34 



Bird - Lore 



mentioned are: Great-horned Owl (found 

 dead), White-crowned Sparrow, and two 

 Gannets (?), large birds some distance 

 out flying about with a lot of Gulls and 

 plunging into the sea from a distance of 

 lo to 12 feet with considerable splash (at 

 Cape May, November 7); at the same 

 point, November 14, Short-eared Owl and 

 two Barn Swallows; Laughing Gull near 

 Ferry at Philadelphia, November 4; 3 

 Long-eared Owls, first noted in winter 

 roost November 28. 



Through an oversight, a remarkable 

 flight of Hawks observed at Cape May 

 October 3 was omitted from last season's 

 report. During a period of about an hour 

 the following Raptores were noted: 

 Marsh Hawk, i; Sharp-shinned Hawk, 10; 

 Cooper's Hawk, 5; Red-tailed Hawk, i; 

 Broad- winged Hawk, 60; Sparrow Hawk, 2 ; 

 Duck Hawk, i; Fish Hawk, 6; Bald Eagle, 

 I and in addition about 40 Turkey 

 Vultures. — Julian K. Potter, Camden, 

 N. J. 



Washington ^ Region. — The warm 

 weather of September, 1920, about 

 Washington extended its influence well 

 into October, and even November was 

 mild. On some of the warmer days in the 

 latter month the birds were active, and 

 therefore conspicuous in the outskirts of 

 town as well as in the country, but in 

 neither October nor November did birds 

 seem to be unusually numerous, either in 

 species or individuals. 



The warm weather, while it produced 

 thus no marked influence on the bird-life, 

 apparently induced a few birds to linger 

 beyond their ordinary time of departure. 

 This was evident in the case of the Scarlet 

 Tanager, which ordinarily leaves us about 

 October 3, but which this year was seen 

 as late as the isth of that month; the 

 Black-poll Warbler, the average date of 

 departure of which is October 12, and the 

 very latest record October 26, seen this 

 year on October 20, 21, and 25; and the 

 Yellow Palm Warbler, the average date of 

 departure of which is October 19, which 

 remained at least until November 8. 



Three birds were observed later in the 



autumn than ever before: The Pied-billed 

 Grebe, by Ludlow Griscom, near Dyke, 

 Va., on November 8, the latest previous 

 record of which is November 3, 1884; the 

 Louisiana Water-Thrush, seen near Wash- 

 ington, by Miss M. J. Pellew on October 4, 

 the latest previous record of which is 

 September 30, 1919; and the Rough- 

 winged Swallow, observed along the canal 

 near Cabin John Bridge on September 11, 

 as against a previous latest date of 

 September 5, igi6. The Rough- winged 

 Swallow record should have been included 

 in our previous report. 



Perhaps the rather unusually warm 

 weather of October was also the cause of 

 the singing of a Robin on October 16, 

 heard by E. A. Preble near Cleveland Park, 

 although the inducement to sing did not 

 seem to extend to other species. The Mock- 

 ingbird, so far as its song was concerned, 

 seemed to be entirely silent, although its 

 calls were heard almost daily in the suburbs 

 of Washington. 



Comparatively few rare birds were 

 noted during these two months, the most 

 interesting species being the White- winged 

 Scoter, a single adult male of which was 

 seen by Ludlow Griscom near Dyke, Va., 

 on November 8. This record is the sixth 

 of this species for the vicinity of Wash- 

 ington, and as a matter of interest the 

 dates of the previous records are here given : 

 December, 1842; November, 1880; October, 

 14, 1882; April 18, 1892; and October 28, 

 1894. 



The Herring Gulls have appeared in 

 their usual numbers in the Potomac River, 

 prepared for their winter sojourn. The 

 Ducks, that for a few years past have been 

 so conspicuous a feature of the winter 

 bird-life along the river have begun to 

 gather below Washington, particularly 

 from Dyke southward. The species thus 

 far reported are the Red-breasted Mer- 

 ganser, Black Duck, Pintail, Greater 

 Scaup, Lesser Scaup, and White-winged 

 Scoter, though doubtless other species 

 have been present as well. There seems to 

 be no reason to suppose that Ducks will 

 not be as numerous during the present 

 winter as they have in recent years been at 



