22 THE *AUcD UB @iNGS BU Seaman 
thus far this winter. Some of the records included were made by 
Frank Wadsworth and Aulden Coble to whom the writer is indebted. 
Golden-eyes have been not uncommon though if the river were 
larger, they would probably be more numerous. Each winter sees a 
small group appear and remain more or less consistently in the vicinity 
wherever open water affords them place to rest and feed. A Mallard 
has been recorded once within the designated period and that was late 
in December. Usually the earliest migrants appear about the 15th of 
February and if the river remains open Mallards may remain until 
the first few days of December in the late fall. 
The winter of 1935-36 was a fine one for hawks, probably because 
of the unusual number of mice which were to be found in all the fields. 
Red-tailed, Rough-legged, Red-shouldered, Marsh and Sparrow Hawks 
were all found. Each had previously been seen during winter but 
never before all in one winter. <A single Cooper’s Hawk remained 
through January in 1935. Pheasants are common throughout each 
winter but Hungarian Partridges have been recorded only twice dur- 
ing the colder months, in January, 1933, and late December, 1935. 
Invariably Herring Gulls are found in numbers on the ice of the 
bays. Screech Owls are recorded almost every winter but the thin 
scattering of records for other species are insufficient to indicate 
whether or not they are winter birds. The Barred, Long-eared and 
Saw-whet Owls, however, have all been found within the winter period 
as previously defined. 
The presence of Kingfishers is more or less directly dependent 
upon open water though in some winters open water does not keep 
them here. During three of the six years, however, one has remained 
along the Desplaines River near Devon. 
Often on winter hikes one finds small groups of birds of vari- 
ous species together and such a group is to be found at some time 
during each winter. Groups such as these often include two or three 
or more of the following species: Hairy Woodpecker, Downy Wood- 
pecker, Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Red- 
breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, and Golden-crowned Kinglet. 
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and Flickers occur rather irregularly 
during the winter months, the latter appearing to be slightly the more 
common of the two. 
Horned Larks. are present each year and cannot be considered 
anything but a regular winter bird. Subspecific determination is often 
difficult in the field and it is likely that at least two and perhaps three 
Subspecies may occur here. It appears, however, in so far as we have 
been able to determine, that the majority of the birds are the Prairie 
Horned Lark. 
The noisy Blue Jays and Crows are two birds which we can count 
on finding on every hike almost without exception, although occasion- 
ally Blue Jays are missing. 
This winter the Carolina Wren has been seen in our area for the 
first time as a winter bird. The species has never been found to be 
common, however, and it may be almost as abundant during the winter 
as at other periods of the year. 
