Winter Bird Notes from Southern New Hampshire i^i 



manner of domestic Pigeons, and exliihiting but little more alarm 

 at my presence. On the 27th a Shrike alighted in the top of 

 the elm near the house, and, after reconnoitering for a few mo- 

 ments, started down into the orchard, but apparently missed whatever 

 it struck at and, turning upward, alighted in a smaller elm by the 

 road, when it at once began tearing to pieces an old bird's nest, be- 

 having exactly as if in anger at its disappointment. 



For some time I was unable to discover what it had at hrst been 

 after, but finally caught sight of a Downy Woodpecker clinging mo- 

 tionless to the underside of a small branch in an apple tree, with 









every feather drawn down close to its body, just as an owl does 

 when trying to escape notice. 



After a while it began turning its head from side to side, as if 

 to make sure its enemy had disappeared. When I attempted to 

 make it fly, it merely crept mouse-like about the branches until per- 

 fectly certain that the Shrike had gone, when it took wing and flew 

 to another tree, where it presently went to work as if nothing had 

 happened. 



Throughout December the only birds to be found were Crows, 

 Blue Jays, Downy Woodpeckers, Black-capped Chickadees, Nut- 

 hatches, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Brown Creepers, and Partridges, 

 with an occasional Bald Eagle or Rough-legged Hawk and a very 

 few Flickers. A large flock of Wild Geese passed over on the 7th. 

 and I saw a few Tree Sparrows and a Winter Wren about the last 

 of the month. The Sparrows lingered about until the first week in 

 January, when a large flock of Snow^ Buntings made their appear- 

 ance. A few days later, however, neither Sparrows nor Buntings 

 were to be foiuul anvwhere. 



