ORNITHOLOGY 



-75 



The February Birds. 



In New England we do not look for 

 much spring weather during the month 

 of February. There may be, however, 

 considerable movement in bird life 

 during this month, this depending more 

 or less, of course, on weather conditi- 

 ons as regards the appearance of early 

 migrants from the south. Then also 

 we have learned that food supply has 

 in many instances more to do with the 

 distribution of birds than has tempera- 

 ture or other weather conditions. 



Robins, song sparrows, flickers, pur- 

 ple finches and meadow-larks are found 

 to be more or less resident in certain 

 localities where they were formerly 

 supposed to be strictly migrator}'. In 

 middle and southern New England it is 

 not unusual to find large flocks of rob- 

 ins winteringin the thick cedar swamps. 

 These are likely to appear about our 

 houses earlier than migrating individu- 

 als of the same species. Crows appear in 

 greater numbers during February than 

 we have observed them through the 

 early winter months. Purple flnches 

 may be noted ; song sparrows which 

 have wintered with us but have kept in 

 seclusion, may be heard singing during 

 the latter part of the month, especiallv 

 if we are favored with a mild "spell," 

 and blue jays seem to become more 

 restless and noisy at this season. There 

 seems to be "something in the air," 

 even though the ground is still frozen 

 and the general atmosphere of winter 

 pervades. 



Although rather exceptional for 

 the past few years, in event of an early 

 spring the more hardy and daring of 

 our first spring migrants sometimes ar- 

 rive during the latter part of February. 

 Bluebirds have been known to appear 

 in the vicinity of Boston on the twenty- 

 second, though this is unusual. Rusty 

 blackbirds, bronzed grackles. song 

 s] tarrows. swamp sparrows, flickers, 

 phoebes and sometimes red-winged 

 blackbirds may arrive in small num- 

 bers, these probably being individuals 

 that have wintered not far south of the 

 localities where they now appear. Of- 

 ten these earliest migrants are not 

 noted on their first appearance, as it is 

 supposedly too early to look for them. 

 It is the constant observer, however. 

 — who braves all weathers and who 

 keeps up his daily walks, — who is apt 

 to be rewarded with the sight of these 



"first spring birds" which so gladden 

 the heart of the nature-lover. 



During February we may also look 

 for such northern visitors as "snowy" 

 and "great-horned" owls, pine gros- 

 beaks, cross-bills, pine siskins, red- 

 polls and evening grosbeaks, in addi- 

 tion to our regular winter residents 

 like the nuthatches, golden-crowned 

 kinglets, tree sparrows, slate-colored 

 jnncos, horned larks and snow bunt- 

 ings, although these former species are 

 erratic and uncertain in their move- 

 ments and visitations to any given lo- 

 cality. With them it is usually a ques- 

 tion of food supply: they seem to have 

 preferences for a somewhat limited 

 "menu," and frequently are abundant 

 for a short time in a localitv where 

 their favorite food may be found. 

 _ There appears to be, in many locali- 

 ties, an entire absence of seeds on the 

 white (gray) birches this winter, 

 which probably accounts for the ab- 

 sence of red-polls and pine siskins not- 

 ed in these localities, as these birds 

 depend largely upon the birch seeds for 

 subsistence at this season. Cedar wax- 

 wings are also wanderers, and may re- 

 main in considerable numbers about 

 certain grounds while they are able to 

 obtain a supply of berries of the moun- 

 tain ash or cedar. As long as the food 

 supply holds out these various birds 

 seem to care little what the weather 

 may be. 



February is also the month, in New 

 England and the middle west, ivhen 

 the great horned owl is nesting. Its 

 two eggs are laid and incubation be- 

 gtm often by the middle of the month, 

 —cold and bleak as it may be,— and it 

 is not unusual for the young of these 

 hardy birds to be hatched and brooded 

 during severe winter weather. 



The wanderer afield in the month 

 of February should be rewarded with a 

 larger and more interesting list of 

 birds than at any other part of the win- 

 ter season. 



The plan for the new Illinois wild 

 life sanctuaries is to have tracts of a 

 thousand to five thousand acres each, 

 in which about five acres will be sown 

 to various sorts of grain left standing 

 for bird food. Besides this there will 

 be brush heap shelters containing 

 gravel and sand. 



