Chicago Winter Birds 9 



tain-ash tree in Highland Park for a week, until they 

 had eaten all the fruit. Many appeared in Jackson 

 Park and they were found again in February in the 

 Dunes. The Evening Grosbeak, supposedly an irregu- 

 lar winter visitant, has been found in the Dunes every 

 winter for the past ten years by H. L. Stoddard. A 

 few are seen elsewhere at other times, but not so 

 commonly as in the Dunes. A common migrant, the 

 Purple Finch, may be seen about in winter. It is an 

 erratic bird, and no definite place could be named 

 where it might be found regularly. Bronzed Grackles 

 and Robins often pass the winter here, the former gen- 

 erally in the vicinity of some pine grove, and the 

 latter in any protected spot where food can be 

 secured. The "first Robins" are probably birds that 

 have wintered here. Two of our most common winter 

 birds frequent the entire area, the Blue Jay and Crow, 

 although the Jay comes about houses more than the 

 wary Crow. 



To those interested in winter birds, a feeding shelf 

 is a great help, as it brings some of the birds close 

 to hand and gives a better opportunity for study. It 

 may often save the lives of many birds when storms 

 have covered the ground with deep snow or coated the 

 trees with ice. Woodpeckers, sparrows, nuthatches, 

 cardinals, jays, chickadees, titmice and occasionally 

 others will patronize it. A feeding shelf is not only 

 a pleasure to the one keeping it, but it is a great benefit 

 to the birds, which certainly deserve some reward for 

 their assistance in keeping in check the many insect 

 pests which are so destructive to trees and shrubs. 

 The Government has published a bulletin on the sub- 

 ject (Farmers' Bulletin, No. 912), which may be 

 secured upon application to the Secretary of Agricul- 

 ture. 



Colin C. Sanborn, 

 Assistant, Division of Birds. 

 [21] 



