THE BIRDS IN WINTER
With the approach of winter the country loses its charm for many people.
The blossoms and verdure, so common yet so beloved by all, have departed,
and only the brown expanses of dead grass and weeds relieve the blackness
of the forest trees. Even ardent nature lovers have been known to
forsake their walks at this season when the songs of the birds have
ceased and the forest boughs give forth only sobs and shrieks as they
sway to the strength of the north winds.
_A Good Time for Field Walks._--Nevertheless winter is a good time for
the bird student to go afield. If the wild life is less abundant, so is
the human life, and you have the country almost to yourself. If you but
say in your heart, "I will go and see what may be {83} found," you will
later rejoice, for with the falling of the leaves many of Nature's
secrets, which she has jealously guarded through the summer months, stand
revealed. Among the naked branches of the briars you may find the
Catbird's nest which defied all search last June. It will be a comfort
to learn that the bird really did have a nest just about the place you
thought it was located. Many other pleasing surprises await you in the
winter woods.
_The Downy's Winter Quarters._--One late autumn day I stopped to watch a
Junco feeding among some weed stalks near a hillside trail. After
remaining motionless for a minute or two I became conscious of a light
muffled tapping somewhere near by. It did not take long to locate the
sound. On the underside of a slanting decayed limb, twenty feet above,
was a new, well-rounded hole perhaps an inch in diameter. Even as I
looked the occupant came to the entrance and threw out a billful of small
chips. When these fell, I saw that the dead leaves on the earth beneath
had been well sprinkled by previous ejections {84} of the same nature. I
had discovered a Downy Woodpecker at work on his winter bedroom, and
later I had reason to believe that he made this his nightly retreat
during the cold months that followed.
Chancing to pass this way one dark cloudy morning, it occurred to me to
look and see if he had yet left his bed. Striking the limb near the hole
I was rewarded by seeing a little black-and-white head poked out
inquiringly. Fearing he might be resentful if such treatment were
repeated, I never afterward disturbed my little neighbour while he was
taking his morning nap. But I had learned this much, that one Downy at
least sometimes liked to be abed on cold mornings. Perhaps he knew that
there was no early worm about at this season.
_Birds and the Night._--It may be that others of our winter birds also
make excavations for sleeping quarters; the Chickadee and Nuthatch very
probably do so, although I have never found them thus engaged. It is
well known that many small birds creep into holes to pass the night. Old
nesting {85} places of Woodpeckers are thus again rendered useful, and
many of the natural cavities of trees contain, during the hours of
darkness, the little warm, pulsating bodies of birds.
Quails invariably roost on the ground regardless of the time of year, or
the prevailing weather conditions. An entire covey numbering sometimes
twelve or fifteen will settle for the night in a compact circular group
with heads pointed outward. When a heavy snow falls they are completely
buried, and then if a hard crust forms before morning their roosting
place becomes their tomb. Grouse now and then are trapped in the same
way, but their superior strength enables them to break through and
escape. In fact, these larger birds often deliberately go to roost
beneath the snow, breaking through the crust by a swift plunging dive
from the air. Bearing these facts in mind it is easy to understand why
Quails often become scarce in a country where Grouse abound.
Small birds pass the winter nights in evergreens, thick-growing vines,
under the eaves of verandas, or {86} on the rafters of bridges. Many
creep into cracks of outhouses. I have found them at night in caves,
barns, and once in a covered wagon. Almost any available shelter may
have its bird tenant on cold nights, who if undisturbed will often return
again and again to the refuge it has once found safe and comfortable.
Birds that pass the winter in the Northern States are subjected to many
hardships. In fact, the fatalities in the bird world in winter are so
great, and the population so constantly reduced by one form of tragedy or
another, that it is only the stronger and more fortunate individuals of a
species that survive to enjoy the summer.
_The Food Question in Winter._--Where to secure the food is the big
question which confronts every bird when it opens its eyes on the first
snowy morning of winter. Not only has the whole aspect of the country
been changed, but the old sources of food have passed away. Not a
caterpillar is to be found on the dead leaves, and not a winged insect is
left to come flying {87} by; hence other food must be looked for in new
directions. Emboldened by hunger, the Starlings alight at the kitchen
door, and the Juncos, Sparrows, Downy Woodpeckers, and Nuthatches come to
feed on the window-sill. Jays and Meadowlarks haunt the manure piles or
haystacks in search of fragments of grain. Purple Finches flock to the
wahoo elm trees to feed on the buds, and Crossbills attack the pine
cones. Even the wary Ruffed Grouse will leave the shelter of the barren
woods, and the farmer finds her in the morning sitting among the branches
of his apple tree, relieving the twigs of their buds. In every field a
multitude of weed stalks and stout grass stems are holding their heads
above the snow tightly clasping their store of seeds until members of the
Sparrow family shall thrash them out against the frozen crust beneath.
Among those which are forced to become largely vegetarian in winter is
the Bluebird. In summer he is passionately fond of grasshoppers,
cutworms, and _Arctia_ caterpillars, but now he wanders sadly over {88}
the country of his winter range in quest of the few berries to be found
in the swamps and along the hedgerows. The Crow is another bird often
met in winter walks, for he, too, in many cases spurns the popular
movement southward in the fall, and severe indeed must be the weather
before he forsakes his former haunts. You will find him feeding along
the banks of streams or in the open spots in the fields, or {89} again in
the woods pecking rotten stumps or fallen limbs in search of dormant
beetles.
[Illustration: Grouse "Budding" in an Apple Tree]
Fifty-five species of Warblers inhabit North America. These birds are
insectivorous in their feeding habits, which of course also means that
they are migratory. A partial exception to the rule is found in the
common Myrtle Warbler. Although in winter these birds range south to
Panama, many remain as far north as New Jersey, Kansas, and the Ohio
Valley. This does not mean that insects are found in these regions in
sufficient numbers to supply the larder of the Myrtle Warblers, but it
does mean that they find acceptable substitutes for their usual food.
Oddly enough, what they depend on is not animal matter in any form, but
consists of berries which contain some of the essential food properties
of fatty meats. One of the most popular with them is the common bayberry.
Among the sand dunes of the extensive "Banks" along the North Carolina
coast there grows in great profusion a small bushy tree known as the
yaupon. {90} The young leaves of this when dried and steeped make a very
acceptable drink, and during the hungry days of the Civil War when the
Federal blockade became effective the people of the region used this as a
substitute for tea and coffee. The yaupon produces in great abundance a
berry that is so highly esteemed by the Myrtle Warblers that they pass
the winter in these regions in numbers almost incredible.
_When the Food Supply Fails._--It is hard to realize the extent of the
havoc wrought among birds by cold, snowy weather. Early in the year 1895
a long, severe cold spell, accompanied by snow and sleet, almost
exterminated the Bluebird in the eastern United States. The bodies of no
less than twenty-four of these birds were found in the cavity of one
tree. It looked as if they had crowded together with the hope of keeping
warm. It was not the cold alone which had destroyed the birds: a famine
had preceded the cold snap, and the birds, weakened by hunger, were ill
prepared to withstand its rigours.
One winter some years ago a prolonged freezing {91} wave swept over our
South Atlantic States, and played havoc with the Woodcock in South
Carolina. This is what happened: the swamps in the upper reaches of the
Pee Dee, the Black, and Waccamaw rivers were frozen solid, and the
Woodcock, that in winter abound in this region, were thus driven to the
softer grounds farther downstream. The cold continued and the frozen
area followed the birds. The Woodcock, unable to drive their long bills
into the once-responsive mud, were forced to continue their flight toward
the coast in search of open ground where worms could be found. When at
length they reached Winyaw Bay, where these rivers converge, they were at
the point of exhaustion. Thousands of the emaciated birds swarmed in the
streets and gardens of Georgetown. They were too weak to fly, and
negroes killed them with sticks and offered baskets of these wasted
bodies, now worthless as food, for a few cents a dozen. Several
shipments were made to Northern cities by local market men, who hoped to
realize something by their industry.
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Of the Wild Ducks which remain North in the winter many die because of
the freezing of the water in which they must dive or dabble for their
food. On the morning of February 11, 1912, Cayuga Lake in western New
York State was found to be covered with a solid sheet of ice from end to
end. It is a large body of water, having an area of nearly sixty-seven
square miles. It rarely freezes over--only once in about twenty years,
as the records show. The Ducks inhabiting the lake at this time were
caught unawares. Many of them moved quickly to more Southern waters, but
others tarried, evidently hoping for better times. Subsequently a few
air-holes opened and the Ducks gathered about them, but there was little
food even here, and numbers starved to death. One observer who went out
to the air-holes reported examining the bodies of twenty-eight
Canvas-backs and nineteen Scaups in addition to many others such as
Redheads and Golden-eyes. His survey was not exhaustive and the Gulls
had doubtless removed many bodies from the territory {93} he visited.
When the surface of lakes and bays freezes suddenly in the night Ducks
are sometimes caught and held fast by the ice adhering to their feathers
and legs. In this condition they are utterly unable to escape the
attacks of man and beast, and in the latitude of New York captures in
this way are now and then reported.
_Wild Fowl Destroyed in the Oil Fields._--In the oil fields of the
Southwest and old Mexico the surface of many ponds is covered with oil
into which unsuspecting flocks of Ducks alight never again to emerge
until their dead bodies drift to the shore. It was on November 27, 1912,
that the naval tank ship _Arethusa_ steamed into the harbour of
Providence, Rhode Island, with a cargo of crude oil. For several days
following her bilge pumps sent overboard a continuous stream of water and
oil seepage. On December 3d the following news-item appeared in the
_Providence Daily Bulletin_, "The east shore of the lower harbour and
upper bay, from Wilkesbarre pier to Riverside and below, is strewn with
the bodies of dead {94} Wild Ducks, which began to drift ashore
yesterday. The wildfowl came into the bay in enormous flocks about the
middle of November and have since been seen flying about or feeding in
the shallow water, as is usual at this time of year. As no such amount
of oil, it is believed, was ever let loose into the bay at one time
before, and as Ducks along the shore, dead from poisoning, have never
been seen before, it is reasonable to connect the two occurrences."
_Hunting Winter Birds._--Birds are to be found in winter in nearly every
neighbourhood, and it is astonishing under what adverse natural
conditions one may find them. As I write these lines on a dark February
afternoon, here in New York City, I can see through the window a Starling
sitting ruffled up on the bare twig of an elm tree. Every minute or two
he calls, and as he is looking this way perhaps he is growing impatient
for the little girl of the house to give him his daily supply of crumbs.
A few minutes ago there was a Downy on the trunk of the same tree, and
out over the Harlem River I see a flock of {95} Herring Gulls passing, as
their custom is in the late afternoon.
Several years ago Dr. Frank M. Chapman sent out a notice to bird students
that he would be pleased to have them make a record of the birds to be
seen in their different neighbourhoods on Christmas.
Many responded, and he published their reports in his magazine
_Bird-Lore_. This aroused so much interest that bird observers all over
the country now have a regular custom of following this practice. In the
January-February, 1916, issue of _Bird-Lore_ appears the results of the
last census which was taken on December 25, 1915. By examining this one
may get a good idea of the birds to be found in various communities at
this season. Some of the lists were very large, ninety-three specimens
being noted in the one sent by Ludlow Griscom, from St. Marks, Florida.
The largest number reported by any of the observers was 221, seen in the
neighbourhood of Los Angeles, California. The following are reports from
typical sections:
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_Wolfville, N. S._--Dec. 25; 10 A. M. to 12.30 P. M. Cloudless; 5 inches
of light snow; no wind; temperature 30 degrees. Herring Gull, 2; Black
Duck, 100; Canada Ruffed Grouse, 4; Downy Woodpecker, 1; Northern Raven,
1; Crow, 6; Goldfinch, 11; Vesper Sparrow, 1 (collected for positive
identification); Black-capped Chickadee, 7; Acadian Chickadee, 2;
Golden-crowned Kinglet, 5. Total, 11 species, 140 individuals. Dec. 20,
a flock of 8 to 10 American Crossbills.--R. W. TUFTS.
_Tilton, N. H._--Dec. 25; 8.20 A. M. to 12.30 P. M. Cloudy, changing to
light rain; a little snow on ground; wind light, south-east; temperature
38 degrees. Blue Jay, 1; White-breasted Nuthatch, 1; Chickadee, 6;
Golden-crowned Kinglet, 2. Total, 4 species, 10 individuals. Birds seem
unusually scarce this winter.--GEORGE L. PLIMPTON and EDWARD H. PERKINS.
_Bridgewater, Mass._--Dec. 25; 8 to 10 A. M. Cloudy; ground bare; wind
southeast, moderate; temperature 27 degrees to 42 degrees. Red-tailed
Hawk, 2; Northern Flicker, 3; Blue Jay, 3; American Crow, 80; Starling,
6; Meadowlark, 2; Goldfinch, 7; Junco, 5; Song Sparrow, 42; Swamp
Sparrow, 2; Myrtle Warbler, 50; Brown Creeper, 2; Chickadee, 50;
Golden-crowned Kinglet, 3. Total, 14 species, 256 individuals.--HORACE
A. MCFARLIN.
_Fairfield, Conn. (Birdcraft Sanctuary, 10 acres)._--Dec. 25, Herring
Gull, 4; Red-tailed Hawk, 2; Sparrow Hawk, 1; Hairy Woodpecker, 1; Downy
Woodpecker, 5; Blue Jay, 4; Crow, 8; Starling, flock of 50; Meadowlark,
2; Purple Finch, 10; Goldfinch, 3; White-throated Sparrow, 4; Tree
Sparrow, 15; Junco, 30; Song Sparrow, 7; Fox Sparrow, 1; Myrtle Warbler,
12; Brown Creeper, 3; White-breasted Nuthatch, 2; Chickadee, 10;
Golden-crowned Kinglet, 5; Robin, 2. Total, 22 species, 181
individuals.--FRANK NOVAK, Warden.
_New York City (Central Park)._--Dec. 25; 9 A. M. to 1 P. M. Cloudy;
ground mostly bare, with some remaining patches of snow; wind southeast,
light; temperature 45 degrees to 54 degrees. Herring Gull, 70; Black
Duck, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 2; Starling, 24; Junco, 4; Song Sparrow, 2;
Cardinal, 2; Chickadee, 5. Total, 8 species, 110 individuals.--MR. and
MRS. G. CLYDE FISHER.
[Illustration: A Snowy Egret that came home to die. It was shot on its
feeding-grounds, and then flew several miles and died on its nest in the
Audubon Society's Reservation at Orange Lake, Florida.]
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_Rhinebeck, N. Y._--Dec. 25; 8 A. M. to 1 P. M. Cloudy; deep snow; wind
south, light; temperature 40 degrees. American Merganser, 2; Ring-necked
Pheasant, 30; Gray Partridge, 5; Marsh Hawk, 1; Barred Owl, 1; Hairy
Woodpecker, 4; Downy Woodpecker, 8 (drums and utters long call);
yellow-bellied Sapsucker, 1 male; Blue Jay, 10; Crow, 15; Purple Finch,
15; Goldfinch, 6; Junco, 12; Song Sparrow, 1; Tree Sparrow, 13; Brown
Creeper, 3; White-breasted Nuthatch, 20; Chickadee, 25 (whistles). Total
18 species, 171 individuals.--MRS. J. F. GOODWELL, TRACY, DOWS, and
MAUNSELL S. CROSBY.
_Hackettstown, N. J._--Dec. 22; 8.30 to 10.45 A. M. and 2.15 to 4.50 P.
M. Fair; remains of 16 in. snow, ground partly bare, partly with deep
drifts; temperature 20 degrees. Pheasant, 2; Sparrow Hawk, 1; Downy
Woodpecker, 4; Blue Jay, 1; Crow, 4; Starling, 11; Meadowlark, 13;
Goldfinch, 1; Tree Sparrow, 6; Junco, 14; Song Sparrow, 3; Brown Creeper,
2; White-breasted Nuthatch, 2; Chickadee, 11; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 1;
Robin, 1; Bluebird, 2. Total, 17 species, 79 individuals.--MARY PIERSON
ALLEN.
_Doylestown, Pa._--Dec. 25; 10 A. M. to 2.30 P. M. Fair; ground
snow-covered; wind southwest; temperature 40 degrees. Red-shouldered
Hawk, 1; Sparrow Hawk, 1; Hairy Woodpecker, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 3; Blue
Jay, 5; Crow, 7; Starling, 10; Meadowlark, 3; Purple Finch, 3; Tree
Sparrow, 8; Junco, 42; Song Sparrow, 4; Cardinal, 2; White-breasted
Nuthatch, 3; Tufted Titmouse, 5; Black-capped Chickadee, 16; Robin, 1;
Bluebird, 2. Total, 18 species, 117 individuals--DOYLESTOWN NATURE CLUB,
per Miss ELIZABETH COX.
_Lexington, N. C._--Dec. 27; 9.30 A. M. to 4.30 P. M. Fair to hazy;
ground bare; wind southeast to south, light; temperature 44 degrees to 50
degrees. Mourning Dove, 1; Turkey Vulture, 21; Sparrow Hawk, 1; Downy
Woodpecker, 1; Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, 2; Northern Flicker, 9; Blue
Jay, 12; Crow, 15; Purple Finch, 10; Goldfinch, 13; White-throated
Sparrow, 50; Chipping Sparrow, 15; Field Sparrow, 30; Slate-coloured
Junco, 100; Song Sparrow, 26; Fox Sparrow, 2; Towhee, 4; Cardinal, 20;
{98} Mockingbird, 5; Carolina Wren, 12; House Wren, 2; Long-billed Marsh
Wren, 1; White-breasted Nuthatch, 4; Tufted Titmouse, 4; Carolina
Chickadee, 20; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 3; Bluebird, 8. Total, 27
species, 391 individuals.--THEODORE ANDREWS.
_Columbia, S. C. (Outskirts)._--Dec. 27; 11 A. M. to 1 P. M. Clear;
ground bare; wind southwest, light; temperature 47 degrees. Black
Vulture, 30; Red-tailed Hawk, 2; Red-headed Woodpecker, 6; Flicker, 1;
Blue Jay, 12; Goldfinch, 7; White-throated Sparrow, 15; Slate-coloured
Junco, 35; Song Sparrow, 6; Red-eyed Towhee, 3; Loggerhead Shrike, 1;
Mockingbird, 3; Carolina Wren, 7; Brown Creeper, 1; Carolina Chickadee,
8; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 2; Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 8. Total, 17
species, 147 individuals.--BELLE WILLIAMS.
_Tampa, Fla._--Dec. 26; 9 A. M. to 12 M. and 2 to 5 P. M. Clear; wind
northwest, steady; tide out all day; temperature 40 degrees. Laughing
Gull, 1; Bonaparte's Gull, 1; Brown Pelican, 9; Lesser Scaup, 75; Ward's
Heron, 2; Little Blue Heron, 5; Killdeer, 15; Mourning Dove, 3; Turkey
Vulture, 10; Black Vulture, 4; Marsh Hawk, 1; Bald Eagle, 1; Kingfisher,
1; Red-headed Woodpecker, 1; Florida Blue Jay, 5; Towhee, 1; Tree
Sparrow, 14; Loggerhead Shrike, 6; Myrtle Warbler, 20; Yellow-throated
Warbler, 1; Palm Warbler, 60; Prairie Warbler, 1; Mockingbird, 12; House
Wren, 2; Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 2; Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, 3. Total, 26
species, about 360 individuals.--MRS. HERBERT R. MILLS.
_Rantoul, Ill._--Dec. 25; 11 A. M. to 2 P. M. Cloudy; wind north-west,
strong; temperature 22 degrees. Prairie Hen, 40; Mourning Dove, 2;
Cooper's Hawk, 2; Red-tailed Hawk, 1; Red-shouldered Hawk, 1; American
Rough-legged Hawk, 5; American Sparrow Hawk, 1; Short-eared Owl, 3;
Screech Owl, 1; Northern Downy Woodpecker, 5; Yellow-bellied Sapsucker,
2; Northern Flicker, 2; Horned Lark, 60; Prairie Horned Lark, 30; Blue
Jay, 15; Bronzed Crackle, 2; Lapland Longspur, 4; Tree Sparrow, 200;
Junco, 100; Song Sparrow, 8; Swamp Sparrow, 2; Cardinal, 16; Brown
Creeper, 1; White-breasted Nuthatch, 10; Red-breasted Nuthatch, 4; Tufted
Titmouse, 30; Chickadee, 24; {99} Golden-crowned Kinglet, 4. Total, 28
species, 575 individuals.--GEORGE E. EKBLAW and EDDIE L. EKBLAW.
_Youngstown, Ohio._--Dec. 25; 8 A. M. to 4 P. M. Rain nearly all day;
wind southerly, brisk at times; temperature 46 degrees to 33 degrees;
walked about 10 miles. Ruffed Grouse, 2; Barred Owl, 1; Great Horned
Owl, 2; Hairy Woodpecker, 6; Downy Woodpecker, 30; Red-bellied
Woodpecker, 1; Blue Jay, 21; Goldfinch, 4; Tree Sparrow, 54;
Slate-coloured Junco, 4; Song Sparrow, 20; Cardinal, 25; Winter Wren, 1;
Brown Creeper, 4; White-breasted Nuthatch, 50; Red-breasted Nuthatch, 2;
Tufted Titmouse, 25; Chickadee, 133; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 29; Wood
Thrush, 1. Total, 20 species, 424 individuals. The Wood Thrush was
possibly crippled, but could fly quite well.--GEORGE L. FORDYCE, VOLNEY
ROGERS, C. A. LEEDY, and MRS. WILLIS H. WARNER.
_Westfield, Wis._--Dec. 22; 8.30 to 10.30 A. M. Cloudy; ground covered
by light snow; wind south, light; temperature 30 degrees. Ruffed Grouse,
1; Downy Woodpecker, 2; Blue Jay, 3; Goldfinch, 40; Tree Sparrow, 20;
White-breasted Nuthatch, 3; Chickadee, 12. Total, 7 species, 81
individuals.--PATIENCE NESBITT.
_Omaha, Neb._--Dec. 25; 10 A. M. to 3 P. M. Clear till noon; 1 inch of
snow with bare spots; wind light, south; temperature 20 to 32 degrees.
Open woods and parks just west of town, walked north 5 miles. Hairy
Woodpecker, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 7; Blue Jay, 8; Goldfinch, 2; Pine
Siskin, 1; Tree Sparrow, 75; Slate-coloured Junco, 20; Cardinal, 2;
White-breasted Nuthatch, 3; Chickadee, 26. Total, 10 species, 145
individuals.--SOLON R. TOWNE.
_Denver, Colo._--Dec. 25; 2.20 to 4 P. M. Partly cloudy; ground with
some snow; wind west, strong; temperature 45 degrees to 55 degrees.
Ring-necked Pheasant, 11; Marsh Hawk, 1; Orange-shafted Flicker, 9;
Magpie, 75; Red-winged Blackbird, 750; Meadowlark, 4; House Finch, 35;
Tree Sparrow, 60; Shufeldt's Junco, 3; Pink-sided Junco, 1; Gray-headed
Junco, 18. Total, 11 species, 967 individuals.--W. H. BERGTOLD.
_Escondido, Calif._--Dec. 25; 9 A. M. to 2 P. M. Partly cloudy; {100}
temperature 65 degrees. Killdeer, 30; Valley Quail, 100; Mourning Dove,
20; Western Red-tailed Hawk, 1; Desert Sparrow Hawk, 2; Barn Owl, 2;
Burrowing Owl, 3; California Screech Owl, 1; Red-shafted Flicker, 3;
Black-chinned Hummingbird, 3; Arkansas Kingbird, 9; Say's Phoebe, 4;
Black Phoebe, 2; California Jay, 4; Western Meadowlark, 75; Brewer's
Blackbird, 150; House Finch, 200; Willow Goldfinch, 50; Anthony's Towhee,
35; Phainopepla, 1; California Shrike, 8; Audubon's Warbler, 30; Western
Mockingbird, 10; Pasadena Thrasher, 3; California Bush Tit, 20; Pallid
Wren Tit, 6; Western Robin, 25; Western Bluebird, 10. Total, 38 species,
805 individuals.--FRED GALLUP.
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