Concord, Mass.
1903.
October &
November
(No. 10)
  There was a well-marked and by no means inconsiderable
flight of Crossbills, Pine Grosbeaks and Pine Linnets during
the latter half of October and the first half of November.
Incursion of irregular winter bird visitors.
  Red Crossbills appeared on October 15th and were very common
during the next two weeks roving about the cemetery after their
usual restless fashion in flocks containing from six or eight to
thirty or forty birds each. They seemed to be feeding chiefly in
the pitch pines although I could not discover that these trees
bore any but old & open cones.
Red Crossbills
  I saw the first Pine Grosbeaks, four in number, in Birch
Field on October 27 (they were noted on the 26th in Waltham and
on the 25th at Englewood, New Jersey). For a week or so after
this they were so numerous and widely distributed that I saw
or heard them almost hourly when out-of-doors no matter
where I happened to be. They were exceedingly restless and
most of the time on wing active as if they were anxious
about food and unable to discover a sufficient supply of it.
They frequently alighted in Birch Field and the Barrett Run,
however, finding in both places a meagre stock of red cedar
berries on which they fed greedily and also eating the tender
terminal buds of the white pines. I saw only one male
in the full rosy-red plumage and no flocks containing more
than seven or eight birds each. Most of them had left my woods by Nov. 10th.
   On November 1 and again on the  I heard the dry
chatter and musical peenk-peenk of White-winged Crossbills. 
On both occasions the bird or birds were evidently on wing but
as I did not catch sight of them I am unable to say just
how many there were.
White-winged Crossbills.
  Pine Linnets were similarly heard but not seen on
November
Pine Linnets.
  On November 8 Mr. Forbush saw a solitary Redpoll Linnet. It
was on the ground feeding with Juncos & Tree Sparrows. He got within 3 yards of it.