We compared the mean spring arrival dates of 80 species of Maine migratory breeding birds between the interval 1899–1911 and the interval 1994–1997. Arrival dates for the earlier interval were extracted from records in the Journal of the Maine Ornithological Society. Dates for the latter interval were collected by volunteers across the state of Maine. Our prediction of a trend toward earlier arrival as a function of global warming was rejected. Of the 29 species that showed significant changes in arrival date, 20 (69.0%) arrived earlier in 1899–1911 than in 1994–1997. Spring arrival dates do not at present provide any signal of the effects of global warming in the state of Maine.
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1 March 2000
SPRING ARRIVAL DATES OF MAINE MIGRATORY BREEDING BIRDS: 1994–1997 VS. 1899–1911
W. Herbert Wilson,
Daniel Kipervaser,
Scott A. Lilley
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