6 Massachusetts Audubon Society 



BIRDS OF THE MONTH 



Items from the December Bulletin of the State Ornithologist. 



The autimin has been peculiar in that Southern birds that rarely are 

 seen here even in summer have been noted here in autumn, and native 

 birds in a few cases have remained here much later than usual. It may be 

 that the warm southerly gales carried some migratory birds back to our 

 coast. 



Ducks and Geese 



The flight of ducks and geese in New England has been rather dis- 

 appointing to the gunners. The early flight of black ducks that bred in 

 or near New England was about normal, but since then wild fowl for the 

 most part have been less in numbers than usual. This may be because the 

 autumn has been mild and therefore many of the birds have remained 

 in the north or in the interior. The fact that brant, geese and some species 

 of gulls have few young indicates that there has been a poor breeding 

 season in the far north, and this may have seriously affected the numbers of 

 some returning wild ducks from that region. The greatest wave of wild 

 fowl reported passed through Massachusetts during the latter part of No- 

 vember and the first week in December. It consisted mainly of mergansers, 

 buffleheads, small numbers of mallards, red-legged black ducks, golden- 

 eyes, oldsquaws and Canada geese, with a few hooded mergansers. 



Geese have been flying intermittently all the month, but on Dec. 4 

 immense flocks were seen in Maine. The great flight of geese of the month 

 passed Block Island, R. I., Dec. 5, 6 and 7. There was a large flight on 

 Cape Cod Dec. 6, and some on the 7th. The same week 72 geese were 

 reported as killed at one pond on the Cape. Many flocks passed down 

 the Connecticut Valley in November, and large flocks were resting on 

 Long Island Sound. Seven snow geese were seen near Boston Dec. 1. A 

 tremendous flight of brant was noted on Cape Cod near the middle of the 

 month, with "thousands" of birds in some flocks. Probably a part of the 

 same flight is that reported from Sandwich, Mass., as the "largest flock 

 ever seen" on Nov. 16. A flight was noted at Martha's Vineyard on the 

 same day. On Dec. 9 practically all the ducks and geese were said to 

 have left Prince Edward Island for the south. No doubt there will be 

 later movements of eiders, golden-eyes and other hardy sea fowl on our 

 coast. 



Since the above was written the following report has come in about 

 the flight of Nov. 16: "Thousands of brant and oldsquaws, quite a few 

 scoters, a few razor-billed auks, some Holboell's grebes, gannets and loose 

 flocks of both species of loons" passed East Sandwich, Mass. 



Swans 

 The following report on swans from Maine was received too late for 

 the last bulletin: "On October 29 six large white birds were seen on a 

 pond at Fryeburg, where whistling swans were seen last year." The ob- 

 server was positive that they were of the same species. 



Herons and Bitterns 

 Five great blue herons went south at dusk at Toronto, Canada, Nov. 

 16. On Nov. 21 a large flight of great blue herons passed over Block 

 Island between 2 and 5.30 A. M. The observer was awakened twice be- 



