Eastern Massachusetts
1899.                                                                                                                                         
November            
  This was a rarely beautiful month, scarce colder
than October with very many clear, mild, windless days
 and but one real storm which came on the 11th,
beginning at 10 A.M. with damp snow that clung to 
the trees and whitened the ground until it was
washed away by the heavy rain that fell during the
afternoon & evening. On one or two other occasions the
ground was again powdered with snow for an hour
or two but with these exceptions it remained bare and
wholly free from frost (save in the early mornings when
the surface was frequently stiffened) while the grass on
city lawns and highly cultivated fields continued as
fresh and green as it had been in October.
[margin]Weather[/margin]
  In view of these conditions it is an interesting fact that
most of the autumn birds which regularly go further south   
for the winter departed at rather earlier dates than usual
and that there was a considerable flight of regular winter
visitors from the far north. Immense numbers of white-
winged Crossbills and a good many Redpolls appeared early
in the month, a very few Pine Grosbeaks towards its close.
Small numbers of Goshawks & Snowy Owls were also reported.
Red-bellied Nuthatches continued abundant but Pine Linnets
apparently departed before the 15th. Brown Creepers, Golden-
crested Kinglets, White-bellied Nuthatches and Tree Sparrows were
in about the normal numbers, Chickadees rather less common
than usual, Fox Sparrows and Shrikes so scarce that I
saw only one bird of each species. Practically all the
Red Crossbills disappeared before the close of October and the
flight of south-bound Juncos passed before the middle
of November. The dearth of birds of prey & water-fowl continued
through the latter month.
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