Spring migration.—Early dates of spring arrival are: Quebec—Montreal, March 25; Westmount, March 30. New Brunswick—Scotch Lake, April 12; St. John, April 22. Nova Scotia—Wolfville, April 30. Northern Michigan—Blaney, April 2; Sault Ste. Marie, April 10; Houghton, April 24. Minnesota—Elk River, March 26; Minneapolis, March 29. Nebraska—Omaha, April 14. South Dakota—Faulkton, April 15. North Dakota—Fargo, April 15. Manitoba—Aweme, March 31; Margaret, April 17. Saskatchewan—Indian Head, April 4. Colorado—Estes Park, April 27. Wyoming—Yellowstone Park, May 12. Montana—Columbia Falls, April 13. Alberta—Stony Plain, April 1; Edmonton, May 2. Mackenzie—Fort Simpson, May 11. Alaska—Chilkat River, April 12; Admiralty Island, April 17; Forrester Island, May 6.
Fall migration.—Late dates of fall departure are: Alberta—Glenevis, September 24. Montana—Fortine, September 20; Kalispell, October 1. Wyoming—Yellowstone Park, October 2. Colorado—De Beque, October 1; Denver, October 8; Walden, October 16. Saskatchewan—Indian Head, September 25. Manitoba—Shoal Lake, September 30; Treesbank, October 14; Margaret, October 24. North Dakota—Rice Lake, October 1; Fargo, October 2. South Dakota—Yankton, October 5; Faulkton, October 20. Nebraska—Monroe Canyon, Sioux County, October 4. Minnesota—Elk River, October 15; Lanesboro, October 19. Northern Michigan—Blaney, October 1; Houghton, October 2; Sault Ste. Marie, October 22. Nova Scotia—Sable Island, October 9. New Brunswick—Scotch Lake, November 4. Quebec—Montreal, October 1; Quebec City, October 2.
Casual records.—According to Reid (1884) several specimens of this species were taken in Bermuda during the period 1847-1850 when it bred in that area. He also noted it in 1875. A specimen was found dead at Julianshaab, Greenland, in July 1845; another was obtained in that general region about 1858; and an adult female was collected at Loup Bay, Labrador, on May 5, 1899.
- Egg dates.—Alberta: 19 records, May 20 to June 18; 10 records, May 30 to June 11, indicating the height of the season.
- California: 13 records, May 12 to June 21; 7 records, May 30 to June 9.
- Colorado: 19 records, May 27 to June 15; 10 records, June 4 to 12.
- Illinois: 5 records, April 20 to June 3.
- Nova Scotia: 14 records, May 28 to June 15; 7 records, June 5 to 10.
- Oregon: 24 records, May 12 to June 12; 12 records, May 25 to June 2.
SPHYRAPICUS VARIUS NUCHALIS Baird
RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER
HABITS
The western race of the eastern yellow-bellied sapsucker occupies an extensive range in the general region of the Rocky Mountains, chiefly east of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Ranges, from central British Columbia and Alberta to western Texas and Arizona.
Ridgway (1914) gives a full description of this form, which is worth quoting in view of his remarks as to its status; he describes it as—
Similar to S. v. varius, but with much less white on back, this forming two definite but broken stripes, converging posteriorly; nape always with more or less of red, under parts less strongly tinged with yellow, and wing and tail averaging decidedly longer; adult male with red of throat more extended, both laterally and posteriorly, covering malar region (except anterior portion), where meeting white sub-auricular stripe; adult female with at least lower half of throat red (sometimes whole throat red, only the chin being white); young much darker above than corresponding stage of S. v. varius, the pileum dark sooty slate, white markings on back less brownish, and under parts much less yellowish, the chest and foreneck brownish gray or grayish brown (instead of buffy brown), and usually less distinctly barred or lunulated with dusky.