SUPPLEMENT TO BIRDS OF ESSEX COUNTY 



109 



ground, remaining stationary in one spot by the rapid vibration of its wings while 

 it scans the ground below for game. Now and again it drops quickly down and 

 bears off a mouse or a grasshopper in its talons, but often its swoops are failures 

 and turn to upward glides before it reaches the ground. If the wind is blowing 

 strongly over the brow of a hill it will remain motionless for several minutes at a 

 time like a kite, supported by the upward currents. 



Its call is suggestive of the call of the Lesser Yellow-legs, but sharper. 

 It may be written as ker wee, ker wee, or killy, killy, and at times resembles a 

 whinny. 



161 [364] Pandion haliaetus carolinensis (Gmel.). 



OspREY; Fish Hawk. 



Common transient visitor. April 4 to May 31 (July 11) ; July 31 to October 

 21 (December 15). 



The Fish Hawk is now only a migrant through Essex County. Whether it 

 could be induced to tarry and nest by the erection of suitable nesting-sites is open 

 to doubt, but it would be an interesting experiment to try, and well worth the 

 trouble if successful. In Bristol, R. I., old cart-wheels are placed at the top of 

 tall poles, often close to farmhouses, and upon these the birds build huge nests. 

 The use of these platforms is, however, secondary to the use of trees for this 

 purpose as there is a considerable colony of Fish Hawks there. In a visit to this 

 region I counted thirty nests, five of which were on cartwheels. The community- 

 nesting instinct is evidently strong, although in many places the bird nests singly. 

 Two or three cartwheels on long poles near the shore might be a sufficient induce- 

 ment to start a summer colony of this splendid bird at Ipswich. 



The Fish Hawk is easily recognized by its large size, its dark color above with 

 a noticeable white line through the eye, and its light color below. 



Its manner of fishing is characteristic. Hovering at a considerable height, — 

 a hundred feet or more, — above the water with its head pointing to windward, 

 it lowers its feet, which have been held extended below the tail, and drops with 

 a great splash into the water. In the plunge it may become partially or wholly 

 immersed ; sometimes the tips of the wings alone are to be seen. I watched one 

 hover eleven times before the final plunge which after all was unsuccessful. The 

 fish, sometimes of considerable size, is carried in the talons, with the head point- 

 ing forward, below and slightly behind. I have seen a Fish Hawk that was carry- 

 ing a fish well out behind lower it down and forward, void, and then bring the 

 fish back again. 



Their cry is a jvliou wliou zvhou frequently repeated, at times low, soft, and 



