May, 1911 
:\IV AVIAN VlvSlTORS: NOTES FROJ^I SOUTH DAKOTA 
10,5 
Here is an account, published by me in Bird-Lore, vol. viir, of a May snowstorm 
and its effects upon the bird-life of the region where it occurred: 
“The following notes relate to observations made at Grass Creek, Pine Ridge 
Reservation, South Tlakota. On May 3, 190.5, a cold rain prevailed all day, coming 
from the north. In the evening the rain-storm changed to a snow-storm, which 
continued all night, all the next day, and into the succeeding night. It was prac- 
tically a blizzard. Western Park Sparrows had arrived on May 1, and the storm 
rendered them very uncomfortable, to saj" the least. They huddled close to the 
south sides of the buildings, seeking shelter, and looking for food where the ground 
was bare. I threw out crumbs of bread to them, many of which the}^ picked up. 
They slept under the door-steps and in a stable well sheltered by a hill, as w'ell as 
in spaces among cord-wood in the wood-pile. 
“The Horned Larks did not appear to mind the storm greatly, at first, but ulti- 
mately they began to flock with the Lark Sparrows. They did not, however, so far 
as I could ascertain, eat any of the crumbs that I had thrown out. But the cold 
had made these birds, as well as the sparrows, almost fearless of me. 
“A White-rumped Shrike had killed a lark and thrown the body over a wire on 
the fence, thus enabling him to hold it easily. He was eating the decapitated car- 
cass, and returned to it after I had frightened him off. 
“When the snow had nearly disappeared I saw a large number of the sparrows 
and larks feeding together. A shrike flew over them, a few feet above the ground. 
The larks nearly all took alarm and flew away, but the sparrows fed on unconcern- 
edly with the few larks that remained. 
“The flocks of blackbirds that had previously been with us disappeared while 
the blizzard was in progress and did not return until it had cleared; but a single 
Bronzed Crackle, accompanied by a male cowbird, sought at times for food about our 
doors, during the storm. 
“The morning after the storm had ended I saw a Say’s Pewee at one of the 
windows of the house in chase of a fly that was on the outside; and afterwards I 
saw him trying to secure one or two of these insects that were on the gla.ss within 
doors. When the storm w'as raging I had seen him upon the ground, searching 
for food as ordinary ground-dwellers do.” 
Say Pewees {,Sayor}iis sayiis) , by the by, are often apt to receive their full 
measure of winter and rough weather, as they usually arrive in spring at the com- 
mencement of the third decade of April, or sometimes sooner, and individuals have 
been known to tarry until near the end of September. 
At Lake Creek, Mallards ( phityrhyiickos) , Pintails {Dafila acuta), 
{ Braiita canadensis) , '^yiA Snow Geese {Chen hyperboreus) often 
winged their way through the air overhead. Various sandpipers, during rainy 
spells, frequently ventured into the dooryard at that place; the most familiar of 
these w^ere the Least {Pisobia mi nut ilia) and the Baird Sandpiper {Pisobia bairdi), 
and the Upland “Plover” {Bartraniia longicauda) . Curlews {Nunicnius anicri- 
), ofttimes whistled in the meadows. Sandhill Cranes {pirus mexicana) 
flushed from the swamps, floated in the sky like boys’ kites, sometimes spending 
hours in the air before venturing to earth again. Indeed, some persecuted birds 
must of necessity believe that the earth is no place for them at all. The Great 
Blue Heron ( Ardea hcrodias) , too, was met with now and again, and the Bittern 
{Botaurus Icntiginosus) could be heard “pumping in the fens.” More than this, 
he frequently approached very close to the houses on the marsh. When winter 
reigned, the Short-eared Owl {Asia fia))inieus) and the Marsh Hawk ( Circus hud- 
sonius), a-mousing in the meadows, were an essential part of the snowy landscape. 
