Notes from Field and Study 



89 



news that what was supposed to be a 

 Long-eared Owl had been seen the previous 

 day. This Owl is not at all common here, 

 and so we decided to see for ourselves and 

 verify if possible the earlier observation. 

 Soon after arriving near where the bird 

 had been seen, we found under a clump of 

 small hemlock trees an estimated quantity 

 of not less than four quarts of pellets, 

 many of which will be gathered and sent 

 to Washington for inspection. This in 

 itself was something never before seen by 

 either of us, notwithstanding one of us 

 has been hunting birds for a great many 

 years and has seen so-called 'flights' of 

 Owls and many pellet collections. 



A few minutes later one of us discovered 

 in an open-topped pine tree, not more than 

 twenty-five feet from the ground, a single 

 specimen of the Long-eared Owl. Not 

 daring to move for fear the Owl would not 

 be seen by us both, the discoverer of the 

 bird did not stir until joined by his com- 

 panion, who, upon being shown where the 

 single Owl was roosting, quickly exclaimed 

 "There are two, yes three, fout, five, six, 

 seven, good heavens, how many?" Just 

 then the flock rose and we counted eight, 

 and another flew out of a tree ten feet 

 away. We were so astonished by our find 

 that we almost lost sight of still another 

 Owl who had remained behind. To see 

 ten Long-eared Owls, and nine of them in 

 a space not more than six feet square in a 

 single tree, is something of an experience, 

 even to us who have been field-students 

 for upwards of forty and thirty years 

 respectively. We do not find evidence in 

 any book record that shows even half 

 this number being seen in a single flock in 

 the state of Connecticut.-C. W. Vibert, 

 G. T. Griswold (Hartford Bird Study 

 Club), Hartford, Conn. 



Notes from Southern Connecticut 



The past year was remarkable for the 

 flight of Warblers, and the large numbers 

 of Bay-breasted and Blackburnian Warb- 

 lers, and the occurrence of certain rare 

 species, the following records of which 

 should be of interest: 



Holbcell's GREBE.-March 19, one at 

 Norwalk; March 24, five at Ro way ton; 

 April 15 and 20, one at Norwalk. 



Ring-billed GuLL.-Though called a 

 rare migrant in the 'Birds of Connecticut,' 

 the writer believes this to be a fairly 

 common, though not generally found 

 species. Several birds were seen in the 

 spring of 1916. September 13, 1916, one 

 was shot over the Housatonic River at 

 Stratford, and is in the Museum at Bird- 

 craft Sanctuary. December 11, 1916, one 

 was shot by duck-hunters at Stratford, 

 and is in the writer's collection. Jan 13, 

 191 7, one was seen feeding in Bridgeport 

 Harbor. 



Laughing GuLL.-These Gulls have 

 increased during the past few years until 

 last fall they appeared in flocks of over one 

 hundred among the islands off this place. 



Bonaparte's Gull.-A flock of about 

 fifteen of these Gulls stayed on the Housa- 

 tonic River at Stratford from September 7 

 to 13. One that was shot is in Birdcraft 

 Museum at Fairfield. 



Wilson's PETREL.-The 'Birds of Con- 

 necticut' says of the Wilson's Petrel (page 

 26): "We have no specific records of this 

 species," yet these Petrels have been fairly 

 common in the Sound off this place for 

 some years to the writer's knowledge, 

 coming in among the islands at times, and 

 once in the harbor. The lobster fishermen 

 tell me that these Petrels help them to 

 locate their buoys by sitting on them. I 

 have counted twenty in two hours. One 

 shot August 7, 1914, is in the collection 

 of the Fish and Game Commissioners, 

 and one was taken by a member of the 

 Biological Survey the past summer. 



King EiDER.-One shot at Fairfield 

 Beach on December 14, 1916, by Mr. Leon 

 Beardsley, is mounted in Birdcraft Mu- 

 seum. 



KiLLDEER.-Apparently these birds are 

 coming back to breed in these parts for I 

 saw a pair with nest completed at Wilton 

 on June 10, 1916, and Mr. Herbert Sniffens 

 tells me that a pair raised a brood on his 

 farm at Stratford. In August they were 

 plentiful on one of the ponds that had 

 been drained. 



