followed by others, until the 20th or 25th, when the flight begins to wane, and by Decoration Day all the transients are gone save a few stragglers, mainly Black -polls and Gray-cheeked Thrushes. The great wealth of bird -life, the swarms of minute Warblers in the tree-tops and their various songs that we have not heard for a whole ear. are almost disheartening to the careful observer. There is not time to identify every individual of this host, and who knows but we may have passed by a Cerulean or Mourning Warbler, or other rarity! With the presence of all our summer and permanent residents as well as practically all of our transients. May naturally affords opportunies for very large daily lists. My notes show fifty-four species observed within the northern limits of Philadelphia on the morning of May 13, i888- and again May 19, 1891, but 1 was not very favorably situated. Across the river, at Haddonfield, N. J., upward of eighty species have been noted on a single day at the height of the migration, by Mr. Samuel N. Rhoads. Beside the numerous arrivals from the south wc have not a few of our winter visitants with us during April, and some Juncos and White -throated Sparrows stay regularly until after May i.'^ Many of our summer residents begin nesting during April and May and some of the earliest breeders have young on the wing before the ist of June. BIRDS OF THE SEASON f^ir permanent tesitients and winter visitants see BiRD-I.ORE, Dec, 1900, p. 185. .•//>;■// Miirrants. — April i-io, Green Heron, Vesper Sparrow, Savanna Sparrow. Chipping Sparrow, I'ree Swallow, Purple Martin, Myrtle Warbler, Hermit Thrush: 10-20, Chimney Swift, Towhee, Barn Swallow, Bank Swallow, Yellow Palm Warbler : 20-25, Solitary Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, Whip-poor-will, Rough-wing Swallow : Blue-headed Vireo, Black and White Warbler, Maryland Vellow-throat. House Wren, Brown Thrasher; 25-30, Least Flvcatcher, CliflF Swallow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Red- eved Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Black-throated Green Warbler, Blue-winged NN'arbler. Parula Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Redstart, Ovenbird, Catbird. Wood Thrush. May Miirrants. — Mav i-io, 'cllow -billed Cuckoo, Black-billed Cuckoo, Night- hawk, Kuby-tliroatcd I luiiiniiiigbird , W'ixhI Pcwce, Crested FlycattluT, Green -cresteil
- An unaccnunlahlc slip of the pen in the Kcbruary Bikd-LORE implie-i that our winter visitants usually
leave about April i. As a matter of fact, all our rtfular winter visitants, except the Tree Sparrow, remain until the enil of the month, at least.
