THE SEASON 



V. October 15 to December 15 



Boston Region. — Robins, Bluebirds, 

 White-throated Sparrows, and Myrtle 

 Warblers left this region on their usual 

 date, November i. 



More than a month of beautiful autumn 

 weather followed before winter set in 

 with snow and steady cold, but during 

 this period the country was as barren of 

 bird-life as it was in the winter of 1907-08, 

 when no birds except the commonest 

 winter residents, and these in very small 

 numbers, remained in this vicinity. One 

 exception is to be noted: during November, 

 and to the present time (December 15), 

 Cedar Waxwings have occurred in flocks 

 of a dozen birds or more. A few Slate- 

 colored Juncos and Tree Sparrows are 

 wintering here. 



Notwithstanding the absence of birds 

 in the country about Boston, Dr. C. W. 

 Townsend reports from Ipswich, Mass., a 

 normal population of water-birds, Snow 

 Buntings, Horned Larks, Ipswich Spar- 

 rows, and Myrtle Warblers. However, 

 C. A. Robbins writes that the Myrtle 

 Warbler, ordinarily a common winter 

 visitant, is absent from Wareham this 

 season. 



None of the seven species of northern 

 birds which visited us last winter is pres- 

 ent this season. Northern Shrikes have 

 been seen occasionally in the country. 

 Now that winter has set in, they have 

 come into the town centers where House 

 Sparrows are plentiful. — ^Winsor M. 

 Tyler, M.D., Lexington, Mass. 



New York City Region. — After an 

 early October less pleasant than usual 

 hereabouts, the latter part of the month 

 and November gave us, for the most part, 

 splendid autumn weather, though rather 

 cold. December has been marked by a 

 noteworthy amount of cold and frequency 

 of snowfall for so early in the winter. 



Individuals, at least, of certain Warblers 

 stayed remarkably late, as a Black- 

 throated Blue and a Cape May at Long 



Beach, L. I., October 28 (seen by Walter 

 Granger and the writer), a Redstart (also 

 a Black-billed Cuckoo) at Mastic, L. I., 

 November 4 (J. T. Nichols), and a Black 

 and White Warbler at Long Beach on 

 November 6 (J. M. Johnson). Fox 

 Sparrows seemed rather unusually com- 

 mon, singing freely, and Mr. Nichols 

 tells me that they and the Robins stayed 

 unusually late (into the first week of 

 December) at places on the western end 

 of Long Island where they do not winter. 

 Specimens received in November (the 

 earliest on the 5th, from northwestern 

 New Jersey) from outlying districts 

 indicate an invasion of Goshawks similar 

 to that of last winter, and at least six 

 or eight Northern Shrikes, already re- 

 ported from in and around the city, point 

 to a rather large southward movement of 

 that species, which was almost entirely 

 absent last winter when so many other 

 northern birds visited us. Several ad- 

 ditional Red-breasted Nuthatches were 

 seen, but I have heard of no record of any 

 of the boreal Finches, not even the Pine 

 Siskin. — Charles H. Rogers, American 

 Museum of Natural History, New York 

 City. 



Philadelphia Region. — Character- 

 istic autumnal weather conditions pre- 

 vailed throughout October and November. 

 The first snow occurred November 28. 



The Pipit was reported as very 

 abundant at numerous points over an 

 extended territory, being very common 

 from the first week in October to the 

 middle of November. Fox Sparrows and 

 Brown Creepers were perhaps more 

 plentiful than usual. Reports on the 

 autumn flight of Woodcock are some- 

 what contradictory; that the birds are 

 scarce, taking this region as a whole, 

 there can be no doubt, and a close season 

 for a term of years would not be amiss. 

 A Woodcock was found dead early in 

 November at South Vineland, N. J., 



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