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Notes from Conway, Massachusetts 



To those who wanted to see some of the 

 winter birds, the winter of 1918-19, with 

 its interesting walks and mild days, was a 

 pleasant contrast to the previous winter, 

 with its bitter cold and deep snows. 



We were two enthusiastic bird-learners, 

 and we started our longer walks in Octo- 

 ber. Walking across a pasture on a beau- 

 tiful October day, our attention was 

 arrested by an odd call-note. We said, in 

 a whisper, "Can that be the PileatedWood- 

 pecker?" We circled about with the cau- 

 tion of hunters, then sat on a bank, per- 

 fectly silent. For a long time there was 

 unbroken silence, then we heard the sound 

 of a man chopping wood, but without the 

 metallic ring of the axe. We then caught 

 sight of the Woodpecker doing the ham- 

 mering. He continued for a short time, 

 but seemed to realize that he was being 

 watched and flew. We sat motionless as 

 statues, and his next short flight brought 

 him near us, but on the opposite side of 

 the tree and entirely out of sight. Soon he 

 flew directly over our heads, with a strong 

 sweep of wing, which took him quite be- 

 yond our range for the rest of the after- 

 noon. Our next view of the Pileated was 

 when we were climbing up a steep hill. A 

 fine specimen flew out of the woods and 

 onto a dead tree where we could see the 

 flaming crest to great advantage. This 

 meeting was purely accidental, but later 

 I went back to the first locality in search 

 of the Woodpecker. I caught just one 

 glimpse of it and had to come home un- 

 satisfied. The next time I went, the Wood- 

 pecker was seen and we examined many 

 trees which showed the work of the bird. 



Victory Day, November 12, 1918, was 

 celebrated by the presence of a beautiful 

 red Pine Grosbeak which uttered its char- 

 acteristic note while clinging to a twig in 

 the top of a gigantic maple in the quiet of 

 deep woods. This Grosbeak was the pre- 

 cursor of the many that came later. At 

 first there were but four or five of them, 



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but before the winter was over they ap- 

 peared in flocks which settled among the 

 weeds or came into dooryards. 



The Pine Siskins came next, appearing 

 all too few times. Then came the Evening 

 Grosbeaks. After tramping miles to see 

 them on the 13th, and not finding them, 

 word came over the telephone, in the morn- 

 ing of the 14th, that Evening Grosbeaks 

 were to be seen a mile south of my house. 

 On the way a fluttering was heard and call- 

 notes, and a flock of small birds settled into 

 a tree just at hand. Only for a moment! 

 Then they flitted into the pasture. I went 

 under the wire fence and followed. I found 

 them again, but at a distance they looked 

 like the pods of the milkweed. When I 

 came into range for seeing them distinctly, 

 they flitted away again. As I approached 

 the yard where the Grosbeaks had been 

 earlier in the morning, I saw six golden 

 balls in the tree in the corner of the pas- 

 ture. I gladly accepted the invitation to 

 enter the house, and then the Pine Gros- 

 beaks began to fly down into the yard. 

 Presently they were joined by the Even- 

 ing Grosbeaks. Then into the garden 

 flitted the small birds of my upward climb, 

 but still they fluttered at just such a dis- 

 tance as made positive identification im- 

 possible, until one flew down near the 

 porch and the sunlight touched My Lady 

 Redpoll's crimson cap and showed the 

 black throat-patch. A little later in the 

 morning we had Pine Grosbeaks, Evening 

 Grosbeaks and Redpolls all feeding to- 

 gether in a mixed flock, with a tendency of 

 the Redpolls to keep themselves separate 

 from the Grosbeaks. The next day I took 

 the same trip and never shall I forget one 

 beauty of a Redpoll that lighted on a 

 branch of a pear tree and showed the pink 

 glow of his breast and the bright crown of 

 his head. The Evening Grosbeaks came 

 close under the window on this day and 

 looked to me like miniature Ducks. 



The next week I walked to this locality 

 and beyond it, but while twenty-six Pine 

 Grosbeaks rose into the air, settled into a 



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