Winter Bird Notes from Southern New Hampshire 1^3 



Fehruarv 3. There is a littli- J unco hopping about the path 

 today, in spite of the fact that the mercury has been very near zero 

 most of the time for the last fortnight, and that the snow is drifted 

 eight or ten feet deep in places. He appears to spend a consid- 



erable portion of his time in the woodshed, poking about among 

 the chips, etc., and I fancy sleeps somewhere about the building. 



There are also a few Flickers and at least one Meadowlark in 

 this vicinity, and since the last heavy snowfall they have become 

 unusually tame and familiar, coming close about the house for 

 food. Goldfinches and Tree Sparrows are still quite abundant, and 

 there is a flock of fifty or sixty Pine Grosbeaks, mostly in young 

 plumage, in the woods about a mile to the west of us. the first I 

 have seen this winter. 



Februarv 6. About five o'clock this evening a large Goshawk 

 in rather dark plumage came flying across the field only a few yards 

 above the snow. As he neared a tall elm he rose in the air and 

 alighted near the top of the tree, and after sitting there for a few 

 moments, turning his head in all directions, he opened his wings 

 and tumbled from his perch, falling several yards down among the 

 branches before regaining his balance, when he flew rapidly off 

 toward the west and disappeared among the pines. Just a week 

 ago I noticed where a Goshawk, juilging from the tracks in the 

 snow, had killed a rabbit, so that it would seem that they have not 

 been entirely absent at any time this winter. 



February 7. Have just seen a Goshawk, apparently in young 

 plumage, flying west at a height of perhaps sixty or seventy yards 

 from the ground. 



