FOREST AND STREAM 
585 
Birds in Lake Ontario Region 
That over fifty species of birds, exclusive of 
water-fowl, were found this winter along the 
shores of Lake Ontario, is an announcement of 
particular interest in view of the unusual severity 
of the last two months. George F. Guelf, the 
well known naturalist of Brockport, N. Y., who 
gave the Conservation Commission the results of 
his observations on the migration of birds along 
Lake Ontario last fall, has prepared for that de¬ 
partment a report on the hibernal life of the 
birds in one of their most popular winter resorts 
in New York State. 
Mr. Guelf’s delightful visits with the hardy 
larks, red polls, crossbills, grosbeaks, goldfinches, 
juncos and other feathered songsters that defy 
the rigors of a Northern New York winter, rather 
than journey to the enervating jasmine bowers 
of the Southland, will doubtless prompt many 
to emulate his example. The public is thoroughly 
aroused to the importance of protecting the song 
and insectivorous birds from the onslaughts of 
hunters, but people generally are just beginning 
to awaken to the desirability of caring for the 
birds in the winter time. 
As the sun begins to swing to the north again 
and its cheering rays break through the leaden 
clouds, and the snow melts on the hillsides, giv¬ 
ing to us the promise of springtime, we eagerly 
watch for the return of the migratory birds. 
Although the winter has been bleak and stormy, 
and cold and cheerless as it may have seemed, 
it has not -been without its charms, and its op¬ 
portunities for the study of birds, for winter 
has more bird life than the casual observer would 
suspect. One of the most popular winter resorts 
for birds is near the shore of Lake Ontario. As 
the main line of flight of the birds during their 
migrations is along the lake shore, many of them 
stop there to spend the winter, or loiter along 
the way. There are many different species to 
be found, but one must know where to look for 
them, for each has its own particular choice as 
to the character of its winter habitat. Familiar 
birds of summer are occasionally met with, under 
changed conditions and environment, and it is 
then that they become doubly interesting. 
There is an added pleasure in being afield in 
winter, for it is then that we may read, on the 
white snow-page, -the interesting story of some 
of the happenings in the world of fur and 
feathers. If one has adopted the more peaceful 
pursuit of hunting with the camera, it will give 
many a pleasant and lasting memory to these 
fascinating, silent, and bloodless, raids across the 
fields and -through the almost spectral snowy 
woods. 
While there may be days when the birds do not 
appear very common, there are always some 
-birds to be found, and sometimes the unexpected 
ones. There is always something new to learn, 
some new experience to be gained, and rare in¬ 
deed is the day spent afield that is without its 
reward. 
The broad open fields have -their tenants as 
well as the sheltered woods. Where the winter 
winds have swept the knolls bare of snow, there 
the Lapland longspur and horned lark are usu¬ 
ally to be found, their dull coloring blending in 
perfect harmony with their surroundings. The 
horned lark found in mid-winter is not the one 
that nests here, and is so often flushed along the 
country roads in early spring but is a northern 
species, which returns to its northern home long 
before winter has really passed. 
Out on the old stubble fields, where the wreck 
and tangle of weeds thrust their heads above 
the snow, will be found abundant signs of seed¬ 
eating birds. Everywhere about these weed- 
stalks, and joining cluster to cluster, is a net¬ 
work of tiny tracks, showing where a flock of 
snow bunting have been busily engaged in re¬ 
ducing next year’s crop of ragweed. 
In a weedy, sheltered nook along the border 
of a marsh a meadow lark will occasionally be 
found, for it is not unusual for a few of these 
birds of our summer meadows to spend the winter 
there. 
Along the hedgerows, or an old brush-grown 
fence, is the favorite haunt of that feathered 
butcher, the shrike. Before the coming of the 
barbed-wire fence these birds selected a thorn tree 
on which to hang up their victims. But metal 
hooks are just as good, and much more con¬ 
venient, and more numerous are the places where 
their prizes can be swung to the breeze. 
The snowy owl is a regular winter visitor along 
the lake. His favorite hunting ground is the 
rough open country, dotted with stone piles, and 
bordered with old rail fences. Unlike his ducky 
cousin, the great horned owl, he prefers this open 
country to the secluded woods, and does most 
of his hunting during the early hours of the 
day. Perched like a spectre on some stone pile 
or fence, he is always on -the alert, ready to drop 
down upon any unsuspecting bird or mammal, 
for he recognizes no close season—everything 
with him is legal game. 
Over the frozen marsh and through the thick¬ 
ets are found, sharply printed in the snow, the 
three barred tracks of the ring-necked pheasant. 
A glance at the track alone is sufficient to pro¬ 
claim its maker a game bird, and one who knows 
where his trail is leading to. During the bleak 
winter weather, when the snow is drifted deep in 
the cover, a band of these hardy birds will often 
go on a seed-hunting trip to the adjoining fields. 
Then it is that there is some chance of observ¬ 
ing the trail-makers themselves as they wander 
over the fields, gleaning the seeds from the wood- 
clusters that are exposed above the snow. 
It is in the woods and border thickets where 
the greatest variety of birds are found. A long 
stretch of woods, with -thicket, swale, and heavy 
timber, and scattering old birch and hemlock 
trees, is a favorite haunt of winter birds. These 
dense towering hemlocks serve many purposes— 
they, are a safe refuge into which the small 
feathered folks may dive to avoid the bold, swift 
dash of a hawk; they are a protection against 
the biting north winds that sweep off the lake; 
and they are the source of principal food supply of 
the crossbill—its oddly shaped bill being specially 
designed for extracting the seeds from the hem¬ 
lock cones. Whenever there is an abundant crop 
of cones, a large flight of crossbills may be 
looked for. There are two species of crossbills, 
the red, or American crossbill, and the white¬ 
winged variety, the latter being the most common. 
Of the small winter birds the pine siskin and 
common redpoll are probably the most numer¬ 
ous. There are two more species of redpoll 
found here, but they are not very common. Pine 
grosbeaks are occasionally seen. Goldfinches 
are usually found, sometimes in quite large 
flocks, but they would hardly be recognized now, 
for they have discarded their bright yellow dress 
for one of a plain, more somber hue. The purple 
finch, that beautiful songster heard so frequently 
during April, occasionally spends the winter here. 
Quite often a song sparrow will be found in 
some sheltered nook. Juncos and tree sparrows 
are usually found in the thickets along the border 
of a wood. Cedar waxwings are sometimes 
seen in large flocks, but their occurrence is very 
irregular. They are confirmed nomads, and 
never content to remain long in any locality. 
The little brown creeper is often found there 
in winter. He is one of the tiniest of the winter 
birds, and it requires careful hunting to find 
him. He is a very plain, quiet, and solitary little 
chap; seldom, if ever, utters a sound, and is 
always industrious and interested strictly in his 
own affairs. In searching over the tree trunks 
he always starts at the bottom and works his 
way upward, carefully inspecting every crack and 
crevice of the bark for dormant insects or eggs. 
The red-headed woodpecker is frequently a 
permanent resident. They inhabit the old beech 
timber, the decaying stubs offering them an 
abundance of places in which to chisel out a home. 
•Here they are secure from the winter weather. 
When the sun shines clear and the storms have 
lulled their peculiar rattling call is often heard 
through the woods. For neighbors they often 
have the northern hairy woodpecker, and in a 
taller, more isolated stub, a sparrow hawk will 
sometimes make his winter home. 
In a sheltered nook in -the hemlock woods, 
where the ground falls away to a swampy thicket, 
where the nightshade berries hang in pendent 
cymes from brush and briar, there a few robins 
will usually be found spending the winter. It 
is these robins that winter in the swamps that 
are usually the ones that are seen first in the 
early spring. The migrating robin—the one that 
has made the journey from the south—he is the 
one that announces his arrival, in early morn¬ 
ing, from the topmost branch of a lofty tree. 
There are seven different species of owls that 
are usually to be found here in winter. This 
does not include the rare hawk-owl, which has 
been taken on one or two occasions. Of the 
hawks there are six species, but they, like the 
owls, are never very common, only an occasional 
one being seen. There are over fifty species of 
birds, not including the waterfowl, that have 
been found in winter along the shores of Lake 
Ontario. There are a number of other species 
which remain until the early part of the winter, 
when they move a little further south, to return 
again as soon as the first signs of spring become 
apparent. 
