The Season 



23 



following this severe storm there will be 

 an invasion of the region by northern 

 species. 



In the midst of this storm I found a 

 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker clinging to the 

 vines which cover one of the college build- 

 ings. He was complaining bitterly. Last 

 winter an individual of this species lived 

 for some time during the colder weather 

 in the same place. The Sapsucker is 

 not a winter bird of the region. — Lynds 

 Jones, Oherlin, Ohio. 



Minnesota. — ^Throughout October the 

 weather all over Minnesota was so cold 

 and stormy as to be almost unique in the 

 records of the state. During the very 

 first days, freezing temperatures pre- 

 vailed from the Iowa line northward, 

 with ice on the ponds and shallow lakes 

 and flurries of snow. Before the month 

 was over, nearly a foot of snow had fallen 

 and subzero temperatures had been 

 experienced in the northern part of the 

 state. The effect of these abnormal con- 

 ditions upon bird-life was, of course, 

 greatly to disarrange the usual migratory 

 movements. This was especially notice- 

 able in the case of water-birds. Many 

 of the Ducks (notably the Canvasbacks, 

 Redheads, and Teal), Rails, Coots, 

 Gallinules, shore-birds, and Herons left 

 much before their time because of the 

 ice that locked up their food-supply. 

 Among land-birds there was also a speedj^ 

 disappearance of species that usually 

 linger through October. The bulk of the 

 Robins, for instance, retreated a month 

 ahead of time and left an unusually heavy 

 crop of mounta;in-ash berries, wild grapes, 

 and other fruits almost untouched, es- 

 pecially in the northern half of the state. 

 They usually clean up the mountain-ash 

 berries pretty thoroughly before going. 



Following the tempestuous and un- 

 seasonable October came an equally 

 unusual November, in the beautifully 

 mild and Indian-Summer-like character 

 of many of its days. Snow, ice, and chill 

 disappeared, but the birds that had earlier 

 fled in alarm did not return in any con- 

 siderable number. At Heron Lake, a 



famous water-fowl resort in southwestern 

 Minnesota, and at various places north- 

 ward on both sides of the Minnesota- 

 Dakota boundary, there was an unpre- 

 cedented assemblage of Mallards, with 

 a sprinkling of Pintails, Scaups, Ring- 

 necks, and others. Many thousands were 

 at Heron Lake during the third week of 

 November. 



The mild November gave way sud- 

 denly, with the advent of December, to 

 bitter mnter weather. Temperatures 

 far below zero have prevailed all over the 

 state, and even as far south as Minne- 

 apolis several days together have occurred 

 without the mercury's rising to zero, 

 even at noon, with 15° and 20° below 

 mornings and evenings. Only light snows 

 have fallen thus far. 



The winter bird student in Minnesota 

 must find his chief pleasure and excite- 

 ment afield in the boreal visitants. So 

 far this winter there has been little else 

 but disappointment in this direction, 

 despite the abundant food-supply that 

 awaits them and the frigid northern 

 weather of late. The usual influx of 

 Redpolls, Snow Bvmtings, and Lapland 

 Longsptirs, and the roving flocks of Even- 

 ing and Pine Grosbeaks and Bohemian 

 Waxwings have not appeared or have 

 eluded observation. A Northern Shrike 

 on the campus of the University at Minne- 

 apolis in late November is the only win- 

 ter visitant that the writer has seen 

 thus far. 



P. O. Fryklund reports from Badger, 

 away up near Lake of the Woods, Novem- 

 ber 23: "in regard to the arrival of winter 

 birds, . . . the only bird of the 

 kind that has come to my notice is the 

 Snow Bunting which I first saw on the 

 1 6th inst. Last Wednesday . 

 there were three of us in companj^, 

 walking all day, and the only living 

 things that came to our notice were one 

 Great Horned Owl, one Ruffed Grouse and 

 one Downy Woodpecker — not a rabbit 

 nor a squirrel were seen. The wolves will 

 undoubtedly have a hard chase for their 

 living, and we have quite a lot of them 

 throughout the country." Under date of 



