154 



The Canadian Field-Naturalist 



[Vol. XXXIV. 



ADDITIONS TO THE BIRDS OF SHOAL LAKE, MANITOBA. 



By Ernest S. Norman. 



The following species of birds have been observed 

 by me at Kalevala, Man., which is situated approxi- 

 mately about 25 miles north of the north end of 

 Shoal Lake. 



red-throated loon, Cavia lumme. This bird 

 is seen on Birch Lake, near Kalevala P.O., nearly 

 every fall just before freeze-up. It arrives here 

 generally several weeks after the common Loon 

 and the Holboell's Grebe have left for the south. 

 Only one or two seen at a time. 



AMERICAN SCAUP DUCK, A^thya mania. Regu- 

 lar summer visitor, though perhaps less numerous 

 than the Lesser Scaup. I have never found its nest 

 though the Lesser Scaup's nests are often discovered. 



TURKEY VULTURE, Cathartes aura. One in- 

 dividual of this species was seen several times in the 

 spring of 1919. It came every day for two or 

 three weeks to feed on a horse carcass, at which I 

 had set some wolf traps on the winter previous. It 

 was very tame and I had many chances of seeing it 

 at very close range, being thereby able to establish 

 the identity beyond any dcubt. 



cooper's hawk, Accipier cooperi. This hawk 

 is only an accidental summer visitor here. Never- 

 theless, I have seen it several times during the last 

 six years. 



GOLDEN EAGLE, Aquila chrysaiiios. One adult 

 in a beautiful plumage was shot by Mr. G. Carlson, 

 of Mulvihill, Man., in the summer of 1916. Mr. 

 Carlson brought this bird to me for identification 

 and later en sent it to Mr. W. Darby, the taxi- 

 dermist, in Winnipeg, for mounting. 



GREAT GRAY OWL, Scotiapiex nebulosa. One 

 morning in February, 1918, I noticed an unusually 

 long and fluffy feather hanging in a willow bush 

 near my barn. I at once knew that it was that of 

 an owl, but had never met here any species of owls 

 with such tremendously long feathers. Several days 

 later the puzzle was solved, when, in broad day- 

 light a Great Gray Owl (the first one and only one 

 that I have seen) flew to a shade tree in front of 

 our house. It stayed around for several weeks 

 after that. 



Richardson's owl, Cryptoglaux tengmalmi 

 richardsoni. In the winter of 1914-15, several birds 

 of this species were seen. They were very tame, 

 coming sometimes in broad daylight into the barnyard 

 where they could have been knocked down with a 



stick. None have been seen since. 



SAW-WHET OWL, Crypioglaux acadica. I saw 

 one specimen of this little owl in June, 1918. I 

 saw it on several occasions in one particular spot 

 in a pcplar bush. Hunted for the nest high and 

 low, but it could not be found. 



AMERICAN HAWK OWL, Surnia ulula caparoch. 

 In the winters of 1914-15 and 1915-16 this 

 was by far the most common of all the owls. It is 

 possible that they were breeding, as few were met 

 with right in the breeding season, in 1915. Not a 

 single one has been observed here in the last three 

 years. 



ARCTIC THREE-TOED WOODPECKER, Picoides 

 arciicus. Regular, though rare, winter visitor at 

 Kalevala, Man. One or two can be seen in the 

 poplar forests north of our post office almost any 

 day during the cold weather. 



NORTHERN PILEATED WOODPECKER, Ceophlacus 

 pileatus abieticola. This largest of our northern 

 woodpeckers was very common here six and seven 

 years ago, when the first settlers arrived. On ac- 

 count of their unwary habits many of them fell 

 easy victims to the Sunday hunter and the boy 

 with "the 22." It has been entirely absent for two 

 or three years, but last autumn (1919) a pair came 

 into our poplar woods (where they are protected) 

 and have stayed there all winter. They were 

 seen nearly every day hammering at a large poplar 

 stub just a short distance from our barn. As 

 many of the largest poplars in our bush have very 

 large holes excavated into them, it is almost certain 

 that these birds used to breed here regularly not 

 so very many years ago. 



PINE GROSBEAK, Pinicola enucleator leucura. 

 Common winter visitor at Kalevala, Man. General- 

 ly appears in small flocks from 4 or 5 to a dozen 

 birds of both sexes. They are very tame and feed 

 mostly on frozen high-bush cranberries. 



REDPOLL, Acanthis I'maria. Common winter 

 visitor. Sometimes large flocks of several dozens of 

 birds are seen. They feed on weed seeds and are 

 far too tame for their own safety. The ordinary 

 house cat generally catches more than its share of 

 them. 



WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH, Silla carolinensis. 

 Resident. Can be seen here any day both summer 

 and winter. 



