Chapter C: L. Whittle (1928) has suggested the following theory, as to the (3)

The above quotation and the fact that William Brewster (1925) recorded the golden plover as visiting the Umbagog Lake region in Maine “regularly and rather plentifully not so many years ago,” suggests the idea that some of the birds we used to see in New England came by an overland route. However, our big flights were probably birds that came in from the sea under stress of bad weather, either before or during easterly storms accompanied by heavy rains or thick fog. According to Mr. Mackay’s (1891) records, covering a period of 32 years from 1858 to 1890, the last week in August seems to be the best time to look for a flight, though he says “it is unusual to see any but scattering birds before the 10th of September.” My earliest record for adult birds is August 9; practically all the birds which come in August are adults. The young birds come in September; my latest date is October 7. The appearance of either adults or young on our coast has always been very uncertain and irregular, dependent on the necessary weather conditions coming at the proper time.

Mr. Mackay (1891) says:

While I have continually shot the young birds on Nantucket,
and in other parts of Massachusetts, their arrival is a
much more uncertain event than that of the older birds,
there being some years when I have seen none, and others
only a few. I have never known a year when they were
anything like as numerous as I have seen the older birds.

During some years large flocks of golden plover pass over the Bermudas in September and October, according to Capt. Savile G. Reid (1884), “but, unless in stormy weather, they do not alight in any great numbers. Numbers appeared in September, 1874, frequenting the grassy slopes of the north shore--their favorite haunt--and even the parade grounds, during the continuance of a three day’s revolving gale.”

Col. H. W. Feilden (1889) writing of conditions in Barbados, the easternmost of the West Indies, says:

Stragglers arrive as early as July and the beginning of
August, but the main flights come with the first heavy
weather after the 27th of August, and long experience and
observation proves that this date is kept year after year
with wonderful accuracy. The course of all the migratory
Charadriidae across Barbados in the autumn is from the
northwest to southeast, and if the wind blows from
southeast the birds are brought down to the island, for it
appears to be a tolerably well established observation that
birds prefer migrating with a “beam” wind. A shift of wind
from the northeast, with squally weather to the southeast,
is ardently longed for by the Barbados sportsmen toward the
end of August, as this forces the migratory hosts to alight
instead of passing over at a great height, as they are
seen to do when the wind is from the northeast. The first
arrivals of this species are invariably black-breasted
birds, showing that the old birds precede the young, and
the first comers are nearly all males. The young birds
without black on the breast appear about the 12th of
September, and continue to pass till the end of October,
sometimes stragglers are as late as November. Even in the
most favorable seasons, only a fraction of the immense
flights that pass over the island ever alight.

Much has been written about the Atlantic flight of the golden plover and remarkably little has been said about the southward flight in the interior, but such a flight occurs regularly, though in much smaller numbers. Professor Rowan (1926) says that in Alberta:

We have notes of hundreds going south in a single day in
mid September, when the main movements occur annually.
An interesting feature of the fall migration of golden
plover is that it consists entirely of young birds. The
earliest record we have is August 18 and the next August
24. These are rather early, September being the chief
month of arrival. The fall movements are protracted, and
we may have small flocks with us till toward the end of
October. Another feature of the autumn migration is a
change of habit. The birds, while often noted on pasture
(particularly if in large flocks) more usually frequent the
muds and behave like the majority of other waders. They
associate freely and habitually with other species. They
behave like the strays of the spring. Being birds of the
year there is no doubt in their case that they are sexually
undeveloped.

We have a single record of an adult bird in the fall
collected by Harrold on August 22. It was noted the
previous day, but not secured, and proved to be a female
well advanced in its moult. There is one other reliable
autumn record for an adult golden plover from the Province,
seen at Sullivan Lake in July by Mr. T. E. Randall. Until
we have spent the whole of July at our lake or some other
suitable observation station, it will be impossible to say
that adults never--except accidentally as strays--come
south through the Province, but all evidence available
indicates that they do not do so.

I can not wholly agree with Professor Rowan’s evident belief that all the birds that migrate through the interior are young birds and that very few young birds take the Atlantic route. However, the dates given by numerous observers in the Mississippi Valley and in Texas would seem to indicate that they were nearly all referable to young birds, as they are generally late dates. The main migration route for both adults and young is evidently the Atlantic route; the species is comparatively rare in the interior, south of Canada. It is still rarer on its southward migration along the Pacific coast; the dates are mostly late, probably for young birds; D. E. Brown has sent me two records from Washington. October 7, 1917, Gray’s Harbor County, and November 14, 1915, Clallam County. Apparently most of the adults take the Atlantic route; the young birds are spread out over the whole country, but are much more inclined to the eastern route.

_Game._--The golden plover has been a famous game bird. It was a most desirable table bird, as it was usually very fat and its flesh had a delicious flavor on account of its clean, upland feeding habits. The uncertainty of its appearance and its enormous numbers at favorable times made its pursuit most interesting. During the years of its abundance it was slaughtered in almost incredible numbers. Audubon (1840) writes:

While at New Orleans, on the 16th of March, 1821, I was
invited by some French gunners to accompany them to the
neighborhood of Lake St. John to witness the passage of
thousands of these birds, which were coming from the
northeast and continuing their course. At the first
appearance of the birds early in the morning, the gunners
had assembled in parties of from 20 to 50 at different
places, where they knew from experience that the plovers
would pass. There stationed, at nearly equal distances from
each other, they were sitting on the ground. When a flock
approached, every individual whistled in imitation of the
plover’s call note, on which the birds descended, wheeled,
and, passing within 40 or 50 yards, ran the gauntlet,
as it were. Every gun went off in succession, and with
such effect that I several times saw a flock of a hundred
or more reduced to a miserable remnant of five or six
individuals. The game was brought up after each volley by
the dogs, while their masters were charging their pieces
anew. This sport was continued all day, and at sunset, when
I left one of these lines of gunners, they seemed as intent
on killing more as they were when I arrived. A man near the
place where I was seated had killed 63 dozens. I calculated
the number in the field at 200, and supposing each to have
shot 20 dozen, 48,000 golden plovers would have fallen that
day.

John C. Cahoon (1888) describes a method of shooting golden plover employed by old gunners on Cape Cod, as follows:

Several weeks before the time for the flights to occur,
they go to an old field or pasture that they know the birds
usually come into and burn off the old grass and bushes
for quite a space. Then a hole is dug large enough for one
or two persons to sit in comfortably, with only the top of
their heads above the surface. In a few weeks the grass
springs up and the green patch is easily distinguished from
its duller surroundings by the plover flying about, and
they are sure to come to this place. The gunner, with his
decoys out, sits in his pit with only the top of his head
out, which is covered with a green cap. A flock, before
alighting to the decoys, will usually circle about several
times, often flying directly over the gunner’s head only a
few yards away. An experienced gunner will not shoot when
they are so near and scattered, as he could kill but one or
two, but will wait for them to bunch at the right distance,
which they are sure to do while turning, and seize that
opportunity to fire, killing many at one shot.

Mr. Mackay (1891) says: “They are extremely gregarious, and I have had the same flock return to my decoys as many as four times after some of their number had been shot each time.” This remark probably refers to adult birds, which come readily to decoys or in response to skillful whistling; I have seen a single bird whistled up from so far away that it was hardly visible. Professor Rowan (1926) says that he has “found it practically impossible to whistle them within gun range.” He probably refers to young birds, of which Mr. Mackay (1891) writes:

These young birds invariably appear wild and wary, much
more so than the old ones. They are also very erratic in
their movements and flight when with us. They usually will
not pay so much attention to the decoys or call whistle as
do the old birds; and I have seen them, when very shy and
after being disturbed, mount up into the air and nearly
turn over on their backs while flying with great velocity.
It is a noteworthy fact that when a flock of these young
birds is approaching no dependence can be placed on their
movements. They may sometimes sweep down within a few yards
of the sportsman, passing with great rapidity over his
head, all scattered; or down close to the stand and then
up into the air; or they may turn suddenly. My experience
has taught me not to wait, as is my custom with the older
birds, to get them together before shooting, but fire at
them whenever and wherever I can if they are within range.
The older birds rarely indulge in any similar antics.

During the days of spring shooting in the west golden plover were often shot, without decoys, by making a blind or selecting some natural hiding place within their regular fly ways, which were generally quite well established and known. It was always difficult to stalk them on foot, but where there were no fences they could be stalked successfully by a hunter on horseback or in a wagon.

_Winter._--The golden plover arrive in their winter home early in September, or rarely late in August, where they remain until February or March. W. H. Hudson (1920) writing of the days when these birds were plentiful, says:

The American golden plover is abundant and well known to
every one by its native name, _Chorlo_, throughout southern
Argentina. Its wild, clear notes are first heard about
the last week in August, and among the first comers many
individuals are seen still wearing the nuptial dress.
After their long journey from the Arctic regions they are
lean and not worth shooting; two months later they become
excessively fat, and are then much appreciated by gourmets.
But although so regular in their arrival, they do not
regularly visit the same localities every season; the bird
may be abundant in a place one year and scarce or absent
altogether the next. During the spring, from September to
December, they prefer open plains with short grass and in
the neighborhood of wet or marshy ground; at the end of
December, when the giant thistle (_Carduus mariana_), which
often covers large areas of country, has been burnt up
by the sun and blown to the ground, they scatter about a
great deal in flocks of from one to four or five hundred.
At noon, however, they all resort to a lagoon or marshy
place containing water, congregating day after day in
such numbers that they blacken the ground over an area of
several acres in extent, and at a distance of a quarter of
a mile the din of their united voices resembles the roar
of a cataract. As population increases on the pampas these
stupendous gatherings are becoming more and more rare.
Twenty-five years ago it was an exceptional thing for a
man to possess a gun, or to use one when he had it; and if
Chorlos were wanted a gaucho boy with a string a yard long
with a ball of lead attached to each end could knock down
as many as he liked. I have killed them in this way myself,
also with the bola perdida--a ball at the end of a long
string thrown at random into a cloud of birds.

Doctor Wetmore (1926) saw golden plover on migration in Paraguay during September; they “came to the open shores of lagoons with other sandpipers, but were more often seen in flocks of 30 or 40 scattered over open savannas where the grass was not too long.” He saw them also in Argentina during November and December, where they seemed “to be restricted during the resting period to the better watered grass-grown eastern pampa.”

Again (1927) he says:

The golden plover in the south has been most common on
open plains, but ranges to some extent on the mud flats of
the coast. It is in this last area that the species may
be expected to survive as the pampas become more closely
occupied by man. These birds are hunted extensively and
so many have been killed both in the north and south that
their numbers have been greatly reduced. Though recorded
in its nesting range as only fairly common at best, the
region where the golden plover is found at this season is
extensive, so that the number of birds in existence is
still considerable. Careful watch should be kept on its
abundance.

DISTRIBUTION

_Range._--North and South America, accidental in Europe.

_Breeding range._--The breeding range of the American golden plover has not been definitely separated from that of its western relative (_Pluvialis d. fulva_). It has, however, been found that in Alaska _fulva_ is more nearly confined to the northwestern coastal regions, while _dominica_ is in the interior and on the northern coast.

The breeding range may be defined as extending north to Alaska (Point Barrow, Collinson Point, and Demarcation Point); Baffin Island (Kangianga, Tikerakdjuak, and Kangidli); and Franklin (Walker Bay, Bay of Mercy, Winter Harbor, Wellington Channel, and probably Igloolik). East to Baffin Island; Franklin (probably Igloolik and Winter Island); and northeastern Keewatin (Whale Point). South to Keewatin (Whale Point); Mackenzie (Casba River, Lac de Gras, Bernard Harbor, Rendezvous Lake, Fort Anderson, and Fort McPherson); and Alaska (Gens de Large Mountains, Beaver Mountains, and probably Nushagak). West to Alaska (probably Nushagak and Point Barrow).

It also has been detected in summer in Greenland (Jacobshavn and Godthaab), but there is no evidence of breeding in that region.

_Winter range._--The winter range of the American golden plover extends north to rarely Chile (Arica); and rarely Brazil (Villa Maria, Matto Grosso, and Rio de Janeiro). East to rarely Brazil (Rio de Janeiro and Santa Catarina); Uruguay (Montevideo); and Argentina (La Plata, Cape San Antonio, and Bahia Blanca). South to Argentina (Bahia Blanca, Sierra de la Ventana, Carhue, and Mendoza). West to western Argentina (Mendoza); and rarely Chile (Arica). On rare occasions individuals may pass the winter season at more northern points as Nauta, Peru (Sharpe), and Old Harbor, Costa Rica (Carriker). Winter occurrences at other northern localities probably refer to crippled birds or erroneous identifications.

_Migration._--The main migration route of the American golden plover is of an elliptical nature. In late summer, after the breeding season, the birds move southeast across northern Canada to the coasts of Labrador and Nova Scotia, from which points they fly, apparently without stopping, to the northeast coast of South America, passing thence through the interior to the pampas region of Argentina. The northward flight in spring is made farther west, through Central America, up the Mississippi Valley to the prairie Provinces of Canada.

Individuals and small flocks are, of course, noted more or less regularly in both spring and fall, both on the Atlantic coast and in the interior, but the main route should be borne in mind when considering the following dates of arrival and departure.

_Spring migration._--Early dates of arrival in the spring are: Porto Rico, Mameyes, February 16; Bermuda, March 9, 1852 (only spring record); New York, Long Island City, April 17, and Fair Haven Light, May 3; Massachusetts, Revere, March 6, and Somerville, March 20; Nova Scotia, Pictou, May 17; Quebec, Godbout, May 31; Franklin, Igloolik, June 14; Louisiana, New Orleans, March 16, Avery Island, March 28; and West Baton Rouge, April 2; Arkansas, Fayetteville, March 20; Missouri, St. Louis, March 23, Kansas City, April 11, and Kings Lake, April 12; Illinois, Mount Carmel, March 12, Lebanon, March 17, and Chicago, March 22; Indiana, Terre Haute, March 22, Greencastle, March 28, and Muncie, March 30; Ohio, Sandusky, March 26, West Liberty, April 2, and Columbus, April 4; Michigan, Pittsfield, April 20; Iowa, Scranton, March 25, Newton, March 27, and Keokuk, April 14; Wisconsin, Clinton, April 9, and Racine, April 14; Minnesota, Heron Lake, April 12, Waseca, April 21, and Wilder, April 24; Texas, Gainesville, March 7, Mont Belvieu, March 8, Boerne, March 9, and Indianola, March 15; Oklahoma, Caddo, March 11; Kansas, Richmond, March 22, Lawrence, March 29, Manhattan, April 4, and Emporia, April 18; Nebraska, Kearney, April 8; South Dakota, Fort Sisseton, April 13, Huron, April 25, and White, April 26; North Dakota, Larimore, May 2, and Grafton, May 3; Manitoba, Aweme, April 23, Treesbank, May 1, Portage la Prairie, May 8, and Margaret, May 8; Saskatchewan, Osler, May 8, and Indian Head, May 9; Mackenzie, Fort Simpson, May 15, and Fort Resolution, May 23; Alberta, Alliance, May 5, Mundare, May 12, Camrose, May 7, and Red Deer, May 9; and Alaska, Beaver Mountains, April 29, Sitka, May 5, Flat, May 11, Fort Reliance, May 13, Fairbanks, May 17, and Point Barrow, May 21.

Late dates of spring departure are: Argentina, Rio Negro, February 18, Mendoza, March 23, and Tucuman, April 5; Guatemala, Duenas, April 12; Louisiana, Avery Island, May 3, and Breton Island, May 13; Kentucky, Crab Orchard, May 10; Missouri, Hunnewell, May 18, and Boonville, May 31; Illinois, Addison, May 10, Rantoul, May 12, and Chicago, May 17; Indiana, Lebanon, May 23; and Michigan City, June 2; Ohio, Sandusky, May 19, Bay Point, May 23, and Wauseon, May 27; Iowa, Gilbert Station, May 16, Cedar Rapids, May 17, and Clear Lake, May 20; Wisconsin, Racine, May 4, and Madison, May 30; Minnesota, Hallock, May 20, Wilder, May 22, and Twin Valley, May 30; Texas, Corpus Christi, April 28, Gainesville, May 12, and Point Isabel, May 15; Kansas, Manhattan, May 4, Paola, May 7, and Lawrence, May 8; Nebraska, Valentine, May 25; South Dakota, Sioux Falls, May 23, White, May 25, and Harrison, May 27; North Dakota, Devils Lake, May 23, Jerusalem, June 1, and Larimore, June 7; Manitoba, Aweme, May 29, Margaret, June 3, and Shoal Lake, June 6; Saskatchewan, Indian Head, May 22, Winston, May 29, and Churchill River, June 2; Colorado, Denver, May 17; Alberta, Mundare, May 26, Sedgewick, May 30, and Fort Chipewyan, June 1; and British Columbia, between Shusicap Falls and Mabel Lake, May 29 (only spring record).

_Fall migration._--Early dates of arrival in the fall are: British Columbia, Graham Island, July 27, Sumas Lake, August 19, and Chilliwack, August 26; Keewatin, Cape Eskimo, August 4; Manitoba, Aweme, August 6, Shoal Lake, August 21, and Margaret, August 27; North Dakota, Fort Berthold, September 16; South Dakota, White, September 12, great bend of the Missouri River, September 18, and Harrison, September 20; Nebraska, Nebraska City, August 3, and Ames, August 22; Minnesota, St. Vincent, August 29, and Hibbing, September 13; Ontario, Toronto, August 25, and Brighton, August 28; Michigan, Houghton, September 5, Charity Island, September 9, and Detroit, September 10; Ohio, Columbus, August 23, New Bremen, September 1, Youngstown, September 2, and Cleveland, September 8; Indiana, Waterloo, August 25, and Lebanon, September 29; Illinois, Rantoul, August 6, Glen Ellyn, September 10, and Chicago, September 13; Louisiana, mouth of Mermentau River, August 11; Mississippi, Bay St. Louis, September 26; Newfoundland, St. George Bay, August 17; Quebec, Gaspe Peninsula, August 29, and Montreal, August 31; Prince Edward Island, Malpeque, August 23; New Brunswick, Scotch Lake, August 21; Nova Scotia, Sable Island, August 20; Maine, Portland, August 12; Massachusetts, Ipswich, July 18, Plymouth, August 7, Nantucket, August 12, Cape Cod, August 15, and Monomoy Island, August 18; Rhode Island, Newport, August 12, and Kingston, August 19; Connecticut, Bridgeport, August 14, and Guilford, August 27; Rhode Island, Point Judith, August 21; New York, Montauk Light Station, August 9, Long Island City, August 12, Syracuse, August 22, and Shinnecock Bay, August 29; New Jersey, Great Bay, July 19; Cuba, Guantanamo, September 30; Lesser Antilles, Barbados, July 24, Grenada, August 24, St. Croix, August 31, and Sombrero, September 2; British Guiana, Auni, August 30; and Paraguay, Puerto Pinasco, September 6. Specimens also have been detected at Bermuda as early as July 25 (Hamilton).

Late dates of departure in the autumn are: Alaska, Nome, September 14, Baranof Island, September 18, Kenai River, October 7, and St. George Island, October 18 (there is a strong possibility that all of these Alaskan records refer to the Pacific form, _Pluvialis d. fulva_); British Columbia, East Kootenay, October 13, Chilliwack, October 14, and Comox, November 4; Alberta, Edmonton, September 23, delta of the Athabaska River, October 10, and Beaverhill Lake, October 22; Montana, Terry, September 23, and St. Marys Lake, October 1; Wyoming, Rock Creek, October 25; Colorado, Newcastle, October 5; Mackenzie, Manito Islands, September 14, Lower Slave River, September 29, and Fort Liard, October 5; Saskatchewan, Indian Head, October 2, and Quill Lake, October 11; Manitoba, Aweme, October 16; South Dakota, Fort Pierre, October 21, and Fort Sisseton, October 26; Nebraska, Lincoln, November 14; Kansas, Emporia, October 22, and Lawrence, October 23; Minnesota, Madison, October 22, St. Vincent, October 26, and Lanesboro, November 2; Iowa, Bronson, November 9, and Keokuk, November 9; Ontario, Toronto, October 23, Brighton, November 3, and Ottawa, November 4; Michigan, Gibraltar, October 12, Mainstee, October 17, and Detroit, November 4; Ohio, New Bremen, October 23, Painesville, October 31, and Youngstown, November 11; Indiana, English Lake, November 15; Illinois, Morgan Park, October 28, Hinsdale, November 4, and Urbana, November 8; Arkansas, Crocketts Bluff, October 22; Greenland, August 7; Franklin, Baffin Bay, September 3; Quebec, Koksoak River, September 19, Kamouraska, October 19, Montreal, November 8, and Quebec City, November 10; Nova Scotia, Sable Island, October 22, and St. Marys Bay, October 23; Maine, Lewiston, October 16, and Portland, November 15; Vermont, Wells River, October 14; Massachusetts, Monomoy Island, October 13, Plymouth, October 24, and Provincetown, November 19; Rhode Island, South Auburn, October 12, and Newport, October 24; Connecticut, West Haven, October 25, and Hartford, October 24; New York, Ithaca, October 29, Rockaway, October 30, Orient Point, November 5, and Auburn, November 8; Bahamas, Cay Lobos, October 25; Porto Rico, Anegada Lagoon, November 4; West Indies, Barbados, December 7; and Costa Rica, San Jose, December 15.

_Casual records._--South of New Jersey on the Atlantic coast, this species has been recorded on a few occasions, among which are: District of Columbia, Washington, one about 1860; Virginia, Smiths Island, September 28, 1897, and Wallops Island, several occurrences between August 12 and October 3 (Warren); North Carolina, several records in spring between April 15 (Waterlily), and May 10 (Currituck), and in fall between August 29 (Martins Point), and September 29 (Churchs Island); South Carolina, Chester County, September 19, 1877, Christ Church Parish, November 27, 1912, and Charleston, November 4, 1911, and December, 1880; and Florida, Miakka, November 19, 1901, and December, 1900.

On the Pacific coast of the United States it is only casual: Washington, several records in the fall between September 9 (Port Townsend), and November 14 (Dungeness); Oregon, Netarts Bay, September 7, 1912; and California, Playa del Rey Lagoon, October 4, 1923, Santa Cruz, October 22, 1888, and possible at Coronado, January 12–20, 1908 (Torrey). Suckley reported it from the vicinity of San Francisco, and Kobbe from Menlo Park and Vallejo, but both of these records are indefinite.

The American golden plover has been obtained a few times in Great Britain, Essex, August, 1896, Perthshire, August, 1883, Leadenhall Market, fall of 1882, and Mayo County, September, 1894; while a single specimen was taken on Heligoland, December 20, 1847.

_Egg Dates._--Arctic coasts of Alaska and Canada: 176 records, June 1 to July 15; 88 records, June 25 to July 2.

PLUVIALIS DOMINICA FULVA (Gmelin)

PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVER

HABITS

The Pacific golden plover is a smaller and more brightly colored subspecies of the American golden plover. It breeds on the Arctic coast of Siberia from the Yenesei River to Bering Strait and on the Bering Sea coast of Alaska. On the coast of Alaska north of Bering Strait it intergrades with the American form, and there is some evidence that it intergrades or hybridizes with the European golden plover at the western end of its range. It is known as the Asiatic or eastern golden plover by European writers. It winters from India and China to Australia, New Zealand, the Hawaiian Islands, and many other islands in the southern Pacific Ocean.

_Spring._--This plover makes even more wonderful migratory flights than its American relative, for between its winter and its summer homes it travels twice each year over thousands of miles of trackless ocean; many individuals may become lost or perish, but the majority of them seem to find their way by some marvelous sense of direction. The reader is referred to an excellent paper on the migration of this plover to and from the Hawaiian Islands by Dr. Henry W. Henshaw (1910). Of the spring migration he writes:

During the last two months of their stay in the Islands
both the migrating plover and turnstones get very fat,
and it is probable that individuals that are not in good
condition do not attempt the flight, or if they do do not
survive the attempt. Toward April most plover seem to be
in full breeding plumage, and I feel sure that none of the
birds assuming the breeding dress remain behind unless sick
or wounded. There is, however, a small contingent, both
of plover and turnstones, that summer in the islands, and
these appear to consist wholly of immature individuals,
which, as a rule, are thin and not in good trim.

When the time to migrate comes, small parties, from a dozen
or even less to flocks of 200 or more, strike boldly out
to the northward, apparently without hesitancy or doubt of
the result. Mr. Haswell, of Papaikou, which is on the coast
about 15 miles north of Hilo, soon after daybreak during
the early days of April, 1900, saw several flocks rise
to a great height and, after widely circling about a few
times as if to orient themselves, finally disappear in a
northerly direction.

It is probable, however, that day migration is not the rule
with plover and other shore birds. Apparently it is more
usual for the flocks to feed by day and leave just before
nightfall, as do many other birds in different parts of the
world. Mr. R. C. L. Perkins states that several times he
“witnessed these departures always late in the afternoon or
just before dark.”

How fast the birds fly or how long it takes them to make the 2,000 mile flight across the ocean to the Aleutian Islands, we do not know. If they fly at the rate of 40 miles an hour without stopping, it would take over two days. They probably can not sustain such a prolonged effort without food. Practically all shore birds are known to alight on and arise from the water at will; so the chances are that they stop to rest on the way. They probably obtain some food from floating masses of seaweed, from the refuse left by whales, or from the numerous forms of minute animal life to be found on the surface. These birds have frequently been seen migrating at sea hundreds of miles from land, and one observer has actually seen one resting on the water. Evidence that they do so is furnished by the fact that native gunners in Trinidad, according to some notes sent to me by Julian Lyder, detect the newly arrived birds by a salty taste on the feathers.

The plover leave the Hawaiian Islands during April and May. We have no data as to when they reach the Aleutian Islands, but they arrive in the Commander Islands about the middle of May, and the first arrivals were noted at Nijni Kolymsk, Siberia, on May 30. On the Pribilof Islands they have been known to arrive as early as April 18, but they usually come about the first week in May. A. H. Twitchell tells me that he has seen them at Bethel, Alaska, as early as May 8, and Herbert W. Brandt says in his notes from Hooper Bay:

When the first small flocks of this noble Asiatic visitant
appeared on Point Dall on May 16 the receding snow seemed
to emphasize its golden splendor. It never became really
common like its larger relative, the black-bellied plover,
but numerous individuals and small bands were observed
which, however, proved to be transients, for they all
departed by early June. They usually associated with the
gaudily attired ruddy turnstone and the combined lavish
color effect of these two feathered gems was lovely indeed
to behold. The Eskimos claim that, when seal hunting off
Point Dall, they often encountered birds of the present
species flying shoreward, so perhaps many of these
long-flighted migrants moved directly from the western
section of the Aleutian Islands across Bering Sea to their
Alaskan summer homes.

_Nesting._--Mr. Brandt has sent me the following notes on the nesting habits of this plover:

The breeding realm of the aristocratic golden plover in
the Hooper Bay region is confined to a narrow belt on
the mountain slopes well above brush line in the Askinuk
Range. Here at an altitude of from five to eight hundred
feet dwells a pair nearly every half mile, or about the
same relative distance apart that the black-bellied plover
families maintain between themselves on the tundra below.

The only nest of the Pacific golden plover to come under
my observation was found on June 27 at an altitude of 600
feet on the Bimute spur of the Askinuk Range. On this
upper mountain slope amid the scattered rocky outcrops
exists a grim Arctic flora of mosses and lichens which
in patches is mottled black and grayish white. On one of
these velvet-like spots a little top moss is removed by the
birds so as to make a slight depression in which the four
beautiful eggs are placed. The lining of the nest is simply
a few short unarranged stems of the reindeer moss that no
doubt grew on the site. The nesting cavity is 4 inches in
diameter and only half an inch in depth, thus making it
notable as perhaps the most meager of the limicoline abodes
we found. The parti-colored eggs and their environs blend
as one in coloration, so, even in that jaeger-ridden land,
they enjoy unusual protective security. The male bird alone
was present during my stay in the vicinity of his abiding
place and failed to exhibit either the extreme timidity or
the agitation so characteristic of the black-bellied plover.

Henry Seebohm (1901) gives the following account of finding a nest near the banks of the Yenesei River in Siberia:

On the top of the bank I found myself on the real tundra.
Not a trace of a pine tree was visible, and the birches
rarely exceeded 12 inches in height. There was less grass,
more moss and lichen, and the ground was covered with
patches of yellow mud or clay, in which were a few small
stones, that were apparently too barren for even moss or
lichen to grow upon. The tundra was hilly, with lakes,
swamps, and bogs in the wide valleys and plains. As soon
as I reached the flat bogs I heard the plaintive cry of a
plover, and presently caught sight of two birds. The male
was very conspicuous, but all my attempts to follow the
female with my glass, in order to trace her to the nest,
proved ineffectual; she was too nearly the color of the
ground, and the herbage was too high. Feeling convinced
that I was within 30 paces of the nest, I shot the male,
and commenced a diligent search. The bird proved to be
the Asiatic golden plover, with gray axillaries, and I
determined to devote at least an hour looking for the nest.
By a wonderful piece of good fortune I found it, with four
eggs, in less than five minutes. It was merely a hollow in
the ground upon a piece of turfy land, overgrown with moss
and lichen, and was lined with broken stalks of reindeer
moss. The eggs more resembled those of the golden than
those of the grey plover, but were smaller than either.

Miss Maud D. Haviland (1915_a_) had considerable experience with this plover on the Yenesei and took some excellent photographs of it; she writes:

I first saw a few birds at Dudinka, where they were
probably on migration, and afterwards the species was
common all the way down to Golchika. Each pair occupied
perhaps 2 furlongs of tundra. I should think that every
acre of moss and lichen from the Yenesei to the Lena in
summer is thus parceled out. Your progress across the
tundra in July is heralded and attended by a chorus of
plaintive cries. Both birds meet you a quarter of a mile
from the nest and never leave you until you are at the
boundaries of their own territory, and they can safely hand
you over to their next neighbors for espionage. Covert, of
course, there is none--but it is needless to say more. The
suspiciousness and patience of the golden plover are the
same all the world over; and I will not dwell upon them to
those who themselves have no doubt walked vainly for half a
day about the bird’s breeding grounds in this country and
listened to its maddening but at the same time most musical
protests.

The first nest was found on July 4. It was a shallow
depression, lined with dry lichen haulms on a slope of the
tundra. The bird, which must, I think, either have been
deaf or else exceedingly stupid, did not move until I was
well over the hill and within 60 yards of her, when she
jumped up and feigned a broken wing.

_Eggs._--The eggs are similar to those of the American golden plover; the ground colors average paler. In three sets they run from “light buff” to “cream color”; Mr. Brandt’s eggs run from “ivory yellow” to “vinaceous buff”; and in two eggs figured by Mr. Poynting (1895) the ground colors are in shades of “olive buff.” Mr. Brandt says in his notes:

The eggs of this bird are no doubt subject to much
variation for the two sets are very different. On one the
surface markings are distinct and elongated longitudinally
while on the other clutch large blotches almost cover the
larger end. These spots are brownish black to black where
the pigment is rich, but when occasionally it is thin, as
on a few outlying edges, it becomes brick red. Pursuant to
the usual rule with many of the boldly marked eggs of the
shore birds the underlying spots are few and ill defined.
These are in lavender tones from pale mouse gray to grayish
lavender.

The measurements of 34 eggs average 48 by 33.2 millimeters; the eggs showing the four extremes measure =51.8= by 32.5, 48.5 by =34.9=, =45.2= by 32.4, and 46.4 by =31.5= millimeters.

_Young._--The incubation period is probably the same as it is for the European bird, 27 days; both sexes incubate the eggs and care for the young. Thayer and Bangs (1914) write:

Mr. Koren watched the habits of the birds closely and found
that the males appear to do all the incubating in the early
stages, the female at that time never being near the nest.
Later on, when the eggs are nearly ready to hatch, she
appears again and takes her turn with the male. When the
young are hatched, both parent birds are always with them.
At Cape Chelakhskai, August 27, 1912, large flocks of young
birds were seen ready to migrate.

Miss Haviland (1915_a_) says:

As soon as the young ones were able to run alone, which,
roughly speaking, was about July 20, the birds left the
higher ground and began to collect into flocks in the
marshy places of the tundra. I am inclined to think that
the young birds must need to wash and drink a great deal,
as otherwise it is not easy to understand why all the
waders of the tundra should leave the nesting sites so
early and wander down to the sphagnum swamps. Some of the
Asiatic golden plover even crossed the mud hills and came
down to the banks of the river.

_Plumages._--The downy young Pacific golden plover is like the American bird of the same age except that the yellow is rather brighter, about “lemon chrome,” and decidedly more extensive; it predominates over the black on the crown, back, and rump; there is very little white anywhere except in the patch under the eye and on the chin, throat, and under parts. Miss Haviland (1915_a_), however, says:

The white tract between the homogeneous mottling of the
crown and nape, and the successive black and yellow
bands which lie above and behind the eye, and which in
_C. apricarius_ is sometimes hardly discernible, is very
pronounced in _C. fulvus_ and has enlarged at the expense
of the colored bands below it. The nape and upper part of
the body are more spotted with white, and there is little
or no yellow on the cheek below the eye.

Subsequent plumages and molts are apparently similar to those of the other golden plovers. Doctor Henshaw (1910) writes:

It is of interest to note that in fall this plover migrates
before it molts; in spring it molts before it migrates.
The first birds to reach the archipelago in August are,
as stated, adults, and while they are practically in full
breeding dress they begin to molt into the winter dress
almost at once. The molting season for the species is
long, and many individuals, doubtless birds of the year,
may be found the last of December still molting into the
fall and winter dress. By the middle of February numerous
individuals are already beginning to molt a second time
and to assume the distinctive nuptial plumage, which, in
the case of these early birds, is practically completed
during the month of March, though individuals continue to
moult far into April and some no doubt complete the final
stages in Alaska. Doubtless the individuals to molt first
in spring are the adults which arrive first, and finish
the fall molt first; and doubtless, too, these are the
birds first to leave Hawaii for their breeding grounds in
Alaska. So protracted is the molt of the species that it
is probably true that during the stay of this plover in
Hawaii--from middle August till May--there is not a month
when some individuals are not molting.

There is no reason for believing that the plover summering
in the islands which, as before stated, are chiefly if not
wholly immature birds, participate in the spring molt. At
all events the Hawaiian summer plover and turnstones that I
have seen were, without exception, in the winter garb.

_Food._--Lucien M. Turner (1886) says that, on their first arrival in Alaska, the plover “feed principally on berries of the _Vaccinium_ and _Empetrum_, as many of these berries do not dislodge until succeeding growths push them off.” Others have noted the same habit in late summer and early fall. Some observers on the Pribilof Islands have noted that they frequent the killing grounds and feed extensively on the blowfly maggots there. But Preble and McAtee (1923) say that in the two stomachs that they examined “none of these larvæ were found, their food contents consisting of beetles, 72.5 per cent; flies, 22.5 per cent; Hymenoptera, 4 per cent; and seeds of crowberry (_Empetrum nigrum_), 1 per cent.”

Doctor Henshaw (1910) writes:

During its stay in the islands the plover, as also the
turnstone, feed chiefly in the upland pastures and
clearings, up to 6,000 or 7,000 feet, and on newly
plowed cane land. Both the sugar planter and the stock
raiser have much to thank the plover for, since, while
the birds feed on small seeds to some extent, they live
chiefly on insects, and according to Perkins, on insects
of much economic importance, since they depend largely
on the caterpillars of two of the most widely spread and
destructive of the island “cut worms.” These insects are
most abundant when the grass on the island pastures is
green and luxuriant, and this usually is in winter, when
rains are most copious.

_Behavior._--The general behavior of the Pacific golden plover is not different from that of its commoner relatives. My personal acquaintance with it was made on the high rolling tundra and the foothills back of Nome, Alaska. Here we found it quite common during the middle of July, where it was evidently breeding or had been breeding; and we collected quite a series of adults, juvenals, and even downy young. As we walked over the tundra, we frequently heard their rich, melodious, whistling notes, or saw a richly colored adult, in full nuptial plumage, standing like a sentinel on some little hummock or ridge. Occasionally one would try to entice us away by running slowly through the hollows or by fluttering along the ground as if injured; but eventually it would take wing and circle back to where its young were probably hidden.

Mr. Brandt says in his notes:

The Pacific golden plover’s adroit movements in
approaching his nest, made to deceive the hostile eye,
were interesting, and well illustrate the tactics of the
members of the plover family found about Hooper Bay. He
would run rapidly without visible bodily effort, and then
stop abruptly and remain motionless, not even turning his
head. His course always lay across the little ridges, never
along them, and he would follow the slight depressions, but
usually came to a halt on a little eminence. When close to
me, in order to get a wider range of vision, he would raise
himself on the terminal joints of his toes and stretch up
his neck, all with a jerky motion, the whole reminding me
somewhat of the action of the burrowing owl. If agitated
he ran rapidly to and fro, uttering an occasional piping
note, but seldom taking wing.

_Voice._--John T. Nichols describes the notes of this plover very well as follows:

I have met this western race of the golden plover only on
its breeding grounds (at Nome, Alaska) where its notes
are quite unlike the flight note of the eastern bird in
migration, though some have almost an identical quality
with that call. Running about on the ground, voicing noisy
protest at the invasion of its ground, it has two unlike
cries used interchangeably, _peep!_ etc.; _toodlee_,
etc.; the first plaintive, the second mellow. Other less
frequent notes are _tudleu_ and _tdlu-eep_ suggesting the
semipalmated plover. When the two members of a pair alight
together for a moment a note of greeting suggests in form
the whip-poor-will’s call, _piterweeu, piterweeu, piterwit_
or _peeperwip, peeperweeu, peeperwip_.

A different, striking note is associated with what seems
to be nuptial display. A bird circles at moderate height
waving widespread wings in slow, measured, tern-like
manner, meanwhile uttering a loud, long-drawn, sweet
_pee-er-wee_, and in a few minutes dives to the tundra
and alights. The form of this call is rather that of the
black-bellied plover though its tone is that of the golden.

Miss Haviland (1915_a_) describes similar notes and observes that, “roughly speaking, the alarm note of the common golden plover is monosyllabic; that of the Asiatic golden plover is dissyllabic; and that of the gray plover is distinctly trisyllabic in character.”

_Fall._--The plover which breed in Alaska migrate over Bering Sea, stopping on the Pribilof Islands; the first birds, probably adults, come during August; the young birds come later, mainly in September and October, with one very late date, November 5. The few available dates for the Aleutian and Commander Islands are also late, September and October, probably young birds. The first birds to reach the Hawaiian Islands are adults in breeding plumage; they arrive about the middle or latter part of August; and Doctor Henshaw (1910) says “that they are invariably in good flesh and that some are very fat. Later arrivals, however, no doubt young of the year, are comparatively poor in flesh and require considerable time to fatten.” This flight to these islands is a most remarkable feat, for, even granted that they can rest and feed to some extent on the surface of the ocean, it still remains a mystery how they can find this little group of islands in the middle of such a vast expanse of ocean. Doctor Henshaw (1910) makes some suggestions which throw some light on the subject; he says:

About September the wind that prevails in the North Pacific
immediately south of the Aleutians is from the northwest.
It is generally believed that migrating birds prefer to
fly on a beam wind. By heading southwest, birds migrating
to Hawaii might have the northwest abeam till about the
neighborhood of latitude 30° where they would be almost
sure to pick up the northeast trades. By then changing
their course to southeast they would be enabled to fly with
wind abeam till they sighted the islands. The Hawaiian
Archipelago with the chain of low islands and sand spits to
the northwest afford a reasonable chance for a successful
landfall, since unitedly they stretch away in a very thin
line for some 2,200 miles. Moreover the islands are close
enough together so that migrants high in air would not be
likely to miss them by passing between.

The birds which breed in Siberia are probably those that migrate through Mongolia and Japan and spend the winter in India, Burma, the Malay Archipelago, and Australia.

_Winter._--Maj. G. Ralph Meyer has sent me the following notes on this plover in the Hawaiian Islands:

The plover are very plentiful and I see them passing over
every day. They usually arrive about the middle of August
and remain until the middle of March. Along about that
time of the year they seem to congregate on the flats on
the northeast end of the island and probably leave from
there on the long flight to Alaska. During the winter they
alternate between the plains of the high central plateau of
the island and the lowland on both sides of the island. On
the east side there is some low grassy land and they are
common there. On this side they frequent tide flats during
the low tides and then go up into the central plateau
during the high tides. They perhaps spend some of the time
in sheltered ponds on this side and wherever they can find
muddy flats on which to feed.

The call note when flying is usually a whistled _too-whee_,
easily imitated. They answer to the call note very readily
and we use this when hunting them. We use plover decoys,
placing them in the mud flats during high tide, and then at
the turning of the tide the birds come from the direction
of the mountains to feed. The decoys are placed on the
highest part of the flats, so that the birds will have no
other place to alight. We face the decoys up the wind, as
the birds usually face that way when they are feeding. As
they come near we call to them, merely imitating their
call. They will circle around and finally decoy very nicely
if they are not alarmed by any sudden movement. When
circling around decoys they make a sort of chuckling noise,
which I can not describe except as a chuckling whistle.
Occasionally a wandering tattler will decoy and very often
we get turnstones. On one occasion last year I saw a flock
of about 20 to 30 birds, apparently turnstones, flying in a
“V” or semicircle formation, and the leader was undoubtedly
a plover. The birds were a couple of hundred feet in the
air, so I could not be sure of the turnstones, but I was
sure of the plover. He was leading them, for they followed
him wherever he went. On a visit to Hawaii in July, 1916,
I found plover on the slopes of Mauna Loa, one of the high
mountains of the island. I have never seen them on this
island during the summer.

W. B. Alexander tells me that this plover is--

a common visitor to Australian coasts, especially in
summer, though some appear to be present at all seasons.
While in Australia this species is usually found in small
flocks and is partial to reedy swamps and the margins of
lakes, as well as to estuaries fringed with mangroves. In
fact, it evidently likes cover, though it may be met with
on the open sea beach.

In his notes from Australia, Charles Barrett says:

All parts of the Commonwealth receive their quota of golden
plover, and in the southern portions of the country the
birds are seen about the end of October (early summer).
The species is nowhere very plentiful (A. J. Campbell),
but I have seen it often, singly, or in small flocks, in
different localities, chiefly along the seashore and on
swampy land, seeking small shellfish, etc. Sometimes it
associates with the black-bellied plover (_Squatarola
squatarola_). In the Capricorn Group I met with it in fair
numbers on the Masthead Island beaches. Like other migrants
observed among the isles, the plover were fresh arrivals,
and each day their numbers increased. They were in poor
condition and seemed to be exhausted after their great
migratory flight. Some of the specimens taken by collectors
in our party still retained some of the breeding plumage;
in one example the breast was almost black.

In New South Wales I observed this species on the sand
spits at the sea entrance to Wallis Lake in October, 1921.
They were wary, but through field glasses we could see
them busily seeking for food. In my own State, Victoria,
specimens have been taken both in the summer and winter
plumage. The birds frequent open grass country, as well
as the seashore; in fact, they are more abundant often
in country of this class than elsewhere in a district.
Frequently, however, they are seen along river banks and on
sea beaches, feeding in company with other species.

DISTRIBUTION

_Range._--Alaska, Asia, Australia, and Oceania; casual in Europe and on the Pacific coast of North America.

_Breeding range._--The Pacific golden plover breed mainly in Siberia but, as mentioned under _Pluvialis d. dominica_, they range also to western Alaska, where they apparently meet and intergrade with their eastern relatives. The breeding range may be stated as extending north to eastern Siberia (Yenisei River, Cape Chelyuskin, Liakhof Island, Nijni Kolymsk, Cape Baranof, Chaun Bay, and Cape Serdze); and Alaska (Wainwright). East to Alaska (Wainwright, probably Point Hope, probably Cape Blossom, Cape Prince of Wales, Nome, St. Michael, and Igiak Bay). South to Alaska (Igiak Bay); and Siberia (Bering Island, Kamchatka, and the Yenisei River). West to western Siberia (Yenisei River).

_Winter range._--The winter range extends north to India, China, Japan, and to Hawaiian Islands (Midway, Kauai, and Maui Islands). East to the Hawaiian Islands (Maui), Polynesia, and New Zealand. South to New Zealand and Tasmania. West to Tasmania, Australia, Melanesia, Java, Borneo, and India.

_Migration._--The migration of the Pacific golden plover nesting in Alaska, appears to be entirely oceanic, the flight in both directions being without intermediate stops. Nonbreeding individuals frequently remain all summer in the Hawaiian Islands and at other points in Oceania.

_Spring migration._--Early dates of arrival are: China, Soochow, April 18, Shanghai, April 21, and Canton, April 30; Japan, Hakodate, May 7; Siberia, Bering Island, May 15, and Nijni Kolymsk, May 30; and Alaska, St. Michael, May 2, Bethel, May 8, Portage Bay, May 13, Hooper Bay, May 16, and Cape Prince of Wales, May 19.