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Bird - Lore 



Missouri River within the city limits, a 

 count was kept, between 8 and 9:40 a.m., 

 of passing Ducks and Geese. Twenty-seven 

 flocks of Ducks contained 1 729 individuals and 

 six flocks of Geese were estimated to contain 

 525 birds. For nearly an hour after the tally 

 was discontinued the flocks passed in an 

 endless procession too numerous even to 

 estimate, so that the birds recorded repre- 

 sent but a small fraction of the flight. Sev- 

 eral hunters' bags examined this day con- 

 tained a large ratio of Black Ducks. Andrews 

 reported a similar flight from his station 

 further down stream about a week later, and 

 stated that withal the flight this year was 

 not so impressive as last year, or even year 

 before last. However, reports from other 

 stations, notably Lawrence, Kans., are more 

 encouraging. 



A large flock of Rusty Blackbirds with a 

 sprinkling of Cowbirds was seen on Novem- 

 ber 4. Red-breasted Nuthatches were noted 

 on the 6th, and on the 7th migrating Hawks 

 were in sight during most of the day. Kill- 

 deers were seen in Swope Park on the 2 2d, 

 an unusually late date. Andrews saw Kill- 

 deers and Greater Yellow-legs on the Mis- 

 souri River on the 16th, and a flight of Her- 

 ring and Ring-billed Gulls on the 18th and 

 19th. On the 21st this observer flushed his 

 second Woodcock of the season. 



On November 20 a beautiful adult male 

 specimen of Harlan's Hawk was killed near 

 Kansas City and brought in to J. F. Frazier 

 for mounting. Strangely enough on the 

 same day another specimen was taken near 

 Independence, only a few miles further east, 

 and brought in to Charles W. Tindall. This 

 specimen could not be saved, but was per- 

 sonally examined in the flesh. These records 

 constitute the second and third for this im- 

 mediate region. It is understood that C. D. 

 H unker, Curator of the Kansas University 

 Museum, has added several records of this 

 bird for eastern Kansas. 



Mr. Tindall reports a Mockingbird and a 

 Red-headed Woodpecker wintering near his 

 home in Independence, Mo. Sidney Hyde, 

 of Topeka, Kans., reports a small flock of 

 Bohemian Waxwings and numbers of Red- 

 breasted Nuthatches seen in his region in 

 early December. 



The outstanding feature of the current 

 period is the very unusual abundance of 

 Blue Jays over this entire region. Usually at 

 this season only a few wintering birds are 

 here and need to be hunted for in the most 

 favorable situations. But this year they are 

 in evidence at every turn. Meadowlarks, too, 

 are rather more numerous than common at 

 this season, but will doubtless move on at 

 the approach of very cold weather, the sea- 

 son to date having been unseasonably mild. — 

 Harry Harris, Kansas City, Mo. 



Denver Region. — The writer is like 

 every other lover of birds, very desirous of 

 making interesting and valuable observa- 

 tions about them, and anxious to share such 

 results with his interested friends and fellow 

 students. When eight weeks pass, as have 

 the past two months, with an almost com- 

 plete poverty of bird-life in his region, he 

 feels as though he had been 'buncoed.' 

 During similar periods (as this now being 

 reported on) in years past, he has seen in the 

 neighborhood of Denver, more than seventy 

 different species and subspecies of birds. 

 During the last eight weeks only eighteen 

 species and subspecies have fallen under his 

 notice as he has gone about in this vicinity. 

 It is obvious that one can hardly compare a 

 given period studied during many years, with 

 the same period studied during one year only, 

 yet these figures give an idea of the scarcity 

 of birds hereabouts during the past two 

 months. 



The northern breeding Ducks were very 

 late in arriving in our region, and were scarce 

 even then. It was, however, like receiving a 

 birthday or a holiday greeting to see a flock 

 of six Snow Geese on a lake north of Denver, 

 on October 3 1 . There must have been a con- 

 siderable flight of these Geese over the state 

 about this time, for a flock was also noted on 

 a lake fifty miles north of Denver on October 

 29, one being secured, and its head, wing and 

 leg given to the writer. The bird proved on 

 examination to be a Lesser Snow Goose, a 

 species relatively common in Colorado, its 

 larger congener, the Greater Snow Goose, 

 being very rare in this state. 



Walks through our parks and drives into 

 the suburbs, taken at various times during 



