Chicago Winter Birds 3 



April. The Red-breasted Merganser sometimes stays 

 until late in May. Another species, the Barrow's 

 Golden-eye, closely resembles our common Golden-eye, 

 but is very rarely found here. Only the adult males 

 can be distinguished from the common species, unless 

 in the hand, so many may pass unnoticed. The Harle- 

 quin Duck has been reported during the last few years, 

 but is of very rare occurrence. Three scoters, the Ame- 

 rican, White-winged, and Surf Scoter, have been found 

 at times, but as they generally stay some distance out 

 in the lake they are seldom reported. The only geese 

 still common here are the Canada Geese, and most of 

 these are seen on the wing as they fly between the 

 lake and the cornfields, where they go to feed in the 

 early morning and late evening. They arrive about 

 the middle of October and some flocks stay all winter, 

 leaving in April. The Herring Gull and the Ring- 

 billed Gull are always plentiful along the lake and in 

 the rivers. The former is the larger bird, but it is 

 hard to distinguish the different species except when 

 seen together. They are great scavengers, and where 

 any refuse is being dumped, large flocks will gather. 

 The smallest of our gulls, the Bonaparte's, appears in 

 August and stays until November, some occasionally 

 remaining all winter. 



Along the beach in the early part of the winter, 

 until the last of December, Snow Buntings are fairly 

 common. They arrive the last of October and may 

 stay until the first of March, although rarely found 

 after December. Prairie Horned Larks are sometimes 

 found with them. On the more open prairies or in 

 sparsely settled areas, a few Prairie Chickens are mak- 

 ing a last stand. They were formerly common in this 

 region, but the cultivation of the fields and shooting 

 have driven them out. A few years ago, a farmer 

 found two nests while plowing and thoughtfully left 



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