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BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

IN THE HEART OF AMERICA
KANSAS CITY, MO.

BY

ALBERT E. SKIRLING, M. A.

Associate Member American Ornithologist Union;

Director of Natural Sciences in Teacher's

College, Kansas City, Mo.

Illustrated

Published By

McINDOO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Kansas City, Mo.

1920

Copyright 1920 by
W. 0. Mclndoo

liin

"It seems as if one never gets to the
end of all the delightful things there are
to know and to observe and to speculate

about in the world."

* * •»

"The casual glances or the admiring
glances that we cast upon nature do not
go very far in making us acquainted with
her real ways."

* # #

"Close scrutiny of an object in nature
will nearly always yield some significant
fact that our admiring gaze did not take

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448621

feSi*^ , vr^:*w!"

F/g. 1 — General View of Swope Park on a Holiday

CONTENTS.

INTRODUCTION.

GENERAL ECOLOGY OF SWOPE PARK.

GENERAL DISTRIBUTION OF BIRDS WITH
REFERENCE TO ECOLOGICAL REGIONS

CENSUS OF NESTING BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

REPORT ON SUMMER BIRDS OF THE PARK BY SECTIONS

WINTER BIRDS OF THE PARK.

THRILLS OF MIGRATION.

BIRDS ABOUT OUR HOMES.

THE MORNING AWAKENING.

CONSERVATION OF BIRDS.

LIST OF BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK.

Fig. 2 — Purple Cone/lowers on the Prairie

INTRODUCTION

Living at the very border of Swope Park, Kansas City,
Mo., I have opportunity for making frequent excursions into
its remote regions as well as opportunity for viewing the
crowds and attractions of its more frequented portions. I
have mingled with the thousands of human beings that thronged
to view some attractions staged for the entertainment or edu-
cation of the populace. Again, I have wandered for hours
all alone in the various parts of the Park, and thus have been
able to see certain beauties and attractions in this magnificent
playground that those who mingle only with the crowds fail
to see, or those who journey only in motor cars fail to hear.

With no reflection on the pleasures of the picnic crowd
or on the value of the artificial attractions that are brought
to the Park, I have frequently felt that the public generally,
failed to realize some of the natural beauties and items of
interest that this great Park holds in store for the nature
lover who has learned to read the wonders of Nature's ways,
and who has realized the solace of her secrets.

There are many phases of Nature study, and it is a puz-
zling question to decide which phase is the most interesting.
Birds, in many ways impress themselves more prominently
upon the casual observer, and so are, perhaps, of greater
popular interest. Of almost equal common interest are the

10 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

flowers and the trees. Insects appeal strongly to the few
^\\'j have had an introduction to their study, and even rep-
tiles and mammals have secrets that are worth knowing.

Finally, after some hesitancy, I determined to re-write
and re-arrange some rather extensve notes taken during the
past few years relative to the birds of Swope Park; hoping
thus to call the attention of a few more people to the pleasures
that may be enjoyed through an appreciation of Nature. This
appreciation, by the way, cannot be obtained through mere
reading, but must be attained through patient looking and
listening, and by frequent rambling alone or in small groups
through the country. Books help, but it is the personal
observation and experience that awaken the real spirit of
response.

The discussion of Swope Park birds that follows is
primarily a study of the species found in the Park during
the summer, and hence they are classed as nesting birds. The
discussion deals not only wth the different species but also
with the numbers of each species. Moreover, these are con-
sidered not only for the Park as a whole, but also for the dif-
ferent regions of the Park. This gives opportunity for com-
parisons, and for conclusions as to the conditions more favor-
able for bird population, and for the distribution of species.

The study would be incomplete without at least some
mention of other birds of the Park besides those found nest-
ing here; and hence some lesser consideration is given to the
winter residents, and to those spring and autumn travelers
that pay us a brief semi-annual visit.

There may be some readers of this report who are not

INTRODUCTION 11

familiar with the appearance of the birds mentioned. It is
suggested that those read it with some set of colored bird
pictures at hand for reference. These colored bird pictures
and descriptions of birds are now so readily obtained that no
attempt has been made to burden this report with such
detailed descriptions as would be necessary for identification
of the different birds referred to.

Before leaving this introduction, I wish to state my ap-
preciation of the help given me by other bird students and
lovers of Nature. Mr. B. M. Stigall first initiated me into
the secrets of Nature and gave me a taste of the joys of
rambles through the woods when one is in tune and harmony
with the world about. I am fortunate in having had his
good influence. Mr. J. W. Baumgartner of the University
of Kansas, next gave me the influence of his unselfish inter-
est, urging me to make the special bird study as recorded in
this book. Mr. Harry Harris and Mr. Ralph Hoffmann, both
experts in bird study, gave much personal help in field work
as well as their own personal records and lists. I shall never
forget the pleasant excursions taken with these gentlemen.
Mr. A. F. Smithson and Mr. Walter Cunningham also were of
help in furnishing data concerning some of the Swope Park
Birds.

The Kansas City Park Board very kindly gave me the
use of their plates for fgures 1, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 16,
19 and 25. The other figures are from my own photographs.

A. E. S.

12 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

GENERAL ECOLOGY OF SWOPE PARK

As is well known, the general distribution of birds de-
pends to a great extent on their surroundings. The presence
or absence of water in the form of streams, lakes or marshes,
and the dryness of the soil are of great importance with ref-
erence to the species that make up the bird population.

The general character of the vegetation, whether wooded,
brushy or open; whether native prairie or cultivated land, is
also an important factor in bird distribution and numbers.
Even the species of plants that occur are important in that
they furnish food and shelter for certain species of birds. For
instance; the pine trees with their cones invite the Crossbills;
the tall hedge rows lure the Shrike, and the shrubbery thick-
ets attract the Thrasher and the Catbird. Moreover, the pres-
ence or absence of man with his improvements has come to
be a very important factor in bird distribution and numbers.
All these factors of environment are collectively referred to
as Ecological Factors.

Swope Park is located in the extreme southeast part of
Kansas City, Missouri. It covers an area of thirteen hundred
thirty-two acres.

The greater part of this area is wooded upland with hills
having rather steep slopes. The hills were formed by the
erosion of the Blue River that flows through the Park and by
a number of smaller streams that find their way to the Blue
and thence to the Missouri River.

The larger of these streams, especially the Blue River,
have rich alluvial flood plains, covered for the most part with

GENERAL ECOLOGY OF SWOPE PARK 13

a heavy growth of deciduous trees, including giant American
elms, cork elms, sycamore, silver maple, walnut, hackberry,
honey locust, coffee bean, ash, various oaks, four species of
hickory, and other trees. There are also smaller trees like the
buckeye, hop-hornbeam, redbud, dogwood, the haws and wild
crab.

Covering the crests of the hills the soil is underlaid near
the surface with Bethany Falls limestone, which crops out in
ragged cliffs near the brow of the hills. In many places great
fragments of the ledge have broken off and have slid a dis-
tance down the hills, the whole giving a picturesque wildness
of scenery that is delightful.

The soil covering the upper hill slopes is so shallow that
it becomes quite dry during dry summers and the vegetation
is of a type that can endure such drouth. The predominating
trees for these dryer regions are post oak and black oak with
quite a sprinkling of other species that are more abundant in
the valleys and on the slopes. In the more barren portions,
the post oak is dwarfed to a mere shrub, while in more favored
regions it grows to a height of forty feet or more.

A miscellaneous collection of vines and shrubs form a
second strata of vegetation among the trees. Those of most
prominence are the dogwoods, wahoo, buckbrush, bladder-nut,
and wild goofeeberry among the shrubs, and Virginia creeper,
poison ivy, bitter-sweet, wild grape and wild smilax for the
vines. There are also many herbaceous perennials, some of
them being beautiful "wild flowers" when in bloom. This
undergrowth of vegetation is undisturbed in much of the Park.

In the extreme south part of the Park there is a ridge

Fig. 3 — Prairie South of the Rifle Range

GENERAL ECOLOGY OF SWOPE PARK 15

where the timber belt merges into the prairie. (See Fig. 3.)
Here we find some primeval prairie vegetation. This is an in-
teresting region, where the timber and prairie meet — interest-
ing not only for its vegetation and bird life, but also inter-
esting because of the most beautiful of panoramic views of
rolling piles of green forest-clad hills and swaths of green
valleys in the distance, and with park-like clumps of trees
scattered over the prairie border in the foreground.

There are two broad, natural meadows in the Park; one,
about sixty acres in extent, spreads out at the foot of the
prairie-topped hills just mentioned; the other, of about equal
extent, lies near the mid-western portion, and was formed by
the shifting of the Blue River.

This second meadow has now been artificially changed.
A bit of dredging, and the building of a short dam has formed
the Lagoon out of what was once a horseshoe bend of the Blue
River. A boathouse has been constructed, and an athletic field
with polo grounds has been laid out over the level expanse
of natural blue grass sod. (See Fig. 10.) This artificiality,
together with the number of people that now frequent the
region, prevents it from being the haunt of birds that it was
a few years ago.

A few years ago a brushy swamp extended along the
present route of the Lagoon, and a rank meadow lay off to
the west. In those days it was a bird paradise. Redwinged
Blackbirds bound their nests to the reeds, and Meadowlarks
and Dickcissels hid their homes in the tall grass. Mice and
shrews dug branching runways arched over with dead grass,

16 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

while Marsh Hawks soared high then low as they searched the

meadow for their rodent prey.

Two other cleared tracts should be mentioned : These
are the golf courses; one east of the Pavillion at the west en-
trance of the Park, the other to the far east across the Blue
River. Here the grass is close-cropped, and there are few op-
portunities for birds to hide their nests.

A considerable part of the territory about the Pavillion
and the golf course is bordered with clumps of horticultural
varieties of shrubs, and in some parts with a natural growth
of buckbrush, sumach and native trees of crab and red haw,
and clumps of evergreens, making excellent cover for certain
species of birds.

The opportunities for water birds in the Park are but
limited. The Blue River is too small to be of much attrac-
tion to them, and the Lagoon and the Lake of the Woods are
both relatively small, and are lined with too many human
fishermen to offer any inducement to the birds. It is true,
however, that a few Green Herons fish along the Blue, and a
Kingfisher or two frequent the Lake of the Woods. During
severe weather of early migration, when few people are in the
Park, weary waterfowl occasionally rest on these small bodies
of water, and a few shore birds wade out in the shallows and
probe the mud for snails and insect larvae.

To summarize : of the one thousand three hundred thirty-
two acres in the Park, approximately five hundred fifty acres
are lowland, of which four hundred acres are wooded and one
hundred fifty acres cleared. About seven hundred ninety acres
are hilly upland, some of it quite rough, of which five hundred

GENERAL DISTRIBUTION OF BIRDS 17

fifty acres are wooded and two hundred acres cleared. Or,
again, nine hundred forty acres are wooded, and four hundred
acres are open.

GENERAL DISTRIBUTION OF BIRDS WITH REFERENCE
TO ECOLOGICAL REGIONS

The chief ways in which the bird life is related to the
ecology of a region is through the dependence of the birds
upon their environment for food, for nesting sites, and for
shelter from the weather and protection from their enemies.

Different species of birds have different feeding habits.
Some are insect eaters, some seed eaters. Some get their food
from the water, some from the ground, others from the trees,
and some are birds of prey. Birds like the Downy Wood-
pecker, Nuthatch, Creeper, Chickadee and Titmouse, get their
insect food from the trunks and branches of the trees, while
the Vireos, most of the Warblers, the Orioles and others,
search the foliage for their insect food. These birds may be
looked for among the trees and shrubs. The Meadowlark,
Towhee, Grackle, Robin, Water-thrush, Dickcissel and Quail
are types of birds that get their food from the ground, and so
far as food alone is concerned, they might well be found in
either field or wood. But other conditions interfere, and dur-

18 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

ing the nesting season, we find that the Wood Thrush, Towhee
and Water-thrush, for instance, confine themselves to the
region of shrubs and trees, while the Quail, the Dickcissel, the
Meadowlark and Horned Lark hide their nests in the grasses
of the fields and meadows.

Then there are the Flycatchers and the Swifts and the
Nighthawks and the Swallows — birds that find insect food in
the air while on the wing. One would think that it would
make but little difference to them whether they were in the
field or wood, and to some extent, they do have a wider range,
but again other factors beside food give some preference as
to the regions they inhabit.

Of almost equal importance with food as a factor in bird
distribution, is their choice of environment for their nesting
sites. Some species seem to prefer the protection offered by
proximity to man, while others shun human beings and all
marks of civilization, and are being driven to narrower and
narrower quarters by the encroachment of mankind. This
latter is becoming of serious consequence with reference to the
continuation of certain species in a community. More mention
will be made of this in the discussion of the different regions
of Swope Park.

With the great majority of birds we find no appreciable
change from their nesting habits of the past. The Thrasher
and the Catbird will nest only in those yards that are supplied
with a tangle of vines and shrubbery. Bell's Vireo is found
only in connection with low bushes of the more open places.
The Meadowlark has not been known to desert the ground be-

GENERAL DISTRIBUTION OF BIRDS 19

cause of the mower and the plow; the Kingfisher must still
have a bank for his burrow and the Cardinal a bush for his
lodge.

There are always exceptions to rules, and the rules are
sometimes so greatly modified that by and by the modifica-

Fig. 4 — Music Pavilion

tion becomes the rule and the old rule becomes the exception.
We find this quite true in bird life. We are all quite well
aware of the fact that birds have modified their nesting habits.
The Eave Swallow that once used the rocks and banks, now
uses human structures for the support of its clay-jug nests.

20 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

The Chimney Swifts have deserted the hollow trees for the
chimneys. Martins and Wrens are almost entirely dependent
for nesting places provided for by man.

In other cases the rule of the past is still the rule, with
only an occasional exception. For instance, the Carolina Wren
is still most frequently found nesting along wooded streams
in brush piles and old stumps, but I have found its nest in a
box of old junk in a wagon shed near a farm house. The
Mourning Dove that usually nests in shrubs and trees, some-
times builds on the ground. I have found its nest on a project-
ing ledge of moss-covered rock. More unusual still, as it ap-
pears to me, is the case of a Prothonotary Warbler reported
by an observer, who found this bird starting a nest in a tin
can which was tacked above a rain barrel. The Prothonotary's
attempt, however, was a failure, for a wren appeared and was
too vigorous in his dispute over the nesting site. These ex-
ceptions and modifications could be extended to great length.

Of more interest and concern to us, is the fact that some
species, like the Robin, Martin, House Wren, Bluebird, King-
bird, Mockingbird, Catbird, Red-headed Woodpecker, and
others, have left the woods and secluded regions to nest in
door yards and orchards near to human beings.

While the choice of nesting sites is often a matter of con-
venience, and while the usual styles are modified in particular
instances, yet they are never completely revolutionized. The
Martin and the Wren and the Red-headed Woodpecker may
have a change of environment, but their nesting instincts are
not so completely changed that the Red-head will build an

GENERAL DISTRIBUTION OF BIRDS 21

open nest of grass and twigs, nor the Robin leave his plastered
house for a Woodpecker's hole.

To some extent we find that birds have changed their
feeding habits to adapt themselves to their changed environ-
ment. The Flicker that is now more frequently found in the
open, scattered groves than in the denser forests, has a bill
and tongue evidently designed to take food from the tree
trunks. Through change of habitat or through advanced in-
stinct, it has found it easier to pick its quarry from the ground.
The Red-headed Woodpecker, enjoying the protection afford-
ed by association with man, digs its hole in a telephone pole,
and finding a scarcity of insect borers in the fewer trees about
its home, has become a modified flycatcher and may be seen
darting about after an insect in the air after the manner of a
Phoebe.

22 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

CENSUS OF NESTING BIRDS IN SWOPE PARK.

During the month of June, 1916, I made systematic sur-
vey of Swope Park in order to get a census of the nesting
birds and to determine the relative numbers of the different
species and their distribution.

Since the object was to determine not only the numbers
and species for the Park as a whole, but also for the different
regions in the Park, the whole territory was divided into a
number of sections and each section was studied separately
(See map of Park for boundary lines of sections and num-
bers. )

Both natural and artificial boundaries were chosen to
outline these sections, for instance, the Blue River, the railroad
tracks, driveways, ravines, etc. These boundaries were chosen
both for convenience and also for the purpose of having cer-
tain ecological regions included in the same section.

Sometimes more than one morning would be spent in the
study of a single section, but a different portion was traveled
over each morning, and the number of birds for that section
was listed. Only adult male birds were counted, and these
were determined chiefly by noting their songs, but to some ex-
tent, by seeing the birds. At this season of the year the male

CENSUS OF NESTING BIRDS 23

birds are in full song more or less intermittently during the
morning hours, and bird students will all agree that identifi-
cation by their songs and call notes, is one of the most certain
means of identification of birds in the field.

The plan followed was to start out early in the morning,
usually between four and five o'clock, and walk back and
forth across the section, stopping now and then for a few
minutes to listen, and to note carefully the bird calls within a
certain radius. Then I would travel on till I was beyond this
radius and make another pause; in the meantime being on the
alert to detect by eye or ear any bird that had not already been
listed.

Several years of practice in the identification of birds by
their notes as well as by means of other characters was the
necessary preliminary preparation for the census. In those
cases wherein the notes of the different species were so nearly
alike as to be indistinguishable, then other means of identifi-
cation were used. This sometimes necessitated patient chas-
ing, watching and waiting, and good use of field glasses. It
was a sport far more interesting and exciting than hunting
with a gun. The one who has never gotten into the game has
no idea of the excitement of the chase, nor of the interest and
keen pleasure with which the birds of one region were com-
pared with those of another. Absences of looked for species
were sometimes the cause of disappointment, and again, new
and unlocked for species caused a thrill of pleasure and sur-
prise. There were more thrills than disappointments and even
the disappointments added zest to the chase. For instance, I
was disappointed in not finding the Yellow Warblers, and am

24 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

still hoping to find it as a nesting bird in the Park, for it is
quite common during migration, and is found nesting in other
suburbs of the city.

No claim is made of having been able to get the exact
number of birds, but it is thought that the error was always
in the form of an under estimate rather than an over estimate.
Very rarely, I think, was any individual bird listed twice, but
it is evident that some might have been silent and hidden and
have escaped notice even in early June.

The month of June was selected, because by that time,
the migrating birds have passed on, and only the summer resi-
dents remain. Moreover, in most cases, at least, the young
birds have not yet left the nest. In cases like the Tufted Tit-
mouse and Chickadee where some young had left the nest, the
birds were listed in groups; for instance, a flock of five or
six Chickadees in a single clump of bushes were listed as one
nesting pair or family.

It was a most fascinating study. I always felt repaid for
the discomforts and fatigue of rising at four o'clock in the
morning and wading out in the dew-laden grass and weeds and
scrambling for miles through the brush, sometimes over soggy
ground or through slimy mud. Frequently I was soaked to the
waist by the wet foliage, while again, the mosquitoes added
to the discomforts.

But to hear those wonderful calls of the birds! To see the
morning mist hang lazily over the green treetops along the
Blue River, to see the sun rise in indescribable glory over the
rolling jumble of tree-clad hills, and to feel that I was part
of the whole great plan of nature — all this was worth twice

CENSUS OF NESTING BIRDS 25

the discomforts and effort.

I so often thought of this quotation as I looked over the
great panorama of hills and trees and cloud and sun, and
heard with a thrill of wonder the answering bird notes ringing
from tree to tree :

"How rich the days, how poor are we!

The morning breaks upon what beauteous scenes!

What gates of pearl let in the blushing light!

What songs of herald angels might

We hear from every mountain top.

If our souls but woke with the opening of our drowsy lids !

But we rise enwrap't with cloudy cares,

And dawn for us, means twilight.

Drenched with fogs that hide the stars."

A reference to the map will indicate, roughly, the eco-
logical regions of wooded areas, streams and cleared ground.
The red lines will show the boundaries of the sections, and
the numbers may be of help in locating the sections as they
are referred to in the text. Several changes and developments
in the Park have been made since the time the census was
taken. A few of the driveways indicated on the map are not
yet built, but merely proposed.

Fig. 5 — Grove in the Picnic Grounds

CENSUS OF NESTING BIRDS 27

REPORT ON SUMMER BIRDS OF THE PARK BY
SECTIONS.

SECTIONS NUMBER 1, 2 AND 3

Sections number 1, 2 and 3 are so closely related that
they will be discussed collectively. They include the partly
open and improved region about the west entrance to the Park.
There is a small grove of trees to the north, but in most places
they are quite scattered. The open region is bordered in part
by shrubs and various horticultural plantings.

This region is the most frequented portion of the Park.
In addition to the great crowds of people, it is a great resort
for Robins, Thrashers, Catbirds and Wood Thrushes. At the
time the census was taken the Robins were conspicuous over
all of the tract, hopping about on the lawn and singing glor-
iously, while the Catbirds and Thrashers sang and scolded
from the border of shrubs about the Pavillion near the Park
entrance. This section probably had a greater number of
prominent singers than any other section of the Park.

The grove of trees to the north was sufficiently extensive
and wild to furnish a hiding place for a Screech Owl, a Tufted
Titmouse and the Chickadee, and yet was open enough and
had enough human visitors to furnish attractive nesting sites
for a number of Wood Thrush. The Wood Thrushes are par-

28 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

tial to borders of the woods and prefer to be not too far away
from human beings.

The considerable territory used for lawn and for the golf
course, where the grass was close-cropped, reduced the num-
ber of nesting birds for this region.

There was a scarcity of Bluebirds, due probably to the
absence of nesting sites. A few bird boxes placed about the
Pavillion for Wrens and Bluebirds would no doubt be occupied
by these birds, provided they received some assistance in their
struggle with the English Sparrows.

One Robin chose a projecting ledge of rock in the wall
of the Pavillion for a foundation for his mud-lined nest, while
the chimneys gave nesting places for the Chimney Swifts.

No Bell's Vireo was found in the region this year (1916),
but in previous years I could always find them along a brushy
ditch north of the Pavillion. This season they seem to have
deserted this nesting place for a vacant lot across the street.
A few vacant lots here have grown up with golden-rod, asters,
milkweed, elder berry and elm sprouts, and afford excellent
hiding places for their nests. A Mockingbird and a Shrike
also nest in this tract across the street from the Park. They
might well be classed as park birds.

In 1914 I found a nest of a Horned Lark in the grass-plot
just west of the Pavillion. Adding these three latter birds to
the list of summer birds for this section, we have the relatively
large number of 27 species to be found nesting at the very
front door of the Park; but the great throngs of people that
frequent this region daily pass them by unnoticed, or perhaps
note only the Robins and Thrashers and a very few others.

CENSUS OF NESTING BIRDS 29

The following species were found as summer birds for
this section. The numbers refer to the number of male birds
counted, and hence represents approximately the number of
nesting pairs of birds. This list and others that follow, will
be given in order of number of birds found rather than in the
ornithological order. (See check list on page — for scientific
names of the birds.)

THE LIST — SECTIONS NUMBER 1, 2 AND 3

Robin 14 Yellow-billed Cuckoo 2

Brown Thrasher 12 Crested Flycatcher 2

Catbird 10 Bob White 1

Wood Thrush 8 Screech Owl 1

Meadowlark 6 Downy Woodpecker 1

Blue Jay 5 Cowbird 1

Red-headed Woodpecker 4 Wood Peewee 1

Kingbird 4 Towhee 1

Baltimore Oriole 4 Tufted Titmouse 1

Chimney Swift 4 Chickadee 1

Flicker 2 Bluebird 1

Mourning Dove 2

Total Species, 23; Male Birds 88

SECTION NUMBER 4

Section Number 4 is more wooded. The trees are gen-
erally larger but there is not much underbrush, save in the
eastern half where it slopes toward a small stream which wan-
ders southeasterly through Yate's Hollow. (See map.)

Yate's Hollow is thickly overgrown with red haws, dog-
wood, buckbrush, greenbriar, poison ivy, sumach and other
plants including the common species of trees. It has never
been cleared nor greatly disturbed, except by the paths worn
by people strolling through the Park.

30 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

Since this was written a macadam boulevard has been
begun along the west slope of the hollow, cutting a broad
swath through what was the jungle home of Towhees and
Thrashers.

This section also includes the picnic ground with its shel-
ter house. This spot is frequented by great crowds of people
throughout the summer. Many of the picnickers wander off
along the paths into the more secluded jungle to the east.

Blue-winged Warblers nest regularly along the dry slopes
of the Hollow, arriving in the latter part of April. They are
beautiful yellow birds with bluish shade to the wings and back.
They can be most easily identified by their queer insect-like
song, an inhaled note followed by a queer grasshopper-like
exhaled note.

A Yellow-breasted Chat also has here a rendezvous of
his own, in perfect keeping with its reputation except that the
region is now not as secluded as we should expect the Chat to
choose. Perhaps the site was selected a few years ago, before
the picnic grounds were arranged, and when the region was
not so frequented as it is now. The Chat has continued to re-
turn in spite of the gay colors and loud voices of the picnic
parties. I wonder how many of these gay strollers ever notice
his crazy tilts and darts in the air, or hear his idiotic calls and
jeers and ejaculations!

Very few of the wanderers in the Park are ever attracted
by the lisping sizz of the Blue-winged Warbler. They will hear
only the clearer notes of the Cardinal and the Meadowlark and
Thrasher, and may be thrilled by the wonderful melody of the
Wood Thrushes, but they lose the silvery fairy-bell tinkle of

CENSUS OF NESTING BIRDS 31

the Field Sparrow and the softer tones of the Kinglet and
Chickadee and other more modest singers. How much they
miss !

The Crackles for this region, as well as for other sections
studied, vary greatly in numbers from day to day. The lunch
fragments left by the picnic parties are great attractions to
these big crow-like birds as well as to the Blue Jays. At times
dozens of Bronze Crackles may be seen walking about on the
grass or perched on the benches and tables. It is evident that
they do not all nest here, but that they fly to the feeding ground
from various parts of the Park. For two successive years a
pair nested in a big elm tree near my home, one block north
of the Park.

Squirrels are numerous in this part of the Park, and no
doubt the squirrels and Jays and Crackles help to reduce the
number of other species nesting here, for they are all inclined
to be sneaking nest robbers.

THE LIST — SECTION NUMBER 4.

Brown Thrasher .12 Catbird 3

Crested Flycatcher 9 Blue-winged Warbler 3

Towhee 9 Downy Woodpecker 3

Cowbird 7 Robin 3

Blue Jay 6 Bluebird 3

Cardinal 5 Bronze Crackle 2

Field Sparrow 5 Red-headed Woodpecker 2

Tufted Titmouse 5 Wood Peewee 2

Chickadee 5 Baltimore Oriole 2

Indigo Bunting 4 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2

Wood Thrush 4 Chipping Sparrow 1

Mourning Dove 4 Yellow-breasted Chat 1

Yellow-billed Cuckoo 3 Maryland Yellowthroat 1

Flicker 3 White-breasted Nuthatch 1

Meadowlark 3

Total Species, 29; Male Birds.. ..113

32 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

SECTION NUMBER 5

Section Number 5 is nearly all woods and unimproved.
It consists of rocky hill slopes with the narrow valley of
Buckeye Hollow between. A small area of shrubby grass-
grown tract lies on top of the ridge bordering the driveway.

The principal bird-inhabited region is Buckeye Hollow,
with its stream and flood plain. This hollow is densely wood-
ed with buckeye trees that grow in the shade of elms and oaks
and walnuts. The hillside facing the south and west is dry
and rocky, and the vegetation is more stunted and thicket-like.
Dogwood, sumach, wahoo, wildrose, bittersweet and other
plants are common.

This section is more secluded than the former ones dis-
cussed, nevertheless even here there is quite a disturbance by
human beings, for strolling lovers wander down its shady
paths and children in search of wild flowers scamper through
the bushes so that the more retiring birds are annoyed by the
presence and voices of mankind.

This partial seclusion seems to be unfavorable to the
Robin, the Thrasher, Catbird and Wood Thrush. The Thrash-
ers and Catbirds that were found, occurred in the southwest
portion near the driveway where they were more exposed to
human surroundings. The vegetation as a whole, is scarcely
different from most of the preceding section, but we find
certain species disappearing and other species appearing in
increasing numbers, so that the Robins and the Thrashers no
longer head the list.

34 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

THE LIST — SECTION NUMBER 5.

Tufted Titmouse .. 10 Meadowlark 2

Towhee 8 Blue- winged Warbler 2

Cardinal 7 Kentucky Warbler 2

Chickadee 6 Catbird 2

Indigo Bunting 5 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2

Field Sparrow 4 Bob White Quail 1

Blue Jay 4 Red-headed Woodpecker 1

American Crow 3 Kingbird 1

Crested Flycatcher 3 Goldfinch 1

Brown Thrasher 3 Maryland Yellowthroat 1

Flicker 3 Yellow-breasted Chat 1

Yellow-billed Cuckoo 2 Carolina Wren 1

Downy Woodpecker 2 Wood Thrush 1

Cowbird 2

Total Species, 27 ; Male Birds 80

Note : This tract was canvassed in the early morning of
June 7th. On that date I heard three Olive-backed Thrushes
singing their weirdly beautiful songs. They had delayed
their northward migration journey unusually long and this was
a surprisingly late date to find them in this region. The sex
instincts of the males had impelled them to begin their love
songs, and there was no mistaking the note, for when once
heard and learned, it is never forgotten. I had heard faint
undertone snatches of their songs before, but never so en-
ticingly thrilling as on this morning. I was carried away in
memory to a summer spent in the woods of the Great North-
west, where among the firs and hemlocks and canvas tents, I
learned to know and to love the indescribable notes of the
Russet-back Thrush, a western variety of our Olive-back. I
could recall no difference in the songs of the two birds.

CENSUS OF NESTING BIRDS 35

SECTION NUMBER 6

In section number 6 (See map), we again are in regions
exposed to crowds of humanity. It is mostly open ground
with scattered red haws and open groves of other trees, but
there are three regions that are wooded; one a narrow thicket-
ravine, extends along the driveway leading to the Zoological
Gardens, and another, a rocky bluff, borders the railroad, the
third is a ravine that extends northeast of the Zoo. All of
these wooded thickets are comparatively small and are ex-
posed on all sides to scores of loiterers and picnic parties. The
conditions are ideal for those birds that love the proximity of
man, provided they have shelter and hiding places for their
nests. Therefore, the Thrashers, Jays, Towhees, Catbirds and
Robins are the most common birds, with the Thrasher far in
the lead.

These little brushy vales are great haunts of the migrating
Sparrows during early spring. It is well worth one's while to
visit the ravine west of the Zoo in March or April and see the
Purple Finches feeding on the buckbrush berries, or stop and
listen to the gurgled trills and high-piped notes of the Harris
Sparrows. The White-throat Sparrows may also be found
adding their ventriloquistic powers for your entertainment.

So much of the area in this section number 6 is taken up
by the Zoological Garden enclosures which are naturally un-
favorable for a wild bird population, that a list of one hundred
five nesting pairs of birds for the whole section means a dense
bird population for those parts that are adapted to bird life.

Bronze Grackles are at times found in considerable num-

36 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

bers, as also are crows that fly here to pick up scraps of food.
These, however, were not included in the list of nesting birds.
It is interesting to compare the list for this section with
that of the preceding, both as to species and as to the birds
that are most numerous.

THE LIST — SECTION NUMBER 6

Brown Thrasher 19 Tufted Titmouse 3

Blue Jay . . . . = 7 Downy Woodpecker 2

Towhee 6 Bluebird 2

Mourning Dove 5 Flicker 2

Yellow-billed Cuckoo 5 Meadowlark 2

Catbird 5 American Goldfinch 2

Chickadee 5 Hairy Woodpecker 1

Robin 5 Red-bellied Woodpecker 1

Red-headed Woodpecker 4 Kingbird 1

Crested Flycatcher 4 Bronze Crackle 1

Baltimore Oriole 4 Phoebe 1

Cardinal 4 Blue-winged Warbler 1

Wood Thrush 4 Shrike 1 1

Cowbird 3 Chipping Sparrow 1

Purple Martin ]

Total Species, 30; Male Birds 105

SECTION NUMBER 7

The territory included in the region numbered seven, is
mostly open grassland, with a few scattered trees. One wooded
valley of about two acres extent lies north of the residence of
the foreman of the Park. A limestone ledge crops out along
the east slope near the railroad tracks. This slope is partly
overgrown with vines and bushes and a few trees, in places
becoming a dense thicket. Unfortunately for the birds, it is
hardly extensive enough to harbor any very great number of
nesting birds. Nevertheless, in this bit of a wilderness there

Fig. 1 — Autumn on the Blue River

38 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

were three pairs of Indigo Buntings, a Yellow-breasted Chat, a
Scarlet Tanager, a Summer Tanager and a number of other
common species.

Wood Thrushes were common in the bit of wooded val-
ley. This is an ideal place for them, for it is near human in-
fluence and yet cool and well shaded and protected.

The only House Wren found in the Park was found about
the rubbish in the vicinity of the green houses. It seemed
strange that there were not more House Wrens in the Park for
there are several residence buildings and sheds and conditions
that would seem to be favorable to the Wrens.

A lone Nighthawk was seen among the bushes along the
thicket to the east, where it may have been nesting on one of
the rock ledges. It was the only one of the species found as a
summer bird in the Park. They are very common, of course,
during migration.

THE LIST — SECTION NUMBER 7.

Wood Thrush 6 Cowbird 2

Robin 6 Baltimore Oriole 2

Brown Thrasher 5 Scarlet Tannger 2

Mourning Dove 4 Bob White Quail 1

Blue Jay 4 Downy Woodpecker 1

Tufted Titmouse 4 Red-headed Woodpecker 1

Bluebird 4 Flicker 1

Crested Flycatcher 3 Night Hawk 1

Towhee 3 Orchard Oriole 1

Indigo Bunting 3 Bronze Crackle 1

Purple Martin 3 Chipping Sparrow 1

Catbird 3 Cardinal 1

Chickadee 3 Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1

Kingbird 2 Summer Tanager 1

Wood Peewee 2 Yellow-breasted Chat 1

House Wren 1

Total Species, 31 ; Male Birds 74

CENSUS OF NESTING BIRDS 39

SECTION NUMBER 8

The morning this section was canvassed was very wet
from a rain of the night before. The heavy fog, the wet
grass and weeds, and the chilly air had a great tendency to
dampen my enthusiasm as well as my clothes.

The notes of the Acadian Flycatcher, the Cerulean War-
bler, Parula Warbler, Kentucky Warbler and a great assem-
blage of Chickadees, Buntings and Titmice soon brought back
my enthusiasm to such a warmth that I forgot about my soggy
shoes and dripping trousers. Anyone who could have heard
the twittering, warbling, trilling chorus of beauty singers that
brought sweetness and warmth of life into the jungled woods
that morning, and still have been aware of trivial discomforts,
is no member of Nature Lover's Clan. What matter if the
leaves did drip water down my back; a dozen Indigo Birds
were singing! Who could think of mosquitoes when a Black-
and-white Warbler was creeping about over the tree trunks!
I had not even hoped to find the bird in the Park during sum-
mer.

At last my census-taking had led me far enough into the
wildwood of the Park to get away from the parts frequented
by man, and into parts inhabited by such birds as the casual
observer knows nothing about. It is true that the numbers of
these more retiring birds were but few, but it was a beginning
which promised many additions as I continued my observa-
tions into the deeper parts of the Park.

The west boundary of the Park here has a jog made by a
tract of forty acres being under private ownership. It is un-

40 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

fortunate that this is so, for the forty acres excluded from the
Park is one of the most picturesque regions to be found. It is
the lower part of a well wooded, rocky valley that has its be-
ginning at Sixty-ninth street and Cleveland avenue, and ex-
tends eastward for about three-fourths of a mile to the Blue
River. Great masses of limestone have broken off from the
ledge near the top of the bluff and have slid partly down the
steep slope. A fine alluvial flood plain borders the stream
below. Both slope and valley are well wooded.

This beautiful valley is called Shiloh Hollow. It fur-
nishes an ideal walk for the nature lover, whether he be inter-
ested in birds or in flowers and trees, or merely in the beauty
of the scenery. It is one of the favorite migration routes for
hundreds of Warblers, Vireos, Sparrows and other birds, and
the whole region should be given some protection from the
vandals that are already beginning to despoil it. There are
few regions near the city that are its equal in picturesque
beauty, but it is not within the Park and hence its interesting
bird population cannot be included in this census.*

* Since this was written many changes have taken place.
Many of the trees in Shiloh Hollow have been cut. The woods
is closely pastured, the flowers mostly gone and the birds are
taking up their abode elsewhere. Not only have changes taken
place in Shiloh, but even in the Park. A fine boulevard has
been built along the eastern edge of the 'tract, and a wide
clearing made through the central part of the woods where the
seclusive Warblers and Flycatchers had made their frontier
stand.

The bordering region that is included within the Park, is

Fig. 8 — Autumn on the Blue River

42 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

mostly dry upland, and lacks the rare beauty of Shiloh
Hollow. It is rather densely wooded and quite secluded; few
people caring to penetrate through the tangle of weeds and
brush beneath the scraggly black oak trees. If its boundaries
could but be made to include Shiloh Hollow and then the
whole made into a bird sanctuary, it might mean the preser-
vation of species of birds for Kansas City that otherwise,
sooner or later, are certain to be driven away.

The driveway indicated on the map was not yet built at
the time the census was made.

THE LIST — SECTION NUMBER 8.

Chickadee 13 Kentucky Warbler 2

Indigo Bunting 12 Bluebird 2

Tufted Titmouse 11 Cooper's Hawk 1

Red-eyed Vireo 7 Mourning Dove 1

Towhee 5 Red-bellied Woodpecker 1

Downy Woodpecker 4 Wood Peewee 1

Goldfinch 4 Kingbird ". 1

Acadian Flycatcher 3 Chipping Sparrow 1

Cardinal 3 Blue-winded Warbler 1

Yellow-billed Cuckoo 2 Parula Warbler 1

Great Crested Flycatcher 2 Cerulean Warbler 1

Crow 2 Black-and-white Warbler 1

Cowbird 2 Wood Thrush 1

Purple Martin 2 Hummingbird 1

Total Species, 28; Male Birds 88

The Cooper's Hawk was found on its nest high up among
the upper branches of a dead oak. Seeing me, it left its nest
and swooped directly toward me, but veered off overhead, ut-
tering a few chuckling notes.

CENSUS OF NESTING BIRDS 43

SECTIONS NUMBER 9, 10, 11 AND 12

For convenience, the whole strip west of the Blue River,
between the river and the railroad tracks is included in one re-
port.

This was the most difficult region to canvass. Heavy
rains earlier in the season had flooded portions of the valley,
leaving a layer of fine mud sediment. Other rains during the
census, kept the mud-bespattered weeds and grasses wet, and
made the flood sediment a soft, slippery, slimy ooze.

The tract is all flood plain, and nearly all wooded. The
few open places being small, brushy meadows along the rail-
road track, and portions of the old South Nursery.

The wooded part of the strip is similar throughout, with
reference to elevation, drainage and vegetation, but different
parts differ with reference to seclusion from mankind. De-
pending on this seclusion, there are some rather noticeable dif-
ferences in the distribution of birds. For instance, the horse-
shoe bend of the river included in section 10, is rather isolated
from human interference, only an occasional fisherman wan-
dering through the deep shade of its elms and buckeyes. There
are no Thrashers nor Wood-Thrushes nor Catbirds nor Robins
nor Towhees nor Bluebirds to be found in this section during
the nesting period. A few, however, were found in the region
of the railroad station where human influence seems to have
offered attraction to these species.

The old South Nursery is little frequented and although
it is partly open, brushy territory fringed with thick woods,
there were no Thrashers nor Catbirds nor Towhees found

44 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

nesting here. In contrast to this, compare the more frequented

North Nursery discussed on page. 45.

The far off triangular corner numbered 12, is a fragment
of one of the best bird regions in the Park. The bordering
country to the south and east is well wooded and well popu-
lated by those species that love the seclusion of the unfre-
quented woods and stream. Again, for the sake of a long
list, I regretted that the Park did not include another forty
acres of bordering land,- The small triangular strip numbered
12, however, is well worth visiting by the bird lover. Acadian
Flycatchers, Red-eyed Vireos, White-eyed Vireos, Redstarts,
Cerulean Warblers, Parula Warblers, Kentucky Warblers and
Worm-eating Warblers were found. These are all birds that
seek the more secluded regions. They are valuable and all
the more interesting because of the haunts they inhabit. Oven-
birds also were probably here, but I failed to find any during
the trip. Here, again, we may look in vain for the Wood
Thrush, the Thrasher and the Towhee, and other birds that
love the companionship of man.

It was in this section that a Worm-eating Warbler flew
down to a low shrub near which I was standing. There was
an eager fluttering and chirping and I saw the parent bird
drop a worm into the open mouth of its fledged young. What
a thrill the sight gave me! Before that time I did not even
suspect that the Wrorm-eating Warbler nested in the Park. Fol-
lowing lists will show that the bird is not at all uncommon as
a summer bird in the Park, but it must be looked for in its
proper environment of secluded woods-covered slopes.

CENSUS OF NESTING BIRDS 45

THE LIST — SECTIONS NUMBER 9, 10, 11 AND 12

Chickadee 25 Cerulean Warbler 3

Tufted Titmouse 20 Redstart 3

Indigo Bunting 16 Carolina Wren 3

Cardinal 11 Scarlet Tanager 2

Parula Warbler 10 Maryland Yellowthroat 2

Downy Woodpecker 9 Yellow-breasted Chat 2

Crested Flycatcher 9 Bluebird 2

Yellow-billed Cuckoo 8 Green Heron 2

Red-eyed Vireo 8 Phoebe 2

Crow 7 Acadian Flycatcher 2

Kentucky Warbler 7 Meadowlark 2

Wood Thrush 7 Kingfisher 1

Red-bellied Woodpecker 5 Hairy Woodpecker 1

Blue Jay 5 Flicker 1

Field Sparrow 5 Baltimore Oriole 1

Wood Peewee 4 Louisiana Water Thrush 1

Goldfinch 4 Brown Thrasher 1

Dickcissel 4 Robin 1

Bronze Grackle 3 Worm-eating Warbler 1

Chipping Sparrow 3 Yellow-throated Vireo 1

Total Species, 41; Male Birds 211

SECTION NUMBER 13

Section 13 is like numbers 10 and 11 in every respect ex-
cept that it is more frequented and disturbed by man. There
is a cottage in the nursery where the gardener with his family
live. The nursery itself, is cultivated and affords fewer hid-
ing places for the birds and their nests than does the Old
South Nursery.

The woods to the north of the nursery is identical with
that of section 10 in the horseshoe bend of the Blue River.
There are great cork elms and other trees, with a lower stratum
of buckeye trees, various bushes and vines. This dense woods,
however, is bordered on three sides by regions that are fre-

46 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

quented by man, with the result that the bird population is
somewhat different from the more secluded section of num-
ber 10. There were numbers of Wood Thrushes, Crested Fly-
catchers, Brown Thrashers and even Robins, a Towhee and a
Catbird.

Along the Blue River and the smaller stream to the east,
the woods is not bordered by regions frequented by man and
here were found Kentucky Warblers, Parula Warblers, Ceru-
lean Warblers, the Louisiana Water Thrush and the Vireos.

The thick shady woods, with a large number of broken
limbs, knot holes and rubbish, was a great attraction for the
nesting Chickadees and Tufted Titmice, which were much in
evidence.

The more open ground of the nursery produced the Gold-
finches and the Sparrows.

THE LIST — SECTION NUMBER 13.

Wood Thrush 13 Parula Warbler 3

Tufted Titmouse 12 Wood Peewee 3

Chickadee 10 Crow 2

Cerulean Warbler 9 Field Sparrow 2

Blue Jay 8 Scarlet Tanager 2

Cowbird 8 Redstart 2

Red-eyed Vireo 8 Carolina Wren 2

Crested Flycatcher 7 Robin 2

Indigo Bunting 7 Green Heron 1

Downy Woodpecker 6 Screech Owl 1

Cardinal 6 Flicker 1

Kentucky Warbler 6 Hairy Woodpecker 1

Brown Thrasher 5 Hummingbird 1

Goldfinch 4 Towhee 1

Yellow-bellied Woodpecker ... 3 Summer Tanager 1

Yellow-billed Cuckoo 3 Louisiana Water Thrush 1

Chipping Sparrow 3 Catbird 1

Total Species, 34; Male Birds 144

48 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

SECTION NUMBER 14

One of the most interesting walks of the whole investiga-
tion was the canvass of the Old Rifle Range and the country
bordering it. The Rifle Range itself, is a brOad meadow of
blue grass and weeds. Bordering it to the east is a still more
extensive meadow of alfalfa and timothy, with plenty of
daisy, f leabane and other weeds.

Off to the south lies a range of hills and rock ledges.
The upper slopes are covered with prairie vegetation, but
lower down the slope this merges into a tangled growth of
brush and trees. (See page — .)

Along the Blue River is a strip of dense woods inhabited
by Warblers, Titmice and Chickadees.

The meadow is remarkable for its number of Dickcissels.
Their notes were ringing out in all directions. Every weed
stalk was a chorister's platform. It was impossible to accur-
ately count the singers, but a conservative estimate was made
by counting the singing birds over a narrow strip and then
multiplying this by the number of similar strips included in
the tract. This estimate gave fifty male Dickcissels for the
whole section which I think is not far from correct.

The thicket-like extension of the bordering woods that
projected into the meadow, was a favorite place for the White-
eyed Vireo. One of these birds gave me an excellent demon-
stration of his vocal powers. He was truly a great singer, with
a wonderful variety of trills and warbles, yet he always kept
the peculiar quality of the White-eyed Vireo. The variations,
however, were so great that I was obliged to stop and spend

CENSUS OF NESTING BIRDS 49

nearly a half hour trying to get a satisfactory view of the shy
ventriloquist. He persisted in keeping hidden behind a leafy
screen and I could not tell by the sound whether he was near
or far. or to the right or to the left.

Off to the south, along a rocky ledge where the woods
and prairie meet, a Blue-winged Warbler flushed up from my
very feet. It rested on a twig only a few yards away and dis-
played all of its beautiful colors and markings, even to the
black streak from bill to the eye. In spite of the fact that I
had almost stepped on it I had trouble in finding the nest, so
well was it hidden in a clump of blue-stem grass and ironweed.
The nest contained three newly hatched birds and two eggs
and was well constructed with an outer covering of dead leaves
and an inner lining of delicate grass rootlets and fiber.

Mr. Harry Harris reported finding a nest and egg of the
Turkey Buzzard in this same region a few weeks earlier. The
rock crevices afford good nesting sites for this big bird, and
in all probability more than one nesting pair might have been
found.

The best find for the section was made about a month
after the regular census-taking trip. On July 8th a pair of
Prothonotary Warblers were found in a fringe of wood along
the Blue River just north of the Rifle Range. The parent
warblers were feeding their fully fledged young that had left
the nest, but were still clamoring for help from the "home
folks." It was rare sport to watch them, for while they are
common enough as nesting birds in the woods along the Mis-
souri River, they are not at all common this far from the

50 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

River. These were the only Prothonotary Warblers found in

the Park as summer birds.

The Rifle Range is no longer used as a shooting ground,
and the region is quite undisturbed. The meadow is cut, but
most of the Meadowlarks have left the nest before the mower
disturbs them. The Dickcissels are not always so fortunate
and many a nest is torn up by the hayrake.

Note : In June, 1918, and therefore a later record than
the regular census, I found a Grasshopper Sparrow collecting
worms in the alfalfa meadow. This brands it as a nesting bird
for the region and adds another to the total for the Park. A
week earlier I heard and saw a. number in the meadow, and
I have no doubt that a half dozen or more Grasshopper Spar-
rows nest regularly in the region, but they are so shy and
have such a habit of sneaking under the grass and remaining
out of sight that it is almost an accident to find them.

Fig. 10 — A Bit of the. Lagoon and Its Border Land

CENSUS OF NESTING BIRDS
THE LIST — SECTION NUMBER 14.

51

Dickcissel 50

Indigo Bunting 17

Chickadee 17

Tufted Titmouse 12

Cardinal 9

Yellow-billed Cuckoo 8

Downy Woodpecker 8

Red-eyed Vireo 8

Meadowlark 7

Field Sparrow 7

Maryland Yellowthroat 6

Ve11ow-breasted Ctat 6

Blue Jay 5

Goldfinch 5

Red-bellied Woodpecker 4

Crested Flycatcher 4

Scarlet Tanager 4

White-eyed Vireo 4

Cerulean Warbler 4

Blue-winged Warbler 4

Kentucky Warbler 4

Wood Peewee 3

Crow 3

Cowbird 3

Carolina Wren 3

Chipping Sparrow 2

Parula Warbler 2

Louisiana Water Thrush 2

American Redstart 2

Hairy Woodpecker

Flicker

Kingbird

Phoebe

White-breasted Nuthatch

Bluebird

Black-and-white Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler

. 1

. 1

. 1

. 1

. 1

. 1

. 1

. 1

Cooper's Hawk , 1

Sparrow Hawk
Turkey Buzzard

Total Species, 40; Male Birds 224

(This does not include the Grasshopper Sparrow and
the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher found at a later date.)

Fig. 11 — Wildcat Hollow is still frequented by wild birds in spite
of the motor cars.

52

BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK
SECTION NUMBER 15

This embraces the great open meadow about the Lagoon,
where conditions are now quite artificial and where few birds
have opportunity for nesting. A few years ago this was one
of the greatest bird resorts for the whole Park. At that time
the region about the Lagoon was as great a resort for Dick-
cissels and Meadowlarks as the Rifle Range now is. The woods
to the north and east was also then a primeval wilderness for
the more retiring birds. The building of a macadam road up

Fig. \\-Wildcat Hollow Is Still Frequented by Wild Birds in Spite
of the Motor Cars

CENSUS OF NESTING BIRDS

53

Wild-cat Hollow, together with the crowds now frequenting
the bordering meadow and the Lagoon, has brought about a
great change.

Some few of the more retiring species, however, still stay
in the woods by the stream and inhabit the slope farther north
and east, but the meadow is almost deserted by birds in sum-
mer.

Still farther north, but outside of the Park, a change in
the course of the Blue River years ago, has left a low swampy
place now overgrown with marsh mallows, button-bush and
other swamp plants. A number of Red-wing Blackbirds nest
here.

THE LIST — SECTION 15

Worm-eating Warbler 3

Scarlet Tanager 3

Wood Thrush . . 3

Hairy Woodpecker 2

Bronze Crackle 2

Tufted Titmouse 18

Chickadee 13

Meadowlark 9

Red-eyed Vireo 9

Downy Woodpecker 8

Cardinal 7

Yellow-billed Cuckoo 6

Blue Jay 6

Crested Flycatcher 5

Wood Peewee 5

Indigo Bunting 5

Cerulean Warbler 5

Kentucky Warbler 5

Redstart 5

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 5

Carolina Wren 5

Red-headed Woodpecker 4

Red-bellied Woodpecker 4

Dickcissel 4

Parula Warbler 4

Crow 3

Cowbird 3

Total Species, 44; Male Birds .172

Louisiana Water Thrush . . .

2

Yellow-breasted Chat

2

Black-and-white Warbler . .

... 2

Sparrow Hawk

1

Mourning Dove

1

Kingbird

1

Acadian Flycatcher

1

Phoebe

1

Baltimore Oriole

1

Field Sparrow

1

Towhee

!

White-eyed Vireo

1

Maryland Yellowthroat

1

Catbird

1

Brown Thrasher

1

Summer Tanager

1

54 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

SECTION NUMBER 16

Section Number 16 was so large and so densely over-
grown that it was canvassed with difficulty. Part of the dry,
post oak-covered ridge between Southeast Hollow and Hazel
Dell was passed over rather hastily. The ground was covered
with bittersweet vines, blackberry vines, shrubs and brush,
which not only made travel difficult but also made it difficult
to determine the exact amount of territory explored.

The birds were not at all numerous in this dry upland.
Those found were mostly Indigo Buntings, Gnatcatchers, a
few Chickadees and now and then a stray of some other
species.

While the upland was not so well inhabited, the slopes of
Southeast Hollow and the similar region in Hazel Dell to the
north are at present the best bird lands in the Park for the
more retiring species. These slopes are well wooded, and ex-
cept in the very driest weather, well watered by the humidity
from the little stream and moist valley below. They are wild
and picturesque and beautiful.

Present plans of the Park Board, if carried out, will
doubtless interfere somewhat with the bird population of this
fine region. These plans, as indicated on the map, include an
automobile road through Southeast Hollow and another one
leading down into the head of Hazel Dell. These improve-
ments will be met with favor by the great majority of people
who wish to see the beauties of the Park from an automobile.
But they will not be quite so welcomed by the naturalist, who
looks with suspicion on all artificiality. Personally, I belong

CENSUS OF NESTING BIRDS 55

to the minority and to me the honk of the auto horn and the
rattle of the car in such a region jars the celestial harmonies
of nature. The fragrance of the wild flowers is marred by the
odor of gasoline. I can but foresee that the more shy feath-
ered friends of man will be driven from the Park, and in the
course of time, completely exterminated, but perhaps I am too
pessimistic as well as too selfish. Nevertheless, there is good
argument in favor of having some part of the Park left in all
of its natural, wonderful wildness as a rendezvous of the birds,
of the wild flowers and of the nature lover.

I find it difficult to distinguish the note of the Ovenbird
from the note of the Kentucky Warbler when heard separate-
ly or at a distance. This difficulty brought me a most inter-
esting experience. On the south slope of Hazel Dell I crept up
a little ravine in order to identify one of these species by sight
that I heard singing at intervals. After a little I sat down to
listen and locate the bird when suddenly I was thrilled by see-
ing an Ovenbird fly into the low branches of an oak and feed
her new fledged young. What a great sight to find a whole
family of this rather rare bird! But surprises, like troubles,
sometimes do not come singly. I had hardly recovered from
the shock of finding the Ovenbird when another thrill was
added by finding only a few yards away, a brood of Black-and-
white Warblers, with the parent birds fluttering about. Only
the bird lover can appreciate the situation.

To add to the excitement, a Worm-eating Warbler and a
White-eyed Vireo were both singing near by, and off across
the stream I could hear both the Parula and the Cerulean
Warblers singing from the tree tops. Now and then, an

Fig. 13 — Bethany Falls Limestone Where Buzzards Nest and Where
Rattlesnakes Are Said to Hide

CENSUS OF NESTING BIRDS 57

Acadian Flycatcher sounded his woodsy whistle, and I could
occasionally see the gleam of orange and black of Redstarts as
they flitted among the green leaves for their food. An acro-
batic Chat tippled up, then down from his perch as he whis-
tled and jeered at the other birds; and all about were thick
woods and flowers and ferns and dripping dew.

Across on the north side of Southeast Hollow a promi-
nent, broken limestone ledge crops out, and all along here I
found several roosting places of the Turkey Buzzards. I dis-
covered no nests nor eggs, but really did not take time to stop
and hunt the crevices of the rocks. The big black aviators are
seen floating about high in the air over this region from early
March throughout the summer. It is interesting to watch
them. Their roosting places, however, are not so fascinating.

THE LIST — SECTION NUMBER 16

Indigo Bunting 38 Parula Warbler 6

Tufted Titmouse 33 Goldfinch 5

Chickadee 33 White-eyed Vireo 4

Kentucky Warbler 22 Blue-winged Warbler 4

Red-eyed Vireo 22 Ovenbird 4

Downy Woodpecker 16 Carolina Wren 4

Yellow-billed Cuckoo 15 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 4

Acadian Flycatcher 13 Summer Tanager 3

Turkey Buzzard 12 Yellow-breasted Chat 3

Crested Flycatcher 10 American Redstart 2

Cerulean Warbler 10 Bluebird 2

Worm-eating Warbler 10 Yellow-throated Vireo 2

Red-bellied Woodpecker 9 Bob White 1

Hairy Woodpecker 9 Cooper's Hawk 1

Blue Jay 9 Flicker 1

Wood Peewee 8 Hummingbird 1

Cardinal 8 Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1

Wood Thrush 8 Purple Martin . . . . . 1

Crow 6 Black-and-white Warbler 1

Scarlet Tanager 6

Total Species, 39; Male Birds 357

58

BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK
SECTION NUMBER 17

Several different trips were made in the canvass of Sec-
tion 17. One of these trips included a whole night spent on
the ridge bordering the golf links. I wanted to get some esti-
mate of the number of Whippoorwills in this section of the
Park, and also to listen to the Owls, and to any other night
sounds.

The Whippoorwills sang intermittently all through the

Fig. 14 — Young Whippoorwills in Hazel Dell

CENSUS OF NESTING BIRDS 59

night and they could be heard from all directions. They were
still singing at 5 :30 A. M. during one of my early morning
trips.

Other parts of the Park are equally favorable for the
Owls and the Whippoorwills, and no doubt they are distributed
over the greater portion of the Park woods, but I did not have
the opportunity of making night trips to all of the sections.
From my home I frequently have heard them singing in the
northwest part of the Park, especially during the early part
of the summer.

During the summer of 1917, through the help of two bird
students, I was directed to a mother Whippoorwill and her two
young in the woods just east of Hazel Dell and outside of the
Park. I succeeded in getting a good picture of the young.
The mother was so concerned over the matter that she perched
on a limb within fifteen feet of me and even gave me a chance
of getting a picture of her.

The greater part of Section 17 is dry upland. It was over-
run with Indigo Buntings, Titmice, Gnatcatchers and Kentucky
Warblers, as the list at the end of this discussion will show.
These more numerous birds were distributed over the dryer
upland, while most of the others were found nearer the more
moist region of Hazel Dell.

Besides the dry upland, the section includes the north
slope of Hazel Dell, and also a branch hollow extending off
to the northeast. These ravines are well wooded and are well
adapted to the wood-loving species that seek retirement. Here
were found many Chickadees and Red-eyed Vireos and Ken-
tucky Warblers and Flycatchers.

60 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

The rather extensive golf links in this part of the Park
are unfavorable for birds, and but few were found over the
close-cropped sod.

The steep slope to the west, leading down toward the
Lagoon, seems to be the especial home of the Crows; a num-
ber of nests and young were found. Evidently the Crows nest

Fig. 15 — Shrubby Sunny Slopes Where Indigo Birds Resort. Nest of

Indigo Bird

CENSUS OF NESTING BIRDS 61

and roost here and then fly across to the picnic grounds for
much of their food.

People are coming to this part of the Park in increasing
numbers during the past few years and many improvements
are in operation. Up to the present time there has been but
little effect on the birds. The proposed drives and the new
Club House that is planned will no doubt soon make a differ-
ence in the bird population.*

*At this time, 1920, there have been many changes in this
region. A drive has been built winding up the steep west
hillside. A large club house has been built for the golfers,
a tomb in memory of Colonel Swope has been erected, and
many people now wend their way up over the hills to see the
sights or to play golf, or to have a picnic lunch.
THE LIST — SECTION NUMBER 17

Indigo Bunting 57 Hairy Woodpecker 5

Tufted Titmouse 29 Turkey Buzzard 4

Kentucky Warbler 26 Red-bellied Woodpecker 3

Red-eyed Vireo 24 Scarlet Tanager 3

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 23 Redstart 3

Chickadee 22 Ovenbird 3

Cowbird 20 White-eyed Vireo 3

Crow 16 Cerulean Warbler 2

Downy Woodpecker 15 Yellow-breasted Chat 2

Blue Jay 14 Blue-winged Warbler 2

Crested Flycatcher 13 Summer Tanager 2

Wood Peewee 11 Kingfisher 1

Yellow-billed Cuckoo 11 Horned Owl 1

Goldfinch 9 Screech Owl 1

Cardinal 9 Red-headed Woodpecker 1

Acadian Flycatcher 8 Meadowlark 1

Worm-eating Warbler 7 Purple Martin 1

Whippoorwill 6 Field Sparrow 1

Parula Warbler 6 Louisiana Water Thrush 1

Total Species, 38; Male Birds 375

62 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

Most readers will be surprised at the results of the cen-
sus. I have asked several people to guess which bird was the
most numerous in the Park during the summer. Each gave a
different answer, some guessing the Robin, some the Mourn-
ing Dove, some the Blue Jay but none guessing the Indigo
Bunting. In nearly every case the "guess" was some bird
more frequently seen about the home or in the more frequented
parts of the Park. Previous to the census, my own guess
would have been of this character.

The Robin, the Thrasher, the Dove and the Towhee are
most conspicuous and numerous in the regions most frequented
but away out in the Park over the dry hilltops and slopes cov-
ered with a scraggy growth of pots oak, fragrant sumach and
other shrubbery trees and bushes and tangled vines, the In-
digo Bunting finds both the sunshine and the shelter that seems
to appeal to his bird-sense.

In the regions of heavier timber along the valley of the
Blue River and of the tributary streams, where broken limbs
and dead stubs and drift rubbish accumulate, there the Chicka-
dees and the Tufted Titmice find their ideals of nesting places
and of food. Since both of these types of territory are still
quite extensive in the Park we find the Indigo Bunting, the
Tufted Titmouse and the Chickadee take the lead in point of
numbers for the summer birds of the Park.

A further study of the list will show some interesting
comparisons. For instance, in the Park during the summer
there are more Parula Warblers than Robins; more Worm-

CENSUS OF NESTING BIRDS 63

eating Warblers than Doves; more Blue-winged Warblers than
Orioles; more Kentucky Warblers than Thrashers; more
Ovenbirds than Wrens.

Two hundred forty-four Warblers of 12 different species
nest in the Park; 105 singing virees of 5 different species
were counted; 156 flycatchers representing 5 different species
were found. These numbers refer to male birds only. How
many of these birds are known by the throngs of people who
walk or drive through the Park?

It is hoped that this report will stimulate a desire on
the part of the reader to become acquainted with some of
these numerous feathered friends. As Miss Blanchan says,
"We ought to have at least a bowing acquaintance with those
friends of our very doorstep who do us the most good."

Before leaving this • discussion of the summer birds of
Swope Park, it might be well to arrange them in order of
numbers of each species for the whole park. Thus we will
be able to see at a glance which ones are the most numerous.
Such a summary is given on page 65. For the sake of
the more scientific reader, who may wish to know more defi-
nitely the species and sub-species found, this list includes
the scientific name as listed in the check list of the American
Ornithologist Union.

As in the reports for the separate sections of the park,
the birds are listed in the order of numbers, beginning with
the most numerous.

Fig. 12— The Wild Beauty of Hazel Dell Is the Delight of the Nature
Lover, and the Home of Retiring Birds and Wild Flowers

CENSUS OF NESTING BIRDS 65

SUMMARY OF CENSUS OF SUMMER BIRDS IN
SWOPE PARK.

(Numbers indicate the total number of male birds.)

Indigo Bunting, Passerina cyanes (Linn.) 164

Tufted Titmouse, Baeolophus Bicolor (Linn.) 158

Chickadee, Penthestes atricapillus atricapillus (Linn.) 153

Red-eyed Vireo, Vireosylva olivaceae (Linn.) 86

Kentucky Warbler, Oporonis formosus (Wilson) 74

Blue Jay, Cyanocitta cristata cristata (Linn.) 73

Downy Woodpecker, Dryobates pubescens medianus (Swainson) .... 76

Crested Flycatcher, Myiarchus crinitus (Linn.) 71

Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis cardinalis (Linn.) 70

Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Coccyzus americanus americanus (Linn.) 65

Brown Thrasher, Toxoxtoma rufum (Linn.) 58

Dickcissel, Spiza americana (Gmelin) 58

Wood Thrush, Hylocichla mustelina (Gmelin) 55

Cowbird, Molothrus ater ater (Boddaert) 51

Wood Peewee, Miochanes virens (Linn.) 42

Crow, Corvus brachyrynchos brachyrhynchos Brehm 42

Goldfinch, Astragalinus tristis tristis (Linn.) 36

Towhee, Pipilo erythrophthalmus erythropthalmus (Linn.) 34

Cerulean Warbler, Dendroica cerulea (Wilson) 34

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Polioptila coerulea coerulea (Linn.) 34

Meadowlark, Sturnella magna magna (Linn.) 32

Northern Parula Warbler, Compsothlypis americana usnea Brewster 32

Robin, Planesticus migratorius migratorius (Linn.) 31

Red-bellied Woodpecker, Centurus carolinus (Linn.) 30

Acadian Flycatcher, Empidonax virescens (Vieillot) 27

Field Sparrow, Spizella pusilla pusilla (Wilson) 25

Catbird, Dumatella carolinensis (Linn.) 25

Red-headed Woodpecker, Melanerpes erythrocephalus (Linn.) 24

Scarlet Tanager, Piranga erythromelas (Vieillot) 22

Worm-eating Warbler, Helmintherus vermivorus (Gmelin) 21

66 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

Hairy Woodpecker, Dry abates villosus villosus (Linn.) 20

Yellow-breasted Chat, Icteria virens virens (Linn.) 18

Carolina Wren, Thryothorus ludovicianus ludovicianus (Latham)... 18

Mourning Dove, Zenaidura macroura carolinensis (Linn.) 17

Redstart, Setophaga ruticilla (Linn.) 17

Bluebird, Sialis stalls silais (Linn.) 17

Blue-Winged Warbler, Vermivora pinus (Linn.) 17

Turkey Vulture, Carthartes aura septentrionalis Wied 16

Northern Flicker, Colaptes auratus luteus Bangs 15

Baltimore Oriole, Icterus galbula (Linn.) 14

Chipping Sparrow, Spizella passerina passerina (Beckstein) 12

Kingbird, Tyrranus tyrranus (Linn.) 11

White-eyed Vireo, Vireo griseus griseus (Boddaert) 11

Maryland Yellowthroat, Geothlypis tricas tricas (Linn.) 11

Bronze Crackle, Quiscalus quiscula aenas Ridge 9

Purple Martin, Progne subis subis (Linn.) 8

Summer Tanager, Piranga rubra rubra (Linn.) 8

Oven-bird, Seiurus aurocapillus (Linn.) 7

Louisiana Water Thrush, Seiurus motacilla (Vieillot) 7

Whip-poor-will, Antrostomus vociferus (Wilson) 6

Black-and-white Warbler, Mniotilta varia (Linn.) 5

Phoebe, Sayornis phoebe (Linn.) 5

Bob-White, Colinus virginianus virgianianus (Linn.) 4

Chimney Swift, Chaetura pelagica (Linn.) 4

Green Heron, Butorides virescens vires cens (Linn.) 4

Cooper's Hawk, Accipiter coo peri (Bonaparte) 3

Screech Owl, Otis asio asio (Linn.) 3

Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Archilochus colubris (Linn.) 3

Yellow-throated Vireo, Lanivireo flavijrons (Vieillot) 3

Migrant Shrike, Lanus Ludovicianus migrans W. Palmer 2

Sparrow Hawk, Falco sparvireus sparvireus (Linn.) 2

Kingfisher, Ceryle alcyon (Linn. ) 2

Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Zamelodia ludoviciana (Linn.) 2

White-breasted Nuthatch, Sitta carolinensis carolinensis Latham 2

Great Horned Owl, Bubo virginianus virginianus (Gmelin) 1

Night Hawk, Chordeiles virginianus (Gmelin) 1

Horned Lark, Otocoris alpestris praticola Henshaw 1

Orchard Oriole, Icterus spurius (Linn.) 1

Prothonotary Warbler, Protonaria citrea (Boddaert) 1

Warbling Vireo, Vireo gilva gilva (Vieillot) 1

Bell's Vireo, Vireo belli belli Audobon 1

Mockingbird, Mimus polyglottus polyglottus (Linn.) 1

House Wren, Troglodytes aedon parkmani Audobon 1

Total species, 73; total male birds, 2,025.

CENSUS OF NESTING BIRDS 67

Since the census was taken, I have been able to add five
more species to the list of nesting birds in the Park, namely:

Broad-winged Hawk, Buteo platypterus (Vieillot) 1

Barn Owl, Stryx pratincola (Bonaparte) , 1

Goldfinch, Astragalinus tristis tristis (Linn.) 1

Grasshopper Sparrow, Ammodramus savannanim australis Maynard 1

Lark Sparrow, Chondestes grammacus grammacus (Say) 1

Total Species, 73 ; total Male Birds 2,025

Fig. 17 — Nest of Kentucky Warbler in Hazel Dell, Built in a Tussock
of Sedge With Galium and Other Weeds Entangled

In addition to these, a Blue Grosbeak, Guiraca caerulea
caerulea (Linn.) reared its brood a short distance east of the
Park during the summer of 1918, bringing the total species
that nest in the Park and immediate vicinity up to 78.

68 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

According to this estimate, there will average about one
and one-half male birds to the acre in the Park. Or, sup-
posing that each was mated, there would then be three adult
birds to the acre. But since numbers of the birds no doubt
escaped notice, we may grant two pairs or four birds to the
acre for the Park. Are conditions such that more could be
furnished with food and nesting places? What is the limit?
What determines the number? These are questions that are
difficult to answer. I cannot answer them, but I may venture
a few opinions.

The number of birds found in a certain locality is de-
termined by a combination of factors, and the dominant fac-
tor may be different in different regions and for different
species.

The alfalfa field and meadow of the Rifle Range in Sec-
tion Number 14, one of the most densely bird-populated re-
gions in the Park, could well furnish food and nesting places
for more birds than were found there. There seemed to be no
rivalry or conflict among the Dickcissels themselves, for two
males would be sitting only a few feet apart on the wire fence
singing happily and seemingly oblivious of each other's pres-
ence. Certainly there was shortage in the supply of weed
seed or grasshoppers for food. The Meadowlarks and the
Field Sparrows seemed to have no dispute concerning food or
nest. Why, then, will there not be double the number of Dick-
cissels and other birds next year, or at least an increase until
the limit has been reached?

In my opinion, the number of birds in this region of the
Park is kept in check by the interference of man; by their

CENSUS OF NESTING BIRDS 69

natural enemies, the birds and beasts of prey; and by the
weather conditions.

The grass of the meadow is cut at about the time the young
Dickcissels are hatching. The mower and the horse's hoofs
will crush many of the nests and following the mower comes
the rake to scratch up the nests. This is not quite so disastrous
to the Meadowlarks, for many of the Meadowlarks have left
the nest before the grass is cut.

The Meadowlarks and also the Dickcissels are sometimes
seriously disturbed by seasons of wet weather, for both these
species nest on the ground. This meadow is low and almost
swampy in rainy seasons and since the heaviest rains occur
about the time the Meadowlarks are hatching, in wet seasons,
no doubt many are drowned or chilled to death.

Add to these menaces the constant dangers and death rate
during migration, and it is doubtful if there will ever be any
increase in the number of birds in this region from year to
year. Should the number increase for a time, according to
the rules of balance in nature, their enemies would increase in
proportion until the normal number of birds was again
reached.

With some other species, and in some other part of the
Park the problem might be different. Many Chickadees were
found in the horseshoe bend of the Blue River in Section Num-
ber 10, yet more could probably find insect food in this moist
insect-breeding region than are there. Yet, there is not likely
to be any increase in numbers. In this case, the check would
probably be in the number of suitable nesting places, for the
Chickadee must depend upon natural cavities in the trees, such

70 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

at knot holes and deserted woodpecker's burrows for nesting
sites. Scarcity of food during times of ice and snow in winter
might be another check.

The number and distribution of birds with reference to
man is an interesting problem. Certain species, for reasons
unknown, shun the presence of man and seem to be unwilling
to modify their nesting habits. With the encroachments of
civilization these species are driven to more and more restrict-
ed areas, and are threatened with extinction. With others it
is the reverse, and they are rarely found far from human hab-
itation. This is indicated repeatedly in the report of the cen-
sus of the several sections in the Park.

On the whole, partial proximity to man seems to be
favorable. The bird population is denser in a residence com-
munity supplied with many trees and shrubs than it is in the
deep forests. More birds will be found along traveled coun-
try roads lined with trees and hedgerows than will be found
along the same length of forest path.

The ideal conditions that determine the numbers and dis-
tribution of the greater number of species of land birds seems
to be : First, presence of hiding places in the form of trees,
shrubs and other vegetation; second, proximity to man with
the protection afforded by his presence; third, provision for
nesting sites for those that nest only in cavities; such as the
Bluebird, Chickadee, Martin and Tufted Titmouse. A fourth
is the presence of food and water, which are usually sufficient-
ly available.

To increase our bird population, therefore, we should
plant trees, shrubs and vines about our homes; we should have

CENSUS OF NESTING BIRDS 71

hedgerows replace some of the wire fences on the farm, and
trees should line the highways. In extreme cases, we should
provide water and food. Then, in addition to these measures,
wherever possible, or wherever opportunity offers, as is the
case in Swope Park, we should leave some rather extensive
area undisturbed for the preservation of those species that are
too modest or too aristocratic to care to associate with man.
The English Sparrow has purposely been left out of this
discussion. It is a well known outlaw bird. There are hun-
dreds of them in the Park, especially about the Shelter House
and about the Zoo. They interfere with but few species of
other birds, arid this interference is chiefly in a struggle for
the nesting sites of such birds as the Bluebird, Purple Martin
and Wren. This interference, however, is so great that unless
we lend a hand and help in the struggle, the English Sparrows
will all but exterminate these more desirable birds from our
home premises.

18— Nest of Indigo Bird in Low Shrub of Bladdernut (Staphyica
trifolia.) Note the Cowbird's Eggs in the Nest.

WINTER BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK 73

WINTER BIRDS OF THE PARK

The shelter offered by the thickets and woods of the Park
especially along the rocky sheltered ravines, forms quite an
attraction for birds in the winter, and every year a few repre-
sentatives remain of a number of species that regularly go
farther south.

These stray winter residents include quite a number of
species that nest in the Park, such as the Robin, Bluebird,
Towhee, Mockingbird, Meadowlark, Red-headed Woodpecker.
It is impossible to tell whether those remaining for the winter
are individuals that nested in the Park, or whether they are
birds that nested farther north and in their migration south-
ward, got no farther than this latitude.

During the Christmas holidays of 1915-16, a flock of sev-
eral Bluebirds and Robins was found in the sheltered recesses
of Shiloh Hollow. They twittered contentedly in spite of the
fact that there were several inches of snow on the ground.

On January 1st, 1916, three Meadowlarks flew across the
street at the northwest corner of the Park. They were seen
again a week later, but the following week was very cold with
a coating of ice over all outdoors, and after this period of ten
degrees below zero, no more was seen of the Meadowlarks
until time for return migrants. The Robins and Bluebirds also
disappeared after this extreme cold.

The Mockingbird is reported here for the winter by Mr.

74 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

Smithson, of Warrensburg, Mo., and I have seen it repeatedly
myself during the winter, finding it on January 26, 1907, one
of the very cold days of the winter.

January 2, 1908, I saw and heard the Towhee in the shrub-
bery of the northwest part of the Park.

Flickers are to be found in the sheltered hollows of the
Park almost any day of the winter and Red-headed Wood-
packers are found occasionally during the winter. During
the winter of 1909 the Redheads came regularly to a chestnut
oak tree in my yard and gathered acorns, evidently eating
more than merely the worms found in the acorns.

The Kinglets are occasionally found with us during the
winter. I have found them in January of 1908 and also in
1916. --^f jp

Harris Sparrows, Song Sparrows and Lincoln Finches are
occasionally met with in the Park in the midst of winter. A
Harris Sparrow came regularly to a feeding box near my
window during the winter of 1916.

During the winter of 1916-17 and also the preceding
winter great flocks of Thick-billed Redwings (Agelains phoe-
niceus fortis) came down from the Northwest and congregated
by thousands along the Missouri River at night, and during;
the day spread out over the woods and fields of the surround-
ing country, many of them feeding in the Park.

Besides these rather irregular winter birds, the regular
winter residents are found. (See paragraph for species re-
corded). Juncos, Chickadees, Tree Sparrows and Titmice are
the most numerous of the species found in the Park during
winter.

WINTER BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK 75

The following have been reported for the Park at some
time during the winter months:

Mallard

Blue-winged Teal

Bob White

Mourning Dove

Marsh Hawk

Cooper's Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Bald Eagle

Sparrow Hawk

Barn Owl

Barred Owl

Screech Owl

Great Horned Owl

Kingfisher

Hairy Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Red-headed Woodpecker

Flicker

Red-winged Blackbird

Thick-billed Red-wing

Northern Red-wing

Meadowlark

Purple Finsh

Pine Siskin

Crossbill

Goldfinch

English Sparrow

Harris Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Tree Sparrow

Slate-colored Junco

Song Sparrow

Fox Sparrow

Towhee

Cardinal

Cedar Waxwing

Mockingbird

Carolina Wren

Winter Wren

Brown Creeper

White-breasted Nuthatch

Tufted Titmouse

Chickadee

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Robin

Bluebird

O

THRILLS OF MIGRATION 77

THRILLS OF MIGRATION.

During the spring migration of April and May, there
passes through the Park a great pageant of gaily colored,
vivacious singers and acrobatic performers. The perform-
ances are repeated day after day among the branches of the
trees and shrubs.

The stage is wonderfully set for the performance. A soft
velvet carpet of green is spread out over the ground; flowers
are scattered all about. There is a bright border of bloomin0
shrubs about the stage, really they form a part of the stage
itself. Here and there a tall tree forms a part of the setting,
and its branches reach up to the blue canopy overhead.

The performers come and go; new ones are continually
arriving. There is nothing tiresome, nothing monotonous. All
is activity and charm and grace. There is continuous music.

Some morning in early May, walk out among the red haw
trees and wild crab thicket in the northwest corner of the Park
and watch the visitors that come to the trees. On one such
memorable morning I found ten birds of seven different
species all in a single, spreading haw tree at one time. The
tree itself was very beautiful with its blossoms and green
leaves, but the presence of the birds made it all the more in-

78 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

teresting. A later inspection showed that it was badly infected
with plant lice as well as with canker worms, and the birds
were busy ridding it of these pests. Watch them as they dart
from one leafy spray to another, or as they stretch their necks
to pick a morsel from overhead. Again, they are seen tipping
upside down to reach a worm on a leaf below. Now close your
eyes and listen; the twittering is incessant. They are singing
the freshness of the morning dew and blossoms and green
leaves. Some have truly wonderful flute-like voices that may
in different keys, yet they harmonize both in tones and with
be heard far away, others are soft and sweet and can be heard
only when the bird is near at hand. The effect is truly won-
derful.

We who live in the suburbs and have a few trees in our
yards do not even need to go to the woods to see and hear the
Mayday performance. Fortunate, indeed, is one who at this
season of migration has a home with windows and a yard with
trees and shrubs; but he needs even more than this; he needs
the keen appreciation that alone can give charm to the pageant.
This appreciation is enhanced by an understanding of the
significance of the scene. The interest in the performance
grows by an acquaintance with the performers.

After some practice, one may know which birds are on
hand merely by hearing their voices. He may be awakened in
the morning by a new note and can tell what new membp-
have arrived during the night. How interesting to be on the
alert for new arrivals. What a disappointment if some favorite
happens to be delayed and arrives a few days late. During
this season the bird lover is consulting the time table daily,

THRILLS OF MIGRATION 79

comparing dates with previous years, and making records for
future comparison and reference. The days are too short.
Life's cup is too full. There is so much to live for, and so
much to see and do. Yet some people go through life not
knowing that anything unusual is happening. They have no
learned to play the game. How much they miss!

A trip through the Park during early May is of more
than interest to the bird lover. A most interesting diversion ic
to try to find the greatest possible number of bird species dur-
ing a single day, or during a single week or month — make a
"Day Record," or a "Week Record," or a "Month Record."
After one has gained a degree of proficiency in recognizing the
birds and knows their haunts, then, by starting at daybreak
and exploring one region after another it is possible, in early
May, to find seventy-five or more species in the Park during
a single day. During midwinter one does well to find as
many as twenty species in the Park during a single day's walk.

Certain birds seem to have favorite paths across country
for their migration routes. Shiloh Hollow, Hazel Dell and
Southeast Hollow of Swope Park are especially favorite paths
for a great number of land birds. This may be due to the
shelter of the forest, and to the food found in connection with
the vegetation along these valleys. However, certain species
are more numerous in certain hollows; for instance, Shiloh
Hollow is frequented by a large number of Parula and
Cerulean Warblers, while Buckeye Hollow is a more favorite
migration route for the Kentucky Warbler.

The thicket of wild crab and red haw trees in the north-
west corner of the Park furnish resting and feeding places for

80 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

great numbers of Tennessee Warblers, Nashville Warblers,
Yellow Warblers and others during their migration. The num-
bers are so great that it seems as though every leaf and twig
will have been inspected and cleaned of its insects. During
their brief visit they will destroy millions of devastating pests.
What a great blessing their semi-annual visit brings! We are
twice blest with their presence, blest with the work they do,
and blest with their enchanting grace and activity and song.

During autumn, also, but to a less noticeable extent, the
Park becomes the feeding place and resting place for in-
numerable birds. Their more quiet ways at this season, and
their more somber colors make them less conspicuous, and
only the bird student is aware that anything unusual is taking
place.

Swope Park is at no time any great resort for water fowl.
During migration, however, a number of Plovers, Sandpipers,
ducks and occasionally others, may be found along the Blue
River and the Park lakes. (See check list for species that hcvc
been recorded.)

It is very evident that during the erratic wanderings of
migration, almost every species of bird that passes along the
Missouri valley might at some time be found either resting in
the Park or at least flying over. Persistent, and careful ob-
servations at these seasons will surely add to the list of birds
of Swope Park.

Fig. 20 — Blue jay "Greedy"

Fig. 21 — Chickadee on the Window Ledge
Birds as Seen From the Window

Fig. 22— Red-Bellied Woodpecker, "Filling Up"

Fig. 23 — Downy Woodpecker at the Suet

Birds as Seen From the Window

&>

BIRDS ABOUT OUR HOMES 83

BIRDS ABOUT OUR HOMES.

A surprisingly great number of these birds of the Park
may be found about our homes and may even be seen from
our windows. From my window one morning in early May I
counted twenty-seven species of birds within an hour. During
the whole season I have seen as many as eighty species from
my home, and twenty-one species have nested in rny yard
within the past five years, though not all in one season. The
yard is a city lot 100 by 270 feet. I do not consider this num-
ber of birds about the home to be especially remarkable, but
mention it merely as an indication of what might be expected
under moderately favorable conditions.

The birds whose ecological habits impel them to seek
the shelter of shrubs and shade trees of our yards, have already
been mentioned in the preceeding pages. They are the birds
that are found about the Shelter House and the Park Zoo, and
in other frequented portions of the Park. It might be well,
however, to enumerate them again with some comment on their
nesting habits, and on the means for attracting them to our
homes.

Birds are free to come and go. They move about at will,
and they will go where conditions are favorable and where

84 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

the surroundings are in accordance with their instincts. It we
want them about our homes we must meet, in a measure at
least, their requirements of food and water, nesting sites and
protection from enemies.

We are especially anxious to have the birds with us during
the summer as nesting birds for it is then that they are of most
economic value and of most aesthetic interest. If we provide
suitable environment in the way ^of hiding places, and food
and water, we may have a surprisingly great number with us
throughout the summer. Hiding places for their nests is of
first importance.

For the Catbird, Brown Thrasher, Chipping Sparrow and
Mourning Dove we must have a tangle of low bushy shrubs and
trees if we would tempt these most valuable birds to be with
us throughout the summer. The Cardinal, the Summer Tana-
ger, Bell's Vireo, Mockingbird and Wood Thrush also nest in
shrubs and low trees, and occasionally come to our yards to
rear their broods.

Other birds prefer larger trees.' The Robin prefers eithe *
the larger forked branches of trees, or else a cornice of the
house or any broad surface for a platform upon which to place
his mud-lined nest. The Crackle and the Blue Jay sometimes
come to our lawns and select the higher branches of tall trees
for their nesting places. The Baltimore Oriole suspends its nest
far out on the drooping branches. The Orchard Oriole a^1
the Rose-breasted Grosbeak and Warbling Vireo also prefer
trees for their nesting sites. I have had the Robin, Bluebird,
Bronze Crackle, Baltimore Oriole all nesting in a single big
elm tree in my yard during the same season.

BIRDS ABOUT OUR HOMES 85

The Bluebird, House Wren and Purple Martin must have
nesting boxes supplied for them. The Red-headed Wood-
pecker, Flicker, Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker and Crested
Flycatcher will be pleased to take up their abode near our
homes providing they can find a dead stub, or a telephone
pole in which to chisel out their home; or, in the case of thr
Chickadee and the Crested Flycatcher, find a cavity already
chiseled out. Again, we may be of some help by providing
cavities for these birds, but the cavity must be carefully pat-
terned after the bird's owrn design.

The Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Screech Owl, Sparrow Hawk,
Tufted Titmouse, Indigo Bunting and Phoebe occasionally
nest near our homes. In fact there are occasional instances of
quite a number of other birds that may nest in our very door
yards, but they are unusual, and their presence is due to
especially favorable conditions. In this, and other comments,
I am referring to the Kansas City region.

During winter the Chickadees, Titmice, Woodpeckers,
Nuthatches, Cardinals and Blue Jays come in from the woods.
They are hunting for food, and instinctively know that they
may find stray crumbs and other delicacies about our houses.
If they are not disappointed, and if they find a bunch of suet
and a fewr cracked nuts, they will soon return and become
regular pensioners. Still, they pay for their hand-out, for
they vary their diet of suet and crumbs with insect eggs and
larvae that they find in the trees and shrubs about the place.

With these resident birds will come a number of winter
visitors from the north to share in the feast. Juncos and
Tree Sparrows are the most numerous, but occasionally

86 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

Harris's Sparrows and White Crowned Sparrows and Song

Sparrows and Brown Creepers will be seen.

If we succeed in attracting the birds to our homes by
feeding them in the winter, we have made a good beginning,
and if nesting places are available, some will stay with us
throughout the summer.

In addition to the nesting sites, we should add nesting
material. Do not forget to have various kinds of strings and
fiber left in bunches here and there about the yard. I attribute
a Warbling Vireo's nest in my yard to be due largely to a
bunch of tow left hanging in a clump of bushes. A handful

Fig. 24 — A Good Way to Attract Birds to the Home in the Summer
Is to Provide a Bird Bath

BIRDS ABOUT OUR HOMES 87

of bright colored yarn hung up in the bushes was seized upon
by the Baltimore Oriole five minutes after it was put out for
their use.

The presence of birds about the home depends, in part
at least, on the presence of trees and shrubs. The presence
of trees and shrubs depends to a considerable extent on the
size of the yard and the density of population. Therefore
there are fewer birds in the thickly settled residence sections
of a city than there are in the thinly settled districts; more-
over, there are usually more about the country, or village
home than about the city home.

The protection afforded by man will attract a greater
bird population about our homes than is found along the
roadside, or even in the woods thicket. A census of summer
birds taken in Lawrence, Kansas, during the summer of 1916.
showed a greater number of species and of individuals in the
thinly settled residence section of the town than were found
along a country road lined with trees and bushes.

The census was taken by walking along the street and
noting the birds to be seen and heard, keeping careful check
on both species and on numbers. Approximately the same
distance was traveled in each case. This tends to prove that
if other conditions are favorable, birds prefer the companion-
ship and protection offered by man.

88 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

CONSERVATION OF BIRDS.

Birds are beset by enemies on every hand. Around our
homes they are disturbed by man, who picks the roses and
lilacs, or prunes the vines and bushes that hide the nests of
his feathered friends; frightening the old birds, and often,
unwittingly, shaking the eggs or the young out of the nest.
Roaming cats sneak up onto the nests in the early twilight,
or in the daytime stalk the old birds. The young birds that
have just left the nest are the easiest victims, and but few
escape.

Out in the woods, the hawrks and owls and squirrels and
crows are more numerous. They are always hungry and al-
ways hunting. It is a case of wit against wit, or, perhaps we
should say, instinct against instinct; instinct of self preserva-
tion and care of young, pitted against instinct of food secur-
ing: maternal love against pangs of hunger. It is a ceaseless
round of kill or be killed; eat or die of starvation.

On the whole, it is all for the best. The ceaseless strug-
gle for existence becomes a weeding out process in which the
weaker go first, leaving the stronger; the ones with most
highly developed instinct; the ones most concealingly colored;

CONSERVATION OF BIRDS 89

the ones with greatest endurance to survive and become the
ancestors of the next generation.

All would go well enough were it not for man's interfer-
ence. But man in his might, with his weapons and his tools,
and his progress in "Civilization" interfere half wittingly,
half unwittingly; half carelessly and half unavoidably, and
disturbs the balance of nature. As a result, some inferior
species of animals, like cats and squirrels and English Spar-
rows, Crackles, Cowbirds and Jays are permitted to increase
in undue proportion, while the hiding places, and the last
retreats of the more valuable ground nesting birds, as well as
tree dwellers, are destroyed, leaving them without nesting
places for reproduction, and without hiding places from their
enemies.

Man in his economy, pastures the woods, and the nests of
the Ovenbird, Kentucky Warbler, Water Thrush, Indigo
Bunting, Bell's Vireo, White-eyed Vireo, Blue-wing Warbler,
Towhee and Yellow Throat are destroyed; as a result, there
are more canker worms and bark beetles and aphides than for-
merly. He cuts the meadow and destroys the nests of the
Field Sparrow7, the Dickcissel, the Meadowlark and the Grass-
hopper Sparrow, and then remarks that the "Grasshoppers and
cutworms are very bad this year."

For a time the old rail fence corners, with their black-
berry vines and tall grasses gave shelter to many birds that
went foraging for insects in the nearby fields. With a scarcity
of timber, the rail fence was replaced by long rows of Osage
Orange hedge fences. These were sometimes neglected, and
then became the very finest of homes for the Cardinals,

90 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

Cuckoos, Vireos, Thrashers and Catbirds, but even here the
birds were not without their enemies, for the Shrikes made
good use of the hedge thorns for holding young birds, as well
as mice, while they picked the delicate morsels to bits. The
graceful, gliding Blue-racer Blacksnake hid in the tall weeds
and when field mice grew scarce, would climb up among the
branches of the shrubs, find the eggs and young birds in the
nest, and swallow them whole, quite unconcerned over the
frantic cries and paralyzed fear of the parents.

But the hedge rows took up too much of the valuable
prairie cornfield, so the hedge was pulled up by the roots;
the weeds and bushes were plowed up, and a neat, straight,
wire fence has taken the place of the bird-arbor hedge. No
place here for the birds to hide!

The results are not quite so tragic, however, as the fore-
going would seem to imply. More and more, through the in-
fluence of literature and lectures and schools and societies,
the economic value of birds is being presented to the public.
Slowly, but surely, the lessons are being learned, and just as
surely as they are comprehended, will there be results in the
way of efforts to attract birds about the home, and in the pro-
tection of others that prefer to stay in the fields and woods.

This campaign for bird conservation is but begun, which
means that much remains to be done. Tha lessons have not
yet been sufficiently impressed, and we still find yards with-
out shrubs or vines. Cats are still turned out to hunt their
food as best they can. There is an almost universal absence
of drinking fountains and bathing pools for the birds, and

CONSERVATION OF BIRDS 91

little effort is made to. provide nesting boxes for those most
valuable birds that build only in cavities.

We need more trees and shrubs about the home, more
hedgerows on the farm, and more bird sanctuaries in all parts
of the country.

The English Sparrow has usurped the premises about our
homes, and in many respects it is a useful bird. We are loathe
to acknowledge its value, but just watch it during canker-worm
time. In spite of its usefulness, it deserves our ill will, and
merits our attempts at extermination. Its bad habits out-
weigh its usefulness, for it tends to destroy that nicely ad-
justed balance of nature.

Although it eats a few insects when insects abound, yet
its chief food is either of negligible economic importance to
us, being pickings from the street litter and from the garbage
can, or else its feeding habits may be seriously destructive as
when it visits the garden, not for worms, but for the tender
leaves of peas and lettuce just coming out of the ground.

It destroys the balance of life by usurping the nesting
places of more valuable birds, such as the Purple Martin, Eve-
Swallow, House Wren, Bluebird, Chickadee and the Wood-
peckers. The Purple Martin and the Eve-Swallow have be-
come almost extinct in many regions because of the vicious
rivalry of the English Sparrow. It destroys the balance of life
by driving away insectivorus birds, and thus permitting the
insects to multiply beyond their proper bounds.

Yet, we are really to blame. We introduced the English
Sparrow into the country, and now that it has proved itself to
be a pest, we still permit it to nest about our premises.

92 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

It is a comparatively small matter for the home owner to
prevent any English Sparrow from raising a brood on his own
premises. If all should do this for a few years, the problem
would be solved. The few interested families, however, can-
not destroy all the sparrow nests for the whole neighborhood,
and it thus becomes almost useless to bother with the few nests
on his own premises. It should be a finable offense to permit
English Sparrows to nest on the premises.

Another way to solve the English Sparrow problem is to
poison them during the winter with Strychnia sulphate. Farm-
er's Bulletin, Number 493, of the Department of Agriculture,
gives good directions for doing this.

Next to the English Sparrow, the Robin is the most numer-
ous bird about our homes. The nesting of the Robin is not
disturbed by the English Sparrow, and they have thus had op-
portunity to multiply undisturbed save by the cats.

The Robin is valuable, but of hardly the economic value
of the Purple Martin or of the Bluebird. The latter feed upon
a greater variety of noxious insects and are not destructive to
fruit. The Robin is destructive to fruit and feeds largely on
angle worms from the ground. The destruction of the angle
worms is of questionable value.

If we would only provide suitable nesting boxes and then
eliminate the English Sparrow, there is no reason why Blue-
birds and Purple Martins should not be as numerous as are
English Sparrows and Robins.

Fig. 25— The Lake of the Woods

THE MORNING AWAKENING 95

THE MORNING AWAKENING.

During the month of June, 1919, I kept a number of
records of the time of awakening of the birds in the morning
about my home. The records were made by listening to the
first call notes and songs of the respective birds.

The time of beginning varied slightly according to the
temperature, and the cloudiness of the sky. They were about
ten minutes later in awakening on a cold cloudy morning than
on a clear, warm morning. There was also a slight variation
in the order of their singing, but this also was quite uniform
if an average of several mornings were taken.

The following record for June 13, a clear, warm morn-
ing, is a good indication of the time and the order in which
they first indicated their morning activities.

The Mockingbird and the Yellow-billed Cuckoo were
heard at various hours of the night. The Mockingbird was
singing at 3 :00 A. M., Standard time, which at Kansas City
is 18 minutes faster than sun time.

At 3 :35 the first Robin was heard. It was two blocks
away. Another, nearer bird, soon took up the refrain and in
three minutes a half dozen could be heard in various direc-
tions.

The Kingbird began twittering as he flew high in the air
after insects at 3 :42.

94 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

The Catbird began scolding before he began singing.
The first scolding note was heard at 3 :55. The song began a
few minutes later. The Catbird was followed at 4:00 by the
Wood Thrush.

At 4:01 the Brown Thrasher uttered a few faint notes,
but it was off season for the Thrasher. During April he is an
early riser and may even be heard singing at any hour of the
night.

The Mourning Dove was next, at 4 :05. In one of the
records, the dove was the second bird to be heard. It always
came early in the list.

The Baltimore Oriole sang at 4:07 and the House Wren
began at 4:15. There was no stopping the House Wren, once
he had begun. He sang so loudly and so persistently and so
near at hand that I had some difficulty in hearing the other
birds.

The Flicker uttered a few notes at 4:22, but the Flicker
and also the Red-headed Woodpecker were rather quiet at
this season of the year, for both were quite busy with their
young. In fact I saw the Red-head fly past before I heard
him utter a single call note.

At 4 :23 the Crested Flycatcher began his harsh shrieking.
The Towhee followed at 4:26; the Chickadee at 4:28, and the
Redheaded Woodpecker gave his first sound at 4:30. A sin-
gle Crow began cawing at 4 :30.

A Warbling Vireo that has a nest in one of my elm trees
began its very beautiful song at 4:30^. The Vireo's song
seemed to waken the other birds that nest in the same tree,

96 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

and at 4:38 the Orchard Oriole sang, followed at 4 :39!/2 by

the Bronze Crackle.

At 4 :40 the first Meadowlark was heard over in the Park.
Had I been closer to the Meadowlarks I might have heard
them earlier.

By this time the Robins and Catbirds and Orioles had
quieted down and there was a decided lull in the great morn-
ing chorus. Later in the morning the various choristers
started their songs again, but never with the persistence nor
volume that characterized the first awakening chorus.

The first English Sparrow was heard at 4:44; the Chirp-
ing Sparrow at 4:44; the Blue Jay at 4:44^. Chimney
Swifts were first heard at 4 :55

The last bird to begin singing about the home this morn-
ing was the Bell's Vireo, which did not begin until 5 :05, an
hour and a half after the first Robin was heard.

The morning chorus of birds about our homes is superior
to that in the deeper woods. There may be a greater variety
of notes and calls and of birds in the woods, but the relative
number of musical bird voices is greater about the home than
it is in the secluded portions of the forest.

The night of June 22d, 1919, was spent on the Rifle
Range of the Park. I wanted to hear the sequence of morning
bird calls out in the woods and compare with those about
home.

Mr. Walter Cunningham, a good bird student, kept me
company during the night, and rendered valuable assistance
in the morning in helping to check up on certain birds in the
open meadow, while I gave my attention to the bordering
dense woods.

THE MORNING AWAKENING

97

There was no difficulty in keeping awake. The mosquitoes
and the chiggers were in hand in such force that I came very
nearly giving up, and was just ready to return home when we
found relief by going into an old abandoned amunition house.
The windows and doors were all smashed in, but the walls and
roof and concrete floor were there.

We built a fire on the concrete floor and smothered it
with green grass. The smoke rolled up and chased the
mosquitoes away, and we stretched out on the floor below the
smoke and in comparative comfort.

Whippoorwills sang intermittently all night long, but
they were especially demonstrative in the early morning from
3 :00 to 4 :00.

The morning chorus was opened at 3 :34 (Standard time)
by a scolding Blue Jay, which made a rather discordant be-
ginning. The Yellow-breasted Chat was second at 3 :25. His
sudden, broken outbursts could scarcely be called musical, nor
could the caw of the Crow at 3 :26.

The following other birds were heard from our station :

Purple Martin 3:23

Indigo Bunting 3 :25

Tufted Titmouse 3 :48

Wood Peewee 4:03

Crested Flycatcher 4:12

Phoebe 4:17

Wood Thrush 4:18

Cardinal 4:19

Scarlet Tanager 4:20

Kentucky Warbler 4:20

Downy Woodpecker 4:30

(Drumming, but no chirp)
Chickadee 4:35

Redstart 4:35V2

House Wren 4:43

Red-eyed Vireo 4:43V2

Louisiana Water Thrush. . .4:43%

Bluebird 4:48

Yellow-throated Vireo 4:54

Carolina Wren 4:58

Cowbird 5:03

White-breasted Nuthatch. . .5:04

Maryland Yellowthroat 5:06

Hariy Woodpecker 5 :14

(Was seen at 4:46, but was
quiet and inactive at that time.)

98 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

The last Whippoorwill note was heard at 4:20, and a
Great-horned Owl uttered a note at 4:31.

The sun rose at 5 :53, sun time, which for Kansas City, is
18 minutes slower than Standard time.

Both of the above records were made after the mating
season, when the birds are less inclined to sing. Practically
all of them would now have young in the nest, at which time
the birds are most likely to sing only at the time of their first
morning activities. Most of them soon quiet down, however,
and for the rest of the day they sing only occasionally.

Just previous to mating, the birds may be heard singing
at all hours, though even then they are more musical in morn-
ing and early forenoon. During this early part of the season,
there would not be the striking contrast in bird songs between
the regions about home and the unfrequented woodland, that
there is later in the season, for in the migrating season, the
birds that nest about our homes are common also in the woods
and many of those that nest in the woods might also be found
about our homes.

BIRDS DEFINITELY REPORTED FOR SWOPE PARK.

In the list that follows I shall include only those birds for
which positive data is obtainable. In most cases the birds included
in the list have been personally observed in the Park. In cases in
which the bird has not been observed by myself, but is reported by
other observers, credit is given the one furnishing the information.

LIST OF BIRDS IN THE PARK 99

Note:

"r," resident bird during the entire year.
"sr" resident during the summer only, or rarely otherwise.
"wr" resident during the winter only, or rarely otherwise.
"tr," transient, found only during migratoin.
Pied-billed Grebe, Podilymbus podiceps (Linn) tr. This

is an unusual bird to be found in the Park. Mr. Harry Harris
reports having seen one on the Lake of the Woods.

Franklin's Gull, Larus franklini Richardson tr. Al-
though more common along the Missouri River bottom,
Franklin's Gull sometimes wander over to the Lagoon and
Lake of the Woods. Mr. Walter Cunningham furnishes me
with a record for the Lagoon, Sept. 1916.

Common Tern, Sterna hirundo Linn tr. A flock of
fifteen Common Terns was reported by Harry Harris who saw
them in the Park during migration.

Black Tern, Hydrochelidon nigra surinamensis (Game-
lin) tr. and occasionally sr. Three of these birds were report-
ed on the Lagoon June, 1917, by Walter Cunningham.

Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos Linn tr. It is not uncom-
mon to find a number of these ducks resting on the Lagoon
and on the Lake of the Woods during the migration season.

Baldpate, Mareca americana (Gmelin) tr. The Baldpate
is rather uncommon at any season, but several were seen on
the Lagoon Feb. 22, 1917.

Green-winged Teal, Nettion carolinense (Gmelin) tr.
Although a common migrant, the Green-winged Teal is not
common in the Park. The record was furnished by Mr.
Harris.

Blue- winged Teal, Querquedula discors (Linn) tr. It is
not unusual to find these duck in the Park during migration.

100 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

Shoveller, Spatula clypeata (Linn) tr. These birds are
occasionally seen on the Lagoon in the migration season at
times when the weather is unfavorable for the visiting crowds
of people.

Pintail, Dafila actua tzilzihoa Vieillot tr. This is one of
the more common visiting ducks of the Park. It is not un-
common to find them feeding in the Lagoon in early morn-
ing before they are disturbed.

Lesser Scaup Duck, Marila af finis (Eyton) tr. Uncom-
mon for the Park. One was seen in the Park April 25, 1914,
by Ralph Hoffman.

Bittern, Botaurus lentiginosus (Montagu) tr. The only
available record for the Park is dated April 19, 1916, when
one was seen in the marshy tract bordering the Park north of
the Lagoon.

Great Blue Heron, Ardea herodias herodias Linn tr.
This Heron does not breed in the Park and is an unusual
visitor. One was seen fishing in the Blue River in 1910.

Green Heron, Butorides virescens virescens (Linn) sr.
The Green Heron very probably nests in the Park as it is found
quite regularly along the Blue River during the summer
months.

Coot, Fulca americana Gmelin tr., occasional sr., but
not in the Park. Though abundant elsewhere during migra-
tion, Coots are not often seen in the Park.

Woodcock, Philohela minor (Gmelin) tr. Woodcock are
now very rare in this region. One was seen in Shiloh Hollow
by Walter Cunningham who found it probing for food in the
soft earth by the stream.

LIST OF BIRDS IN THE° PARK 101

Wilson's Snipe, Gallinago delicata (Ord) Ir. There are
only a few records of this bird for the Park. It is now un-
common.

Yellow-legs, Totanus flavipes (Gmelin) tr. Yellow-legs
may occasionally be found wading along the edge of the
Lagoon during migration. Mr. Harris furnishes me with
definite records for the Park.

Solitary Sandpiper, Helodromas solitaries solitarius
(Wilson) tr. This wader is much less common than the next;
one was seen on the Lagoon May 7, 1916.

Upland Plover, Bartramia longicanda Bechstein tr. Mr.
Harris flushed an Upland Plover from the open place near
the Shelter Pavillion April, 1920, and also saw five speci-
men on the Rifle Range April, 1920.

Spotted Sandpiper, Actitis macularius Linn tr. These
birds are quite frequently found along the water ways in the
Park during the spring and autumn. They add an interesting
touch of wildness to the woody banks of the Blue River.

Killdeer, Oxyechus vociferus (Linn) tr. and sr. The
Killdeer does not nest in the Park, but it is not uncommon to
hear its clear, ringing notes as it flies over the Park during
migration.

Bob- white, Colinus virginianus virginianus (Linn) r.
Even the restrictions of the Park do not enable the Bob-white
to multiply. The gunners will slip in regardless of guards,
and the inspiring call of "Bob-white," is very rarely heard. A
pair raised their brood in a vacant lot bordering the Park in
1916, but the gunners and their dogs located the covey, and
none survived to add to the joys of life for the next season.

102 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

Mourning Dove, Zenaidura macroura calolinensis (Linn)
ST. Mourning Doves are quite common in the Park, especially
among the scattered red haw trees along the driveways.

Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura septentrionalis Wied
sr. These big birds may be seen any day during summer,
soaring about over the south part of the Park. Quite a num-
ber nest in the crevices of the rock ledges.

Marsh Hawk, Circus Hudsonicus (Linn) tr. and wr.
Marsh Hawks probably do not nest in the Park, but occasion-
ally use it as a hunting ground. Some time ago I watched two
of these fine hawks give a beautiful demonstration of their
hunting tactics in the region of the Lagoon. They were evi-
dently hunting for meadow mice in the grass of the meadow.

Sharp-shinned Hawk, Accipiter velox (Wilson) tr and sr.
These hawks are fortunately uncommon in the Park. In the
early spring of 1909 I watched one trying to prey upon a
covey of quail among the bushes of the nursery.

Cooper's Hawk, Accipiter coo peri (Bonaparte) sr. and wr.
This is the more common hawk found in the Park during the
summer months. It nests in the tree tops of the more secluded
portions of the Park.

Red-tailed Hawk, Buteo borealis borealis (Gmelin) r.
It is quite common to see these beautiful big hawks sailing
gracefully about high in the air over the Park during migra-
tion. Sometimes their clear, ringing notes are heard. I have
one winter record.

Red-shouldered Hawk, Buteo lineatus lineatus (Gmelin)
r. This fine hawk no doubt comes to the Park during some
of its wanderings after food, but the records that I have are

LIST OF BIRDS IN THE PARK 103

always followed by a question mark, indicating that the identi-
fication was unsatisfactory.

Broad-winged Hawk, Buteo platypterus, (Viellot) sr. A
Broad-winged Hawk nests near the Blue River west of the
Rifle Range. Occasionally others are seen flying about over
the Park. It is not altogether easy to distinguish it from
Cooper's Hawk, which also nests in the Park.

Rough-legged Hawk, Archibuteo lagopus sancti-johannis
(Gmelin) wr. This fine hawk is not so frequent in the Park
as it is in the prairie sections of the country. A record for the
Park was furnished by Mr. Harris.

Bald Eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus leucocephalus
(Linn) tr. It is very unusual, in these days, to see a Bald
Eagle in this part of the country. Mr. Ralph Hoffman saw
one of these magnificent birds by the Lake of the Woods, and
during the winter of 1919-20, one was repeatedly seen in the
Missouri bottoms near the mouth of the Big Blue River.

Pigeon Hawk, Falco columbarius columbarius Linn tr.
This is another one of the uncommon birds for this region.
One was found in the Park in the spring of 1918 by Mr.
Harry Harris.

Sparrow Hawk, Falco sparverius sparverius Linn sr.
This beautiful falcon is the most common "Hawk" of the
Park. It nests in the Park and also in the adjacent territory.
During the summer of 1914 one nested in a bird box in my
yard.

Osprey, Pandion, halaetus carolinensis (Gmelin) tr. The
Fish Hawk occasionally is seen flying about over the lakes in
the Park. I have two authentic records.

104 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

Barn Owl, Aluco pratincola (Bonaparte) r. So quiet is
this night hunter that it is possibly more common than we
think. Walter Cunningham reports one as a summer bird for
the Park, finding it in Section Number 10.

Barred Owl, Strix varia varia Barton r. No doubt this
bird breeds in the Park, but my records are all for spring and
winter. It is not uncommon to hear their demoniacal "song,"
during the warm evenings of early spring.

Screech Owl, Otus asio asio (Linn) r. Screech Owls are
rather common all about the Park as is indicated by their
calls during spring time. One regularly spends its winter
days in a bird box in my yard.

Great Horned Owl, Bubo virginianus virginianus (Gmelin)
r. A few of these big fellows keep company with the Barred
Owls in the deeper woods of the Park.

Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Coccjzus americanus americanus
(Linn) sr. Yellow-billed Cuckoos are quite common in all
portions of the Park, though not very noticeable because of
their quiet ways.

Black-billed Cuckoo, Coccjzus erylhrophthalmus (Wil-
son) tr. This bird is quite uncommon in this region. It has
been reported near the Park and no doubt occurs in the Park
during migration; perhaps more common than we think be-
cause of the difficulty of distinguishing it from the Yellow-
billed Cuckoo.

Belted Kingfisher, Ceryle alcyon (Linn) sr. During sum-
mer a few Kingfishers plunge for fish along the Blue River
and occasionally one may find their burrow in the bank. I
have two records of the bird as a winter resident of the Park.

LIST OF BIRDS IN THE PARK 105

One nested in Section Number 10, during the summer of 1919.

Hairy Woodpecker, Dry abates villosus villosus (Linn) r.
The Hairy Woodpecker is common in the wilder parts of the
Park and may also be found in the more frequented portions,
especially during winter when it comes to our door yards.

Downy Woodpecker, Dry abates pubescens medianus
(Swainson) r. This delightful bird is common everywhere
in the Park, but especially so in the woods of the hill slopes.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Sphyrapicus varius varius
(Linn) tr. Comparatively few people ever see this beautifully
marked woodpecker. Even the regular bird student jots down
a memorandum upon finding it. It is reported for the Park
in April and also in December.

Northern Pileated Woodpecker, Philoeotomus pileatus al-
bieticola (Bangs). Some years ago these large, beautiful
woodpeckers were no doubt qute common in the Park. I have
one record by Mr. John Scott in 1910. Unfortunately it is no
longer found here.

Red-headed Woodpecker, Melanerpes erythrocephalus
(Linn) sr. Red-heads are very common in the frequented
parts of the Park during summer, and nearly every year a few
may be found spending the winter in the shelter of the woods.

Red-bellied Woodpecker, Centurus carolinus (Linn) r.
The Red-bellied or Guinea Woodpecker is fairly common in
the deeper woods of the Park during summer. In winter it
frequently leaves the woods and takes its turn at the suet
and scraps in our dooryards.

Northern Flicker, Colaptes auratus luteus Bangs r. The
Flicker is very common during migration and quite a few

106 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

are found in the Park throughout the summer. It is more
common in the open groves about the picnic grounds than in
the denser woods. A few are usually to be found during the
winter.

Chuck-will's widow, Antrostomus carolinensis (Gmelin)
tr. A very unusual record for this bird was obtained May 3,
1918, when one came to my yard at dusk and repeatedly sang
his name. I had a fairly good view of the bird as it flew.
This is the only record for this bird in this region.

Whippoorwill, Antrostomus vociferus (Wilson) sr. Be-
ginning in the middle of April and continuing throughout
May, the Whippoorwill is very noticeable around the Lake of
the Woods and the country to the east because of its loud
ringing notes. They may be heard intermittently throughout
the night, continuing till daybreak.

Nighthawk, Chordeiles virginianus virginianus (Gmelin)
sr. Great droves of Nighthawks may be seen sweeping the
air over the golf links during the migration period of early
May and again in late September. During the summer months
they are rarely seen in the Park, though a few nest along the
rocky bluffs.

The sub-species of Western Nighthawk and Sennet's
Nighthawk have also been observed in the migrating crowds.

Chimney Swift, Chaetura pelagica (Linn) sr. Chimney
Swifts are common about the Pavillion and wherever there
are unused chimneys. They arrive early in April and remain
until early October.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Archilochus colubris
(Linn) sr. About the time the Buckeye trees come into bloom

LIST OF BIRDS IN THE PARK 107

in the latter part of April, one may find Hummingbirds in
the Park; some are here to stay and build their lichen covered
cup-shaped nests where few people ever find them.

Kingbird, Tyrannus tyrannus (Linn) sr. The first King-
bird's notes are heard in the Park about the last week in April.
It is more common about dwellings and in the places fre-
quented by man than in secluded regions.

Crested Flycatcher, Myiarchus crinitus (Linn) sr. The
Crested Flycatchers arrive with the Kingbirds and add their
harsh shrieks to the discordant cries of the latter. They are
more common in the frequented parts of the Park.

Phoebe, Sayornis phoebe (Latham) sr. There are a few
places in the Park, along the rocky ledges and culverts, where
the Phoebes return year after year to nest. They come early
in March and stay until middle October.

Wood Peewee, Myiochanes virens (Linn) sr. Not until
about May 10th are the first plaintive notes of "Pee-ah-wee"
heard in the Park. From that time on the bird may be heard
in all of the woods portions of the Park.

Acadian Flycatcher, Empidonax virescens (Vieillot) sr.
This interesting flycatcher is known by comparatively few of
the people who visit the Park, for it takes up its abode in the
deeper woods, and its quiet ways and modest plumage makes
it inconspicuous.

Least Flycatcher, Empidonax minimus (W. H. an S. F.
Baird) tr. Chebecs are quite common throughout the Park
during the early part of May but doubtless none remain dur-
ing the summer.

Prairie Horned Lark, Otocoris alpestris practicola Hen-

108 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

shaw r. Horned Larks are found sparingly in the Park,
though common enough in the prairie country near by. Oc-
casionally one nests on the golf courses.

Bljue Jay, Cyanocitta cristata cristata (Linn) r. Blue Jays
are to be found in all parts of the Park at all times of the
year, though they are more numerous in the parts frequented
by human beings.

Crow, Corvus brachjrhjnchos brack yrhynchos Brehm
r. There is never a day during which crows may not be seen
flying about over the Park, but they nest only in the more
secluded portions.

Bobolink, Dolichonyx oryzivorus (Linn) tr. These
birds are all too uncommon with us, even during migration.
We would be glad to see more of them and be delighted with
their songs. My Park record includes only two male birds
that I saw and heard sing in a red haw tree in the northwest
corner of the Park, May 11, 1919.

Cowbird, Molothrus ater ater (Boddaert) sr. Cowbirds
are all too common throughout the Park. Scarcely a nest of
vireo or warbler or bunting can be found that does not have
one or two Cowbird eggs in it.

Red-winged Blackbird, Agelaius phoenicius phoenicius
(Linn) sr and occasional r. These birds are very numerous
during migration and sometimes great flocks are seen dur-
ing winter. Few, if any, nest in the Park.

Thick-billed Red-wing, Agelaius phoenicius fortis, Ridg-
way wr. During the winter of 1917 thousands of these north-
western Red-wings spent part of the winter months in the
Park. This was unusual.

LIST OF BIRDS IN THE PARK 109

Northern Red-wing, Agelaius phoeniceus arctolegus Ober-
holser tr and wr. This sub-species also occurs sometimes in
great numbers during migration.

Meadowlark, Sturnella magna magna (Linn) sr. A very
common bird in the open places in the Park. It is not unusual
to find a few spending the winter with us. By the middle of
March their songs are heard in all directions.

Western Meadowlark, Sturnella neglacta Audobon tr.
The Western Meadowlark is occasionally heard singing dur-
ing the migration season, and is easily identified by its melodi-
ous note with its unique ending.

Orchard Oriole, Icterus spurius (Linn) sr. The Orchard
Oriole is rare for Swope Park, but quite common in the resi-
dence district bordering the Park. They prefer the trees and
orchards about our homes.

Baltimore Oriole, Icterus galbula (Linn) sr. Baltimore
Orioles are also more common in residence districts than else-
where. Only a few were found in the Park, and these occurred
in the more frequented portions.

Rusty Blackbird, Euphagus carolinus (Muller) tr. A
few birds of this species are usually found associated with the
flocks of the next during migration. They evidently occur in
the Park.

Bronzed Crackle, Quiscalus quiscala aenue Ridgway
sr. Great numbers of these Crackles occur during migration,
and they are also rather numerous during summer in those
regions of the Park that are used for picnic parties.

Purple Finch, Carpodacus purpureus purpureus (Gmelin)
tr. Occasionally flocks of these beautiful birds are found in

110 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

the Park during winter, but they are more abundant during
the very early spring. They are often found feeding on the
fruit of the buckbush (Symphoricarpos) .

Crossbill, Loxia curvirostra minor (Brehm) wr. Cross-
bills are not infrequently found in the Park during winter,
where they feed not on their favorite food of pine seeds, but
on seeds of wild sunflower. They are most easily identified
at a distance by their darting flight and by their wild, clear
notes.

Goldfinch, Astragalinus tristis tristis (Linn) r. Gold-
finches are found throughout the Park, though not at all
numerous during the summer. They are most abundant about
the time the elm seeds begin to ripen when their twittering
chorus from the tops of the trees gives a most pleasing effect.

Pine Siskin, Spinus pinus (Wilson) tr. Siskins are rather
uncommon here, though flocks of a dozen or more may be
found in early spring feeding on the elm seeds in company
with the Goldfinches.

English Sparrow, Passer domesticus (Linn) These
troublesome birds are quite a nuisance about the Pavillions
and the Zoo, but fortunately do not interfere with the majority
of the Park birds.

Lapland Longspur, Calcarius lapponicus lapponicus
(Linn) wr. Although the Lapland Longspur is not recorded
as yet within the absolute boundaries of the Park, they are
found at times in considerable numbers in the open country
to the west, and no doubt also come to the Park.

Vesper Sparrow, Pooectes gramineus gramineus (Gmelin)
tr. This bird is probably fairly common in the Park during

LIST OF BIRDS IN THE PARK 111

migration, though rarely seen because of its habits of hiding
in the grass. I have seen it in the Park but once, and Mr.
Smithson gives me another record, May 5th, 1916.

Savannah Sparrow, Passerculus sandwichiensis savanna
(Wilson) tr. This is another species that is hard to find and
may be more common than the records would indicate. It
loves wet meadows and I have found a number of the spar-
rows in the meadow near the Lagoon.

Grasshopper Sparrow, Ammodramus savannarum aus-
tralis (Maynard) sr. I failed to find this bird nesting in the
Park at the time the census was taken, but since then I have
found it nesting on the Rifle Range. They are abundant here
during migration. Their queer insect-like notes may be heard
in all directions as late as the middle of May.

Henslow's Sparrow, Passerherbulus henslowi henslowi
(Audobon) tr and sometimes sr. Mr. Harris furnishes me
with records for this sparrow, found on the Rifle Range
meadow. I have not identified it as a nesting bird, though it
probably does nest in the meadow.

Leconte's Sparrow, Passerherbulus leconti (Audobon) tr.
This inconspicuous sparrow easily escapes notice. I have
seen it but few times in the Park. It should be looked for in
the grassland.

Lark Sparrow, Chondestes grammacus grammacus (Say)
sr. Since the census was taken I have found the Lark Sparrows
as a nesting bird in the Old Nursery near the Blue River. It
is an uncommon bird for the Park.

Harris' Sparrow, uonotrichia querula, Nuttall tr. and oc-
casional wr. Common everywhere during migration, these

112 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

fine singers add to the spring chorus of bird voices in the Park.
They have at times come to my yard for food during the
winter.

White-crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia leucophrys leuco-
phrys (J. R. Forster) tr and wr. These sparrows are not un-
common during migration. They may be found in the Park
during October and April, and occasionally during winter.

White-throated Sparrow, Zonotruchia albicolia Gmelin
tr. The White-throats are quite common in the Park during
migration, being more conspicuous in April when they may
be heard calling "Old-man-peabody."

Tree Sparrow, Spizella monticola monticola (Gmelin) wr.
This is one of the most common birds of the Park during the
winter. It is a delight to hear their twitterings from the weed
patches along the Blue River.

Chipping sparrow, Spizella passerina passerina (Bech-
stein) sr. Chipping Sparrows are too much attached to human
habitations to be at all numerous in the Park, though they are
occasionally found in several different sections.

Clay-colored Sparrow, Spizella pallida (Swainson) tr.
These Sparrows are quite numerous among the red haw
bushes in the northwest part of the Park during the latter part
of April and in early May, where they feed on canker worms.

Field Sparrow, Spizella pusilla pusilla (Wilson) sr.
We are always glad to hear the tinkling song of this sparrow
that arrives in the Park in early March. They nest through-
out the more open sections.

Slate-colored Junco, Junco hy emails hyemalis (Linn) wr.
This is by far the most numerous bird in the Park during

LIST OF BIRDS IN THE PARK 113

winter, being found in all portions. They begin to arrive
in early October and some remain until past the middle of
April. It is in late March that the greatest numbers are to
be found, at which season their musical twitterings and
gurgling songs are very delightful.

Song Sparrow, Melospiza melodia melodia (Wilson) tr
and WT. Early in March the songs of the Song Sparrow begin
to be heard along the streams throughout the Park. Unfor-
tunately for us they do not long remain and we rarely find
them after the first of May.

Lincoln's Sparrow, Melospiza lincolni lincolni (Audobon)
tr and occasional wr. This species is not quite so common as
the preceding, and they arrive a week or so later.

Swamp Sparrow, Melospiza georgiana (Latham) tr.
Swamp Sparrows are not common in Swope Park. A few may
be found during migration in such regions as the Rifle Range
and along the weedy banks of the Blue River.

Fox Sparrow, Basserella iliaca iliaca (Merrem) tr and wr.
Fox Sparrows are sometimes found in the Park during winter,
but the time to meet them in greater numbers is during March
and October. In March they are very musical.

Towhee, Piplia erythrophthalmus erythrophtalmus (Linn)
sr. Towhees are most common near the borders of the fre-
quented portions of the Park, becoming almost rare in the
more secluded portions, regardless of the character of the vege-
tation. Spring migrants begin to arrive about the middle of
March.

Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus)
r. Cardinals are quite common, and uniformly distributed

114 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

throughout the Park during summer, but during winter they
congregate about the tall horseweeds along the Blue River.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Zamelodia ludoviciana (Linn)
sr. Rose-breasts are quite rare in Swope Park, though not
uncommon in the neighboring residence districts. They seem
to prefer to nest near our homes.

Blue Grosbeak, Guiraca caerulea caerulea Linn sr. Al-
though I have no record of this bird within the boundaries of
the Park, I have seen a pair and their nest with young near a
cottage a short distance east of the Park. This was in 1918;
the next year the birds nested in the same region.

Indigo Bunting, Passerina cyanea (Linn) sr. Indigo
birds are abundant in all but the most frequented portions of
the Park, being the most numerous of the summer birds. They
love the dry sunny borders of the groves and hill slopes.
Spring arrivals are rather late, only a few arriving before the
first of May.

Dickcissel, Spiza americana (Gmelin) sr. Dickcissels are
abundant only in the unkempt meadows of the Park. None are
found in the woods covering the hill slopes. The Rifle Range
is a favorite resort for them during the nesting season.

Scarlet Tanager, Piranga erythromelas Viellot sr. Scarlet
Tanagers are more common in Swope Park than in other
neighboring regions, since they love the dry wooded hill
slopes to the east and south. It arrives about the last of April
and remains until the last of September.

Summer Tanager, Piranga rubra rubra (Linn) sr. This
bird while not quite as common in the Park as is the Scarlet

LIST OF BIRDS IN THE PARK 115

Tanager, is not uncommon in the hilltop woods to the east.
It comes and goes with the Scarlet Tanager.

Purple Martin, Progne subis subis (Linn) sr. A scattered
few Martins are found flying about over the Park. It may be
that some nest in hollow trees in the Park, but it is more
probable that they are merely searching for food. We need
more bird houses for them.

Barn Swallow, Hirundo erythrogaster Boddaert tr and
sr. Occasionally a Barn Swallow is seen flying about over the
Lake of the Woods and Lagoon, or dipping about over the golf
course in summer. It is comon over the Park lakes during May
and June, but I have no record to indicate that the bird nests
in the Park.

Tree Swallow, Iridoprocne bicolor (Vieillot) tr. Large
flocks of these swallows are sometimes seen resting on the tele-
phone wires on the borders of the Park, during September and
October. They are also commonly seen flying about over the
Park lakes during migration.

Bank Swallow, Riparia riparia (Linn) sr. These Swallows
nest in great colonies in the loess bluffs along the Missouri
River, none are found nesting in the Park. During migration,
however, they are not uncommon about the lakes in company
with the preceeding.

Rough-winged Swallow, Stelgidopteryx serripennis (Aud-
obon) sr. These Swallows also are found wheeling about over
the lakes, even during the summer months, and may nest in
the Park. Their nesting sites are not as easily located as are
those of the Bank Swallow.

Bohemian Waxwing, Bomby cilia garrula Linn wr. Mr.

116 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

Harris repeatedly saw a lone Bohemian Waxwing in company
with a flock of Cedar Waxwings during the month of April,
1920. The bird is uncommon in this region.

Cedar Waxwing, Bombjcilla cedorium Vieillot tr and
wr. One hardly knows when to look for Cedar Waxwings. They
may be found most any time during winter, and again they
may be quite rare. In recent years flocks of forty or more
birds have spent several weeks in the Park and vicinity during
the spring months. I have no records later than the first week
of June.

Migrant Shrike, Lanus ludovicianus bigrans W. Palmer
sr and occasional wr. Only a very few Shrikes nest among
the red haw bushes bordering the golf courses; a rare bird
for Swope Park.

Red-eyed Vireo, Vireosjlva olivacea (Linn) sr. This is
one of the more numerous summer birds for the Park, being
found in all of the wooded portions. It arrives during the
last week in April and remains until late September.

Warbling Vireo, Vireosjlva gilva gilva (Vieillot) sr.
These fine singers are quite common during migration, but
seem to prefer the orchards and groves about our homes for
their nesting environment. I have but two records for nesting
birds near the margin of the Park, one of these being in my
yard. They arrive and leave a little earlier than the Red-eyed
Vireo.

Yellow-throated Vireo, Laniviero flavifrons (Vieillot) sr.
Only a few nesting birds of this species are found in the Park.
They are also less common during migration than the the pre-
ceding. It is a good sense perception test to distinguish its

LIST OF BIRDS IN THE PARK 117

note from that of the Red-eye. They come and go with the
Warbling Vireo.

Blue-headed Vireo, Lanivireo solitarius solitarius (Wil-
son) tr. I have found this Vireo but a few times in the Park.
May 3d, 1912, I watched one as it sang from the haw trees in
the northwest part of the Park; again in 1918 and in 1919 I
have found this spectacled bird in this region.

White-eyed Vireo, Vireo griseus griseus (Boddaert) sr.
These interesting Vireos are rather common among the scrag-
gling bushes of the more secluded portions of the Park. They
arrive about the first of May.

Bell's Vireo, Vireo belli belli Audobon sr. Bell's
Vireo is rare within the Park, though common enough along
brushy fence rows bordering the Park. They nest about my
home every summer. They are here from the first of May
until the latter half of September. (Sept. 24, 1916.)

Black and White Warbler, Mniotilta varia (Linn) sr.
These Warblers are rather uncommon in the Park during sum-
mer though frequently seen in the latter half of April. They
nest in the less frequented woods. Because of its interesting
feeding habits, its distinctive markings, and the ease with
which it may be approached, it is better known than other far
more numerous Warblers.

Prothonotary Warbler, Prothonotaria citrea (Boddaert)
sr. This Warbler is common along the Missouri River bot-
tom, but is rare in the Park even during migration. I have but
two records of its nesting in the Park. These were near the
Blue River, for it loves to stay near waterways.

Worm-eating Warbler, Helmilheros vermivorus (Gmelin)

118 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

sr. If you are in some secluded part of the Park and think
you hear a Chipping Sparrow, better take a good look to see
if it is not a Worm-eating Warbler. The Worm-eating Warbler
is a fairly common bird along the lower part of Shiloh Hollow
and also along the shores of the Lake of the Woods. It does
not arrive until early May and leaves early in September. This
is one of the interesting and valuable birds that we may have
in this region only as long as we leave sections of the Park
in its undisturbed natural wildness.

Blue-winged Warbler, Vermivora pinus (Linn) sr. This is
another bird that will be driven from the country if we are too
zealous in clearing up all of the brushy hillsides. It is now
rather common in the dry, wooded regions of the Park. It is
a very beautiful bird, that is all the more interesting because
of its peculiar, insect-like song. It arrives during the latter
part of April.

Nashville W'arbler, Vermivora rubricapilla rubracapilla
(Wilson) tr. Nashville Warblers are found in considerable
numbers throughout the Park during migration, being espe-
cially noticeable during the first week in May. They are most
common among the red haw trees in the northwest corner of
the Park.

Orange-crowned Warbler, Vermivora celata celata Say
tr. Orange-crowned Warblers are rather common migrants in
company with the Nashville Warbler and Tennessee Warbler.
It is not easily distinguished in the field from the Nashville
Warbler.

Tennessee Warbler, Vermivora peregrina (Wilson) tr.
At about the first of May the red haw bushes in the northwest

LIST OF BIRDS IN THE PARK 119

corner of the Park are swarming with twittering, nervous little
birds that flit from bud to bud as they peer about the leaves
and blossoms for insects. The great majority of these busy-
bodies are Tennessee Warblers. At this time of year there are,
thousands of them in the Park.

Northern Parula Warbler, Compsothlypis americana
usneae Brewster sr. Parula Warblers are common in the
Park during migration, and several nest in the woods along
the Blue River and also in the thick woods shelter of Hazel
Dell. Here, again, is a bird that may be saved for the com-
munity only by saving their retreats from despoilation. The
bird is easily identified by its song.

Yellow Warbler, Dendroica aestiva aestiva (Gmelin) tr
and sr. Yellow Warblers are common everywhere during mi-
gration, and not uncommon as nesting birds in neighboring
regions, but thus far I have failed to find it as a summer bird
for the Park. They are quite numerous during the first two
weeks of May.

Myrtle Warbler, Dendroica coronate (Linn) tr. These
are the first of the migrating Warblers to arrive in the spring,
a few may be found during the latter part of March. During
middle April, they are present in thousands, though not quite
so numerous in the Park as in the orchards and scattered
groves elsewhere in the neighborhood.

Magnolia Warbler, Dendroica magnolia (Wilson) tr. A
few of these beautiful Warblers can usually be found in the
Park during the second w^eek of May.

Cerulean Warbler, Dendroica cerulea (Wilson) tr and
sr. The Cerulean Warbler is found as a summer bird in the

120 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

Park in the same localities as the Parula Warbler. A little
practice will enable one to distinguish it by its song which
bears some resemblance to that of the Parula. It would be a
misfortune to have them driven from the Park by too much
of an encroachment on the wild woods they inhabit. Both
Cerulean and Parula Warblers arrive during the latter half of
April, but the Cerulean is usually a week later than the
Parula.

Chestnut-sided Warbler, Dendroica pennsylvanica (Linn)
tr. This is one of the more unusual migrants to visit the Park.
I have but two records. It arrives later than the other
warblers.

Bay-breasted Warbler, Dendrocia castanea Wilson tr. Mr.
Cunningham is responsible for the addition of this rare warbler
to the Swope Park list. It was seen near the Lake of the
Woods May 16, 1920.

Black-poll Warbler, Dendroica striata ( J. R. Forster) tr.
This Warbler is also a late arrival. It may be looked for in
the Park the second and third week in May, and again passes
through in September.

Blackburnian Warbler, Dendroica fusca (Muller) tr.
This, also, is one of the rarer visitors to the Park, but one well
worth meeting because of its great beauty. I have seen it but
once in the vicinity of the Park. (Shiloh Hollow, May 13,
1916.)

Sycamore Warbler, Dendroica dominica albilora (Ridge-
way) tr. The Sycamore Warbler is an uncommon migrant,
but probably more common along Shiloh Hollow and the
Bine River in the Park than the records would indicate, for

LIST OF BIRDS IN THE PARK 121

it stays high up in the tree tops and thus escapes notice. It
arrives earlier than most of the Warblers, and may be looked
for during the first half of April. Mr. Hoffmann gives me
records for May 15 and for May 13, 1916.

Black-throated Green Warbler, Dendroica virens
(Gmelin) tr. This Warbler is also an uncommon migrant.
I have seen it but once in Swope Park.

Palm Warbler, Dendroica palmarum Gmelin tr. This
Warbler is quite uncommon in this part of the country. Mr.
Cunningham furnishes me with a record for Swope Park May
15, 1920.

Oven-bird, Seiurus aurocapillus (Linn) sr. Swope Park
is one of the few localities in this part of the country in which
the Oven-bird nests. It is to be hoped that parts of the Park
frequented by this and other retiring species will be left un-
disturbed so that we may continue to have the pleasure of its
presence. It nests in Hazel Dell. Quite a few migrants may
be found in various parts of the Park during the first week
of May.

Grinnell's Water-Thrush, Seiurus noveboracensis notabilis
Ridgeway tr.... This Water-Thrush is much less common than
the next. I have seen and heard it in the Park but few times.

Louisiana Water-Thrush, Seiurus motacilla (Vieillot) sr.
The Louisiana Water -Thrush nests in the Park in Hazel Dell
and in the lower portion of Shiloh Hollow. It is found in
company with the Grinnell's Water-Thrush in the early half of
May. The two may be distinguished most readily by their
song.

Kentucky Warbler, Oporornis formosus (Wilson) sr.

122 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

These interesting Warblers are fairly numerous in the secluded
portions of the Park; quite a number nest in the same locali-
ties in which the Oven-bird, Parula Warbler and Cerulean
Warbler inhabit. They are here from the first of May until
the latter part of September.

Connecticut Warbler, Oporornis agilis (Wilson) tr. This
is a rare migrant for this region. I have found it but once
in the Park, May 16, 1908.

Mourning Warbler, Oporornis Philadelphia (Wilson) tr.
These Warblers are not so common but that the bird student
usually makes special note of those seen. I usually find one
or two among the red haw trees in the northwest part of the
Park in middle May.

Maryland Yellow-throat, Geothlypis tricas (Linn) sr.
Maryland Yellow-throats arrive from the south during the
latter half of April, and from then until the first week in Sep-
tember they may be found in their favorite haunts along
thicket-bordered streams. Several pairs nest in the Park.

Yellow-breasted Chat, Icteria virens virens (Linn. sr.
Quite a number of Chats nest along the brushy hillsides in
Swope Park. They are prone to make their presence known
by their peculiar cries and antics. They arrive about the last
of April.

Wilson's Warbler, Wilsonia pusila pusila (Wilson) tr.
This is one of the more uncommon warblers that passes
through the Park during migration.

Canada Warbler, Wilsonia canadensis (Linn) tr. It is
quite unusual to find this Warbler in the region of Kansas

LIST OF BIRDS IN THE PARK 123

City, though occasionally a few stray this way. One was seen
in the Park May 14, 1919.

Redstart, Setophaga ruticilla (Linn) sr. This beautiful
orange and black warbler is commonly distributed throughout
the densely wooded parts of the Park, arriving during the lat-
ter part of April and remaining until September.

Pipit, Anthus rubescent (Tunstall) tr. Mr. Ralph Hoff-
mann furnishes me with the only record I have for this bird
in the Park (March 30, 1914).

Mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos polyglottos (Linn) sr
and occasional wr. Mockingbirds are found in the Park, but
they prefer the groves and orchards in the vicinity of dwell-
ings. Two pair nest regularly across the street from the north-
west corner of the Park.

Catbird, Dumatella carolinensis (Linn) sr. Catbirds are
common only in the shrubbery of the more frequented por-
tions of the Park. The Horticultural plantings about the
Shelter House and about the Zoological Gardens are favorable
places. They arrive at their nesting places during the latter
part of April.

Brown Thrasher, Toxostoma rufrum (Linn) sr. Brown
Thrashers are common in the same environment with the Cat-
birds. They are somewhat more numerous than the latter.

Carolina Wren, Thryothorus ludovicianus ludovicianus
(Latham) r. Carolina Wrens are quite generally distributed
along the rocky ravines in the Park. Their loud, ringing
notes readily betray their presence in early spring.

Western House Wren, Troglodytes aedon parkmani
Audobon sr. House Wrens begin to arrive usually about the

124 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

middle of April and from then on through the first part of
May they are numerous throughout the Park, But few remain
in the Park to nest, as they prefer to be near to human resi-
dences.

Winter Wren, Nannus hiemalis hiemalis (Vieillot) wr.
Winter Wrens are irregular winter residents in the Park. Mr.
Harris reports several for Shiloh Hollow during the winter of
1917, and I have found it near the Blue River, March, 1914.

Brown Creeper, Certhia familiaris americana Bonaparte
wr. These interesting little birds are more common in early
spring and in October than during winter, though a few are
usually to be found in the Park throughout the winter months.

White-breasted Nuthatch, Sitta carolinensis Latham r.
The White-breasted Nuthatch can scarcely be called common
at any time, but they are more noticeable during winter. They
are easily identified by their queer notes. A few nest in the
Park woods.

Red-breasted Nuthatch, Sitta canadensis Linn tr. This
pretty little Nuthatch may be looked for in the haunts of the
preceding, but only during late autumn and early spring. I
have one unusually late record on May 13, 1917, with per-
fectly satisfactory views for identification.

Tufted Titmouse, Baeolophus bicolor (Linn) r. Many of
these birds are found in all parts of the Park wherever there
are trees for its nests. It is easily recognized by its habits and
by its song, yet many people who wander about through the
Park are not acquainted with it.

Chickadee, Penthestes atricapillus atricapillis (Linn) r.
Chickadees are found throughout the Park in company with

LIST OF BIRDS IN THE PARK 125

the Titmice. This bird seems to be more popular than the
former, and is better known by the casual observer.

Golden-crowned Kinglet, Regulus satrepa satrapa Lich-
tenstein tr and wr. There are many Kinglets in the Park
during the early part of April and again in October. He who
fails to hear their soft, gurgling song, or to see them flitting
about among the low trees and bushes, misses one of the most
fascinating experiences of the woodland.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Regulus calendula calendula
(Linn) tr. These dainty little birds are found in company
with the Golden-crowned Kinglets, which they closely
resemble in appearance, in song and in habits. They remain
a week or so later than does the Golden-crown.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Polioptilla caerulea caerulea
(Linn) sr. These graceful little birds are very common in
the dry woods of the hill tops. In spite of this, they are
known and recognized by but very few of the many people
who visit the Park. They arrive about the middle of April
and by the latter part of the month have begun building their
nests of spider webs and lichens and fine fiber.

Wood Thrush, Hylocichla mustelina (Gmelin) sr. There
are many Wood Thrushes in the parts of the Park frequented
by the throngs of people, but most of these people are so un-
fortunate as to be all but unaware of the fact that the greatest
of bird singers is singing to them as they eat their picnic
lunch. It is a case of lack of appreciation through neglected
education. The first song of the Wood Thrush is heard during
the last week in April. They sing for a much longer period

126 BIRDS OF SWOPE PARK

than does the Brown Thrasher, in fact they may be heard late
in the evening for the greater part of the summer.

Willow Thrush, Hjlocichla fuscescens salicicola Ridge-
way tr. This Thrush is occasionally found in the woods dur-
ing early May and again in the autumn from the middle of
September to mid October.

Gray-cheeked Thrush, Hjlocichla aliciae aliciae (Band)
tr. Quite a few of these Thrushes pass quietly through our
woods during migration.

Olive-backed Thrush, Hjlocichla ustulata swainsoni
(Tschudi) tr. Occasionally bird lovers have an opportunity
of hearing this fine singer as it passes through and stops to
feast on the fruits and insects of our woods. Some of them
loiter along until the mating impulse stirs the males to begin
singing. They are still to be found here as late as June.
(June 7th, a late record.)

Hermit Thrush, Hjlocichla guttata pallasi (Cabanis) tr.
Hermit Thrushes are quiet and undemonstrative as they pass
through the Park during their migrations. A few may be
found in the woods during the first half of April and again
in October.

Robin, Planesticus migratorius migratorius (Linn) sr and
wr. Robins are numerous about the frequented portions of
the Park, such as the Shelter House, Refectory and the picnic
grounds. During migration, great flocks may be found in
any part of the Park. This bird is known and loved by every-
body, yet it can hardly compare with numbers of others to be
found in the Park, either in usefulness, beauty or song.

Bluebird, Sialis sialis sialis (Linn) sr. and wr. Bluebirds

LIST OF BIRDS IN THE PARK 127

are at no time as plentiful as are Robins. There are com-
paratively few that nest in the Park. They are not as par-
ticular about being near human habitations as are the Robins,
and their nests may be found far out in the Park. A few may
be found in the Park nearly every winter. During late Feb-
ruary and again in September and October, it is not uncom-
mon to find flocks of twenty or more.

Total number of species reported in Swope Park and
immediate vicinity 173. No doubt others occur, and continued
observations will add to the list. It is hoped that none of
those now found in the Park will be driven out.

For a complete list of birds to be found in the region
about Kansas City the reader is referred to the very complete
and carefully prepared work by Harry Harris on "BIRDS OF
THE KANSAS CITY REGION," St. Louis Academy of
Science, St. Louis, Mo. This book gives much interesting and
valuable data concerning the birds of this region.

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