TABLE OF CONTENTS
Officers . 2
Foreword . 3
Changes in Status of Essex County Birds .
. J. C. Phillips 4
The Benson Exhibit . D. L. Garrison 22
The Ipswich River Trips . E. S. Dodge 25
Fifteen Christmas Censuses in Danvers .
. S. G. Emilio 47
Owl Notes . W. T. Perkins 51
Chimney Swifts From the Forests .
. Wendell Taber 56
Experiences With Northern Shrikes S. G. Emilio 58
Oifshore . R. C. Curtis 61
A Mockingbird at Gloucester . J. S. Y. Hoyt 63
Clapper Rail at Gloucester . J. S. Y. Hoyt 63
Annotated List of Birds for 1937 S. G. Emilio 64
Annotated List of Birds for 1938 S. G. Emilio 83
Additions and Corrections to “A List of the
Birds of Essex County” . S. G. Emilio 104
Club Calendar for 1937 and 1938 . 117
Former Members of the E. C. 0. C . 120
List of Members . 122
BULLETIN
OF THE
*
THE LIBRARY
OF THE
ESSEX INSTITUTE
±
PRESENTED BY
Received
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BULLETIN
OF THE
Essex County Ornithological Club
OF
Massachusetts
I937-I938
ESSEX COUNTY ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB
OF MASSACHUSETTS, INC.
Salem , Massachusetts
OFFICERS OF THE
ESSEX COUNTY ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB
i937-x938
Honorary President
Frani^ W. Benson
President
Ralph Lawson
Vice-President
R. Emerson Wolfe
Secretary
Theodore L. Southack, Jr.
T reasurer
Elmer P. Foye
Recorder
S. Gilbert Emilio
Council, the Officers
and the following
1 937
1938
Benjamin Shreve
William A. Marcy
Fred W. Bushby
Fred W. Bushby
Donald C. Alexander
Frank B. Lawson
q rr
o b
tr o
\ a 2, S
B ULLE TIM
OF THE
ESSEX COUNTY ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB
OF MASSACHUSETTS
Editorial Committee :
Donald C. Alexander, Ernest S. Dodge, S. Gilbert Emilio
December, 1938
Salem, Mass.
Numbers 19 8c 20
FOREWORD
The attendance at meetings of the Club has held up well during
the past two years. There is, however, a noticeable change in the
faces seen at these meetings. A number of the older members who
were regular attendants now come rarely but their places seem to
have been filled by a younger group which appears at nearly every
gathering.
At the Annual Meeting in December 1938 there were several
changes in the officers of the Club which are not indicated on the
preceding page. Ernest S. Dodge was elected Secretary, replac¬
ing Theodore L. Southack, Jr., and Donald C. Alexander takes
the Recorder’s office that S. Gilbert Emilio has held for so many
years.
Dr. John C. Phillips, who died in November 1938, was a Charter
Member of this Club. It is small consolation that he handed us
the manuscript of the following article over seven months before
his death, for we have been honored by his association with us for
over a generation and by his frequent worthwhile contributions to
the pages of this Bulletin. His passing at scarcely beyond the prime
of life was a great shock and irreparable loss to the many who
knew him.
3
4
Bulletin of the
1 937-8
CHANGES IN STATUS OF ESSEX COUNTY BIRDS
JOHN C. PHILLIPS
Essex County has become locally quite famous among those whose
hobby is field identification of birds, due partly to its accessibility
from Boston and also because there is a greater variety of terrain
than in most other counties. We can offer to the birds not only a
bit of Cape Cod, but also our rocky North Shore and islands, our
coniferous woods and great areas of inland swamps and fresh
meadows. Our coast line is a very long one, and very accessible.
Dr. Townsend published his splendid monograph on the birds
of Essex County in 1905, and fifteen years later a Supplement ap¬
peared as No. V of the Memoirs of the Nuttal Ornithological Club
(1920). But now another eighteen years has slipped by; and since
the County has been under much more intensive observation than
in Townsend’s day, changes in status of birds are more easily recog¬
nized. The members of The Essex County Ornithological Club
have contributed valuable material, especially Mr. Gilbert Emilio
of the Peabody Museum in Salem, and Mr. Ludlow Griscom of the
Museum of Comparative Zoology, who have been very frequently
in the field, as have other excellent observers. Many unique ob¬
servations have lately been made in our County, by these two men
and others, and I have used their assistance with gratitude and
without shame.
Beginning at the north end of Essex County, the most popular
places may be mentioned briefly. Along the Merrimac River there
are the rice beds, in the town of West Newbury, especially off the
Indian River mouth, a good place for Rails in season, and also
Ducks and Herons.
The Artichoke River basins, now a water supply, are protected
from shooting, and the upper or southerly basin is especially at¬
tractive to water birds of all kinds, while the swamps and open
country surrounding this basin make a good observation point for
Hawks, pasture-loving species, besides Snipe and Rails.
Newburyport harbor is one of the best places on our Massa¬
chusetts coast to see large numbers of wintering Ducks and Geese,
while Plum Island, now mostly a sanctuary owned by the State
Audubon Society, is worth visiting for all sorts of migrants, espe¬
cially the shore birds in season.
The great Common Pastures west of Newburyport are different
from nearly every other section of Massachusetts. Very wet in
places and no doubt gradually going back to a natural state, they
Essex County Ornithological Club
5
are still fairly open; and here you may see our few remaining Up¬
land Plover, besides many Killdeer and Prairie Horned Larks, and
perhaps the little-seen Grasshopper Sparrow.
Lake Attitash or Kimball’s Pond, in the town of Amesbury is
worth looking over for Ducks.
The salt meadows along the Parker River in Newbury are
famous ground for shore birds on high tides, especially when the
grass has been mowed, as it has been in recent years.
Most popular of all bird haunts, without doubt, is Clark’s Pond,
at the east end of Great Neck in Ipswich. This is not as secluded a
spot as in Dr. Townsend’s day, for the settlement of Little Neck
is encroaching, but it still is a “Mecca” for the field glass observers
and is visited, I do not doubt, nearly every day in summer and
early fall. It has grown up heavily to bulrushes since Townsend’s
day so the air fauna is different. Among the Gulls and Terns the
Black Tern is no longer seen regularly. Of the Ducks, the Widgeon,
not mentioned in Townsend’s list of Ducks at Clark’s Pond, is now
not uncommon, while the Lesser Scaup and the Ring Necks have
practically vanished. The Wood Duck and the Bufflehead, how¬
ever, have been added to the Townsend list for this pond. Among
Herons, the Yellow-crowned Night Heron is now seen nearly every
summer, while the Little Blues and the Egrets are far more com¬
mon than fifteen or twenty years ago.
With the shore birds the conditions are not so favorable as they
were before the bulrushes invaded the pond. The Wilson’s Phala-
rope seems to be the only new species. But on the other hand, the
Virginia Rail now breeds there, and the Sora is a regular visitor;
while Coots and Gallinules and Long-billed Marsh Wrens are
found in the dense cover.
Continuing with our list of observation points, we still have the
beaches, Ipswich and Wingaersheek, but now much more popu¬
lated with picnickers than they used to be. In Topsheld and Box-
ford, the Boxford Reservation is good for Owls and Grouse, and
Lockwood’s Pond and Fish Brook, for Wood Ducks. Of the islands
we have Milk and Thatcher’s and the Salvages, favored by winter
seafowl; while Gloucester harbor is a great attraction for rare Gulls
in winter. .
Of the many other localities, I need mention only Egg Rock off
Manchester; Peach’s Point at Marblehead; Nahant; the Lynnfield
meadows (west, center and east Bays); the Topsheld meadows
along the Ipswich River; the Miles River meadows in Hamilton,
Pleasant Pond, Wenham Lake; and Suntaug Lake. This latter
6
Bulletin of the
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pond used to be a great place for odd species of Ducks, but with the
destruction of upper Lynn harbor it has fallen off greatly in the
past twenty years. Wenham Lake, in spite of the absence of a Duck
blind, is a far less interesting sheet of water than it was even five
years ago. The Beverly Airport is, no doubt, a disturbing factor.
In the following notes I shall call attention to only the more im¬
portant changes among the more easily observed birds, omitting
many doubtful cases among the smaller passerines.
I am greatly indebted to Mr. Griscom and Mr. Emilio for the
greater part of my precise information, and for checking my own
much more vague knowledge. Where there is no change of numer¬
ical status so far as we can see, the species will not, as a rule be
mentioned.
The Horned Grebe, Colymbus auritus, is not so common on salt
or fresh water, due probably to the prevalence of oil. It is recorded
now as a “summer casual,” but it is not a “common winter visitor”
as Townsend records it.
The common Pied-billed Grebe, Podilymbus podiceps podiceps,
is now certainly a regular breeder, having been found nesting on
the Fay estate in Lynn, and in 1937 on the Higginson meadow in
Wenham, just west of Cedar Pond and other places. It has been
seen as early as March 13. On migration it is probably about as
common as always.
Of the Loons, the Common Gavia i. immer is not so plentiful as
it used to be. Oil has certainly taken a great toll.
Little Auks, Alle alle, appear in numbers only during certain
bad storms while they are on migration, the last great visitation be¬
ing in 1932, but others of considerable extent appeared in Novem¬
ber, 1927, and December, 1936, and November, 1937.
Pomarine Jaeger, Stercorarius pomarinus — no change except a
good flight reported in 1937, when many were observed near our
shores.
The Ivory Gull, Pagophila alba, is no longer a doubtful visitor,
as there are several good records (January 13, 1935, and January
12, 1936).
The Kittiwake, Rissa t. tridactyla, is not so much a common
winter visitor as it is a common late fall migrant, but there is
probably no change here. The Glaucous Gull or Burgomaster,
Larus hyperboreus, has shown a great winter increase and there
are recent sporadic spring and summer records up to June 4. It is
common around the fish wharves. Even commoner is the Iceland
Gull, Larus leucopterus, which should now be regarded as “com-
Essex County Ornithological Club
7
mon or regular” instead of “uncommon.” It is perhaps three or
four times as common as the Glaucous Gull.
Kumlien’s Gull, Larus kumlieni, is no longer a “rare winter visi¬
tor” but is seen annually at many coastal points and is now a regu¬
lar winter visitor with one record as late as May 10.
One of the most noticeable changes is seen in the Great Black-
backed Gull, Larus marinus, which, instead of being merely a
winter visitor, now breeds regularly on Egg Rock, Manchester,
the Gooseberrys off Salem, and several other islands, and should
be classed as resident throughout the year. I have even seen it at
Wenham Lake (November, 1937) with Herring Gulls.
Since Townsend’s time the Herring Gull, Larus argentatus, has
continued to increase and now breeds in several suitable situations
in our County. It is rapidly becoming a nuisance. More and more I
notice Gulls feeding inland on wet meadows, which shows their
available food supply is being exhausted, or at least completely
utilized.
The Ring-billed Gull, Larus delawarensis, is not “rare in win¬
ter” as Townsend records it. It is not uncommon in spring or fall
and it seems to be rare only in summer. It does not, of course,
breed.
Very great changes have taken place with the Laughing Gull,
Larus atricilla. Instead of being a “not uncommon transient” it is
now an abundant migrant and common summer visitor, although
it does not breed. It seems. to arrive earlier and stay later every
year. It is not so common north of Cape Ann as it is south of it.
Sabine’s Gull, Xema sabini, not included in Townsend’s list, is
represented now by two sight records, but may be included only
in the Hypothetical List, as yet.
Franklin’s Gull, Larus pipixcan, is represented by one specimen
in the Peabody Museum, taken October 28, 1885 (not mentioned
in the Townsend Supplement).
The European Black-headed Gull, Larus r. ridibundus, is also
a new species for our County. We have one specimen and a num¬
ber of sight records of at least three other birds. It may be called a
straggler only.
The Caspian Tern, Hydroprogne caspia imperator (A.O.U.
1931), recorded previously as a “not uncommon transient,” is
much more rare than formerly. So far as we know there is only one
breeding colony left (in the St. Lawrence basin). On the other
hand Forster’s Tern, Sterna forsteri, is now recorded nearly every
year, from late July to November (Newburyport harbor), and can
8
Bulletin of the
1937-8
no longer be considered a “very rare transient visitor” as Town¬
send considered it. .
Our Common Tern, Sterna hirundo, is increasing greatly all
over Massachusetts and now breeds off Manchester, and would
probably breed on Milk Island if the rats could be controlled. It
has been seen from May 7 to November 25. The Arctic Tern,
Sterna paradisaea, also has shown a marked increase all over
Massachusetts, a great increase on migration in Essex County, and
probably nests with us. It has been seen as late as October 16 and as
early as May 10, so that its season is greatly extended since Town¬
send’s observations were recorded.
The Black Tern, Hydrochelidon nigra surinamensis, is prob¬
ably more rare than Townsend thought it was. It is certainly a
rare transient and not “an uncommon transient.” It is of course
common south of Cape Cod.
Among the Shearwaters and Petrels our observers consider the
Greater Shearwater, Puffinus gravis, as rare now and never as com¬
mon as Townsend records it. The Black Skimmer, Rynchops n.
nigra, is a new bird for our region, with one specimen taken on
August 26, 1924, and others seen to October 9 of that same season.
The Sooty Shearwater, Puffinus griseus, seems to be a rare sum¬
mer visitor rather than a “not uncommon summer resident.”
Leach’s Petrel, Oceanodroma leucorhoa, is a bird that has
changed very much for the worse. It is far less common than form¬
erly and is becoming rare even on its breeding grounds, possibly
due to the enormous increase of Gulls on the same islands.
Of the two species of Cormorants, the so-called Common or
European species, Phalacrocorax c. carbo, is now a common winter
resident and shows a tendency to increase. It is no longer considered
an “uncommon transient and winter visitor.” The Double-crested
species or Shag, Phalacrocorax a. auritus, is probably increasing.
Coming now to the Ducks, we believe that the Goosander, Mer-
gus merganser americanus, is not as common in our ponds and
streams as it used to be. I do not see them as often at Wenham
Lake, either spring or fall, but some are seen in the Artichoke
basin and in the lower Merrimac. Near the chain bridge they
winter. Any change here is probably merely a local affair, due to
shifting food supply and disturbance.
The Shelldrake, or Red-breasted Merganser, Mergus senator,
does not seem to winter with us in as large numbers as a few years
ago and it is also less common on the outer Cape. All the sea
Ducks are somewhat reduced in numbers, due perhaps to oil and
Essex County Ornithological Club
9
possibly to the failure of eel grass. Nevertheless the fall and spring
migrations seem to be about the same as before.
The beautiful Hooded Merganser, Lophodytes cucullatus, once
a very common species in autumn at Wenham, showed a marked
decrease from about 1905 to 1925. But in the last ten years there
has been a slow but steady recovery, although it cannot be con¬
sidered a common water bird even now. It has recently been re¬
corded as breeding in the Nashua River swamp at Pepperel,
Massachusetts, and at Farmington, Connecticut.
A new species for our County is the European Sheld Duck, Tad-
orna tadorna, a specimen having been taken on October 5, 1921, a
stray bird merely.
Among the true Ducks the Mallard, Anas p. platyrhynchos,
once quite common in certain years but never regularly plentiful,
is now certainly rare and growing more so, as most western-bred
Ducks are.
Our Red-legged Black Duck, Anas r. rubripes, has changed a
great deal, both in status and habits, in recent years. We have a
winter population of fifteen hundred to several thousand, but on
the whole greatly reduced since the failure of eel grass and the
very severe winter of 1933-1934. The summer population is, how¬
ever, greater than it used to be in Townsend’s day, while at the same
time the migration seems to be less. There was a very marked re¬
covery in the summer and autumn of 1937, a really remarkable
come-back.
The Common Black Duck, Anas rubripes tristis, which is now
considered the breeding bird from southern New England to Vir¬
ginia, and rare north of New England, also showed similar tend¬
encies. For practical purposes, of course, both races must be
“lumped.”
For the Gadwall, Chaulelasmus streperus, always a very rare
Duck, we have a few more records from March 20 to January 15,
but there is probably no change in status. The European Widgeon,
Mareca penelope, is not taken as frequently as twenty or thirty
years ago — probably because fewer Balclpates are shot than form¬
erly.
The Baldpate itself, Mareca americana, has taken to visiting
Clark’s Pond in some numbers in the past two or three years and
has probably decreased less than most western-breeding Ducks,
owing to its far northern breeding range; but it is much rarer at
Wenham than it used to be.
A great change has taken place in the Green-winged Teal, Net-
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Bulletin of the
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lion carolinense , which visit us. They have shown a very marked
increase, appear much earlier in the autumn than formerly, and
stay a long time. It is hard to account for this. The European Teal,
Nettion crecca, is still on our Hypothetical List, but is occasionally
identified.
One of the bright spots in our local ornithological history is the
increase in Blue-winged Teal, Querquedula discors. From a “rare
spring and common autumn migrant” it has become a rare, though
regular breeder, although the nest and eggs have not been found.*
It has certainly bred at Clark’s Pond, and at Heartbreak Pond and
in the extensive Lynnfield swamps. It has likewise become a com¬
mon breeder in Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey and Penn¬
sylvania, as well as at the north end of Lake Champlain. It is
abundant now on migration, arrives early and stays rather late.
This local increase goes hand in hand with the destruction of the
breeding grounds and decrease of this teal in the Mississippi Val¬
ley and Prairie states.
The Shoveller, Spatula clypeata, always a very rare Duck north
of Boston, is commoner: that is, we have many more County rec¬
ords. It is more common around New York than forty years ago
and nests in New Jersey. We now have late County records for De¬
cember 27 and January 9.
There is no especial change in the numbers of Pintails, Dafila
acuta tzitzilioa. A few have wintered with us in recent years and
very rarely I have seen a flock in spring on the Topsfield Meadows.
One autumn they were almost plentiful.
The Wood Duck, Aix sponsa, has shown an almost fabulous in¬
crease. It is now three or four times as plentiful in the breeding
season as the local Black Duck. This has nearly all happened in
the past fifteen years and is a most noteworthy example of in¬
crease under restrictive laws, in fact, the case is unique. We have
a number of late records. Almost every suitable nesting site is now
occupied and there is an influx of migrants in September.
A much less hopeful picture is that of the Redhead, Nyroca
americana, which although never a plentiful species north of Bos¬
ton, has now become one of our rarest Ducks. The same remarks
apply to the Canvas-back, Nyroca valisineria, though perhaps it is
a little commoner than the Redhead.
Turning to the next species, the Lesser Scaup, Nyroca affinis,
we find the same story. In fact, nearly all the diving Ducks are on
the wane. Formerly one of the commonest Ducks on Wenham
* Nest and eggs were found in June 1938. (Eds.)
Essex County Ornithological Club
i 1
Lake, the Lesser Scaup is now one of the rarest. Only one or two
are recorded in our County in an autumn flight. On its wintering
grounds it is probably not over ten per cent as numerous as it
used to be.
The Ring-neck, Nyroca eollaris, strange to relate has held its
own both with us and also all along the south Atlantic coast. It
has recently been found nesting in Maine as well as in Pennsyl¬
vania. Although an uncommon Duck in our County, it may be
said to be a regular migrant, and a few winter with us. Forty years
ago it was considered almost our rarest Duck and my first records
at Wenham produced a real sensation.
The Golden-eyes show no marked change, although the com¬
mon species seem to have a smaller wintering population, due no
doubt to local changes in feeding grounds. Barrow’s Golden-eye,
Glaucionetta islandica, is not “accidental” as Townsend records
it, but a regular winter visitor in very small numbers. This change
is possibly more apparent than real, dependent on the greater
number of observers.
The Buffle-head, Charitonetta albeola, after showing a marked
decrease in the first quarter of the century, may now be holding its
own. The same numbers appear each year in Newbury port harbor
and at Lynn. About one hundred and fifty are usually seen in fall
and winter off Swampscott.
Oil may account for a seeming great decrease of the hardy Old-
squaw, Harelda hyemalis, which is certainly hunted less now than
formerly on the New England coast. This Duck does not winter
with us in as large numbers as it used to and the same is true for
Cape Cod waters. The migratory “population” is probably about
the same. This is one of the Ducks hard hit by floating oil and may
not be holding its own.
The Harlequin Duck, Histrionicus h. histrionicus, from being
a “very rare winter visitor” may now be said to be a regular winter
visitor in very small numbers off Cape Ann. It has been seen nearly
every winter since 1928. Of course it has never been so consistently
looked for as in the past ten years, which may account for an ap¬
parent increase but not for a real one.
I need not say much about the Eiders. There was a marked
flight of King Eiders, Somateria spectabilis, seen mostly south of
Cape Cod, in the winter of 1936-1937.
The Scoters have undoubtedly changed their habits since Town¬
send wrote. They are far less common on inland waters. The Black
Scoter, Oidemia americana, has decreased decidedly and is no
12
Bulletin of the
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A.
longer even a “common transient.” The White-winged species,
Melanitta deglandi, winters only in small numbers and the Surf
Scoter, Oidemia perspicillata, is rare in winter and not as abun¬
dant on migration as formerly.
The Ruddy Duck, Erismatura jamaicensis rabida, in spite of
protection, shows little real increase. It is now a rare fall migrant
north of Cape Cod and has decreased at Wenham Lake more than
almost any other Duck.
The Snow and Blue Geese ( Chen hyperboreus and atlantica and
Chen caemdescens ) remain as always very rare transients and not
until October, 1938, was there a specimen of the Greater Snow
Goose, Chen atlantica, taken in the County. A very large flock of
Snow Geese (probably atlantica) was seen in recent years, in a
dense snowstorm, over Wenham Lake.
A new record since Townsend’s day is that of a specimen of the
Pink-footed Goose of Europe, Anser brachyrhynchus, shot Sep¬
tember 25, 1924.
The Canada Goose, Branta c. canadensis, has undoubtedly gone
down seriously in numbers since the eel grass failed; and the
Brant, Branta bernicla glaucogastra, has suffered still more, being
now only a rare transient. Of course we never had any real Brant
gathering place on our coast, but the species was a common
enough sight in Ipswich Bay on migration.
Coming now to the Heron tribe, there is an interesting new
record for us in the appearance of two Eastern Glossy Ibis, Plega-
dis f. falcinellus, at Plum Island in the spring of 1935. This is a
most remarkable occurrence and goes hand in hand with the dis¬
covery of a huge new colony on Red Light Reef in Lake Okecho-
bee, Florida.*
The Least Bittern, Ixobrychus e. exilis, continues a very rare
summer resident, breeding atLynnfield and probably on the upper
Parker River and in the Topsfield Meadows. Our Great Blue
Heron, Ardea h. herodias, is much more common on migration
than it used to be and may yet be recorded as breeding. The near¬
est breeding colony is now the one in the Harvard Forest at Peter¬
sham, Massachusetts.
The southern breeding Herons all seem to be commoner than
they were. The Egret, Casmerodias albus egretta, is now a regular
early summer visitor, often common, especially so in 1937, which
was a record year. It is remarkable to see these great birds feeding
* Another sight record overlooked by Dr. Phillips is that of one bird seen at
Ipswich May 21, 1932. (Eds.)
Essex County Ornithological Club
*3
almost in somebody’s dooryard, or close to a well-traveled motor
road without being molested. This would not have been the case
twenty-five years ago, we may be sure.
The Snowy Egret, Egretta t. thula, is still, curiously enough, on
our Hypothetical List, although I am informed that Mr. E. O.
Damon told Mr. Aaron Bagg that the bird he shot “prior to 1887“
was taken in Newbury at the mouth of the Parker River and not
at Northampton.
The Little Blue Heron, Florida c. caerulea, especially the young
in white plumage, have shown a similar great increase. They are
now regular summer visitors, 1931 being the best year.
Our Black-crowned Night Herons, Nycticorax nycticorax hoactli ,
have not decreased but seem now to be much more scattered at
the breeding season. The large Ipswich Beach colony, described
by Dr. Townsend, was first abandoned and then the large colony
at Plum Island was abandoned in 1935. The Hamilton colony, on
the Mathews estate, also ran out about 1916 or 1917. It is evident
that the habit of the species is to “wear out” an area, kill the trees,
and then move on. They are now seldom persecuted, although a
few are shot by discouraged gunners in the autumn, and it may be
they are edible to some of our foreign population.
The Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Nyctanassa v. violacea, is no
longer merely an “accidental visitor from the South,” for we have
numerous records from 1926 to 1937, and one of them (1928) a
breeding record. The birds are seen at Clark’s Pond and elsewhere.
The Sandhill Crane, Grus canadensis tabida, was recorded by
Townsend, and quite correctly, it seems to me, as “extirpated”;
yet there are several recent sight records of Cranes of some species,
as follows: three probably seen October 11, 1933, by Henry Otis
of Danvers; one in October, 1937, by Charles Safford, the warden
at the Audubon reservation on Plum Island; and three mentioned
in Bulletin No. 34 of the Director of the Massachusetts Division
of Ornithology (October 31, 1920) as observed by “a gentleman
well acquainted with the species” on October 20, 1920.
With the Rails there is not much to say except that our Rail habi¬
tats, due to earlier drying up of our river meadows, have been a
good deal reduced. The Virginia Rail, Rallus l. limicola, is still
common and there is one record as late as January 17 (1920).
Our Gallinules deserve a few words. The Florida species, Galli-
nula chloropus cachinnans, is rather more than a “rare summer
resident,” as Townsend had it. It is more of a casual summer resi¬
dent and regular fall migrant in small numbers, having been re-
H
Bulletin of the
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cently recorded up to November 1. The Coot or Mud-hen, Fulica
a. americana, although never a common autumn migrant as Dr.
Townsend has it, is now somewhat reduced and no doubt is suf¬
fering from the same reduction of proper breeding grounds, in
common with many of our diving Ducks. It is now a rare autumn
straggler on Wenham Lake, very rare of course in spring.*
Of the Phalaropes, it is interesting to mention the great flight of
Northern Phalaropes, Lobipes lobatus, in August, 1937. The Wil¬
son’s Phalarope, Stenganopus tricolor, seems to be increasing in
New England waters. It is more than an “accidental visitor from
the West” and might now be termed a rare fall transient, casual
in the spring. We have records May 12 to 23, and from August 15
to September 22.
It is hard to know what to say about the Woodcock, Philohela
minor. The autumn flight covers are now so well known and so
thoroughly worked that the birds have little chance after the sea¬
son opens, but our spring flight seems to be about the same as
formerly. The Common or Wilson’s Snipe ( capella delicata), on
the other hand has fallen off very much in numbers and con¬
tinues to decline. Few are now shot with us because the season
opens too late. We do not seem to get the early September flight
that we did formerly. This is at least partly due to lowered water
table, a “grassing-up” of our best fresh-water meadows, with con¬
sequent reduction of muddy holes and sloughs and a general in¬
crease of bush growth all over the country, with less pasturage.
The spring flight is also much smaller.
Most species of our shore birds have shown marked increase
since Townsend’s Supplement, due undoubtedly to the stopping
of summer shooting. On the other hand, drainage of our salt
meadows goes forward apace and many favorite salt pools and
sloughs are now dry. Mosquito control operations are rapidly
changing the flora and fauna of the salt meadows.
The Dowitcher Limnodromus g. griseus, is perhaps the species
which has responded better than any other. It is now very abun¬
dant, and probably back to its status of fifty years ago. We have
some new late records to October 14. The Long-billed Dowitcher
of the West, Limnodromus ( griseus ) scolopaceus , is now more than
an “accidental visitor,” perhaps it always was. We should probably
now call it a regular late fall visitor, to November 7.
The Knot, Calidris canutus rufus, once so greatly reduced, is back
to nearly normal numbers, but in our County is seldom seen ex-
* A flock of forty at Clark’s Pond this autumn may indicate a strong come-back.
Essex County Ornithological Club
*5
cept in a few favored places such as the easterly tip of Ipswich
Beach, a famous gathering place for many waders at high tide. The
Purple Sandpiper, Arquatella mnritima, is still common on outer
rocks and reefs in winter such as Egg Rock, Manchester.
Of the “peeps” or small Sandpipers, there is in general a notable
increase. Baird’s Sandpiper, Pisobia bairdi, is still uncommon to
rare but seen regularly. The American Dunlin, Pelidna alpina sak-
halina, might now be put down as abundant, rather than common,
in autumn, with a seeming tendency to stay even later, being com¬
mon in November and once recorded January 25 (1927).
The Western Sandpiper, Ereunetes maarii, is rare, but regularly
noted each fall. The Sanderling, Crocethia alba, like the other
common small species, shows a great increase in the past ten or
fifteen years and we have some winter dates which Townsend did
not have.
The two Godwits have shown little if any response to protective
measures. The Marbled, Limosa fedoa, is so rare that only one or
two are reported for our County each year. There may be a slight
increase since Townsend wrote, but not obvious in our region.
The Hudsonian Godwit, Limosa haemast.ica, which Townsend
never saw, is a rare species everywhere and may even be a vanish¬
ing one over its whole range. It may be recorded as still a regular,
though rare, autumn migrant.
The two Yellow-legs, Greater and Lesser ( Totanus melanoleucus
and Totanus flavipes) have increased' enormously, more so than
any other of the larger species. It is hard to say which has pros¬
pered most through protection, but I am inclined to think that the
larger species has benefited most.
The Solitary Sandpiper, Tringa s. solitaria, is certainly not
nearly so common along our Ipswich River as it once was, but is
said to be just as plentiful as ever in the Connecticut Valley. The
lowered state of our river in late summer may have made a dif¬
ference.
That fine bird, the Willet, Catoptrophorus s. semipalmatus, has
increased greatly. It has now been found breeding in Nova Scotia
and its numbers in spring in the Carolinas must be seen to be be¬
lieved. Yet we do not see the bird often in our County, why it is
difficult to say. It is still an uncommon transient visitor, both
spring and fall.*
* Apparently our fall birds are almost entirely strays from the West C. s.
inornatus. This is a recent conclusion of Griscom’s based on a study of exist¬
ing specimens. (Eds.)
i6
Bulletin of the
1937-8
The Upland Plover, Bartramia longicauda, certainly has not
now the status assigned to it by Dr. Townsend who in 1920 listed
it as a “very rare spring and uncommon autumn transient visitor.”
It is now rather a rare summer resident and it is doubtful if we
ever see any migrants at all. Our resident population of six to ten
pairs shows no increase. They occupy the same pasture lots in and
near Newburyport and are usually gone by late August. This most
attractive species shows no “come-back” anywhere.
With the Spotted Sandpiper, Actitis macularia, I seem to have
noticed a considerable reduction of breeding pairs, probably
merely a local phenomena. They certainly are far less common
around our lakes than twenty-five years ago.
Hudsonian Curlew, Phaeopus hudsonicus, have responded well
to protection but our County is avoided during migration and it
cannot be said to be really common, though small groups are be¬
ginning to favor our more attractive marshes. We see few on mi¬
gration and Townsend’s “rare spring and uncommon autumn
transient visitor” still applies.
All the Plovers have staged gains since Townsend wrote. The
Black-bellied, Squatarola squatarola, is enormously increased,
probably ten times more numerous, and it stays longer in autmun,
up to November 24. The Golden Plover, Pluvialis d. dominica, once
so scarce and accounted “rare in our County” by Townsend, has
increased and is now of regular occurrence each fall in small num¬
bers.
Even in 1920 the Killdeer, Oxyechus v.vociferus, was becoming a
common resident. Since then it has gained even more ground and
is now a common resident, breeding in many favorable locations.
Large flocks are seen about the bare shores of Wenham Lake into
November, probably local birds.
The Ring-neck Plover, Charadrius semipalmata or Semipal-
mated Plover, is now seen in great numbers and is abundant in
spring, contrary to Townsend’s “not common in spring.” The
Piping Plover, Charadrius melodus, on the other hand, has in¬
creased only very slowly from the low point which Dr. Townsend
mentions about 1905. It is not yet really abundant and may never
be, as our beaches become more and more “humanized,” but a few
pairs nest on all quiet, sandy places. The Ruddy Turnstone, Are-
naria inter pres morinella, has increased along with all the com¬
moner small species. There is one additional record for Wilson’s
Plover, Pagolla w. wilsonia, a bird seen on May 15, 1932, by a party
of observers.
Essex County Ornithological Club
*7
Our Bob-whites, Colinus v. virginianus, are practically gone.
All attempts to save them have failed and the many which I bred
and released at Wenham in 1915 and 1916 and in the early thirties
vanished within a few months, although a few coveys wintered
successfully. As Townsend says, the species never recovered from
the winter of 1903-1904. It has always been my theory that intro¬
ductions of southern and Mexican birds after this date sealed the
doom of the old, hardier strain of New England Bob-whites — this,
coupled with greatly reduced agricultural operations, better roads,
more cars and an army of guns.
It is difficult to say what will be the future of our Ruffed Grouse,
Bonasa umbellus. It reached a low ebb in one of its cycles in 1936
and 1937, yet there is no indication that it will be wiped out. Even
in 1937 there were places in our County where Grouse were quite
numerous — fully as much so as in little-shot territory to the north
of us.
The Mourning Dove, Zenaidura macroura carolinensis, from be¬
ing a “rare summer resident” is' now a common and regular breeder
in increasing numbers. It also stays later and we have some winter
records. These birds spent almost one entire winter at Wenham
on my place, during a warm period.
With the Vultures there are two more records of the Turkey
Vulture, Cathartes aura septentrionalis, making five in all; and six
more for the Black Vulture, Coragyps a. atratus. Looking back
very many years, I am almost positive that when a boy at Nahant I
came upon a Black Vulture at close range — say about 1886.
In general all the Hawks have fallen off greatly in numbers,
even since 1920, due to the strange belief among “one-gallus”
gunners (and some two-gallus ones) that by killing off all the
Hawks they can restore game species. The Marsh Hawk, Circus
hudsonius, is now a rather rare breeding bird, though common
enough on migration. It is no longer a “common summer resi¬
dent.” The Sharp-shinned, Accipiter v. velox, species is perhaps
fewer and the Cooper’s or Accipiter cooperi has fallen off like all
others. It is now a rare nesting species and not really common on
migration.
The Goshawk, Astur a. atricapillus, seen usually as a periodic
fall and winter visitor with us, paid us its last great destructive
visit in 1926 and has only appeared in small numbers since then.
The Red-tailed, Buteo b. borealis, once a “very rare summer
resident” can now no longer be recorded as a summer resident
at all, I believe, and is even very uncommon on migration. The
i8
Bulletin of the
1937-8
Red-shouldered, Buteo l. lineatus, our most ornamental bird of
prey, is slowly decreasing, both as a breeding bird and as a
migrant, and its loss is felt by all bird lovers. The other Hawks,
Broad-winged, Buteo p. platypterus and Rough-legged, Buteo lag-
opus sancti-johannis, show no special change.
Both Eagles are of course still rare, but the Golden, Aquila
chrysaetos canadensis, seems to be identified by our binocular
enthusiasts more often than it used to be, especially in late fall and
winter in the Merrimac Valley. The Bald Eagle, Haliaeetus leuco-
cephalus, is certainly less common than in 1920 when Townsend
recorded it as “not uncommon at all seasons.” It is now rare in
summer but a regular, though scarce, mid-winter visitor, especially
in the Merrimac Valley above the chain bridge. The Southern
Bald Eagle, Haliaeetus 1. leucocephalus, is probably much more
rare than the Northern form, alascanus .
The Duck Hawk, Falso peregrinus anatum, is said to be holding
its own and about the same as in 1920, but the Pigeon Hawk,
Falco c. columbarius, is scarcely a “common transient visitor.” It
is an uncommon visitor. The Sparrow Hawk, Falco s. sparverius,
although still very common on migration, has not increased as a
breeding bird. There are more in and about our cities than there
used to be.
Ospreys, Pandion haliaetus carolinensis, it seems to me, are a
little less plentiful on fall migration than they were once. Occa¬
sionally a lone bird will spend a good part of the summer with us,
as happened recently at Wenham. It is curious that we have no
breeding records in this part of our state.
Most of the Owls have failed to hold their own. The Long¬
eared, Asio wilsonianus, shows a marked decrease at all seasons
and there are no recent definite breeding records. The Short¬
eared, Asio f. flammeus, is now a rare bird. Townsend noted a de¬
crease between his first and second County lists and this has con¬
tinued.
The Barred Owl, Strix v. varia, for some reason is, and always
has been, much scarcer than the Great Horned Owl, Bubo v. vir-
ginianus. It may be set down as a rare permanent resident, not
common at any time. The Saw-whet or Acadian Owl, Cryptoglaux
a. acadica, is probably less rare than formerly. It may breed, al¬
though its nest has not yet been found.
Both the Screech Owl, Otus a. asio, and the Great Horned are
about the same, as near as we can tell. It is rather remarkable that
our largest Owl (except the very rare Great Gray Owl, Scotiaptex
Essex County Ornithological Club
19
n. nebulosa) should still be common, but it has probably re¬
sponded, like the Pileated Woodpecker, Ceophloeus pileatus abie-
ticola, to the increasing acreage of forest. In the winter of 191 7—
1918 there was an influx of birds from further north, representing
some of the northern races.
There is probably no change to be recorded with our Snowy
Owl visitors ( Nyctea nyctea). They are still common at times. The
winter of 1926-1927 produced an astonishing number and they
were common in the autumn of 1937.
There is less to record, of course, about the less obvious species,
those that we cannot “count,” either because they are too numer¬
ous, or too scarce and secluded in their behavior. Therefore only
the striking changes will be entered here, those in fact being the
only ones that are safe to generalize about.
The Northern Pileated Woodpecker is certainly coming back,
extending its range southward and eastward from New Hampshire
and western Massachusetts. It is now more than an “accidental
visitor” and reaches the status of a rare visitor or resident. It must
certainly breed with us, as there are numerous records since 1931,
and in 1934 a fine bird spent the entire autumn on the shores of
Wenham Lake, close to my house.
The Red-headed Woodpecker, Melanerpes erythrocephalus,
continues to be a very rare bird, merely accidental now. It can
certainly not be called a “rare summer resident,” though it has
nested.
One of the most remarkable changes in our air fauna is the ad¬
dition of the Arkansas Kingbird, Tyrannus verticalis, to our list.
Unrecorded by Dr. Townsend, it is now an irregular fall visitor,
September 3 to November 20, and there are many records during
the past fifteen years.
Say’s Phoebe, Sayornis s. sayci, is also a new County bird, repre¬
sented by a specimen in the Peabody Museum, taken October 13,
193°*
The Canada Jay, Perisoreus c. canadensis, is, perhaps, more than
an accidental visitor, as there are at least three more recent credi¬
ble sight records besides the early 1878 record mentioned by
Townsend.
Dr. Townsend does not mention any decrease in the Bobolink,
Dolichonyx oryzivorus, but with continued loss of our ploughed
land, and with a gradual “pauperization” of our meadows due to
continual hay cutting without adequate fertilization, this bird
has gone down greatly. They prefer the rich grass lands where the
20
Bulletin of the
i 937"8
cover is thick and high. It is possible that they are now holding
their own after a great reduction in the past twenty-five years.
Another noticeable change is seen in the present-day rarity of
the Orchard Oriole, Icterus spurius. It is probably no longer a
local resident and in recent years we have only a few scattered
spring records. I have never seen it in our County myself.
The Red Crossbill, Loxia curvirostra, represented by the races
pusilla and neogaea (this latter the Newfoundland race) is not ap¬
parently as common lately, appearing only once in every four or
five years. The White-winged species, Loxia leucoptera, is with us
irregularly, the same as always.
The Vesper Sparrow, Pooecet.es g.gramineus, is thought not to be
as common as formerly and to be reduced by fifty per cent from its
numbers of fifteen or twenty years ago. Among the other Sparrows
the Labrador Savannah Sparrow, Passerculus sandwichensis labra-
dorius, is represented by specimens; the Henslow’s Sparrow, Passer-
herbulus h. henslowi, is practically gone from our County, with
but two records for fifteen years. We now have a specimen of Shu-
feldt’s Junco, Junco oreganus shufeldti, represented by a speci¬
men in the Peabody Museum, taken June 30, 1931.
Among the Swallows there are some significant changes. There
are few records for the Purple Martin, Progne s. subis, which is
now a very rare transient. Both the Cliff and the Barn Swallows
(Petrochelidon a. albifrons and Hirundo erythrogaster) continue
to steadily decrease. My own colony of the last is greatly dimin¬
ished and in 1937 many of the adult birds vanished during the
nesting season, leaving eggs deserted or young starving. Is it pos¬
sible that roadside spraying may have taken a toll on these birds?
Killing of Swallows by spraying has recently been reported in
another place.
The same story goes for the Tree Swallow, Iridoprocne bicolor,
and the Bank Swallow, Riparia r. riparia. The latter is now an un¬
common summer resident rather than a “common summer resi¬
dent” as recorded in Townsend’s Supplement.
On the other hand, the Rough-winged Swallow, Stelgidopteryx
ruficollis serripennis, is not now as rare as fifteen years ago. A pair
was collected by Emilio and there are many sight and several breed¬
ing records in the last ten years. It is now a regular summer resi¬
dent, the only one of the Swallows which seems to be increasing
with us.
Coming to the Vireos, the Warbling Vireo, Vireo g. gilvus, is
now very uncommon and decreasing instead of being a “common
Essex County Ornithological Club
21
summer resident.” The Yellow-throated, Vireo fiavifrons, is only a
rare and local summer resident, no longer common; while the
White-eyed Vireo, Vireo g. griseus, is only a casual straggler.
There are not many decided changes among the Warblers that
can be noted with certainty. Each year, of course, brings local or
seasonal variations in numbers. Dates of occurrence have been
greatly extended for most species.
The Orange-crowned, Vermivora c. celata, is now more of a reg¬
ular fall migrant, rather than a “very rare transient,” with records
from late September to January. The Tennessee Warbler, Vermi¬
vora peregrine, is an uncommon spring and very rare fall migrant
and no longer thought to be a “common transient visitor.” The
Palm Warbler, Dendroica p. palmarum, is no longer “rare,” and
late autumn and even winter dates are on record.
It is thought that the Water-thrush, Seiurus n. noveboracensis,
may now be a very rare summer resident — at least it has been
present in June and July. The Yellow-breasted Chat, Icteria v.
virens, has faded out almost completely and no longer breeds
regularly in our County, so far as known. It was once a not uncom¬
mon summer resident.
The story of the Ring-necked Pheasant, Phasianus colchicus
torquatus, is so well known as scarcely to deserve notice. Reaching
a peak of abundance about 1910, it has, with few interruptions,
steadily decreased until it is now quite uncommon and of slight
utility as a game species. The wholesale planting of artificially in¬
cubated young, raised in confined quarters, has apparently ended
by producing a stock that is not able to maintain itself in the wild.
We see very few large broods raised to maturity. Pheasant food is
also scarcer than it used to be, due to decreased cultivation.
The Starling, Sturnu$ v. vulgaris, has, we hope, reached its peak
of abundance and begun to decline, although still far too numer¬
ous.
Dr. Townsend noted a decrease in the English Sparrow, Passer
domesticus, in 1920. Since then the decline has been* rapid and the
bird is almost rare now in many rural districts of our County.
22
Bulletin of the
*937-8
THE BENSON EXHIBIT
DAVID L. GARRISON
From November 15 to December 15 there occurred an event that
did honor to the Massachusetts tradition. The Museum of Fine
Arts in Boston exhibited a collection of the works of two distin¬
guished local artists, Frank W. Benson and Edmund C. Tarbell.
The extensiveness of the exhibit was remarkable and also its variety,
especially in Benson’s work — which alone concerns us here. Fie
showed portraits, interiors, landscapes, and wildfowl pictures, in
oils, water colors, wash drawings, and in the form of etchings — an
absorbing array.
The most impressive thing about this exhibit was the apparent
pleasure the artist took in each painting or etching he made. He
must have delighted in the work and felt satisfaction from start to
finish. Today when artistic isms claim attention on grounds of
aimless novelty or enigmatic “intellectual” content, it is a relief
to turn to something competent and genuine, to find enthusiasm
and spontaneous energy expressing high artistic perception
through able craftsmanship. Also, the subjects Mr. Benson
chooses and depicts are a specific antidote for the ills of our civiliza¬
tion. Out of the pushing city and “improved” marshland, they
take you to a realm where forces greater than man unquestionably
prevail. There is space. There is open sky. And through it the
wings of birds beat out a necessary rhythm. There is a touch
of the wilderness in every American’s blood; what one of us does
not respond to the sight of wildfowl free in the heavens, the sym¬
bol of our hereditary elbow room?
The pictures appeal from so many points of view that admirers
can hardly agree on their preferences. Mr. Benson used several
techniques and experimented with various styles within them,
as well as covering a wide range of subjects. This diversity comes
naturally from his own tremendous vitality and varied interests;
but it also seems to reflect, in part, influences from the artistic
world about him. During his early days there was arising in France
a dynamic group of painters, the “Impressionists,” interested in
color, sunlight, and rapid ways of recording what they saw. These
factors have long been among Mr. Benson’s interests, especially the
representation of sunlit scenes, which he paints with more amaz¬
ing skill year by year. Another “influence” discerned by some in
Benson’s work is the Oriental interest in pure design, rhythmic
patterns of dark against light, for instance, as formed by the wings
Essex County Ornithological Club
23
of ducks flying in open skies. Chinese artists also use blank areas
most effectively, to emphasize, by contrast, concentrated points of
motion. And they are masters of a capacity rare in modern art: the
use of varying qualities of line to express the qualities of different
materials. Massachusetts is rich in Oriental treasure, gathered by
sagacious traders of its sea-going generations. Whether influenced
or not by such objects about him, Benson’s work embodies some
of their best characteristics. His etching expresses with uncanny
facility the texture of materials: trees, grasses, water, clouds, and
feathers. In every bird the wing pinions, even, are differentiated
in texture from the contour plumage; while the outlines of head,
neck, and body show at once the bird’s preoccupation and ob¬
jective. Mr. Benson’s sense of design is equally remarkable, as he
balances a scattered flock across the sky or sets a lone figure in a
wild expanse.
All these elements combine into an art distinctively individual:
superb drawing and design, beautiful color and sense of light.
Added to these fundamentals he has sense of motion and spacious¬
ness; and finally, to top it off (from the sportsman’s and ornithol¬
ogist’s point of view) a great gift of representing wild birds. His
birds are alive, natural, at home, and in the very attitudes and
formations most cherished by field observers.
Four names among bird painters (that I happen to know of)
stand out: Liljefors, Fuertes, Audubon, and Benson. The great
Swedish artist paints on a grand scale, emphasizing the scene in
which birds take an integral part. Fuertes chose the less preten¬
tious, “mere illustrator’s” approach, but through it interested
thousands of people in the beauty of wild species. Audubon
reached great heights at best, but with too prolific production for
uniform success. Almost everyone reacts either for or against his
pictures, but by no means all are ideal for constant companion¬
ship. Like Liljefors, Benson puts his birds in living environments;
but the scale of his pictures is less pretentious and the point of
view less dramatic. As a painter of vivid scenes momentarily wit¬
nessed and impressed on the mind, Benson is almost a polar op¬
posite to Fuertes with his meticulous technique. Still Fuertes and
Benson are similar in knowing thoroughly the birds they portray.
Like Audubon, Benson builds the interest of his pictures on un¬
derlying patterns of pure design. But whereas Audubon glorified
birds in wonderful detail against backgrounds that were inciden¬
tal, Benson recreates whole scenes, pieces of visual reality. You
might take as a definition of art, things with which it is beneficial
24
Bulletin of the
1937-8
to associate. On this solid basis, Mr. Benson’s pictures stand high;
on the average, I suspect, higher than Audubon’s.
From the beginning Benson’s bird paintings and etchings have
appealed to sportsmen and naturalists. The future will steadily
widen the circle of the admirers of his art. With a rare enthusiasm
for life, he has sought to communicate the profound pleasure of
his experience to others — and has succeeded.
Essex County Ornithological Club
25
THE IPSWICH RIVER TRIPS
ERNEST S. DODGE
For thirty-two years, on, or shortly after, the middle of May, first
an unorganized group and later the members and guests of the
Essex County Ornithological Club have dipped paddles in the
waters of the Ipswich River, and for two days followed its beauti¬
ful and at time tortuous course between gently sloping hills, steep
banks, through lush green marshes, woodlands, farms and or¬
chards. Year after year more than a score of men look forward to
the “River Trip” and enthusiasm and numbers do not diminish.
Nor should they, for this trip not only affords an excellent oppor¬
tunity for observing bird life but also for two days and a night one
lives beneath the sky in the midst of some of our most lovely New
England countryside. It is a great relaxation to the nerves of the
tired, harassed, indoor worker to drift along downstream in a
leisurely way, making occasional side excursions into the fields and
woods, watching the Warblers flitting about, taking an incidental
swim if it is warm enough, and then, on isolated Pine Island, en¬
joying food cooked in the open, singing, pleasant talk and a pipe
with companions before “rolling in.” If the night is clear and still
the occasional calls of Owls, or Rails on the marshes, are likely to be
heard. If rainy, as it sometimes is, the sound of the storm on the
tent roof has a certain lulling effect and in any case a sense of well
being and peace with the world is infused. One is inclined to feel
that these factors as well as an interest in birds has contributed
greatly to the trips’ yearly success.
Suppose we go back aways into the misty past and discover, if we
can, just what led up to this long-continued annual custom.
Sometime in the late nineties Ralph Lawson acquired an interest
in the study of birds. In the course of human events his family
domicile came within stone’s throw of that of Gilbert Emilio. The
inevitable result was a transfer of that interest to the slightly older
boy, who had quite naturally become a playmate.
A year or two passed and then Emilio put practically all his sav¬
ings into the purchase of a second-hand canoe. This craft was
taken to Jaffery, New Hampshire, for the first summer, and remained
there at least through one winter, but in the fall of 1902 it was
located on the Ipswich River at Danvers Center, just above the
bridge near the present Bruley-Kimball camp.
Two years pass, and two things occur. The Lawson family moves
again this time to within shouting distance of the domicile of one
26
Bulletin of the
1 937“8
John L. d’Este, who presently becomes inoculated with the orni¬
thological germ. And secondly, Lawson acquires a canoe, which he
proceeds to “park” below the swimming hole below Howe’s Sta¬
tion, on the Ipswich River.
Now, with Lawson and Emilio equipped with canoes on the Ips¬
wich River, the stage seems all set. But it may be interesting to
go back and find, if we can, just when these boys first made con¬
tact with the river they were to traverse so faithfully for so many
years. Lawson’s records were lost in the Salem fire of 1914, but we
find in Emilio’s under June 8, 1901, “Ipswich River. . and a list
of forty- two species. It was their first River Trip and was made by
row-boat, from Goodhue’s boat house in Ipswich up river to the
swift water below Norwood’s dam and return. Plans had been
made to make this trip on May 11, and again May 18, but bad
weather intervened.
Again we turn to Emilio’s notes to pick up another essential
thread of our story. Under date of May 15, 1902 we read “M. is a
crackerjack. His ears are like a woodchucks and he knows, too.
Eyes are not so good as mine. He knows just where he can put his
hand on a bird. He promised me Prairie Warbler, Chats, White¬
eyed Vireo, and Golden-winged Warbler and he found everyone
easily.”
The very next day, 4.30 to 7.00 a. m. again, it was “Lawson,
Mackintosh and I.” So here we have the boys afield with “Dick”
Mackintosh, probably for the first time. “Dick” was then about
thirty-five years old, working in Peabody, from 7.00 a. m. probably
until 6.00 p.m. but willing to roll out two days in succession at
about 3.00 a.m., Standard Time, to take two kids, half his age on
a bird hunt. “Dick” ceased his earthly labors January 16, 1939 and
few will miss him more than those two boys. The three were to¬
gether for the last time at the Annual Meeting of this Club in
December, 1938. Lawson was in the chair as President, because
Mackintosh had refused, two years before, to accept a nomination
for the office he so richly deserved.
Let us return to the river and the canoes. The spring of 1903
saw the first Ipswich River Trip in somewhat the form we now
know it. The personnel was rather scanty, just two young fellows
not yet out of high school. And the itinerary was a little different,
they didn’t stop at Willowdale and take an automobile or a bus
and a train home. They made two carries and paddled right down
to Ipswich, then turned right round and paddled home again.
This strenuous procedure was not always followed in ensuing
Essex County Ornithological Club
27
trips by various combinations of Lawson, d’Este and Emilio, but
in any event they searched the river valley in mid-May — and at
other times — for several years.
During this time Mackintosh had joined forces with others of
his age, and at the height of the spring migration was accustomed
to make a trip by foot and carriage in the central part of the state, a
supposedly more favorable place.
To make a long story short and without recourse to precise data,
it eventually developed that the Ipswich River Valley was produc¬
ing the greater variety of birds in mid-May. The result was that
Mackintosh brought most of his crowd to the river and with the
three youngsters embarked, in 1907, on the first official River Trip.
As is more or less well known, from the group which had be¬
come associated in ten successive River Trips, this Club was
formed in 1916.
A glance, for just a moment, at the precise data still extant re¬
veals that ninety-one species were observed, in all, on the pre¬
official River Trips. No bird subsequently recorded on all the
thirty-two official lists was missed, and two which have not ever
been included in that long series were, apparently, observed.
These are the Red-tailed Hawk and the Grasshopper Sparrow.
There is no excuse for a misidentification of the Hawk and it ap¬
pears from the records that the boys had previous acquaintance
with the Sparrow, so it is reasonable to assume they were correct
in both cases.
While the accompanying charts sort of speak for themselves it
may not be amiss to call attention to a few things.
The Pheasant was not “counted” until 1917 so its absence prior
thereto is apparent rather than real. A similar condition prevails
with the Rock Dove and the English Sparrow.
With the Hairy Woodpecker, however, neither on the pre¬
official nor official trips until 1912 was the species detected and
from then on, strangely enough, it has never been missed.
There is a parallel in the case of the Crested Flycatcher which
did not appear at all until 1918, and of course the Starling.
The House Wren is in much the same category but differs from
the others cited in that it occurs on the pre-official list and then
for years is not again recorded.
Interestingly enough, the reverse, that is a case where a species
once regularly found has been consistently missed in later years,
does not appear.
For those of an analytical turn of mind it may be pointed out
28
Bulletin of the
1 937-8
further, that there is a correlation between the number of species
observed and the number of observers making a trip. But there
seems to be no consistent advantage in the particular date, as the
early ones seem as prolific as the ones nearly a week later in the
month.
On the long series of official trips one hundred and eighty
species and sub-species of birds have been observed. The average
number per trip has been ninety-six though since 1921, it is one
hundred and six. Two hundred and four different men (and boys)
have participated. Their names and the years of their participa¬
tion are tabulated beyond. Only Lawson has made every trip
with Mackintosh, Porter and W. H. Ropes not too far behind.
But the details are there for your inspection and we hope the data
presented are correct. Assembling them has not been too simple a
task.
In conclusion, a few words about the last two trips, 1937 and
1938, details of which have not been published heretofore.
The 1937 trip was held on May 15 and 16. It was cold and the
foliage was below normal in development. A heavy rain fell the
entire night at Bruley’s camp and continued until 8.00 o’clock the
morning of the fifteenth. The rain complicated the early part of
the day because the canoes at the Paper Mills were sent back to
Howe’s Station and it became necessary to walk back after them,
wait at Howe’s until 2.00 o’clock for the main party and carry on
from there. The regular encampment was made on Pine Island.
The sixteenth was a clear sunny day and the usual routine was fol¬
lowed to Willowdale, Clark’s Pond, Little Neck and back to
Ipswich by motor boat.
The thirty-second trip was held on May 21 and 22, 1938. A
group of seven spent Friday night at Bruley’s camp. Saturday
there was a brisk breeze with some fair-weather clouds, both di¬
minishing until at sunset it was fairly quiet and cloudless. There
were heavy showers from 6.00 to 9.00 a.m. Sunday and an all day
east wind followed by dense fog after 6.00 p. m. There was plenty
of sun, however, from 10.00 a.m. on. In general, the weather was
nearly perfect. The mosquitoes were bothersome for only a short
time Saturday evening. The foliage was well ahead of normal due
to the exceptionally early spring, and the river well over the
banks so that frequent cuts through the long marsh grass were
possible.
The party list was one hundred and fourteen. A new bird for the
trips was the Olive-sided Flycatcher. There were probably as
Essex County Ornithological Club
29
many as five observed. Two other new birds were the Least Bit¬
tern and the Gallinule. In general purely migrant species of land
birds were almost entirely missing. There were large numbers
seen or heard of the common summer residents. Especially com¬
mon were the Prairie Marsh Wrens and Chimney Swifts. On the
other hand there was seen but one, or a very few, of twenty-two
species.
CHART SHOWING BIRDS RECORDED ON THE “RIVER TRIPS
3°
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Essex County Ornithological Club 31
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May dates
Black-bellied Plover
Ruddy Turnstone
CJ
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Wilson’s Snipe
Hudsonian Curlew
Upland Plover
Spotted Sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper
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Least Sandpiper
Red-backed Sandpiper
Dowitcher
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Sanderling
Great Black-backed Gull
Herring Gull
Bonaparte’s Gull
Essex County Ornithological Club
33
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Rock Dove
Mourning Dove
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Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
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Hairy Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Arctic 3 -toed Woodpecker
Eastern Kingbird
Crested Flycatcher
Phoebe
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Alder Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
Wood Pewee
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Year
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Olive-sided Flycatcher
Prairie Horned Lark
Tree Swallow
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Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
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Robin
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Essex County Ornithological Club
35
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Nashville Warbler
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1937-8
36
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Essex County Ornithological Club
37
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CHART SHOWING OBSERVERS AND THE YEARS THEY HAVE BEEN ON THE “RIVER TRIP
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Year
May dates
Jones, J. W.
Jordan, Harold
Kelley, Herbert W.
Kelley, Mark E.
Kelley, Mark E., Jr.
Kelley, Robert
Kelley, Wendell E.
Lawson, Frank B.
Lawson, Ralph
Lawson, Ralph, Jr.
Little, Leslie T.
Lockwood, Dunbar
Lockwood, Dunbar, Jr.
Lord, J. Anderson
Lord, William W„
Low, Seth H.
Mackintosh, Charles G.
Mackintosh, Richards B.
Maddock, Dr. Stephen W.
Marcy, William A.
Maiden, Charles F.
Essex County Ornithological Club
43
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Essex County Ornithological Club
45
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Essex County Ornithological Club
47
FIFTEEN CHRISTMAS CENSUSES IN DANVERS
S. G. EMILIO
From 1922 to 1938 inclusive, I have made fifteen reasonably com¬
parable Christmas Censuses. The first five of them were detailed at
some length in the Bulletin of this Club for 1926, but I am pre¬
senting the data again in connection with that of the ensuing ten
counts.
As I remarked twelve years ago, to obtain strictly comparable
data one may introduce only a single variable at a time, but it is
often not possible to attain that ideal. Even if the same person
traversed exactly the same path each year on the same date in De¬
cember, under identical weather conditions — the impossibility of
which is obvious — even so, the more or less devastating effects of
time, in the lapse of fifteen or twenty years, on the observer him¬
self would introduce a variable. Similarly, with the passage of time
there are bound to be at least minor changes in the nature of the
terrain itself.
There have been introduced even more variables than above
indicated. Precisely the same path has not been followed each
year. One of three different companions has accompanied me,
though not on every trip, for I have been alone several times.
Furthermore, in the last ten or eleven years an automobile has
been used to greater or less extent, and the dates of the trips have
varied from December 18 to January 3, with the average December
26, from which date the average deviation has been three days
only. No record has been kept of the distances covered on foot or
by auto but it is my impression they too have varied more or less
widely from year to year. It is not at all clear, even if we knew the
extent of these variations, that we would know how to evaluate
them in terms of the species and numbers of birds seen or missed.
So, for all practical purposes, we simply ignore this hair splitting.
The basic facts are that approximately the same territory has been
covered in much the same manner year after year at about the
same late December date by the same observer. Furthermore this
territory is not a circle with a diameter of fifteen miles but an area
slightly over three miles long by less than two wide. Even that rela¬
tively small expanse cannot be thoroughly searched by a one- or
two-man party in the short days of December — or the long ones of
June. Nevertheless, as stated in the opening sentence, the data ob¬
tained are “reasonably comparable.”
Asylum Hill in Danvers is the center of the area involved. This
48
Bulletin of the
1 937-8
is an open farming country, typical of the northeastern corner of
the state, and rather heavily populated for territory so designated.
Evergreen and deciduous woods of relatively young growth are in¬
cluded as well as swamps and rolling hills.
The sequence of species in the following table is the approxi¬
mate order of their abundance, or rarity. The abundance of a
given species I have considered to be a function not only of the
total number of individuals observed but also of its regularity of
occurrence. So, to illustrate, I have ranked the Downy Wood¬
pecker with only fifty-six individuals observed, ahead of the Flicker,
of which we have seen seventy. This is done because the Downy has
been found every year but the Flicker has been completely missed
on two of the fifteen trips. And again, the Flicker outranks the
Robin, in my opinion, although we have actually seen more than
three times as many of the latter, for the reason that we never laid
eyes on a Robin in nine out of the fifteen censuses.
It is obvious that by far the commonest bird in the area is the
Starling. This is largely because of the presence of a large piggery
in the northwestern end of the region, which was maintained
through 1932, and the abrupt drop in both Starlings and Crows
in the 1933 count is attributable to the abandonment of that ex¬
tensive feeding place.
There is another rather striking characteristic of the 1933 list —
it is very much longer than in any previous or subsequent year. It
is not clear that the sudden drop in the numbers of the two black
scavengers at the head of the list had anything to do with the great
increase in the number of other species present, but that the in¬
crease occurred is at least suggestive. It seems to apply also to the
abundance of the individual species — there were many more Tree
Sparrows and Juncos, and the maximum number of Downy
Woodpeckers for the entire series of counts.
The apparent tendency of the Myrtle Warbler to be present
every other year also requires an explanation which I am unable
to give.
Ring-necked Pheasants have not entirely faded from the local
picture but they seem to be on the way out. It will be noted that
none are recorded since 1929.
At the end of the first five years, ten species had been observed
every year; now, that total has dwindled to four. To some extent
at least that is due to the accident of observation, or perhaps
non-observation would be better. For, in 1931 no English Spar-
Essex County Ornithological Club
49
rows were recorded yet beyond a shadow of a doubt some were
present that winter.
The “most consistently common bird” still seems to be the
Chickadee, as in 1926.
Twelve years ago I suggested that the Sparrow counts seemed to
indicate short cycles of abundance. And now, it is interesting to
observe the peaks of abundance shown by the Tree Sparrow in
1924, 1927, 1930, 1933, and a similar, but less marked, series for
the Junco.
Twenty species have been added to the total list since the com¬
pilation in 1926, and of these eleven have only been seen once. Both
this increase and the decline in the number to be recorded every
year were anticipated, but the average number of species ob¬
served has shown no trend away from the figure established at the
end of the first five years, namely, twenty.
Year
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67
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62
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20
260
17
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12
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10
89 115
3
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180
106
2
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10
75
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30
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10
24
30
30
40
48
*7
21
33
22
32
54
33
68
16
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1
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25
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6
28
3
25
47
16
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54
2
—
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8
2
4
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13
10
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15
17
16
21
8
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2
15
2
360
27
23
25
35
4
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25
56
50
33
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30
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16
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2
17
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8
16
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5
3
6
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9
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5
5
6
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1
2
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9
1 1
1 1
9
—
Robin
3
—
2
5
50
—
4
—
—
—
—
175
—
—
—
Brown Creeper
2
—
1
2
2
6
5
4
—
3
3
4
1
3
7
Myrtle Warbler
—
—
6
4
—
4
—
3
—
7
—
23
—
10
15
Song Sparrow
1
1
14
2
—
6
2
—
3
2
5
3
8
3
5
White-br. Nuthatch
—
1
—
—
1
3
4
—
—
2
—
7
—
5
2
Hairy Woodpecker
—
—
1
2
1
2
2
—
1
—
1
6
1
1
2
Snow Bunting
38
—
—
—
1
—
—
200
—
—
—
75
—
—
—
Herring Gull
—
—
—
2
—
1
—
2
—
—
2
—
1
—
125
Cedar Waxwing
—
—
10
—
—
—
10
—
—
—
—
9
—
—
—
50
Bulletin of the
1937-8
Year
Cl
Cl
05
GO
Cl
05
fH
Cl
05
fH
HO
Cl
05
to
Cl
05
fH
Cl
05
fH
00
Cl
05
fH
05
Cl
05
0
CO
05
fH
CO
05
Cl
CO
05
fH
CO
CO
05
fH
CO
05
fH
CO
05
00
co
05
Meadowlark
1
—
—
—
—
—
—
4
9
—
5
5
—
—
—
Pheasant
2
1
2
—
1
9
—
4
Red-br. Nuthatch
—
4
—
1
—
—
—
—
—
2
—
4
—
—
—
Black Duck
2
1
3
—
—
—
—
—
3
Purple Finch
2
—
—
—
—
1
—
2
—
—
—
1
—
—
—
Northern Shrike
— _
—
—
—
1
—
1
2
—
—
—
1
—
—
—
Swamp Sparrow
—
2
1
1
1
—
Common Redpoll
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
4
—
115
—
Pine Grosbeak
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
74
—
—
—
28
—
—
—
Pine Siskin
—
—
—
—
—
1
—
—
—
—
—
2
—
1
—
Sparrow Hawk
1
1
1
White-tht. Sparrow
—
—
2
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
1
Evening Grosbeak
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
70
—
—
—
Redwing
35
Mourning Dove
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
8
—
—
—
1
—
—
Ruffed Grouse
Cowbird
Red-sh. Hawk
Black-backed Gull
Green-winged Teal
Goshawk
Sharp-sh. Hawk
Black Gyrfalcon
Virginia Rail
Wilson’s Snipe
Screech Owl
Winter Wren
Prairie Marsh Wren
Orange-cr. Warbler
W. Palm Warbler
Bronzed Grackle
Hoary Redpoll
Fox Sparrow
Number of Species
4
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
17 17 22 22 19 23 23 22 18 16 17 30 19 23 20
Essex County Ornithological Club
5i
OWL NOTES
WESLEY T. PERKINS
Great Horned Ozul
1 936
December 29, Ipswich Sand Dunes: I was a few steps ahead of my
son Whitney when he stopped me with a quiet exclamation. Look¬
ing in the direction he indicated I saw a very large bird perched in
a pitch pine tree about thirty feet from where we stood. Although
neither of us had seen one in the woods before, we knew at once
that it was a Great Horned Owl.
As we watched the Owl it would gaze at us with large yellow
eyes and then turning its head as if on a pivot would look off in
another direction. Individuals from a flock of Chickadees drifting
through the woods came within two or three feet of the Owl. They
did not seem aware of the Owl’s presence, but once or twice the
latter tipped its head to look at the little intruders.
After watching the Owl for several minutes we decided to see
how near we could approach, but we had hardly taken a step be¬
fore it flew off among the trees. The time was 11.15 A-M-> and a
bright sun was shining.
1 937
February 16, Wingaersheek Woods: A large brown Owl, prob¬
ably disturbed by my approach, flew from a tree and, crossing an
open space, disappeared among the trees on a hillside. I circled
back through the woods and approached the spot where the Owl
had disappeared at right angles to the line of his flight. As my
head appeared over a ridge, two Owls flew away into the woods.
They gave an impression of considerable bulk, and this, with the
buffy-brown coloration, led me to list them as Great Horned Owls.
When in the same woods, on March 2, I had a glimpse of a
large owl-like bird flying away high among the trees. It was prob¬
ably one of these Owls.
1 9 3 8
Two Great Horned Owls’ nests were discovered in April. The
first was found at Hooper Farm, on the sixth. Some Crows were
making a clamor just in from the edge of the woods opposite the
old farm house. Soon an Owl hooted once, and a minute or two
later a Great Horned Owl flew from the woods carrying a large,
bloody object in its talons, and alighted in a maple tree. Presently
it flew to a pine in the edge of the woods and settled on a nest that
52
Bulletin of the
i 937-8
had previously escaped my notice. Although seeing me the moment
I moved to get a better position, the Owl stayed on the nest and
watched through round, unblinking eyes until the intruder had
left the vicinity.
On the eleventh two Owlets could be seen on the nest. There was
considerable difference in size. On the thirteenth a parent bird was
present and but one Owlet was sufficiently exposed to be ob¬
served. The nest was visited twice on April 20. The first time no
parent bird was in sight, the two young Owls were of considerable
size and showed “horns.” Upon returning to the nest an hour or
two later I found that one of the parent birds had returned. There
was barely room for the three occupants. Mrs. Perkins, Whitney
and I visited the nest on May 1. There was no sign of the parent
bird, but one large Owlet was still there. When the area was next
visited some three weeks later, the nest was empty.
The second nest was discovered on Castle Hill, on April 10.
Whitney and I were watching some Kinglets, when we saw a Great
Horned Owl in a pine tree nearby. A moment later we noticed the
upright ears and head of its mate, protruding above a nest well up
in another tree. A parent bird was on the nest when I visited the
hill again on April 16. Ten days later I observed an adult Owl in a
tree near the nest. It soon flew toward the little pond at the foot
of the hill where the sound of much cawing indicated that it had
been discovered by some Crows. There was a motionless object pro¬
truding above the rim of the nest, but I could not make out
whether it was an Owlet or the body of some animal.
The Owls on Castle Hill did not seem as wild as those at Hooper
Farm, possibly because the former were accustomed to seeing the
Crane estate workmen about.
May 4: As I was looking down into an opening from a wooded
slope in the Conomo woods, a Great Horned Owl flew from the
ground and perched for a moment on the limb of a dead tree. We
eyed each other briefly, when the Owl flew quietly away into the
woods.
October 26: A group of excited Crows calling “Hawk” or “Owl”
in the Conomo woods led me to the vicinity of the spot on which
they had been focusing their attention. Although the Crows left at
my approach, it did not take long to find a tree beneath which
were indications that birds had roosted above. Stepping back for a
better view of the upper part of this tree, I was startled by the
sound of heavy wings against branches and looked just in time to
see the bulky form of a Great Horned Owl leave an adjoining tree
Essex County Ornithological Club
53
and disappear in the woods. A moment later another Owl, unseen
before it flew, made off in the opposite direction.
Snowy Owl
1937
November 25: Investigating a white object across a field by the
Plum Island Road, Whitney and I discovered it to be a Snowy
Owl perched on a small pile of brush. It permitted us to get quite
near before flying leisurely to a meadow beyond the field. We ap¬
proached again, and this time the Owl went farther away and dis¬
appeared from view.
About an hour later we saw the same, or another, Snowy Owl,
on a fence post near the road that connects Route 1A to the Plum
Island Road. We watched it for a few minutes and then left it un-
* disturbed.
In both of these cases the object of our observation did not look
like an Owl. The one on the brush pile appeared to be a patch of
snow, while our attention was first called to the fence post by
what appeared like a large white rag.
1 9 3 8
February 2, Plum Island: On my way to the south end of the
island I saw a Snowy Owl standing on one of the sanctuary sign
posts out on the marsh. It let me come quite near before leaving its
perch to fly leisurely along the course of a tidal stream. The Owl
finally came to rest on a staddle, where I left it upon resuming my
walk.
Barred Owl
1936
The hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo — hoo-hoo-hoo-hooach of the Barred Owl
was heard from camp at Hancock, New Hampshire, on several
occasions during August. None were identified during the year
although the large bird, flushed from a maple beside the wood
road from the Stoddard road to the shoulder of Bald Mountain,
was possibly this Owl.
1 937
The call of a Barred Owl was heard from camp on several occa¬
sions again this year.
1 9 3 8
A pair of Barred Owls were found nesting in the Boxford
woods, and one or the other was observed on the several occasions
54
Bulletin of the
*937-8
that the nest was visited, the dates ranging from March 22 to May 1.
On the first date two Owls were observed, one of them flying
from the immediate vicinity where the nest was actually discovered
five days later. A few feathers clinging to the edge of a cavity
about thirty feet up in a dead tree revealed its location, although
the opening seemed too small to admit an Owl. However, when
sticks were thrown at the cavity, an adult Barred Owl emerged and
flew off into the woods.
The nest must have been well below the opening because on one
of the occasions when it was visited the Owl’s appearance was pre¬
ceded by the sound of wings or legs scraping against the wall of
the cavity. The top of the tree was blown off by the hurricane of
September 21, but as the break was at the opening the fallen por¬
tion gave no indication of the depth of the hollow.
On one occasion, wishing to see the Owl return after being
frightened from the nest, I found partial concealment beside a
ledge and awaited developments. After a seventeen-minute inter¬
val there was a single hoot from near at hand, and presently the
Owl came to a tree just in my field of vision. In a moment or two
it flew directly to the nest and entered. As I started to leave, it left
the nest again. After a ten-minute wait the bird came to the same
tree it had occupied on the first return, but on flying from this
perch toward the nest it probably saw me, for it veered and came
to rest in a tree some distance away. Then began a series of short
flights each terminating nearer the nest, but when I thought the
Owl was about to enter, it flew away into the woods.
On June 1, a Barred Owl was seen in a tree at the edge of the
woods below the old farm buildings at Hooper Farm. It disap¬
peared into the woods before I could get near enough for more
than a brief, long range view.
Short-eared Owl
1 937
November 1 1, Plum Island: Just as Whitney and I turned away
from a clump of bushes on the dunes, in which we had been watch¬
ing a White-throated Sparrow, a Short-eared Owl flew from another
group of bushes not more than thirty feet from us, and, flying low
over the sand, disappeared behind a small dune some distance
away. Although I carefully noted the place where the Owl van¬
ished, subsequent search revealed no trace of him.
I he flight of this Owl seemed light and hesitant, the latter adjec¬
tive implying a habit of flight rather than indecision. The bird
Essex County Ornithological Club
55
must have been very near us all the time we were watching the
Sparrow, and only took wing when we came closer to his hiding
place.
Saw-whet Owl
1 9 3 8
January 4: While walking along a road on Castle Hill I heard a
group of Chickadees calling excitedly from some small pitch pine
trees. Upon investigating I discovered a very small Owl perched on
a limb almost over my head. The bird was so near that I backed
off several feet in order to use the binocular. It seemed aware of
my presence, but undisturbed, even though the crusty snow made
considerable noise as it broke under my feet.
Not until after watching the Owl for several minutes did I ob¬
serve that it had the hind quarters of a small rat lodged in a crotch
- of a limb. The bird’s feathers partly concealed its victim, from
which it took occasional bites during the latter part of my stay.
It was interesting to note that the Chickadees left as soon as I
discovered the Owl.
Screech Owl
January 15, Beverly: While walking along the edge of a field,
about half an hour after sunset, looking for an opening into the
Snake Hill woods, I noticed a large-headed, chunky bird perched
among the upper branches of a leafless tree and outlined against
the sky. The instant thought, “Screech Owl,” was confirmed when
the binocular revealed the well-spaced, pointed ears of this species.
Save for an occasional turning of its head, the Owl seemed unin¬
terested in my attempts to imitate the squeaking of a mouse, but a
sideward step toward the cover of some bushes sent the bird flying
farther back into the woods. Because the visibility was poor and
the bird was in silhouette, it was impossible to tell whether it was
in red or gray color phase.
Editor’s Note
These notes were written by Mr. Perkins with no idea of ulti¬
mate publication. Somewhat reluctantly he has permitted us to use
them, the only change from the original wording being a more
formal reference to the members of his family.
56
Bulletin of the
1937-8
CHIMNEY SWIFTS FROM THE FORESTS
WENDELL TABER
Anyone who is used to the deep forests of northern New England
and Canada must wonder what happens to the great numbers of
Swifts constantly overhead, hardly ever seen to descend. From
their scattered ranging over the forests I was fortunate enough one
night to see the home-coming.
A little town has grown up some eight miles or so from the
ocean where the fifty-mile road in to the mines in the heart of the
Gaspe Mountains crosses the railroad. Except for the Grand Hotel
and a scattering of houses all is forest. The chippering of Swifts
outside sounded more interesting than the monotonous drone of
conversation wrapped in strong tobacco smoke and I wandered out
to the road. The sun had just set leaving a multi-hued sky. No air
was circulating and even at that late hour the heat was oppressive.
Overhead some three to four hundred Swifts were milling back
and forth in orderly confusion. Suddenly, like a hawser cast from
a ship, a black line broke out of the flock and poured down the
small but tall chimney of the house opposite. The birds entered in
such numbers and at such speed that a count was impossible. I
estimated that several hundred dropped in as wave after wave fol¬
lowed at intervals of a few seconds each.
Ultimately only a small flock of fifteen to twenty-five remained.
Again it was impossible to know exactly how many birds one was
watching as they appeared and disappeared above the trees. This
small flock continued to mill about and soon it became evident
the number was increasing. Perhaps seventy-five birds collected.
Once more the speedy descent into the chimney. This time an
even smaller flock of eight to fifteen remained milling and chip¬
pering. More arrivals, perhaps from far distant sections of the
forest, built the flock up to thirty or forty.
The entry of this last group marked the end of what might be
called the “waves.” From then on only two or three birds were
visible while little “ripples” came straggling in. Thus I counted a
total of one hundred and thirty-eight tardy arrivals.
My observations had commenced about 8.30 p.m. At 8.52 I
thought all the birds were housed, if that is the proper word. At
any rate I failed to see a single bird until a flock of twenty-five ap¬
peared at 8.55. This flock straightway entered leaving no sentry
that I could see. Again at 9.00 a few birds, nine in all, appeared
and promptly entered. In the next nine minutes — is there some
Essex County Ornithological Club
57
occult significance in the recurrence of this number — stragglers
drifted in, each making a short circle of a few yards only before
entering, chippering all the while. A pair arrived at 9.02 followed
at intervals of from half a minute to two minutes by six individual
belated commuters. I thought I heard a final arrival at 9.12, the
ninth again, but failed to see it in the deep twilight.
One wonders whether the rear guard of each flock stayed to indi¬
cate the home location by sight and sound to belated stragglers.
Was the original guard replaced out of the second wave, etc., etc.?
How I wished I could spend a week there studying the nightly
performances.
5«
Bulletin of the
i 937-8
EXPERIENCES WITH NORTHERN SHRIKES
5. G. EMILIO
About noon, March 20, 1930, as I left the Museum by the Charter
Street door, a Shrike, carrying a Sparrow, flew past me into a large
thick bush in the rear of the building. I followed slowly, partly to
assure myself that another English Sparrow had been converted
to utilitarian purposes, and partly also to assure myself that the
Shrike was the Northern species, and not by any chance a migrant.
The bird seemed nervous at my approach so I withdrew, lest it fly,
and retreated within the building where I tried to observe it satis¬
factorily through a window. This proved impossible so again I
went outside and slowly advanced towards the bird until I was
within seven feet. Then, before it could decide to fly away with its
prey I moved in quickly and took the Sparrow. This was a female
English and the only part consumed was the neck. As for the
Shrike, in spite of my proximity, I was unable to see the dark
area on the side of the head and neck, both of which appeared to
be a uniform dirty gray, nor could I see the fine wavy bars on the
breast, characteristic of the Northern.
Presently I tossed the Sparrow back under the bush and the
Shrike pounced on it instantly then flew laboriously along the
near-by fence, barely cleared the top and circling back attempted to
reach the bush again but failed this time to clear the fence and fell
to the ground, and I withdrew to get something to eat for myself.
When I returned an hour and a half later the Shrike was still at
work on a Sparrow in the bush. I walked up at once and took the
Sparrow again. The head was gone, and the rest of the carcass ex¬
cept the flight feathers was rather well plucked, but much meat
still remained. The Shrike was very reluctant to leave its prey and
boldly flew out of the bush to a branch of a near-by tree. To see
what he actually dared to do I held out the Sparrow at arm’s
length, gently shaking it but otherwise remaining quite still. Al¬
most at once the Shrike approached and came to within about
fifteen inches from the bird but was unwilling actually to take it
from me. I concluded immediately that I could catch that Shrike
with no trouble at all, so I got from Mr. Morse a collecting net
for insects and went back to the bush where borealis was looking
for its dinner. I squatted down and tossed the Sparrow a little over
a yard from me, the Shrike was on it almost as it touched the
ground and with a flip of the net I caught him.
Inside the building, I pulled the Shrike out of the net and was
Essex County Ornithological Club
59
interested to find that the dark triangle on the head and neck was
discernible with the bird in hand and also that the hook of the
upper mandible was missing. The bird itself was neither emaciated
nor fat, and its actions outside indicated either an excellent appe¬
tite, extraordinary boldness, or both. The absence of a hook on the
bill explained why in a land of plenty of English Sparrows the
Shrike was somewhat hungry, and why also it had taken it so long
to devour one victim. It probably explained also why I escaped
injury when I plunged my bare hand into the net, for the bird’s
nips were quite ineffectual. I had noticed when it was eating the
Sparrow that it pulled backward in the direction of its bill with¬
out taking any meat, much of the time, but I did not notice the ab¬
sence of the hook on the bill until I had the bird in hand. The en¬
tire bird was grimy with the city’s dust and soot and the face
marking nearly concealed as above noted. I judge the bird to have
been an immature female, and the species was, of course, the
Northern Shrike.
Finally I took the Shrike in one hand, the Sparrow in the other,
let the Shrike peck at the victim a few times then tossed both from
me. As usual, the Sparrow was pounced upon almost as it touched
the ground and the Shrike flew again with it to the bush where it
eventually ate everything but the larger bones.
This northern bird normally appears here as isolated indi¬
viduals. Practically never until the winter of 1929-1930 had I seen
two together. That winter the birds were most unusually numer¬
ous and on many occasions I saw two together. The behavior of
two observed near my home exemplifies their conduct and is de¬
scribed below.
I was aroused at about 7 a.m. (clear, 32 °), by a Shrike squalling
from a near-by Maple, we-we-we-we etc. I located it and almost at
once a second Shrike flew towards the tree but did not alight,
circled, and came squalling from another direction towards Shrike
number one, and both flew.
Subsequently I heard a great squalling as if both had a kill or
were fighting and I found them not over three feet apart, each
with fluttering wings, spread tail, head down and they were hop¬
ping around, to a limited extent. They separated, one flying some
distance, but the squalling was continued more or less by both
with fluttering, etc. One of these was adult, the other immature as
has been the case every time I have been able to see two together
closely, this winter.
Presently two Starlings alighted within three feet of one of the
6o
Bulletin of the
1 937-8
Shrikes. This bird casually approached a foot, and suddenly took
to wing, turned abruptly and charged at the two Starlings which
merely flew to another tree, the Shrike alighting where they had
been.
Whether the Shrikes were two males, jealous of territory or op¬
posite sexes perhaps courting, or two of the same sex not jealous of
territory but excited to courtship display by the presence of the
other, is an open question.
No semblance of song was heard at any time and the only varia¬
tion of the squalling was an occasional high-pitched rough ex¬
plosive whistled note.
I shot a Starling out of a tree not ten feet from one Shrike. It
fluttered down and caught on a lower branch but the Shrike did
not attack. I killed the Starling and threw it out on the snow and
presently the adult Shrike came down, danced gingerly and ques-
tioningly about it with head erect, tail spread and apparently
made some noise which I could not hear as it opened its bill. It
pecked a few times on the ground near the head, at blood perhaps,
but did not further disturb the dead bird.
Essex County Ornithological Club
61
OFFSHORE
RICHARD CAREY CURTIS
In the last several years my wife and I have spent a good part of
each summer on the water off Manchester and Marblehead, either
racing a sail boat from Marblehead or playing around in a very
small motor boat outside of Manchester. It may be that some of
the members may want to compare their own experience with
birds offshore with our list. This is written in the hope of enter¬
taining some but of instructing no one. The area covered is
roughly between Gloucester and Marblehead from the islands
along the shore to five or six miles out to sea. The season is from
the middle of June to the middle of September.
Of course, Gulls constitute at least ninety per cent of the popula¬
tion. Herring Gulls and a few Black-backed Gulls nest in many
of the islands regularly and are in evidence everywhere in the
area, flying, screaming, or just plain sitting on the water waiting
for something to turn up. Terns come next. Emilio and I have
found the Common Terns nesting on a rock a hundred yards off¬
shore from Singing Beach in Manchester and this last year — 1938 —
we found a few pairs of Arctic Terns nesting at Milk Island, just
beyond Gloucester. There are a few Double-crested Cormorants
here all summer, although not in any numbers until August and
September, and last summer I saw one pair of European Cormor¬
ants on August 20 near Baker’s Island. On the outer edge of the
area, five miles or so out to sea there are always a few Wilson’s
Petrels throughout the season, but seldom more than a dozen in an
afternoon. I’ve never personally been lucky enough to see a Leach’s
Petrel in Massachusetts waters unless it is fair to extend Massa¬
chusetts out to sea along the forty-second parallel until it crosses
the steamer lanes. I know of no ruling on this subject.
Other species are few and far between during this summer sea¬
son. Of course, there is an occasional Spotted Sandpiper on the
islands and such birds as Red-breasted Mergansers, Scoters, Night
Herons, and Laughing Gulls here and there. And once in a while
some bird turns up out of season. For instance, I have seen a
Canada Goose perched on Egg Rock off Manchester in the middle
of the summer, but my friend Ludlow Griscom told me that it
must have been an escaped decoy and couldn’t be counted. And I
did once see a Gannet on the same rock early one August. But the
species that might add to a year’s list are scarce. I have pursued
what was either a Jaeger or a Laughing Gull into the sunset in
62
Bulletin of the
i 937-8
my motor boat. And there are Northern Phalaropes now and then
offshore. August, 1937, was real flight- For at least a week there
were well over a thousand close along the coast off Marblehead
and Manchester, some within a few hundred yards off the shore.
On the other hand last summer I saw them only three times out of
Manchester and on each occasion three or four miles outside.
Only once have I had real luck. A northeaster had dropped to a
very light breeze, but there was still a long swell. Griscom an¬
nounced that it was just the right weather for Shearwaters so we
started out to sea from Manchester. This was late in August, 1937.
I had no confidence and no expectations, but still had sense
enough to conceal my doubts. Perhaps six miles out Griscom
showed us seven Shearwaters, at least four of which were Greater,
one Pomarine Jaeger, three Gannets, nine Northern Phalaropes,
and fifty Wilson’s Petrels besides five whales. This is known in
other circles as calling your shots in advance.
It would be a fair conclusion to assume that the best way to see
Shearwaters and Jaegers is to wait for a dying northeaster and
then bring along an expert. I’ve no doubt that this is good ad¬
vice. But I think it would also help to go a little further out to sea,
to make for some well-known fishing ground off Cape Ann, and to
bring along some form of bait to attract the birds. The best form
is fresh cod livers, but they are hard to get. I’ve tried to buy them
in Gloucester and failed. If anyone knows of a good substitute, I
wish he would let me know.
Essex County Ornithological Club
63
A MOCKINGBIRD AT GLOUCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS,
AUGUST 14, 1938
J. SOUTHGATE Y. HOYT
On August 14, Miss Virginia Orr and myself were out in the early
morning looking at the birds of Cape Ann. As we passed a certain
Wild Cherry hedge on the southeast side of the Cape we were
greatly surprised to see a gray bird with prominent white patches
on its wings fly across the road and into the thicket. We immedi¬
ately stopped for further investigation. Without a doubt this was
a Mockingbird ( Mimus p. polyglottos) at which we were looking.
Both of us being from the south and thoroughly familiar with this
bird in its native haunts we had no trouble at all in recognizing it
at once. We waited for some time to see if it would sing, but in
vain.
I tried to get further data about this bird but we saw it no more,
nor did I get any reports from other people in the neighborhood
as to how long it stayed or if it sang any during its visit.
CLAPPER RAIL AT GLOUCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS,
AUGUST 19, 1938
J. SOUTHGATE Y. HOYT
On August 19, I stopped to look at some Sandpipers on a long,
sandy beach bordering the southeast side of Cape Ann, my atten¬
tion was drawn to a bird feeding at the base of a clump of beach
grass in a tidal flat. The bird was walking around this clump and
picking food from the mud with its long yellow bill. The barring
on the flanks and the general gray color of the bird seemed to indi¬
cate that it was the Clapper Rail. As the bird moved back and
forth before the clump, and finally out into an open area, there
was ample opportunity to observe it closely for several minutes.
The ashy-gray neck and body, becoming whiter on the throat
could easily be seen, as well as the line of brownish gray extending
down the foreneck from the throat to the breast. The dull olive-
gray color on the wing coverts showed well as the sun struck the
side of the bird, just before it disappeared in another clump of
grass. With these characters so clearly seen it surely was the Clap¬
per Rail. Most probably it was the Northern Clapper Rail ( Rallus
longirostris crepitans) as this is the race most likely to be seen in
this region.
64
Bulletin of the
i 937-8
ANNOTATED LIST OF BIRDS OBSERVED IN 1937
S G. EMILIO, Recorder
January and February were very mild, and it was not until March
that we experienced real winter weather. The preceding Decem¬
ber, however, had been very cold, in spite of which the variety and
abundance of birds which usually winter further south was notice¬
able. The Great Blue Heron, the Pintail, Kingfisher, Grackle,
White-throated and Fox Sparrows, Mockingbird and Bluebird are
cases in point.
The cold weather which first appeared in early March con¬
tinued with little abatement until mid-April. This, of course,
greatly delayed the early migrants and the Fox Sparrows, for in¬
stance, were about three weeks late in arriving in numbers.
There was reasonably favorable weather about April 20, and
again May 4, 14 and 23. These four waves practically completed
the spring migration except for the shore birds which were still
moving in mid-June.
While several southern species, notably the Chat, Least Tern,
Orchard Oriole and Louisiana Water-Thrush were recorded they
hardly form a basis for any generalization.
Early June weather was ideal for nesting birds but the latter
part of the month was cold and wet.
July was decidedly warm and marked particularly by a very
early southward movement of Great Blue Herons, the appearance
in numbers of northward straggling white Herons, and offshore, of
unusual numbers of Wilson’s Petrels and Northern Phalaropes.
The abnormally warm weather of July continued without inter¬
ruption by any stormy period until August 20. This resulted in
raising the temperature of the surface water of the ocean to an al¬
most unprecedented degree. The small marine organisms, known
as plankton, upon which such birds as Phalaropes and Petrels feed,
apparently increased greatly in abundance near shore under these
favorable conditions and the two groups of normally pelagic birds
were present in numbers greater than ever before recorded along
our coast line.
More seasonable and very equable weather followed, broken on
September 1 9 by cold weather which brought a tremendous wave
of birds from the north. For eight weeks repeated cold snaps
seemed to keep the country flooded with successive waves of birds,
and then to the end of the year mild equable conditions again pre-
Essex County Ornithological Club
65
vailed and large numbers of birds which in past years went farther
south to winter, stayed with us.
More completely annotated lists have appeared in other years
but the Recorder is unable to do more than follows for the year
1937-
Common Loon. May 30; August 28. Unusually common at times
early in the year. Seven, presumably non-breeding birds,
were seen off Ipswich by Foye on July 25, and others were re¬
ported August 14, etc. — more, perhaps, than usual.
Pacific Loon. October 24; November 14, one each and November
19, Mr. F. H. Allen and Dr. W. M. Tyler, reported no less
than six off Plum Island. These birds were with two Common
and seven Red-throats. We still lack a specimen from local
waters.
Red-throated Loon. June 6, Manchester, R. J. Eaton; October 9.
Very numerous in late October and November.
Holboell’s Grebe. April 11; (September 19?) October 16. Rather
rare, this year in the fall. (In the 1936 list April 3 should
have read May 3.)
Horned Grebe. April 18; October 17. Good flight in early April.
Not normally common, late in the year, until December.
Western Grebe. This is another species still on the Hypothetical
List for lack of a local specimen. It is unmistakable, however,
and there is little excuse for failing to give full credence to
the sight records of 1937 — or any other year.
On March 27, Messrs. Buchheister and Pell told me they
had just seen two at the mouth of the Merrimac. On the
twenty-eighth Garret Eddy of Portland, Oregon, and H. H.
Poor, both familiar with the bird in its normal range, tele¬
phoned me that they had seen the birds. How many others saw
one or both birds between then and April 17, which is the last
date recorded from Plum Island, I have no means of knowing.
My personal dates were March 28, 31 ; April 4, and 8. Then on
May 9 at Nahant, with Dodge, Lawson, Alexander, Foster
and Southack a single bird was seen. And finally, on Decem¬
ber 26 again at Newburyport, one bird was seen by Mr. and
Mrs. Elkins, who were already familiar with the species in life.
A more extended account appears elsewhere in this Bul¬
letin. (In the 1936 list December 12 should read December
16.)
Pied-billed Grebe. April 3 to November 11.
66
Bulletin of the
1 937-8
Sooty Shearwater. A sight record from the North end of Plum
Island, on May 30, by C. A. Salford is given by Miss Richard¬
son in the Bulletin of New England Bird Life Vol. 1, No. 8.
Greater Shearwater. Mr. Salford is similarly credited with this
species under date of June 27. On August 24, off Manchester,
R. C. Curtis and Ludlow Griscom saw three.
Leach’s Petrel. Also in the Bulletin Vol. 1, No. 11, is the only
record for this bird, locally, in 1937 — one seen at Ipswich
September 5.
Wilson’s Petrel. July 15 to August 31. There is, I believe, no
record in recent years of such numbers of this species in local
coastal waters. The explanation, as I understand it, lies in the
unusually warm weather with a total absence of storms, off¬
shore. This resulted in an abnormally high surface tempera¬
ture of the ocean near shore, and a corresponding abundance
of the small plankton from which these Petrels select their
food.
Gannet. May 17, one was seen from Plum Island, by Foster, our
only spring record; August 24 to November 14. On the earlier
date, fifty were seen at sea off Manchester by Curtis and others.
Also, on August 3 Curtis saw one, probably a summer strag¬
gler, rather than an early migrant.
European Cormorant. April 24; September 19. A few birds ap¬
pear in September, but it is late October or early November
before they arrive in numbers. This species seems to be
steadily increasing.
Double-crested Cormorant. April 24 to May 13; August 15 to
November 14. There is also a report for July 4 — a summer
straggler, and another for December 5 — a bird seen at Nahant
which I believe to have been this species. As always, an abund¬
ant migrant.
Great Blue Heron. Three winter records, January 13 and 24, and
February 28 — a most unusual number of migrant birds, April
3 to June 2; July 5 — eight were seen at Rowley, a new early
date for transients — to December 26.
American Egret. July 15 to October 8. No less than twenty-
eight were seen at Rowley on September 4 and this marks the
crest of the flight which was probably the greatest that has
ever occurred.
Little Blue Heron. July 25 to September 26. Outnumbered by
the Egrets though the reverse is usually the case.
Essex County Ornithological Club
67
Green Heron. May 2 to August 29. The latter date is absurdly
early for the species to disappear but the Recorder has no
later date.
Black-crowned Night Heron. March 26 to December 10. Five
were seen in Salem on the latter date and on the twenty-sixth
of the month a single bird was found on Cape Ann. There was
another wintering bird on Plum Island January 5, 1937.
Yellow-crowned Night Heron. July 8 to July 29. This species was
apparently unaffected by whatever drove the white Herons
north in such numbers this year.
American Bittern. April 11 to November 20. The later reports
seem to come from the salt marshes.
Least Bittern. Heard, May 23 and 27 at Lynnheld where it prob¬
ably nests.
Canada Goose. March 23 to June 3; October 2 to December 15.
Four birds were seen from Plum Island February 18 and
March 2 but the spring migrants were much delayed by cold
weather and the numbers were small. From' mid-December to
the end of the year eleven were seen at intervals from Plum
Island.
Brant. April 4 to May 22; October 18 to December 9. Probably
regaining, slowly, its former abundance.
Mallard. Wintered at Newburyport in exceptional numbers —
twelve were seen January 30 — to May 30; August 12 and 22 a
female, presumably wild, was seen at Clark’s Pond with Black
Ducks. These are new early dates for a migrant bird. October
1 to end of year.
Red-legged Black Duck. Wintered in great numbers — especially
at Newburyport where some thirty-five hundred were seen on
January 24 — to May 30; October 1, one thousand were re¬
ported by Griscom, and on December 12, five thousand by H.
H. Poor, in both cases at Newburyport.
Common Black Duck. Resident. Occasionally identified in win¬
ter in the great flocks of Red-legs.
Gadwall. May 2, at Newburyport, two birds were seen by Gris¬
com. November 14, at Lynn, one.
European Widgeon. October 9 to November 25. One or two
birds were observed at various times in the ponds of the
northern part of the County. There was a fine adult male in
the Artichoke basin on November 2.
68
Bulletin of the
1 937"8
Baldpate. The only bird reported in the spring was seen March
14 at Newburyport; September 18 to December 11. Some¬
what below normal numbers.
Pintail. At least four wintered at Newburyport, and additional
birds occurred to April 3; September 7 to the end of the year,
in limited numbers.
Green-winged Teal. February 21, three were seen at Ipswich by
Mrs. J. F. Dubois, the very mild conditions prevailing obvi¬
ously encouraged very early migration. Species observed to
May 1. Exceptionally early fall migration also occurred and
two birds were seen at Ipswich on August 12, more than a
week earlier than any previous record. Still present at the
close of the year.
Blue-winged Teal. March 13 to October 24. The species appar¬
ently nested again at two places in Ipswich. On August 5,
Griscom reported thirty-four birds, which total probably in¬
cluded some, if not many, migrants. (In the 1936 list Novem¬
ber 1 should have read November 8.)
Shoveller. One report only — Ipswich, September 18, Curtis.
Wood Duck. March 20 to November 11. Griscom and others
found an aggregation of over seventy at Lynnfield on May 27,
and corresponding abundance was observed at other times.
Redhead. The Recorder has but two reports for the year, nei¬
ther being a wholly satisfactory identification. The species is
very rare here.
Ring-necked Duck. February 6, Newburyport, three birds, seen
by Taber and Stackpole; October g, West Newbury, Garrison.
Much rarer than in recent years.
Greater Scaup Duck. May 2; October 9. Either less attention was
paid to this species or there were markedly fewer birds to be
noticed this year. The normal status is common migrant and
local winter resident.
American Golden-eye. May 2; October 9. One female only was
seen October 9 and not until October 31 did real migrants ap¬
pear in number.
Barrow’s Golden-eye. The recorded dates are as follows: January
31, Rockport; February 6 and March 14, Newburyport. De¬
cember 1 1 and 18, Lynn; and December 25, Beverly, at Mingo
Beach. Lynn was long considered the only place to find this
rare winter visitor in the County but Cape Ann and Newbury¬
port, in recent years, and now Beverly seem to have possibili¬
ties, though Lynn is still the best locality.
Essex County Ornithological Club
69
Bufflehead. May 2; October 9. The status of locally common
winter resident is maintained.
Old Squaw. May 23; October 2. There were five hundred in
Newburyport harbor November 27, according to Mr. F. H.
Allen.
Harlequin Duck. January 24, off Cape Ann, two birds seen by
Griscom and party.
American Eider. January 24, off Cape Ann, Griscom and party
saw four males and two females. Three were reported De¬
cember 5 and the Christmas Census party, off Cape Ann again,
on December 26, saw seventy-five.
King Eider. The species appeared in the fall of 1936 in unprece¬
dented numbers. Three birds of this flight remained off the
mouth of the Merrimac until January 30. The next report
is from the Christmas Census party on December 26, when
twelve were seen off Cape Ann — a number exceeded only in
,1936'
White-winged Scoter. May 30; August 14. While there is no ad¬
ditional report of migration until September 19, forty-seven
birds were seen on August 14 and the conclusion seems fair
that they were migrants rather than summering birds, ff so
this is a new early date.
Surf Scoter. May 30; August 14, four birds, again, a new early
date for migrants.
American Scoter. May 1; August 14, two birds. This species is
known to summer in limited numbers as are the two preced¬
ing, and again it is pure assumption that this mixed flock of
fifty or more birds, were early migrants. The date is three
weeks earlier than .any other for migrants.
Ruddy Duck. September 16 to December 26. Eight were reported
in the County on November 11, and four in Hagget’s Pond,
November 25.
Hooded Merganser. March 28 to April 18; August 24 to Decem¬
ber 11. A most unusual number of birds reported — ten on
November 25, for instance, and many reports. (In the 1936
list very slight straggler should have read very late straggler.)
American Merganser. May 2; October 31. There was a flock of
about eighty in the Artichoke basin on April 7. This winter
resident shows no diminution in numbers.
Red-breasted Merganser. May 30; October 12. In addition there
is evidence a pair nested in Ipswich, but is not wholly certain
they did so.
7°
Bulletin of the
1 937-8
Black Vulture. December 26, Hamilton. To quote from the re¬
port in Bird Lore “The Black Vulture was seen over Saga¬
more Hill, Hamilton in perfect light and at close range by
Emilio, Dodge, and Foye. The absurdly short tail and the
round whitish spots near the wing tips were clearly seen.
There are nine other records for Essex County.” We even¬
tually learned that the same bird (probably) was seen a few
hours earlier at a point about eight miles to the northwest¬
ward.
Goshawk. There are but few records — the last in spring April 1 1
and the first in the fall October 30.
Sharp-shinned Hawk. Resident, but the great majority of the
dates recorded lie between May 2 and October 31.
Cooper’s Hawk. One winter record only, February 6. The bal¬
ance lie between May 2 and September 12. Less common than
the Sharp-shin.
Red-tailed Hawk. March 21; November 11. The bird is essen¬
tially a winter visitor as indicated. Perkins, however, reports
one on July 20 and the Recorder saw one at West Newbury
August 29. This would suggest an occasional nesting.
Red-shouldered Hawk. Resident, not common.
Broad-winged Hawk. May 13 to August 24 — a somewhat abbre¬
viated season this year.
Rough-legged Hawk. Only one spring record, March 29, Per¬
kins. October 9 on, still rather rare.
Bald Eagle. The winter records are confined to January, this
year — presumably birds of the northern race. Safford reports
it twice in August.
Marsh Hawk. March 14 to October 31, and two December dates
by Safford at Plum Island.
Osprey. March 30 to May 23; August 15 to October 12.
Duck Hawk. As in 1936, the species was observed occasionally in
January, February, April and May. A new early post-breed¬
ing date is August 14 by Safford at Plum Island. The latest
for the fall November 26.
Pigeon Hawk. May 2 to May 21; August 15 to October 19. The
new early August record was by Safford at Plum Island.
Sparrow Hawk. Resident, not uncommon.
Ruffed Grouse. Resident. Unreported in August and September,
otherwise normal.
Bob- White. A one-time resident but observed only between May
30 and August 8.
Essex County Ornithological Club
71
Pheasant. Another so-called resident with no reports for July,
August, and most of September.
Sandhill Crane. When an observer as familiar with the Great
Blue Heron as Warden Safford of the Annie Brown Sanctuary
on Plum Island, reports seeing a Crane in flight, it is not good
sense to laugh off the matter as just another Heron with its
neck stretched out. On October 9, Mr. Safford saw a bird flying
south which he believed to be a Crane and there is no sound
reason for thinking that his identification was in error. On
October 6, 1920 three birds believed to be Sandhill Cranes
were seen and heard in this County. • Again on October 11,
1933, three more were reported as seen flying south over Dan¬
vers. However, with only the unsatisfactory record of 1889,
referred to in this Bulletin for 1925, page 42, and the above
mentioned three sight records to indicate the probable oc¬
currence of the extirpated species hereabouts, it seems safest
to leave it in the Hypothetical List for our County.
Virginia Rail. April 18 to October 9.
Sora Rail. April 19 to October 11.
Florida Gallinule. Of the Rail tribe this is one of the rarer birds
hereabouts and there are but two reports for the year — May
23, at Lynnfield, R. J. Eaton and O. K. Scott; and July 3,
Ipswich, F. A. Saunders.
Coot. April 18, Danvers, one bird only, seen by the Recorder;
October 5 to November 2.
Piping Plover. March 28 to September 15.
Semipalmated Plover. May 17 to May 30; July 8 to October 31.
Killdeer. Mr. C. E. Clarke found the bird at Gloucester on Feb¬
ruary 28. This is a new early spring date for the County. Last
report for the year November 11.
Golden Plover. The species appears occasionally in spring and
was seen by Safford on May 25 and 26 at Plum Island; a new
early fall date for the County was reported by Taber and
Stackpole, July 14, Lynn. Last, October 29.
Black-bellied Plover. May 8 to May 30; a straggler at Ipswich,
June 20, and seven at Plum Island, July 6; August 1 to No¬
vember 15; and a late straggler again at Plum Island Decem¬
ber 4, Garrison; December 5, Alexander and Emilio; and fi¬
nally December 7 at West Gloucester, Perkins. The December
dates are unprecedented.
Ruddy Turnstone. May 13 to May 23; July 30 to September 5.
Woodcock. February 28 to November 14.
72
Bulletin of the
>937-8
Snipe. April 4 to May 15; August 14 to November 11.
Hudsonian Curlew. July 6 to October 7. An injured bird was
seen on October 24 at Newburyport by Griscom. This is by
far the latest County date.
Upland Plover. April 25 to September 4, a normal seasonal range.
The bulk of the reports come from Newburyport.
Spotted Sandpiper. May 9 to September 18, a decidedly abbrevi¬
ated season.
Solitary Sandpiper. May 15 and 16, only; July 11 to October 11.
Willet subsp.? May 31 to June 2; August 3 to 15, at Plum Island,
Safford.
Greater Yellow-legs. April 11 to June 11; stragglers on June 25
and July 3 and 4; migrants, July 15 to November 20.
Lesser Yellow-legs. July 4 to October 27.
Knot. May 8, Plum Island, Safford — a new early date — to June
2; July 30 to November 7. Rather good numbers reported.
Purple Sandpiper. Last report in spring February 28; first au¬
tumn — November 14 when several flocks were seen. A rather
neglected species this year.
Pectoral Sandpiper. April 16 to April 19, only; July 29 to Octo¬
ber 27.
White-rumped Sandpiper. May 12 to May 23; July 21 to Novem¬
ber 21. On the last date a single bird was seen and heard at
the northern tip of Plum Island by the Recorder and others.
It is a new late date for the County.
Baird’s Sandpiper. This rare bird was observed at Lynn on June
8 by Mrs. H. B. Elkins. We have only one other spring record,
a bird seen by A. P. Stubbs at Nahant on May 17, 1927. There
are two fall records for the year, September 18 and 26.
Least Sandpiper. May 9 to June 2; July 4 to August 29.
Red-backed Sandpiper. May 8 to June 2; August 10 at Newbury¬
port Griscom saw a lone alpina which he suspected from the
date and appearance to have been the European race, known
as the Dunlin; October 1 to November 14 in numbers; and
subsequently on December 2, 4, 5, 12, 19, 22 and finally 31,
when only one bird remained of the fifteen reported Decem¬
ber 2.
Eastern Dowitclier. May 8 to June 2; July 3 to August 29.
Long-billed Dowitcher. October 1 to November 7. Griscom saw
two on October 24 and that date together with November 7 —
a bird seen in Newburyport by Alexander and the Recorder —
are new late dates for the County.
Essex County Ornithological Club
73
Stilt Sandpiper. August 12 to October 3.
Semipalmated Sandpiper. May 9 to June 2; July 5 to November
2. The July date is very early for migrants.
Western Sandpiper. July 24, Rowley, two birds seen by Griscom,
to October 2. The July date is a new early fall figure. A rare
bird and very few reported.
Marbled Godwit. September 20 and October 7, single birds at
Plum Island seen by Safford.
Hudsonian Godwit. October 7, Plum Island, three birds seen by
J. A. Hagar and October 17, two by Safford.
Sanderling. May 8 to June 6; July 4 to end of year. The Decem¬
ber records subsequent to the fifth are December 11, Plum
Island, seven birds. Garrison; December 19, two, Alexander;
December 26, two, Bird Lore Census, and still present Janu¬
ary 8, Garrison.
Northern Phalarope. August 12 to August 31. There were hun¬
dreds off Manchester in mid-August and forty were seen by
Taber off Marblehead on the thirty-first. There has been no
such coastal visitation of normally pelagic birds in recent
years.
Pomarine Jaeger. August 24, Manchester, Curtis and Griscom;
and September 5, Ipswich, four seen by Miss Snow and others.
Parasitic Jaeger. August 22 to September 18. More reported
than usual.
Glaucous Gull. Normally common to February 23; and rather
scarce from November 14 to end of the year. Another summer¬
ing record is of a bird seen at Lynn July 4 to August 1 by the
Recorder. This bird was molting into presumably second
year plumage.
Iceland Gull. April 11; November 14. A bird of this species was
reported seen at Salem, July 26.
Great Black-backed Gull. Resident, rarest, of course, in summer.
One hundred and fourteen were seen off Cape Ann on De¬
cember 26.
Herring Gull. Resident. The Christmas Census lists twenty-six
hundred at Cape Ann.
“Kumlien’s” Gull. Frequently reported to March 14; December
22.
Ring-billed Gull. Observed every month from January to August
and in November and December.
European Black-headed Gull. January 1, Newburyport, adult,
white below; January 3, adult, buffy below; January 30, im-
74
Bulletin of the
1 937-8
mature — obviously three birds. (A full account appears in the
last Bulletin on page 24.) November 7 , Newburyport, two,
seen by Tousey and the Recorder, among others. November
11, again; November 19, one bird, F. H. Allen; December 1^
15, and 26, Griscom and others, one bird each time.
Laughing Gull. April 24 to May 23; two were seen at Ipswich
June 20 by the Shreve brothers; July 4, Lynn, fifty, to October
*9-
Bonaparte’s Gull. Technically a resident, that is, likely to be
seen at any time, but actually erratic in occurrence. Common
during January this year. Not reported again until May 17,.
and for the balance of the year missing only in September.
Kittiwake. Five reports in January; October 2 on, only four.
Common Tern. May 8 to November 11.
Arctic Tern. June 6 to August 30.
Roseate Tern. May 16 to June 6; July 29 to August 31. Fewer
reports than usual.
Least Tern. May 17, four birds seen and carefully identified by
M. E. Foster. This is the first local record since the late Dr.
C. W. Townsend recorded one at Ipswich in late June, 1933.
Caspian Tern. September 5, Ipswich, Miss Snow.
Black Tern. August 22, Ipswich, one, Curtis. August 28, Plum
Island, Hagar; and September 5, Plum Island, twelve birds
were seen by Curtis. This is the largest number the Recorder
knows of as having been seen in one day hereabouts.
Razor-billed Auk. January 10, one, Gloucester, Taber; and No¬
vember 14, one, Rockport, Griscom, constitute the only rec¬
ords for the year.
Brunnich’s Murre. There are five reports to March 1, when two
were seen at Manchester by Griscom. November 17 and De¬
cember 26. A trifle commoner than usual.
Dovekie. March 14; November 13. This little winter visitor ap¬
peared in some numbers in the fall.
Black Guillemot. March 14; November 14. Also a trifle more
common than usual.
Puffin. One bird only seen during the year, at Ipswich on Janu¬
ary 9 by C. E. Clarke.
Rock Dove.
Mourning Dove. March 29 to November 21 and a total of sixteen
reported on December 26 by the Census party — obviously
wintering birds.
Essex County Ornithological Club
75
Yellow-billed Cuckoo. May 24 to June 27, then no reports until
October 3 when one was seen by Curtis. (In the 1936 list,
West Roxbury should have read West Newbury.)
Black-billed Cuckoo. May 13 to July 18.
Screech Owl. Resident. About the usual number reported.
Great Horned Owl. Resident. Fewer reported than last year.
Snowy Owl. A few seen to February 25; November 11 to the end
of the year in relatively large numbers, eleven being reported
along the coast on December 26.
Barred Owl. Resident. Rare, but regularly found in the central
part of the County.
Long-eared Owl. Resident. Seen at Lynn in April, and Plum
Island in November, and heard at various other times.
Short-eared Owl. October 3 to December 6. Two were seen on
Plum Island, on both dates and on November 18. Another re¬
ported from West Lynn, November 11.
Saw- Whet Owl. Reported heard April 19 in Boxford and also
September 7 when Taber listed seven birds heard singly at
various points in the County. Reported again in November.
Whip-poor-will. May 4 to July 7. The bird was almost certainly
present and in song at various times for nearly three months
more, but no one turned in to the Recorder any report.
Nightliawk. May 14 to October 2, as early and almost as late as
the bird has ever been recorded here. The late date stands
alone this year as none had been reported for several weeks.
Chimney Swift. May 2 to September 24.
Hummingbird. May 1 1 to September 23. There is no record on
the card from June 13 to September 13 but its presence is
taken for granted.
Belted Kingfisher. Several wintered, migrants appearing March
21 remaining to October 19 and wintering birds observed
again in December — three on the twenty-sixth, and others.
Flicker. Resident but decidedly scarce before March 31 and after
November 21.
Pileated Woodpecker. There are three records for the year, a
young male collected for the Peabody Museum of Salem,
March 2 in Middleton, a pair seen April 1 1 and one bird re¬
ported from Hamilton April 25.
Red-headed Woodpecker. March 1, Lynn, Moulton.
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. April 8 to April 28; October 12 is the
only fall date reported.
Hairy Woodpecker. Resident. Normal numbers.
76
Bulletin of the
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Downy Woodpecker. Resident. Unusually large numbers listed
on the Christmas Census.
Kingbird. May 5 to September 4.
Arkansas Kingbird. September 28 and 30 at Plum Island, seen by
Safford; and October 6, Rockport.
Crested Flycatcher. May 1 to July 18. Never at all common it
seems to drop out of sight rather early but its normal season
runs into September.
Phoebe. April 1 to October 17. A bird was heard but not seen in
Middleton on March 2, a new early date by eleven days, by a
former Club member. It will be remembered that February
had been very mild and March brought the only severe
weather of the winter.
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. May 23 to May 27 — some half dozen
birds reported at Nahant by Griscom and others.
Alder Flycatcher. May 23 to July 25. A few nest here.
Least Flycatcher. May 2 to July 18.
Wood Pewee. May 13 to August 15 and a very late straggler re¬
ported to the New England Museum from Annisquam,
October 13.
Olive-sided Flycatcher. May 27 to June 6; August 15 to September
16; just the four reports whose dates are given.
Northern Horned Lark. April 4; October 31.
Prairie Horned Lark. April 4 to August 15, under observation a
very brief season.
Tree Swallow. March 22 to September 18.
Bank Swallow. April 25, West Peabody — one bird seen by the
Recorder and others — is a new early date; to August 24 and
September 26, West Newbury, Tousey, a new late date by ten
days.
Rough-winged Swallow. April 18, 19, and 25, all new early
spring dates by Granger and Emilio, at Lynn, to July 11,
West Peabody, where a family of eight was seen by Emilio and
others.
Barn Swallow. April 11 to September 18 and a late straggler
October 19 at Ipswich, Emilio.
Cliff Swallow. May 5 to August 24.
Purple Martin. May 9, Lynn, Giles; May 10, Nahant, Griscom;
and May 15, Plum Island, Foster and Curtis. We have been
lucky in recent years to record even one bird, so the three this
spring are an unusual number. August 9 and 24.
Essex County Ornithological Club
77
Blue Jay. Resident. Ten times as many as last year, namely one
hundred and twenty, seen on the Christmas Census of Cape
Ann.
Crow. Resident. No material change noted.
Black-capped Chickadee. Resident. Apparently even more com¬
mon than in 1936.
White-breasted Nuthatch. Resident. No reports for August or
November, but doubtless present.
Red-breasted Nuthatch. January 10 and May 2 seem to be the
only dates for the first half of the year indicating a great
scarcity. September 10 to end of the year abundant, the Cen¬
sus party listing one hundred and twenty-seven.
Brown Creeper. April 25; September 19. In addition there is a
single record during the nesting season of a bird seen at Tops-
field, May 30. The species has occurred before in the summer
season.
House Wren. May 1 to October 12. On the latter date a bird was
seen at Nahant by Griscom and except for the single individ¬
ual which was observed in Lynn some years ago from October
9 to November 27, this is the latest fall date by six days.
Winter Wren. April 19 is the only definite spring date available;
October 3 to 31; and finally a wintering bird on Cape Ann,
December 26.
Carolina Wren. December 12 to December 26, presumably the
same bird, at Gloucester.
Prairie Marsh Wren. May 9 to October 19.
Short-billed Marsh Wren. May 2 to August 1. The normal season
extends into October but there are no later reports at hand.
Mockingbird. Janury 4, Ipswich, Mr. Dubois. The bird at Rock-
port, reputedly resident there for about two years was seen by
the Recorder and others February 7 and March 7 and re¬
ported to be in song April 15.
Catbird. May 5 to October 31. This is a new late date for a bird
which we assume has not lost its ability to migrate, and was
reported by Granger, from Lynn. In addition, one was seen at
Ipswich November 1 and 17 by Perkins, and there was another
occurrence at Beverly from December 20 to the end of the
year at Mrs. Healcl’s feeding station on Prospect Hill.
Brown Thrasher. May 2 to October 12.
Robin. Migrants from about March 30 to November 2, and also
frequently observed during the winter months. There were
large flocks in early April after the delay in migration caused
by the severe March weather.
78
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Wood Thrush. May 9 to September 26.
Hermit Thrush. April 18 to November 22. It is possible that a
bird seen by Perkins on March 23 was a migrant but I con¬
sider it and a bird seen December 26 both winter casuals.
Olive-backed Thrush. May 9 to May 27; October 9 is the only
fall date on record.
Gray-cheeked Thrush. May 12 to May 23; and I have no fall rec¬
ords at all for this year.
Bicknell’s Thrush. May 27, Nahant, a bird seen by Griscom, is
the only record of this sub species.
Veery. May 9 to August 29.
Bluebird. February 13, a male appeared in North Salem and was
reported by C. F. Ropes. The same or another was similarly
seen February 27, and three in Danvers, March 6, by H. F.
Phillips. Their season extended to November 2, with a strag¬
gler in Danvers, December 8, seen by Foye.
Golden-crowned Kinglet. Winter residents and migrants to April
21. A male, in song, was seen and heard in Ipswich, by Teel
and the Recorder on May 16. This was very possibly a nesting
bird. October 1 to end of the year rather scarce.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet. April 18 to May 2; October 1 to Novem¬
ber 2.
Pipit. October 9 to October 31. In addition Taber and Stackpole
report seeing a bird at Lynn on July 14 a wholly unprece¬
dented date.
Cedar Waxwing. Technically a resident but observed this year
only between February 20 and October 31. There were an un¬
usual number of early spring birds seen.
Northern Shrike. January 17, April 4 and October 23 are the
only occurrences listed for the year.
Migrant Shrike. April 18; August 24 to September 21 — five dates
reported mainly from Plum Island.
Starling. Resident. Only half as many seen on the Christmas
Census as last year.
White-eyed Vireo. May 16, one bird observed by Prof. F. A.
Saunders along the Ipswich River.
Yellow-throated Vireo. May 6 to July 7. A rare bird now.
Blue-headed Vireo. April 20 to October 1. The data at hand this
year regarding many species are decidedly sketchy. In this case
no figure is listed between July 5 and October 1, but the bird
is a rare summer resident.
Essex County Ornithological Club
79
Red-eyed Vireo. May 13 to September 12. By far the commonest
Vireo.
Philadelphia Vireo. May 27, Nahant, Griscom, and others.
Warbling Vireo. May 10 to August 29. Here again, for many
weeks prior to August 29 there is no recorded occurrence of
this bird which is decidedly uncommon now.
Black and White Warbler. May 2 to October 3.
Golden-winged Warbler. May 6 to August 1.
Tennessee Warbler. May 22 is the only definite date.
Nashville Warbler. May 9 to October 12.
Parula Warbler. May 5 to May 23; October 9 is the only fall
record.
Yellow Warbler. May 5 to September 1.
Magnolia Warbler. May 4 to May 27. There are no fall dates at
hand.
Cape May Warbler. May 24, Swampscott, Southack, is the only
available record.
Black-throated Blue Warbler. May 12 to May 23. And again no
data on the fall flight.
Myrtle Warbler. Wintered in small numbers as usual and passed
through in spring in great numbers. Apparently nesting in
Andover May 24 and June 6, Dodge and Emilio. October 1
to November 21, migrants and again wintering, one hun¬
dred and thirty counted on the Census December 26.
Black-throated Green Warbler. May 1 to October 19.
Blackburnian Warbler. May 9 to June 27. This species also ap¬
pears badly neglected.
Chestnut-sided Warbler. May 5 to September 26.
Bay-breasted Warbler. May 23 is the only date reported.
Black-poll Warbler. May 5 to May 27; September 10 to October
24.
Pine Warbler. April 1 1 to October 3.
Prairie Warbler. May 5 to September 19.
Western Palm Warbler. October 1 to December 12. Only a few
observed.
Yellow Palm Warbler. April 11 to May 9; September 19 to No¬
vember 7.
Ovenbird. May 2 to September 7.
Northern Water Thrush. May 12 to May 27, migrant birds; June
17 two heard in song along Fish Brook in Boxford. The species
has occurred here before in the nesting season but no nest has
been found; August 14 to October 18, Lynn, a bird reported
by Moulton.
8o
Bulletin of the
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Louisiana Water Thrush. In the Fay estate at Lynn on May 5,
Moulton and on May 7 Miss Batchelder report this species.
We have as yet no local specimens and the bird therefore
ranks only as an hypothetical.
Connecticut Warbler. September 19 to October 10. Rare migrant.
Mourning Warbler. May 27, West Peabody, Griscom. A much
rarer migrant.
Northern Yellow-throat. May 8 to October 12.
Yellow-breasted Chat. May 13 to July 11. The numerous dates
reported are all from Beverly near the Montserrat Station,
where a pair presumably nested for the second year.
Wilson’s Warbler. May 14 to May 23.
Canada Warbler. May 14 to June 27. Another rare summer resi¬
dent badly neglected.
Redstart. May 9 to October 3, and finally October 17, Beverly,
Alexander and Emilio, a new late date by three days.
English Sparrow.
Bobolink. May 9 to August 15. This species seems to be slowly
decreasing in numbers.
Meadowlark. Technically a resident, but, except for one bird in
January seen by Foye, two December 19, Alexander, and six
December 26 by the Census parties at Cape Ann and New-
buryport all the other dates fall between March 19 and No¬
vember 21.
Red-wing. March 8 to November 21.
Orchard Oriole. May 16, Topsfield, immature male seen by
Emilio and others.
Baltimore Oriole. January 1 to 31 at Rockport seen by Miss Fro-
hawk, Mrs. Eldridge and others. May 5 to September 25.
Rusty Blackbird. March 28 to April 25; October 1 to November 7.
Bronzed Grackle. March 14, to November 11. There was a bird
in Salem in January and two in Topsfield; early in December
there was one in Middleton and the Cape Ann Census party
reported one. The high-light of the occurrence of this species
was, however, the immense concentration in the northern part
of the County in early November. On the sixth, seventh, and
tenth straggling flocks estimated to contain from three hun¬
dred thousand to five hundred thousand birds were seen by
Messrs. William Perry, Tousey, Emilio and others.
Cowbird. March 20 to November 21.
Scarlet Tanager. May 12 to July 28. Another species for which
fall reports are lacking.
Essex County Ornithological Club
81
Rose-breasted Grosbeak. May 4 to September 9.
Indigo Bunting. May 15 to July 25. Still another bird often
found in late September, with no records for this year.
Evening Grosbeak. January 24 at Topsfield and March 14 at
Ipswich. This is a bird which if present would be reported.
There simply were not any this year.
Purple Finch. Resident, but I have no dates for July, September
and November.
Common Redpoll. Several flocks seen to April 14; December 26,
five birds, Beverly.
Pine Siskin. From March to May 23.
Goldfinch. Resident. Three hundred listed on the Cape Ann
Census as against one hundred in 1936.
Red Crossbill. Last year a single bird heard at Pleasant Pond
was the only record and the situation is the same this year ex¬
cept that the Recorder himself alleges he heard the bird, on
January 1. It is passing strange no other reports have come in
of birds either seen or heard.
White-winged Crossbill. Mrs. E. T. Brewster of Andover saw
several at her feeding station on May 3.
Towhee. April 19 to October 31. There are records of three win¬
tering birds, one at Nahant on November 28 and December 5,
and two at Cape Ann, on December 26.
Ipswich Sparrow. Several birds in April, last April 19; October
31 to the end of the year an unusual number of reports repre¬
senting probably a dozen birds.
Savannah Sparrow. Extraordinarily late in arriving as there
seems to be no report prior to April 11. Its season continued
to November 1 1 and seven individuals were found wintering
at the time of the Christmas Census, on Cape Ann and adjoin¬
ing territory.
Grasshopper Sparrow. May 9, Boxford, Lawson and others, a
new early date by one day, to July 15. During that period
there was a most unusual number of birds reported including
a nesting pair in Peabody which raised three young.
Henslow’s Sparrow. On November 1 1 at West Gloucester Miss
Snow and others of the Brookline Bird Club identified a Spar¬
row as this species. There is no sound basis for questioning
the identification but the bird has not been seen in this
County for twenty years so far as I know, and never later than
September.
Acadian Sparrow. October 24, Plum Island, Griscom and others.
82
Bulletin of the
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Sharp-tailed Sparrow. May 30 to August 24. This elusive and
local summer resident is rarely reported.
Vesper Sparrow. April 8 to November 11, Griscom, a new late
date by one day.
Lark Sparrow. September 6, Ipswich, two, Miss Snow; and Plum
Island, September 28, two, Safford. Straggling east with some
regularity in recent years.
Junco. May 2; October 1. Nearly twice as many as in 1936 on the
Cape Ann Census December 26.
Tree Sparrow. April 18; October 31. About the same number on
the Census as in 1936.
Chipping Sparrow. April 14 to November 2.
Field Sparrow. April 11 to November 2.
White-crowned Sparrow. May 13 to May 23; October 12 to No¬
vember 15. Mr. Safford at Plum Island saw this species more
frequently than anyone else.
White-throated Sparrow. Various individuals and small groups
apparently wintered successfully. Migrants from May 2 to May
23; September 19 to November 21 and again wintering birds
found — fourteen on December 26 at Cape Ann and adjoining
territory.
Fox Sparrow. January 1, Lynn, Moulton. Migrants delayed to
March 31, then appearing in great numbers, the last seen
April 19; October 31, with stragglers through December.
Lincoln’s Sparrow. May 14 to May 23; October 10 and October
12. Six birds in all.
Swamp Sparrow. April 11 to November 21, and two December
26, obviously wintering birds.
Song Sparrow. Resident. In very limited numbers during the
winter with migrants and summer residents from about
March 15 to November 21. There were eighteen counted
December 26 contrasted with just three the preceding year.
Lapland Longspur. An astonishing count of eighty-five was
made by Griscom and party on January 24 in Ipswich. This
flock disappeared however, and reports were scarce to March
28, and finally on the extraordinary date of May 22, Curtis
saw one in full spring plumage. This is a new late date by
three weeks. Again in the fall, Tousey broke the date of ar¬
rival record by three days, by finding the species on Septem¬
ber 26. Observed numbers have greatly increased in recent
years.
Snow Bunting. March 28; October 31. Scarce.
Essex County Ornithological Club
83
ANNOTATED LIST OF BIRDS OBSERVED IN 1938
S. G. EMILIO, Recorder
Nineteen hundred and thirty-eight brought us some very wide de¬
partures from normal weather conditions. February, March and
April all were nearly three degrees higher than usual in tempera¬
ture, an amount enough to produce an extremely early spring with
vegetation at least two weeks ahead of normal on May 1. Precipita¬
tion was about three-fourths of average during this period. May,
June, and July were notable for their precipitation records, which
ran 140,227 and 294 per cent of normal. Nearly nine and a half inch¬
es of rain fell in July, or, as indicated, practically three times the
usual fall. Again in September the rainfall was nearly double the
normal amount. And then the last quarter of the year distinguished
itself by extraordinary mildness with the November daily average
temperature up over four degrees, while October and December
were up about half that amount. This gave us green lawns practically
to the end of the year and many out-of-season blossoms in No¬
vember, but the effect on the avian world was not particularly
pronounced though there are some stragglers or hold-overs into
the winter season.
Apart from the cumulative aspects of the weather two events at
least are worthy of note, the severe storm of mid-May and the
September hurricane. Both storm centers passed northward in¬
land, or to the westward of the Massachusetts coast, and so the
winds were southerly here. Almost at the height of the gale in
May, the Recorder and others saw a Man-o’-war Bird ( Fregata mag-
nificens ) over the ocean from Nahant, and in late September we
learned of a bird identified (probably correctly as a Black Skimmer
at Newburyport and another (with less certainty) identified as a
White-bellied Booby. All these, if actually present here, had been
carried northward many hundreds of miles from their normal
range.
The effect of the excessive rains in late June and July is not
known in a quantitative way, of course, but it is certain that many
broods perished — in the flooded meadows if nowhere else. It is
fortunate the spring was so warm for the resultant early start of
the nesting seasons permitted many species to rear a first brood be¬
fore the deluge came.
ft may not be out of place to review, very briefly, the major
movements of the year. March 13 brought the first real wave of
northbound migrants followed a week later by a tremendous
84
Bulletin of the
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movement of birds from the south. Not again until April 1 1 was there
a marked influx but from then until the fifteenth it was very
warm and the spring, already earlier than normal became still
further advanced. We find a Thrasher arriving at Marblehead on
April 15 and the Black-throated Green Warbler at Boxford, April
20. Strong migratory movements then appeared at weekly inter¬
vals, about April 22, 28, and May 6—7. Except for the above men¬
tioned hurricane of May 14-15 — which brought no great change
in temperature — the weather remained rather cool and equable
well into June. It is not infrequently observed that with strong
and early migratory waves Austral birds overshoot, and appear
here in the Transition zone. So this year we have the Brewster’s
Warbler, in Lynn and Byfield, the Hooded at Plum Island, and the
Cerulean, which was seen, on May 8, for the first time in this
County.
As was to be expected after such a very early spring, birds began
to move southward again very early in the summer. The quiet dis¬
appearance of local species is not a striking phenomenon. But it
was striking to see the early shore birds in considerable variety and
numbers on flooded cornfields, golf links, etc. The fall migration
of land birds was much in evidence on August 25, and again
about September 10 and 25. While more dates are reported for
week-ends than mid-week days, the weather maps of both Septem¬
ber 9 and 24 show the approach of high pressure, cool weather
areas invariably conducive to marked southward flights at this time
of year. Climatic conditions produced no marked movements of
land birds thereafter, but at the end of October in a northeaster
there was considerable activity among the waterfowl.
The following list is the longest we have published. From the
absence of late summer and early fall dates for many species it is
evident that enthusiasm for field work is much greater in the
spring. For those interested in making new early records, this
year was a banner one. The really striking thing, however, lay a
bit below the familiar statistical surface, and this was the bulk ar¬
rival of many species at extremely early dates. The appearance of
the first adventurous individual of a species (frequently referred to
as a straggler — which it is not) in a given year, or for all time, is
the date appearing in print in connection with the migration of
that species. However, while it is relatively easy to determine that
figure such a date is of much less significance than the general, or
bulk, arrival date which is too seldom observed and even less fre¬
quently recorded.
Essex County Ornithological Club
85
Common Loon. Two were reported from Plum Island as late as
June 12; September 30.
Pacific Loon. It is interesting to note that a bird partly in breed¬
ing plumage and hence easily identified has recently been seen
at Monomy. While this does not settle the identity of the birds
frequently seen off our County coast it does lend a bit of
credibility to those reports. For 1938 the species is alleged to
have been seen November 13 at Ipswich, November 14 at Na-
hant and November 20 at Plum Island.
Red-throated Loon. Exceptionally heavy spring flight to May 7,
and as late as June 5, off Plum Island, Tousey saw two strag¬
glers; July 19, also off Plum Island, S. A. Eliot, Jr. saw three
in breeding plumage — obviously summering, but not breed¬
ing, birds. October 9 on, again in unusual abundance, but
scarce at the end of the year.
Holboell’s Grebe. Taber and Stackpole counted fifty-four along
shore on February 13, apparently the peak of the migration
which continued to May 1; November 20, six birds at Ipswich
were the very belated first to be reported in the fall.
Horned Grebe. This species seemed to be most numerous at the
end of February, some two weeks later than the Holboell’s.
The migration continued to May 7; October 8 in very limited
numbers to mid-November, and rather unusually scarce to the
end of the year.
Pied-Billed Grebe. March 20 to November 20.
Sooty Shearwater. September 5, one is reported to have been
seen by members of the Brookline Bird Club off Gloucester.
Wilson’s Petrel. The Recorder saw several off Baker’s Island
July 17.
White-bellied Booby. It seems to the Recorder more desirable to
include mention of this alleged occurrence than to omit all
reference to the matter. The facts of the case are that a group
of about fifteen observers saw from Plum Island on October
9, a gannet-like bird, which, in the opinion of the more ex¬
perienced members of the group, was not a Gannet ( Moris
bassana). There was an intangible difference in flight and
shape first observed at distance and as the bird approached
and passed flying along parallel to the beach it appeared
smaller than a Gannet to some of us (larger to none) and a
dark belly was definitely observed. Some of the same group, a
week or so later, observed an immature Gannet under almost
identical conditions and greatly strengthened their opinion
86
Bulletin of the
1937-8
of the different identity of the bird in question. A stray Sula
leucogaster, driven far north by the September hurricane fits
the case very nicely, but this identification is purely hypo¬
thetical with no vestige of proof.
Gannet. May 1 to May 22, very few seen; September 1 an imma¬
ture was seen by Griscom; October 5 to November 6.
European Cormorant. Common off the rocky shores until April
24; two summering immatures were seen by Curtis on August
20; no fall migrants were reported until October 20.
Double-crested Cormorant. May 15 to May 25; August 20 to No¬
vember 20, and December 4, at Newburyport, one immature.
(As this goes to press Taber reports the first real winter occur¬
rence of the species known, one bird seen by him off Cape
Ann, January 29, 1939. This was an apparently adult bird
seen at close range with the larger, white-faced Europeans.)
Man-o’-war-bird. May 15, at Nahant, at the height of a severe
southerly gale, Emilio, R. Lawson, Foye and Alexander saw
this large, attenuated fork-tailed bird, utterly strange to all of
us but unmistakably Fregata, as it careened in the mild hurri¬
cane some distance from shore. There were Gannets and Gulls
a-wing nearby for comparison.
Great Blue Heron. One wintering bird at Newburyport, Febru¬
ary 2. March 23 to June 19; July 3 to December 18. Just what
is the status of the mid-June and early July birds I do not
know.
American Egret. June 26, at Clark’s Pond, Ipswich Mr. and Mrs.
R. C. Curtis and the Recorder saw one, the earliest summer
date by nearly ten days. The species was frequently observed
to September 12.
Little Blue Heron. An adult at West Peabody, seen April 24 by
a large group of observers, gives us the earliest spring date on
record. Reports for June 4, 11, and 12 are all new late spring
dates; August 6 to October 9.
Green Heron. May 1 to October 8.
Black-crowned Night Heron. March 20 to December 4, and De¬
cember 18. A straggler or two still present in January 1939.
Yellow-crowned Night Heron. May 13, two adults at Plum Is¬
land, seen by Warden Safford; and August 1 two birds at
Newburyport seen by C. H. Richardson, Jr.
American Bittern. March 27 to December 7.
Least Bittern. May 22 to June 8 and not again reported until
September 3. It is, of course, a summer resident, but decidedly
rare.
Essex County Ornithological Club
87
Common Canada Goose. About a dozen wintered in the north¬
ern part of the County. Migrants appeared March 2, with a
heavy flight to mid-April and six birds still present May 15 at
Plum Island; October 2 to December 4 in rather small num¬
bers except from about October 25 to November 3 when
there was a fair flight.
American Brant. May 18 to June 1; October 24 to November 26.
June 1 is a new late date by five days; several birds were still
present then and seen by Curtis at Ipswich.
White-fronted Goose. November 12 near the mouth of the Essex
River, B. B. Bancroft, of Salem, a gunner of long experience
saw, at some distance, a flock of seventy-five or more Geese.
These were small, he says, about two-thirds the size of Can¬
adas, gray, with no black, and they were “cackling.” Bancroft
is thoroughly familiar with Canadas and Brant, and he has
seen Snow Geese, and he stoutly avers this flock was none of
those species, but entirely different and as above described.
He believes them to have been White-fronted Geese.
Greater Snow Goose. October 22 to December 13. Apparently a
large flock of perhaps one hundred and fifty birds dropped into
Newburyport harbor about October 1 5, which was the open¬
ing of the gunning season. They were shot at, though pro¬
tected, and the flock was broken up, with the result that the
first group seen from the Plum Island sanctuary by Warden
Safford contained twenty-one birds. This flock steadily dwin¬
dled and on December 13 only two were left. Two birds
which had been shot were recovered by Wardens Hanley and
Safford and given to the Peabody Museum of Salem. The
head of one and the whole skin of the other was saved. These
constitute the first definite records in over eighty years.
Mallard. A few wintered at Newburyport to May 25. The May
records of the seventh, eighth, and twenty-fifth are all new late
spring dates for the occurrence of supposedly wild birds. Sep¬
tember 1, at Wenham, Tousey saw one bird, a new early fall
date by three days.
Red-legged Black Duck. There were about seventy-five still pres¬
ent in Newburyport harbor May 25; October 2.
Common Black Duck. March 13 to December 11. Probably a
few of this local breeding race also winter.
Gadwall. April 12, when two were seen at Ipswich, is the only
spring date; October 27, one a-wing off Plum Island, flying
down the shore, identified by Griscom. These are the only
records for the year.
88
Bulletin of the
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European Widgeon. October 29 to November 16, all from fresh
water in the northern part of the County. There were three
birds on the latter date.
Baldpate. September 30 to December 4. November 16, there were
twenty in Johnson’s Pond, seen by Alexander.
Pintail. A few wintered; migrants to April 12; August 17 to De¬
cember 4.
European Teal. April 10 to April 13 a drake was seen at Clark’s
Pond with Green-wings by many competent observers.
Green-winged Teal. Two were seen at Newburyport until Febru¬
ary 15; migrants, March 20 to May 1; August 17 to December
4, and three were found in Ipswich by R. Lawson and party
after practically all the ponds were frozen.
Blue-winged Teal. March 20 to November 1. Several pairs again
nested in Ipswich and probably Lynnfield; Griscom, I think,
is authority for the statement that no equally great flight has
appeared in eastern Massachusetts in the fall for nearly sixty
years.
Shoveller. September 5 to November 6. Unusually frequent re¬
ports of this locally rare species.
Wood Duck. March 5, Topsheld, seen by R. Lawson, to October
30. This early date is a new County record by three days.
Redhead. November 10 and 13, on Plum Island, are the only
records of the occurrence of this very rare species. The bird
was seen by Warden Brockelbank.
Ring-necked Duck. A few apparently wintered in the lower Mer-
rimac River and the species was present until April 27, in
Haggets Pond, Andover, seen by Alexander. This is a new
late spring date by five days; October 2 to November 24.
Canvasback. The only record in two years is Warden Safford’s
observation of two at Plum Island, on November 29.
Greater Scaup Duck. Present to May 27 at Newburyport, when
two birds were seen by Alexander. This is a new late spring
date by three days. October 1, in rather subnormal numbers
to the end of the year.
Lesser Scaup Duck. There were several early spring reports in
additon to which a drake was seen at the Ipswich pumping
station as late as June 2 by Griscom and Curtis; October 9 to
November 20. Griscom totalled thirty-one seen in the County
ponds on November 13.
American Golden-eye. Present to May 25; October 5, on. The
bird was very late in arriving in numbers this fall.
Essex County Ornithological Club
89
Barrow’s Golden-eye. Scattering reports to March 27; November
11, on. Two drakes have been seen off the Beverly shore, a
new station in the Recorder’s experience of nearly twenty
years with the species.
Bufflehead. May 1; October 5. Still more common and widely
scattered than ever this fall.
Old Squaw. May 8; October 17. In addition, Perkins reports a
female at Ipswich on July 15, a not unprecedented, but very
rare occurrence in summer.
American Eider. There are very few reports at hand. Twenty-
five were seen off Rockport on February 22, by C. Robbins
and others. The Census party saw forty on December 26, off
Cape Ann.
King Eider. February 16, Rockport, one drake seen by Tousey;
March 2, a Duck, by Griscom, and at Newburyport from
March 27 to May 7 many observers saw a drake. Until this
year the latest spring date was February 22, and the records
scarce. The Census party counted eleven off Cape Ann, De¬
cember 26.
White-winged Scoter. June 2; August 17. As early as September
8 there was a heavy flight.
Surf Scoter. June 2; August 25. Griscom estimated eight hundred
observed off Plum Island on October 23.
American Scoter. May 25; August 31. Griscom also estimated
eight hundred of this species off Plum Island on October
23 — twice as numerous as the White-wings.
Ruddy Duck. A single spring record, March 20; October 2 to
November 20. On the last date Emilio and Alexander counted
twenty-two birds in various ponds of the County.
Hooded Merganser. March 26 to April 15; August 25 to Novem¬
ber 20. Nearly as common as last year.
American Merganser. As usual a few wintered. With the opening
of the ponds in March until May 14 when a straggler was seen
in the Merrimac by Curtis — a new late date — the species was
found in considerable numbers; November 13 to the end of
the year. There were ten in salt water off the mouth of the
Ipswich River, seen by R. Lawson and others on December 26.
Red-breasted Merganser. There were several records of summer¬
ing — perhaps breeding birds. It is one of the commonest
winter Ducks from early October to late April.
Goshawk. Distinctly not a Goshawk year at either end. There
are but three reports at hand, January 18, May 1, and De-
9°
Bulletin of the
i 937-8
cember 26. The May 1 bird was seen at Ipswich by Griscom
and gives a new late spring date by nine days.
Sharp-shinned Hawk. Fewer reports than last year. Resident.
Cooper’s Hawk. About half as many reported as in recent years.
Resident.
Red-tailed Hawk. The records before me indicate no increase in
this species either, but the 1938-1939 winter reports are en¬
couraging.
Red-shouldered Hawk. Probably holding its own — but certainly
there are fewer reports than in 1936.
Broad-winged Hawk. May 1 to September 10. Scarcely a longer
observed season than last year and no more birds reported.
Rough-legged Hawk. Decidedly scarce to March 27; somewhat
more common October 2, to the end of the year. While there
are a few September records of this bird, October 10 is about
as early as they may be seen here so the above date is really ex¬
ceptionally early.
Bald Eagle. Frequently reported to March 6, then none seen un¬
til December 18. Apparently more common than last year but
not in nearly the numbers of 1936.
Marsh Hawk. A year-round bird this year with a spring flight
about March 20.
Osprey. Exceptionally early, March 27 to May 22 and June 13;
July 13, which is also a very early fall migration date, to No¬
vember 6.
Duck Hawk. January 8 there were two on Plum Island, accord¬
ing to Warden Safford, and one January 18 at West Glouces¬
ter, seen by Perkins. The more normal dates range from April
1 1 to May 24; September 5 to November 19 and again in win¬
ter, December 18 at Newburyport.
Pigeon Hawk. There is a March record by M. E. Kelley in Pea¬
body, to May 16; September 18 to November 13.
Sparrow Hawk. Apparently rather an uncommon resident this,
year.
Ruffed Grouse. Its actual status is not revealed by the observers
reporting to me. From May to October none were reported,
yet Foye estimates that he saw at least twenty-five in casual ob¬
servation during one week in early November.
Bob-white. Much the same sort of scant and scattering reports as
last year.
Pheasant. The real status, as with the Grouse, is probably not
indicated correctly by the very few reports at hand.
Essex County Ornithological Club
91
King Rail. The only record is of a bird heard by Griscom and
Curtis at Lynnfield on May 20.
Clapper Rail. This is a species new to our Annual Lists of the last
twenty years. August 19, Gloucester, reported more fully else¬
where in this issue.
Virginia Rail. April 10 to June 4 only; the bird however, is a not
uncommon summer resident.
Sora Rail. April 19 to October 19.
Florida Gallinule. May 20 to October 23. Very few reports.
American Coot. March 27 to April 12, a rare bird in spring;
October 2 to November 20 and December 18. On the last date,
which is certainly late, but not unprecedented, two were seen
at Newburyport by Griscom and party. The fall flight was the
heaviest we have record of.
Piping Plover. March 27 to September 1. Breeds at Lynn and
along the sandy shore north of Cape Ann.
Semipalmatecl Plover. May 8 to June 2; July 10 to October 23.
Killdeer. March 13 to November 24 and three wintering birds at
Marblehead to the end of the year.
Golden Plover. September 6 to October 27. There were forty-two
at Ipswich October 2, reported by Curtis.
Black-bellied Plover. May 7 to June 11; August 14 to November
23. There were six on Plum Island on the last date according
to Warden Brockelbank.
Ruddy Turnstone. Very few reported. July 2 1 to September 11.
Woodcock. March 12 to August 27 and November 27. The No¬
vember 27 bird was a near-casualty of the Thanksgiving
storm. Walter Stoddard found the bird which eventualy flew
off under its own power.
Wilson’s Snipe. March 26 to May 1; July 26 to November 1 and
December 10.
Hudsonian Curlew. No spring records again this year. July 15 to
October 10. In some numbers in mid-August.
Upland Plover. April 16 to September 11 and September 22,
both very late dates. There are no reports this year of more
than a half dozen birds seen at one time, in contrast to 1936.
Spotted Sandpiper. April 28 to August 25. A widely scattered
summer resident, which is usually seen much later in the fall.
Lesser Yellow-legs. May 1, two; May 7, one; and May 25, one, are
the spring records this year, all of birds seen at Newburyport;
July 4 to October 9 and a straggler with Greaters in Newbury,
November 20, seen by Emilio and Alexander.
92
Bulletin of the
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Knot. August 25 to September 11. Decidedly fewer birds seen
than last year
Purple Sandpiper. May 18; December 26. Somewhat more nu¬
merous off Cape Ann on December 26 than in the last two
years.
Solitary Sandpiper. May 8 to May 22; July 24 to October 9.
Willet. One was reported at Plum Island, July 6, 7, and 9 which
is well outside of any recent period of occurrence. July 30 to
September 18, and November 23.
Greater Yellow-legs. April 15 to June 11; July 2, birds at Rowley
and Plum Island, probably summer stragglers rather than
very early migrants; July 13 to November 24.
Pectoral Sandpiper. August 4 to November 15. Fewer reported
than for some years.
White-rumped Sandpiper. May 20 to May 25; September 1 to
October 23 and November 23. Relatively few of this species,
also, reported.
Baird’s Sandpiper. The only report for the year comes from the
mouth of the Saugus River, a bird seen September 23 by K. C.
Elkins and C. Robbins.
Least Sandpiper. May 8 to June 12; July 3 to October 22. On the
last date Safford saw one bird at Plum Island, a new late record
by nine days.
Red-backed Sandpiper. Eight were seen at West Gloucester on
January 14 by Perkins. May 7 to May 25; October 2 to De¬
cember 16. There were two reports in mid-summer, of this
species. The first was an oiled bird and the second the ob¬
server refuses to vouch for the identification. The sub species
in both cases was in question.
Eastern Dowitcher. April 16, Plum Island, Miss Batchelder saw
two, a new early date by three days, to May 25; July 3 to
August 25. Good flight.
Long-billed Dowitcher. September 25 to October 30. Four were
identified by Tousey on the early date and four by Curtis on
the later. Hagar and Curtis report a flock of fifteen at Plum
Island October 7 and 8.
Stilt Sandpiper. August 3 and August 7.
Semipalmated Sandpiper. May 15 to June 2; July 5 to October
23-
Western Sandpiper. August 4 to October 23. Two were seen at
Plum Island on the later date which is a nine-day extension
of the previously known period of occurrence.
Essex County Ornithological Club
93
Hudsonian Godwit. September 5, Plum Island, F. E. Smith.
Sanderling. There were four seen on Plum Island, January 8 by
Garrison and one, January 30 by O. K. Scott. May 15 to May
25; July 19 to December 4.
Red Phalarope. May 1 5, Lynn, one, R. Lawson. This was during
the severe southerly storm raging at that time.
Northern Phalarope. May 15, small flocks along shore; August 3
to August 16. The May date is a new early record by three
days.
Pomarine Jaeger. September 22, Plum Island, one, Curtis.
Parasitic Jaeger. May 26 to June 5. There are no summer or fall
records at hand.
Glaucous Gull. May 25; November 13. A bird was reported from
Lynn on September 4 by Marcy and this was probably a sum¬
mer straggler such as occurred in 1937 rather than an ex¬
tremely early migrant.
Iceland Gull. Present in small numbers to May 1; December 11.
Great Black-backed Gull. Resident, as a few pair breed on local
islands. Perkins reports seventy-five at Ipswich on July 28,
which is about the time a great many birds appear from the
north.
Herring Gull. Resident. Abundant, but the Cape Ann Census on
December 26 accounted for only seventeen hundred and fifty,
against twenty-six hundred last year and three thousand the
year before. Banded birds are not seen in this neighborhood
for reasons not wholly clear.
Kumlien’s Gull. Not infrequently reported, this year occurring
as late as March 27; December 11.
Ring-billed Gull. Adult or immature birds are likely to be seen at
any time. This year there are no reports for June.
European Black-headed Gull. Newburyport, January 30, Gar¬
rison and Brewer saw one bird.
Laughing Gull. April 15, Nahant, two seen by Dickson give us a
, new early arrival date, to May 25; the only fall record is
October 7 from Revere Beach, but this cannot mean the bird
is again on the verge of extinction.
Bonaparte’s Gull. About the same status as the Ring-billed.
There were none reported (but still possibly present) between
June 2 and July 4.
Kittiwake. Occasional to March 5; November 27.
Common Tern. A pair was reported from Marblehead April 24,
by D. S. Low. This is two weeks earlier than any previously
94
Bulletin of the
1937-8
known local occurrence. The next report, May 7, equalled the
previous early date, and the species was observed more or less
continuously to October 9, with a lone straggler at Annis¬
quam November 12.
Arctic Tern. May 26 to August 16. There were fifteen pair at
Milk Island, some with nests and eggs to which Curtis and
Emilio saw the birds return on June 12.
Roseate Tern. May 15 to June 2; July to to August 25.
Least Tern. July 20, Ipswich Beach, one, seen by Curtis.
Caspian Tern. April 19 at Plum Island, Miss Grace M. Snow
saw this species thus recording a new early elate. May 4 was the
prior record. September 19, Annisquam, Miss Katherine
Tousey.
Black Tern. May 15, Newburyport, one, seen by Curtis and
Foster. This is four days earlier than the previous record date.
Again observed May 29; August 10 to September 6.
There is an unconfirmed report that a Black Skimmer was seen at
Newburyport a few days after the September hurricane.
Razor-billed Auk. Just one observed, Cape Ann, February 6.
Atlantic Murre. February 6, Gloucester, one, seen by J. B. Ab¬
bott, Griscom and party.
Brunnich’s Murre. Occasional to May 7; November 7 and De¬
cember 26, one each.
Dovekie. February 27; December 4. Very scarce.
Black Guillemot. March 2; November 27. By far the most regu¬
lar and on the average, commonest of the alcicls.
Rock Dove.
Mourning Dove. April 3 to October 16. They were abundant, in
places, during September.
Yellow-billed Cuckoo. May 25 to August 21.
Black-billed Cuckoo. May 15 to September 9.
Screech Owl. Resident. Not often reported.
Great Horned Owl. Resident. Surprisingly enough, six were
found on the Cape Ann Census, December 26. Not infre¬
quently heard at other times.
Snowy Owl. One remained at Newburyport until May 1. This is
nearly two weeks later than any prior date; November 23 on,
a fair flight.
Barred Owl. Resident. Heard very frequently in the Boxford
woods.
Long-eared Owl. Resident. Most often heard, but both seen and
heard November 12 at Annisquam.
Essex County Ornithological Club
95
Short-eared Owl. There are now sight records of the local occur¬
rence of this species during every month except August. While
it is not known to breed here, Griscom reports it from Lynn-
held on June 2 and in 1936 he found it on Plum Island, July
8. We know it primarily as a migrant and winter visitor but
its precise status is a bit uncertain.
Saw-whet Owl. We have no records for this species from April 10
to July 25. But one wonders what it is doing here July 25,
August 2, August 22, and this year August 25. Last year Taber
reported seven birds on September 7. We have considered the
species a migrant and winter resident. It is possible it breeds
here.
Whip-poor-will. May 1 to June 20. August 2 was the latest date
reported in 1936, July 7 in 1937, and at the rate the season
appears to be shortening we will have only May reports in
1939*
Nighthawk. May 21 to August 25.
Chimney Swift. April 24 to August 25. To the amazement of the
Recorder the species survived the torrential rains of early
summer.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird. May 8 to October 8, and a lone
straggler persisted at Mr. Harry Stanley’s feeding station until
October 29.
Belted Kingfisher. Several wintered. March 20 to November 18,
and again wintering.
Northern Flicker. Resident, a good number wintering from 1937.
Migrant birds March 13.
Pileated Woodpecker. Occasionally reported by Wolfe and
others from Boxford and by Safford at Plum Island, of all
places, on October 17.
Red-headed Woodpecker. Two records, an immature at Marble¬
head, March 20, seen by Caswell, and two on Plum Island,
October 17 and 18, seen by Safford.
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. May 1, Lynn, Taber and Stackpole is
the only spring record. September 25 to October 10. Scarce
this year.
Hairy Woodpecker. Resident and decidedly rare this year.
Downy Woodpecker. Resident.
Eastern Kingbird. April 27, Lynn, Miss Snow. This is a new
early date by one day. Regularly observed to August 25 and a
very late straggler September 24, at Nahant, seen by K. C.
Elkins.
96
Bulletin of the
'937-8
Arkansas Kingbird. September 19, Plum Island, and November
12, Topsfield.
Crested Flycatcher. May 6 to June 20 — and then neglected like
the Whip-poor-will and other summer residents.
Phoebe. March 21 to October 11..
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. May 22 to May 28. A very rarely seen
migrant.
Alder Flycatcher. May 22 to August 25.
Least Flycatcher. April 28 to June 20.
Wood Pewee. May 19 to September 20.
Olive-sided Flycatcher. May 21 to May 28. The Recorder can
account for at least five birds seen along the Ipswich during
the River Trip. This is extraordinary as the bird was only re¬
corded on those trips but once before in thirty years, and that
was last year.
Northern Florned Lark. April 3; October 9. There was a notice¬
able migration on March 20. The species was subnormal in
numbers during the fall.
Prairie Horned Lark. March 13 to November 24. The November
date is not unprecedented, but decidedly late. The record,
however, is credible even though of a sub species, for both
races show the maximum amount of yellow in the fall and
any bird distinctly lacking yellow is necessarily the Prairie.
The situation is reversed in late winter and spring when the
yellow tips of many feathers have worn away leaving the
white under color exposed. Then all one can be sure of is the
identity of the northern race, indicated by the presence of
yellow. Many of this race then appear quite white on the fall
yellow areas, and have been mistaken for flocks of Prairies,
hereabouts. Such flocks simply do not occur, as far as we
know.
Tree Swallow. March 19 to August 25. On the later date there
were great numbers at Ipswich and some birds undoubtedly
stayed later but if observed no one reported them.
Bank Swallow. May 1 to August 25. In contrast to the Tree
Swallows, only one was seen on the late date, and it is doubt¬
less true, that following the extraordinarily early spring, the
southward migration was also earlier than usual.
Rough-winged Swallow. April 24 to June 18. These birds seem
to drop out of sight very early nearly every year. Only a few
pair are known to breed in the County.
Essex County Ornithological Club
97
Barn Swallow. April 24 to September 14. In spite of the early
spring this bird did not appear ahead of its usual time.
Cliff Swallow. April 24 to July 21 and September 11. None were
reported between the two later dates.
Purple Martin. May 1 and 15. In all, five birds.
Blue Jay. Resident. Returns more nearly to norjnal from the
abundance of last year. The Cape Ann Census records twenty
as against one hundred and twenty in 1937.
In the Recorder’s files, which are all inclusive, there is an account
of an alleged occurrence of three Ravens at Ipswich, September
28. The observers were armed with a pair of glasses, admit¬
tedly approached very close, but failed to report — if ob¬
served — the two or three characteristics, besides size, which
distinguish this species from our Common Crow. The day was
foggy!
Crow. Resident. This species also far less numerous December
26 than in 1937 or 1936.
Black-capped Chickadee. Resident. Another species far below
the numbers of the last two years, at least on the Cape Ann
Census. Only one hundred and seventy were counted.
Mark E. Kelley at Peabody on March 1, saw three out of twenty-
two Chickadees which were “apparently Brown-caps.” With
the observer himself no more positive than that, we venture
to consider the occurrence only hypothetical. The species, so
far as we know, is exceedingly rare hereabouts, and if present
is likely to be generally — if sparsely — distributed.
White-breasted Nuthatch. Resident. Much less common than last
year.
Red-breasted Nuthatch. Remarkably abundant to May 18; Sep¬
tember 1 1 on, scarce to rare.
Brown Creeper. April 30; October 2. Still another bird much less
common than last year on the Christmas Census.
House Wren. April 24, Lynn, Emilio and party, a new early
spring date, to October 11.
Winter Wren. April 6, a very early, and the only spring record
this year; September 18 to November 11.
Prairie Marsh Wren. May 1 to October 9.
Short-billed Marsh Wren. May 1 to August 17.
Mockingbird. August 14, Gloucester, August 21 to 23, two, on
Plum Island, November 6. Annisquam. It is rather surpris¬
ing how often this southern bird occurs here.
9»
Bulletin of the
1 937-8
Catbird. Wintered in Beverly to January 23. May 1 to October
31, and December 26, one. The wintering is not unprece¬
dented.
Brown Thrasher. April 15, Marblehead, D. S. Low, a new early
migrant date by nine days, to October 22.
Robin. A few wintered as usual. Migrants March 13 to about
December 1 and a few stragglers reported since.
Wood Thrush. May 1 to August 25. There is before me a report
of a bird seen April 15. The observer may be correct, and of
course he thinks he is, but I am unable to give a full degree of
credibility to the report.
Hermit Thrush. One wintering bird observed January 30 at
Gloucester. March 13 to November 9.
Olive-backed Thrush. May 20 and May 22; September 25 and
October 2. Rather few reports for this fairly common bird.
Gray-cheeked Thrush. May 20, 21, and 22.
Bicknell’s Thrush. May 21, Plum Island, one, Safford. Strangely
enough this is two days earlier than any other spring record;
August 25, Boxford, Griscom and Emilio and this is far earlier
than any fall date.
Veery. May 8 to July 4. A very sadly neglected summer resident
species.
Bluebird. Wintered at Andover. March 12 to November 5, and
again wintering at Ipswich, or at least observed there in Jan¬
uary 1939.
Golden-crowned Kinglet. April 24; September 25. Notably
abundant in early fall. A marked migration was observed
April 13 and 14.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet. April 13 to May 22; September 25 to
October 10.
Pipit. October 5 to December 4. Except a date of January 4, 1878,
we have no other record of occurrence after November 22.
Cedar Waxwing. Technically a resident, winter and early spring
appearances are rather uncommon. Seen in January, March
and April. Common from May 21 to October 9.
Northern Shrike. Fairly common to March 26; December 4 and
December 26. Obviously scarce this winter.
Migrant Shrike. October 7 and October 12. As always, a rare bird.
Starling. Abundant resident. Twelve hundred were seen on the
Cape Ann Census against eighteen hundred two years ago and
nine hundred last year.
Essex County Ornithological Club
99
Yellow-throated Vireo. May 1 to May 22. The bird is now a rare
summer resident and should be present four months beyond
the above later date.
Blue-headed Vireo. April 1 7, Hamilton, one, Emilio and party, a
new early date by two days, to June 20. The expected occur¬
rence of this bird is five months longer.
Red-eyed Vireo. May 7 to October 2.
Philadelphia Vireo. October 2, Newburyport, one, a fine adult
seen by Emilio. This is a new late fall date by three days.
Warbling Vireo. May 7 to July 4.
Black and White Warbler. April 24 to August 25.
Golden-winged Warbler. April 28, Lynn, Miss Batchelder, a new
early date by five days, to August 20.
Brewster’s Warbler. May 9, Lynn, F. R. Burrill, to May 26. This
is a new bird for the County List, if we wish to ignore its hy¬
brid origin. At least three were seen by various observers in
the above period.
Tennessee Warbler. May 15 and May 18. Another rare migrant
species.
Nashville Warbler. May 1 to August 25 and October 2.
Parula Warbler. May 1 to May 25; September 22 is the only fall
date at hand — the day after the hurricane.
Yellow Warbler. May 1 to September 22. Another survivor.
Magnolia Warbler. May 6 to May 25; September 22 (and
another) to September 26. The last, was a bird killed in migra¬
tion by striking the chimney of the Arlington Mills in Law¬
rence, reported by Collins.
Cape May Warbler. May 8 to May 21; August 25 is the only fall
record.
Black-throated Blue Warbler. April 25, Marblehead, seen by
Caswell, a new early date by five days, to May 25; September
1 1 and October 5.
Myrtle Warbler. Winter resident and migrant to May 22; Sep¬
tember 23, several were found dead after the hurricane.
There was a wave observed September 26, and again Novem¬
ber 11.
Audubon’s Warbler. This is a new bird for the County List,
though it has been on the Hypothetical List since Safford saw
one at Plum Island, in April 1935. A dead bird was found
January 2, 1939 in the dunes at Ipswich by Emilio and Foye,
thawing somewhat from having been frozen solid, and un¬
questionably dead for more than a clay or two, so I include it
lOO
Bulletin of the
>937-8
as having actually occurred in 1938. The specimen was saved
and mounted by Burrill. It is on exhibition at the Peabody
Museum, Salem.
Black-throated Green Warbler. April 20 to September 26. Like
the Magnolia, Collins found a dead bird at the base of a mill
chimney in Lawrence on the later date.
Cerulean Warbler. May 8, Lynn, Miss Batchelder, to May 1 1
when it was collected for the Peabody Museum. State records
are few and this, of course, is a new bird for the County. It
was an adult male. There is an unconfirmed record of a bird
seen by Moulton nearly twenty years ago on September 28.
Blackburnian Warbler. April 28, Lynn, Smith, a new early date
by six days, to September 25.
Chestnut-sided Warbler. May 1, Essex County, five birds, Emilio
and party, a new early date by one day, to August 25.
Bay-breasted Warbler. May 7, Beverly, adult male, Emilio and
party, another new early date by four days, to May 25; August
25 is the only fall record.
Black-poll Warbler. May 7 to May 25; September 10 to October
16.
Pine Warbler. April 12 to May 8, and that is the last report of
this summer resident warbler at hand. Present probably, for
the ensuing five months.
Prairie Warbler. April 28, Lynn, Smith, another new early rec¬
ord by two days, to June 20. Still another neglected summer
resident.
Western Palm Warbler. September 23 to October 9. Scarce.
Yellow Palm Warbler. April 12 to May 9; October 2 to Novem¬
ber 20.
Ovenbird. May 1 to August 25.
Northern Water Thrush. May 7 to May 25. No fall birds re¬
ported.
Kentucky Warbler. May 21, Middleton, M. E. Kelley and Giles.
This identification is probably correct but in the complete
absence of a local specimen and in consideration of the fact
that the bird is not very easily identified and was wholly un¬
familiar in life to the observers, it seems best to list it with the
Hypothetical.
Connecticut Warbler. May 10, Lynn, one, Ralph and F. B. Law-
son, a new early date by three days. The species is almost a
pure accidental in spring as its normal migration route north¬
ward is not up the Atlantic coast. It has been seen too many
Essex County Ornithological Club
101
times by competent observers to consider these spring occur¬
rences as merely hypothetical. September 9 to September 25.
Mourning Warbler. May 21, Nahant, and May 22, Plum Island.
A very rare bird.
Northern Yellow-throat. April 30 to September 23 and Novem¬
ber 1, Essex, Perkins. This is not a new late date as there are
December records.
Yellow-breasted Chat. May 22 to about July 1. There was one, or
a pair of birds, in Beverly during this time. The area where
they have been for several years is now to be cleared and de¬
veloped for house lots.
Hooded Warbler. May 21 to 24, Plum Island, a female and then
a male, seen by Safford. This is another Austral overshoot in
this spring’s extraordinary migration.
Wilson’s Warbler. May 15 to May 25; September 9, Manchester
and Marblehead, are the only fall records.
Canada Warbler. May 7 to September 9. A scarce summer resi¬
dent.
Redstart. May 7 to September.
English Sparrow. Only a third as many as last year reported by
the Census party, December 26.
Bobolink. May 7 to August 25. Certainly no increase in numbers.
Meadowlark. Resident. March 13 to November 13 in numbers.
A surprising number — forty-seven — recorded on the Christ¬
mas Census.
Red-wing. March 13 to November 20. In addition there was a
flock of Blackbirds numbering about thirty-five, some, and
perhaps all, being Red-wings, in Danvers on December 18,
and Ralph Lawson and party found one in Ipswich, Decem¬
ber 26.
Orchard Oriole. May 18, Nahant, immature male seen by Curtis,
and May 21, Newbury, a male in song, seen and heard by
Garrison, exactly the same place as last year.
Baltimore Oriole. April 14, Peabody, Walter Stoddard saw a
male, a new early spring date by over two weeks. The next re¬
port was May 2, to September 4.
Rusty Blackbird. March 20 to May 21; October 9 to November
13*
Occasionally from Boston southward a Grackle is seen showing
some of the feather colors characteristic of the Purple Grackle.
Caswell saw such a bird on April 16 at Marblehead in a small
flock of normal Bronzed. This, if I understand the situation
102
Bulletin of the
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correctly, was at best an intergrade or perhaps more correctly
a hybrid between the two species, and not to be considered a
Purple Grackle at all.
Bronzed Grackle. At least one wintering bird at Newburyport
seen February 12. March 13 to November 20 and a few strag¬
glers to December 7.
Cowbird. March 20 to December 1.
Scarlet Tanager. May 8 to June 20. Still another absurdly incom¬
plete record of occurrence.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak. May 7 to July 7.
Indigo Bunting. May 8 to August 25. There is a continuing in¬
crease in this bird’s numbers.
Purple Finch. Resident. To the Recorder, this bird seems scarcer
and scarcer every year.
Pine Grosbeak. January 9 and February 21.
Common Redpoll. February 21 and March 4; November 29 and
December 11. One or a few birds in each instance.
Pine Siskin. Completely missing until November 1, and very few
thereafter.
Goldfinch. Resident.
Red Crossbill. March 27 to May 15, Topsfield and mainly Lynn,
a flock of about twenty-five at the maximum.
Towhee. April 14, Marblehead, D. S. Low, a new early spring
migrant date by three days, to October 9.
Ipswich Sparrow. Wintering to March 27; October 23. As always
a scarce migrant and rare winter resident.
Eastern Savannah Sparrow. March 20 to November 11, and De¬
cember 26, two birds seen on the Cape Ann Census.
Grasshopper Sparrow. May 8, Boxford, Emilio, a new early date
by one day, to July 21 and the extraordinarily late occurrence
of October 9, again in Boxford, Griscom and party. This is a
full month beyond the next latest date.
Henslow’s Sparrow. July 19, west end of the Newburyport town¬
ship, S. A. Eliot, Jr. found a male in song. The same bird —
at least in the same place — was seen and heard on July 21 by
Griscom and Emilio and August 4 by Curtis. One of the rarest
Sparrows on the list.
Acadian Sparrow. May 29 and June 2; October 9, Plum Island,
six birds, seen by Griscom and party, is the only fall record of
this transient.
Sharp-tailed Sparrow. May 25 to June 2, in numbers on the later
date, but unreported subsequently.
Essex County Ornithological Club
103
Vesper Sparrow. March 20 to October 16:
Lark Sparrow. October 23, Lynnfield, N. P. Hill and party.
Junco. May 1; September 25.
Tree Sparrow. April 17; October 23. Twice as many on the Cape
Ann Census as in 1936 or 1937.
Chipping Sparrow. April 13 to October 16. M. E. Kelley reports
an obvious decrease after the July rains.
October 9, on the railroad track at Lynnfield, Griscom, Emilio
and a large party saw a strange Sparrow somewhat resembling
a Chipping, but certainly not that species. This may have
been, as it was thought to be, a Clay-colored Sparrow but the
occurrence can be considered at best hypothetical.
Field Sparrow. March 27 to October 23.
Harris’s Sparrow. Extraordinary as is the appearance of this
species here it will have to be given a place in the list. Unlike
the Clay-colored it is very easily identified. April 30, two
came to the banding station of the Fosters’ in Topsheld (near
the Ipswich line). The Recorder was notified and arranged to
go to see them if they should again appear. In the fall of 1932 a
bird appeared at a banding station in Andover.
White-crowned Sparrow. April 29, Plum Island, Safford, a new
early spring date except March 25, to May 22; October 2 to
October 27.
White-throated Sparrow. Many wintered. Migrants April 24 to
May 22; September 22 to October 30, and again wintering in
very limited numbers.
Fox Sparrow. March 15 to April 13; November 11 to the end of
the year. A small and late fall flight and a good number win¬
tering.
Lincoln’s Sparrow. May 18 to May 25. Rare as always.
Swamp Sparrow. A few wintered. April 3 to October 23 and
again a few wintering.
Song Sparrow. Resident. Migrants from March 13, with a heavy
flight March 20 to 22.
Lapland Longspur. Present to March 5; October 9 to November
24. None reported the last six weeks of the year.
Snow Bunting. Present to March 2; October 23 to end of the
year.
104
Bulletin of the
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ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS
TO
“A LIST OF THE BIRDS OF ESSEX COUNTY”
S. G. EMILIO
In the 1931 issue of this Bulletin, the late Mr. A. P. Stubbs, then
the Club’s Recorder, and the present writer compiled a list of the
Birds of Essex County, numbering three hundred and thirty-six
forms. We appended thereto a Supplementary List, of twenty-
eight forms, which included the extinct and extirpated species and
those of doubtful or hypothetical occurrence.
It was stated at the time that . . we do not presume to pass
judgement on sight records of primal occurrence here and prefer
to follow the wholly arbitrary but entirely fair, practical and not
unscientific plan of accepting no such sight records. . .”
It was also stated that “this area (400 square miles), though
small, is sufficiently large and diverse and has been searched
enough to make adherence to this standard reasonable.”
I wish, at this time, to modify that standard in two particulars.
In the first place when a political subdivision, be it large or small,
lies within the already known wandering range of a species, a
specimen should not be necessary to establish a record of primal
occurrence. Such a record is of little — if any — scientific conse¬
quence, for it does not extend the bird’s known range and cannot
raise the bird’s status above the casual or accidental level, in the
general area in which the political subdivision lies.
In the second place, while I am still quite unwilling “to pass
judgement on sight records of primal occurrence here” — or any¬
where else — it is quite possible to evade part of that unwelcome
task by requiring, at least, two experienced observers to pass
judgement on each other right on the spot and at the time of ob¬
servation. The unsupported testimony of one person can hardly
be accepted as scientific proof but when two or more agree regard¬
ing a field identification which is not difficult to make, such testi¬
mony can hardly be brushed aside. Usually, though not always,
specific identification afield is quite possible. But in the event of
any really difficult specific diagnosis and of all attempts at sub¬
specific identification, primal sight records are entirely unaccept¬
able, regardless of the experience or reputation of the observers.
Among the three hundred and thirty-six forms in the 1931 list
are the Pink-footed Goose, Anser brachyrhynchus Baillon, and the
Nelson’s Sparrow, Ammospiza caudacuta nelsoni (Allen). The
Essex County Ornithological Club
105
Goose was originally recorded in the literautre by Dr. J. C. Phil¬
lips and Mr. E. H. Forbush. Both expressed doubt that it was a
wild bird. Both, from an examination of its feet, felt there was
some, if not conclusive evidence of its having been recently in
captivity. It would have been better, under the circumstances, to
have omitted it from the County List in 1931. I now consider the
occurrence of the species only hypothetical and place it in the Sup¬
plementary List. The Sparrow also should be removed from the
County List. As I understand it, no local specimen of this race of
the Sharp-tailed Sparrow is now recognized in any collection. The
bird s'hould be omitted altogether.
These two eliminations leave the County List at three hundred
and thirty-four.
There are several corrections to the nomenclature or status of
occurrence which may be mentioned here.
The Long-billed Dowitcher, whether it is a species or a sub
species, should no longer be considered merely an accidental. It is
now recognized as a rare fall transient. This is based largely on
field identification of a bird not too easy to identify, but specimens
of these late fall Dowitchers have been taken, wholly confirming
both their identity and status, which is now beyond question as
above given.
The Western Willet falls into much the same category. Griscom
states the case as follows “Status in earlier decades unknown, due
to hopeless confusion with eastern race. All existing fall specimens
from the County belong to this race. A decidedly rare migrant
from 1880—1930. In recent years recorded annually, but very irreg¬
ular in numbers; positively common in 1934, when one observer
saw 55 individuals.”
There are several nomenclatural changes to be noted. Our
Canadian Pine Grosbeak formerly known as Pinicola enucleator
leucura (Muller) becomes Pinicola enucleator eschatosus Ober-
holser. At the same time a more northern race which we may call
the Hudsonian, is recognized by Griscom who restricts the name
leucura to it. Both races are represented by County specimens.
Griscom has also revised the Crossbills in an extremely interest¬
ing and scholarly monograph published in the Proceedings of the
Boston Society of Natural History, Volume 41, Number 5. Our
Red Crosbill Loxia curvirostra pusilla Gloger, becomes Loxia
curvirostra neogaea Griscom, the Newfoundland race known as
percua Bent, becomes pusilla Gloger, and a third from, heretofore
unknown from the County formerly called sitkensis Grinnell, now
io6
Bulletin of the
1937-8
appears in our list as Loxia curvirostra minor (Brehm). This last is
based on a specimen, in the Peabody Museum of Salem, which was
taken March 8, 1899 in Lynn. It is a bird from the far northwest,
as its prior scientific and present common name, Sitka Crossbill,
would indicate.
We reduced the County List to three hundred and thirty-four.
It remains now to add thereto twenty-three forms. Thirteen of
these appeared in the Supplementary List of 1931 and the remain¬
ing ten, including the above mentioned Grosbeak and Crossbill
are entirely new to the County, except the Kumlien’s Gull which
has long been observed hereabouts but was excluded in 1931 on
the ground of its believed hybrid origin.
Let us take up in systematic order twenty-three additions to the
County List.
The sight records of the Western Grebe in the extreme eastern
part of the United States as I know them are: 1916, May 21, Long
Island, New York; 1922, May 30, Ipswich, Massachusetts; 1934,
December 15, Connecticut River, in Massachusetts; 1936, Febru¬
ary 29, Connecticut River, in Massachusetts; 1936, December 16,
Newburyport, Massachusetts; 1937, March 27 to April 17, New-
buryport, Massachusetts, two; 1937, May 9, Nahant, Massachusetts;
1937, December 26, Newburyport, Massachusetts; 1939, January 1,
Dukes County, Massachusetts.
In addition, a specimen was taken near Charleston, South
Carolina, 22 June 1936, as recorded in The Auk thus establish¬
ing beyond question the Atlantic Coast of North America as with¬
in the birds’ wandering range.
So, for our local County List we now have an utterly unmistak¬
able species whose wandering range has been proved to reach the
Atlantic Coast and which has been seen by many more than two
competent observers, not only here but in other parts of Massa¬
chusetts. We still lack, however, a specimen from this County,
and, as a matter of fact, for all New England. This is the first ad¬
dition I make to the County List.
The Brown Pelican has been tossed around rather badly. Town¬
send in 1905, considered its occurrence here “doubtful.” In 1920
he placed it in the regular County List — on the same evidence. In
1931 Stubbs and I put it back in the doubtful category and now it
is brought up again to the regular list.
It was relegated to the Hypothetical List in 1931 solely on the
ground of there being no specimen from the County. There is,
however, a specimen from Hampton Beach, New Hampshire,
Essex County Ornithological Club
107
taken May 1, 1907. This is so absurdly close to our northern
County boundary — perhaps seven miles — that the bird might well
have been listed on the basis of that occurrence alone.
The Man-o’-war-bird or Frigate-bird is an accidental straggler
from the tropics. There are two records from Maine and one from
Quebec so this County lies well within its known wandering range.
It is as unmistakable as the Grebe and the Pelican — instantly
identifiable. It would be expected to appear — if at all — on the
wings, so to speak, of a storm of the tropical hurricane type, mov¬
ing up the Atlantic Coast. That was exactly the condition which
prevailed on May 15, 1938, when the writer with Lawson, Foye
and Alexander saw the bird off Nahant.
The Eastern Glossy Ibis is another tropical or sub-tropical wan¬
derer. There are half a dozen Massachusetts specimens, one from
New Hampshire and one from Maine. The last closely parallels
the 1938 appearance in this County.
So again we have a bird well within its known wandering range,
identifiable with the utmost ease. The earlier occurrence, May 21,
1932, is vouched for by no less an authority than Roger T. Peter¬
son and, as set forth in the 1935 Bulletin , many competent observ¬
ers saw the later pair at Plum Island.
The Greater Snow Goose was listed by Townsend in 1905 as
“long since extirpated” and in 1920 simply as “extirpated.” In
1931 it was stated in this Bulletin, that no specimens had been re¬
corded “in the last seventy years.” That little matter has now been
remedied and two adults, out of a flock alleged to have numbered
one hundred and fifty appearing in mid-October at Newburyport,
have gravitated to the Peabody Museum of Salem, as elsewhere
recorded in more detail.
The European Teal has not yet been taken in this County.
There are records substantiated by specimens, however, from
Maine, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Virginia and North
Carolina. The drake is easily and certainly identified in the field,
and it has been seen in close proximity to Green-wings by Gris-
com, F. H. Allen, Taber, and the writer among others. It cannot
with reason be denied a place in the County List.
The Sandhill Crane is another allegedly extirpated transient
visitor that refuses to stay away all the time. Three birds were re¬
ported seen and heard in Essex County October 6, 1920; again,
three were seen October 11, 1933 flying over Danvers; and finally
Warden Safford who certainly is familiar with the Great Blue
Heron and can be counted on not to call one a Crane, saw one
io8
Bulletin of the
i 937-8
bird a-wing over Plum Island, October 9, 1937 which he believed
was a Sandhill Crane. Two, at least, of these three sight records I
consider highly credible. The Lynnfield bird of 1889 recorded in
this Bulletin for 1925 by Stubbs seems to me also worthy of confi¬
dence. In any event we are not attempting to establish a primal
record for the region without a specimen. These are recurrences of
an extirpated migratory bird which Forbush in 1925 prophesied
might appear again as an accidental straggler. That, in this writer’s
opinion, is precisely the status of the bird here, and as such it be¬
longs in the County List.
The Eskimo Curlew was thought to be extinct in 1931 and hence
it was placed in the Supplementary List. It was not known then and
it is not known now that none of the species survive. In fact there
is some evidence quite to the contrary. In any event it simply will
not do to have someone walk in with a freshly killed specimen of an
“extinct” bird so it should be placed in the regular County List.
The Skua has not been taken in the County. It is known to
wander to this general region and there are two credible sight
records. On February 19, 1928, the late Charles A. Urner, Ludlow
Griscom and the writer saw this bird at Rockport. It resembles a
young Herring Gull, but exactly as in the case of the Booby we de¬
tected an intangible difference at distance and not until we
noticed the light area in each wing at the base of the primaries
did we apreciate just what the trouble was. The bird is identifiable
and two, at least, of the three observers may safely be considered
competent field men! Under the circumstance I now consider the
species properly belongs in the County List.
Kumlien’s Gull: Recent field work in the north has indicated
that this is a biologically pure form and not a hybrid as assumed in
the A.O.U. list. Hence it should appear in the regular County
List. As a hybrid it was omitted entirely from all lists in 1931 by
Stubbs and Emilio.
The Little Gull from Europe is known on this side of the At¬
lantic as an accidental visitor. While it is not utterly unmistakable
it is fairly easy to identify under favorable conditions. Thrice, at
least, those conditions have occurred and I list it with the birds of
the County on field identifications by John H. Conkey, Ludlow
Griscom, Dr. Richard Tousey, myself and others.
We now have a specimen of the Nelson’s Downy Woodpecker,
discovered by Griscom in the Jeffries collection. This of course
puts this northern form in the County List.
Essex County Ornithological Club
109
Similarly, in the collections of the Museum of Comparative
Zoology, Griscom found an example of the Northern Hairy Wood¬
pecker.
The Greenland Wheatear is in the same category as the Little
Gull, but more easily identified. There are two credible sight rec¬
ords, and I add the bird to the County List as an Accidental.
Nor have we a specimen of the Blue-winged Warbler, but it
occurs as a breeding bird within one hundred miles and as an
occasional straggler much closer than that. It is readily identified
and the sight records given by Townsend in 1920, and that of
Maurice Broun seem sufficient to justify its inclusion in the
County List.
Until 1935 we had not even a sight record of the Audubon’s
Warbler. That spring Mr. Safforcl saw a fine adult male at Plum
Island as recorded in this Bulletin for that year. Now, there is a
specimen as recorded in the list for 1938 in this issue. I have found
extremely few dead passerine birds afield and to run across a dead
specimen of this rarest of accidentals in New England was most
astonishing.
The Cerulean Warbler is another of the rare occurrences of
this most extraordinary year, 1938. The specimen taken in Lynn,
now reposes in the Peabody Museum of Salem.
Nor have we a Yellow-headed Blackbird specimen from the
County. It is known however to stray eastward to the Atlantic
Coast and the adult male is utterly unmistakable by the most in¬
experienced observer. We have two wholly credible sight records,
and as I see it do not have to establish a primal occurrence in this
general region. Under the circumstance it belongs in the County
List.
The Blue Grosbeak has a somewhat different status. The Indigo
Bunting does resemble it, which may account for some of the ex¬
traordinary number of New England sight records. And it is true
that a large number of the alleged occurrences seem to be reported
by people who have a rather limited reputation as students of orni¬
thology but there is just enough of a sprinkling of well-known
people, such as Dr. C. W. Townsend and Mr. F. H. Kennard to
make one wonder if perhaps all the reports are not, in fact, correct.
There are at least three credible sight records of this Grosbeak
for the County and a comparatively recent specimen has been
taken on Cape Cod. Nor is it possible to disregard entirely the
mass of evidence of its occurrence in southern Maine. This
County, then, lies in the known wandering — I might almost say
1 io
Bulletin of the
!937-8
breeding — range of the species, hence we are attempting to estab¬
lish no primal record. Dr. Townsend had the bird at his feeding
shelf off and on for two days, and thereby supplies a credible
sight record. The species as an accidental or casual visitor be¬
longs in the County List.
The Dickcissel is another allegedly extirpated species that won’t
stay that way. There are no recent specimens but the bird is quite
unmistakable and in the case of the Ipswich bird, of a few years
ago, was seen by upward of two hundred people who went there
on purpose to see it. It is a mere accidental visitor here as stated in
1931 but it belongs in the County List as such, regardless of recent
specimens or alleged extirpation.
There are specimens from the County of the far northern race
of the Pine Grosbeak to which the name leucura has recently been
given by Griscom as above mentioned. This is a new form for the
County List. It may be designated the Hudsonian Pine Grosbeak,
distinct from the commoner more southern race we know as the
Canadian which now rejoices in the scientific name eschatosus.
And finally we come to the twenty-third and last addition to the
County List. This is the Sitka Crossbill, now known as Loxia
curvirostra minor (Brehm). Both the Crossbill and Pine Grosbeak
were discussed at length in the opening paragraphs.
There follows, in exactly the form of presentation of the 1931
Stubbs and Emilio list, these twenty-three additions to that list.
And finally the present Supplementary List complete, this being
as before, the extinct, extirpated and hypothetical forms.
ADDITIONS TO THE COUNTY LIST
Western Grebe, Aechmophorus occidentalis (Lawrence). 1.
Accidental from the West. March 27, 1937, Newburyport, two
birds, seen by scores of observers to April 17; May 9, 1937,
Nahant, Emilio, Lawson et al; May 30, 1922, Ipswich, Emilio;
December 16, 1936, Newburyport, F. H. Allen, W. M. Tyler, J.
A. Hagar, and December 26, 1937, Newburyport, Mr. and
Mrs. Elkins.
Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis L. 126.
Accidental from the South. 1867? two seen at Ipswich by J. F.
LeBaron; June 7, 1922, Ipswich, four seen by C. J. Maynard
et al. An extra-limital record is the specimen taken at Hamp¬
ton Beach, New Hampshire, May 1, 1907, as recorded in The
Ank, Vol. xxx.
Essex County Ornithological Club
i 1 1
Man-o’-War-Bird, Fregata magnificens, Mathews. 128.
Accidental from the West Indies etc. Seen May 15, 1938, Na-
hant, Emilio, Lawson, Foye, and Alexander.
Glossy Ibis, Plegadis falcinellus (L.). 186.
Accidental from the South. Seen April 28 to May 19, 1935,
two birds, by Salford, Griscom, Emilio, and scores of observ¬
ers; also May 21, 1932, Ipswich, R. T. Peterson.
Greater Snow Goose, Chen atlantica Kennard. 169a.
Casual (fall?) transient from the westward, probably in flocks.
April; October 15 to December 13. Two specimens recovered
within a few miles of Newburyport, about November 1, 1938,
by Wardens Hanley and Safford. The head of one and com¬
plete mounted skin of the other, now in the Peabody Mu¬
seum. Measurements almost identical, wing 439 mm., 432
mm.; culmen, 63 mm., 62 mm.; depth of bill, 37 mm., 36 mm.
These birds were both adults, the larger sexed as a male.
European Teal, Nettion crecca (L.). 138.
Casual or accidental visitor. Seen March 20, 1935, Newbury¬
port, F. H. Allen and Ludlow Griscom — at close range; April
10-13, 1938, Ipswich, Emilio, Griscom, Taber, and many
others; November £2, 1931, West Newbury, Griscom and
others. All drakes.
Sandhill Crane, Grns canadensis tabida (Peters). 206.
Accidental straggler in (fall?) migration, from the West. Late
September 1889, Lynnfield, bird shot and eaten after identifi¬
cation by two gunners familiar with the species in the West
(See this Bulletin, 1925); seen October 6, 1920, three birds, re¬
ported to Forbush; October 9, 1937, Pltim Island, Salford;
October 11, 1933, Danvers, three birds, Henry Otis.
Eskimo Curlew, Phaeopus borealis (Forster). 266.
Formerly abundant fall migrant coastwise. August 24 to Sep¬
tember 15. Now nearing extinction. Last known County
specimen, August 27, 1908.
Northern Skua, Catharacta skua Briinnich. 35.
Accidental from northeastward. Seen, September 17, 1878, Ip¬
swich Bay, R. L. Newcomb (the “bad boy” of an Arctic expe¬
dition); February 19, 1928, Rockport, C. A. Urner, Griscom,
and Emilio.
Kumlien’s Gull, Larus kumlieni Brewster. 45.
Uncommon to rare winter visitor, October 27, 1909, J. L.
Peters, Plum Island, to May 19, 1936, Griscom, Newburyport.
112
Bulletin of the
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Little Gull, Lams minutus Pallas. 6o.i.
Accidental from Europe. Seen June 7, 1934, Lynn, Griscom
and J. H. Conkey; Plum Island, July 28, 1935, Griscom and
Tudor Richards; August 31, 1935, Newburyport, Dr. and
Mrs. Tousey, Emilio, and Southack.
Northern Hairy Woodpecker, Dryobates villosus septentrionalis
(Nuttall). 393a.
Accidental from the North. Ipswich, January 12, 1919, speci¬
men in M. C. Z. (See 1935 Bulletin, p. 6.)
Nelson’s Downy Woodpecker, Dryobates pubescens nelsoni Ober-
holser. 394d.
Accidental winter visitor from the northwestward. Lynnfield,
December 28, 1875, Jeffries Collection. Specimen determined
by Griscom at M. C. Z. and given to the Peabody Museum of
Salem.
Greenland Wheatear, Oenanthe oenanthe (L.). 765a.
Accidental from the North. Seen January 27, 1929, Nahant,
J. H. Conkey; September 17, 1910, Rockport, C. R. Lamb.
Blue-winged Warbler, V ermivora pinus (L.). 641.
Accidental visitor from the southward. Seen May 12, 1928,
Lynn, adult male, Maurice Broun; September 1 and 15, 1913,
Manchester, Miss E. D. Boardman.
Audubon’s Warbler, Dendroica auduboni (J. K. Townsend). 656.
Accidental from the far west. Bird in the flesh found dead
January 2, 1939, Ipswich, Emilio and Foye; seen, April 28,
1 935, Plum Island, Safford.
Cerulean Warbler, Dendroica cerulea (Wilson). 658.
Accidental from the southwestward. May 9 to 11, 1938, Lynn,
adult male, Miss Ruth Batchelder and others, specimen now
in Peabody Museum of Salem; probably seen, September 28,
1921, Lynn, C. E. Moulton.
Yellow-headed Blackbird, Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus
(Bonap.). 497.
Accidental from the far west. Seen, September 17, 1917, Ip¬
swich, in female plumage, F. B. White; Miss Dorothy Jenkins
saw an adult male near Danvers, about 1930.
Blue Grosbeak, Guiraca caerulea (L.). 597.
Accidental or casual visitor from the southwestward. Seen,
May 31, 1936, Topsfield, J. D. Phillips; July 3 and 4, 1928, Ip¬
swich, Dr. C. W. Townsend; September 23, 1921, Danvers, im¬
mature male, Emilio.
Essex County Ornithological Club
J13
Dickcissel, Spiza americana (Gmelin). 604.
Formerly a rare summer resident, May through September,
now of casual or only accidental occurrence. Seen January 5
to April 19, Ipswich, at feeding station of Mrs. J. F. Dubois,
by nearly two hundred different observers. There are other
comparatively recenit sight records including an alleged
nesting in 1927.
Hudsonian Pine Grosbeak, Pinicola enucleator leucura (Muller).
5X5-
Very rare winter visitor. December 17, 1875, Salem, E. Reeves,
specimen in Peabody Museum, Salem, and February 18, 1934,
Beverly, J. A. Griswold, Jr., specimen in M. C. Z.
Newfoundland Crossbill, Loxia curvirostra pusilla Gloger. 521b.
A very irregular, but at times numerous visitor. May 16, 1932,
Topsfield, adult female, Mrs. Samuel Conley, specimen in
Peabody Museum of Salem.
Sitka Crossbill, Loxia curvirostra minor (Brehm). 521c.
Casual, probably only accidental from the far west. March 8,
1899, Lynn, R. O. Wentworth Collection, an adult male,
Peabody Museum, Salem, determined by Griscom.
SUPPLEMENTARY LIST
Pacific Loon, Gavia arctica pacifica (Lawrence).
There have been reported many field identifications allegedly
of this species between November 8 and February 10. Very
probably some of them are correct but the bird is really diffi¬
cult to identify in winter plumage and is retained in the
Hypothetical List until a specimen is secured in the County.
Cory’s Shearwater, Puffinus diomedea borealis Cory.
This bird was first observed in County waters September 19,
1936, at Nahant. In the lone observer’s opinion and my own,
this is a bird for the Hypothetical List.
White-bellied Booby, Sula leucogaster (Bodd.).
Allegedly seen October 9, 1938, off Plum Island. It is debat¬
able whether to include this bird even as an hypothetical. An
account of the observation is given in the 1938 List.
Snowy Egret, Egretta thula (Molina).
Mr. E. O. Damon asserts that a specimen long labelled (and
hence credited to) Northampton was actually shot near the
mouth of the Parker River in Newbury of this County. There
ii4
Bulletin of the
1 937-8
is obviously enough question about the matter to leave the
bird in the Hypothetical List.
Wood Ibis, Mycteria americana Linnaeus.
A specimen was alleged to have been taken at Georgetown,
June 19, 1880. “The authenticity of the alleged capture (by an
untrustworthy person) has since been investigated with care
without eliciting any evidence to impeach the record. Under
the circumstances we feel the bird belongs in the Hypothetical
List.
Mute Swan, Sthenelides olor (Gmelin).
A lone bird of this species appeared in Salem harbor in
April, 1932, and was seen by two members of this Club. As its
status as a wild bird is uncertain it should remain in the
Hypothetical List.
Pink-footed Goose, Anser brachyrhynchus Baillon.
This bird is relegated to the Hypothetical List because of
some — if not conclusive — evidence that it had escaped from
captivity.
Labrador Duck, Camptorhynchus labradorius Gmelin.
Extinct. Formerly ranged from Labrador to Chesapeake Bay.
No known occurrence for over sixty years.
Northern Bald Eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus alascanus (J. K.
Townsend).
Winter specimens of the Bald Eagle in this part of New Eng¬
land are all referable to this race, but there are no specimens
from this County, where the species is regularly found in
winter. The sub-species is, of course not identifiable in the
field and hence must remain in the Hypothetical List, pend¬
ing the receipt of a specimen.
White Gyrfalcon, Falco rusticolus candicans Gmelin.
Recorded as seen January 20, 1912, at Rowley. There is but
one specimen of this white phase for all New England — from
northern Maine. No unsupported sight record can properly
establish it as a bird of Essex County and we therefore rele¬
gate it to the Hypothetical List.
Heath Hen, Tympanuchus c. cupido (Linnaeus).
Formerly a permanent resident, long since extirpated and
now extinct. The western race of this species called the
Greater Prairie Chicken, T. c. americanus (Reichenbach), is
NOT extinct but is not found east of Indiana.
Essex County Ornithological Club
ii5
Eastern Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo silvestris Vieillot.
Formerly a common permanent resident, long since extir¬
pated; (see Bulletin for 1921, p. 5 et seq.).
Sabine’s Gull, Xema sabini (Sabine).
Reported seen at Gloucester September 16, 1928. This species
is probably a very rare migrant and if so a specimen will ulti¬
mately be taken and the bird can then appear in the regular
list. At present, its occurrence is considered only hypothetical.
Great Auk, Plautus impennis (Linnaeus).
Formerly ranged from Greenland to Florida and possibly
bred in Massachusetts. Extinct.
Passenger Pigeon, Ecto pistes migratorius (Linnaeus).
Formerly an abundant migrant and common summer resi¬
dent. Extinct.
Northern Raven, Corvus corax principalis Ridgway.
Reported seen November 11, 1922 and again September 28,
1938, at Ipswich. There are no other records whatever from
this County in a great many years but the bird is a rare resi¬
dent coastwise in Maine and might easily stray this far. In the
absence of a specimen we list it, of course, with the Hypotheti-
cals.
Brewster’s Warbler, V ermivora pinus x chrysoptera — a hybrid.
As such it may not appear in the main list. There are several
credible sight records of its occurrence in the County.
Yellow-throated Warbler, Dendroica dominica (L.).
There are now three reasonably credible sight records of this
species, probably the race albilora, but the evidence at hand
still does not warrant taking it out of the Hypothetical List.
Louisiana Water-Thrush, Seiurus motacilla (Vieillot).
Two credible field identifications are now at hand but as with
the preceding, it seems best to list it with the Hypothetical.
Kentucky Warbler, Oporonis jormosus (Wilson).
As explained in the 1938 list appearing elsewhere in this
issue, it appears best to list this bird with the Hypotheticals.
There is one, probably correct, field identification — May 21,
1938-
Nelson’s Sparrow, Ammospiza caudacuta nelsoni (Allen).
With no specimens known from New England and field iden¬
tifications of the race utterly unacceptable it is not clear this
form belongs even among the Hypotheticals.
Bulletin of the
1937-8
1 16
Clay-colored Sparrow, Spizella pallida (Swainson).
There is only one alleged occurrence of this species in the
County, an account of which is given elsewhere in this issue
in the 1938 list. In the absence of a carefully determined
specimen the species can rank only as an Hypothetical.
Harris’s Sparrow, Zonotrichia querula (Nuttall).
It is believed this bird has appeared at two banding stations
in the County but the evidence of its occurrence is sufficient
only to warrant listing it with the Hypothetical.
The following ten forms have not been overlooked but are not
deemed worthy of a place in even the Supplementary or Hypo¬
thetical List: Gray Sea Eagle; Texas Bob-white; European Dunlin;
Thayer’s Gull; Acadian Flycatcher; Hoyt’s Horned Lark; Fish
Crow; Golden-cheeked Warbler; Lazuli Bunting; and European
Goldfinch.
The very considerable part which Ludlow Griscom has had in
bringing about these corrections and additions will be apparent to
those who have read the foregoing. Incidental to his studies of the
northern Finches, certain shore birds, the local specimens in the
Museum of Comparative Zoology and his enthusiastic and intelli¬
gent field work in our County he is responsible more than anyone,
and perhaps more than all others together, for the data presented
in this article. It should have been written by him but all efforts
of the writer to persuade him to undertake it were of no avail.
His own insistence that I should undertake the work was both gen¬
erous and flattering. Generous also have been his efforts to
cooperate. The few elements of disagreements were quickly
smoothed out and I believe the final form has his almost complete
approval. Nevertheless, as I look back over these few pages it is
all too evident how much more lucid and scholarly would have
been his presentation of the matters involved.
Peabody Museum of Salem, Mass.
Essex County Ornithological Club
n7
CALENDAR FOR 1937 AND 1938
ESSEX COUNTY ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB
OF MASSACHUSETTS
January 11, 1937. Regular meeting. Nineteen members and
two guests present. Account of the work of the Biological
Survey in North Dakota by Mr. Seth H. Low.
February 8, 1937. Regular meeting. Eleven members and one
guest present. Evening devoted to field notes.
March 8, 1937. Regular meeting. Nineteen members and two
guests present. Mr. Joseph A. Hagar, Ornithologist to the
Massachusetts Department of Fisheries and Game, read a
paper on “The Protection of Hawks and Owls.”
March 22, 1937. Regular meeting. Fourteen members present.
Field notes.
April 12, 1937. Regular meeting. Fifteen members present.
Mr. Donald Alexander spoke on birds seen en route on a
motor trip to Florida.
April 26, 1937. Regular meeting held at the Club Camp in Box-
ford. Fifteen members and one guest present. A picnic sup¬
per was followed by field notes.
May 10, 1937. Regular meeting held at the Club Camp in Box-
ford. Eighteen members present. Plans for the “River
Trip” were discussed and field notes followed.
May 24, 1937. Regular meeting. Ten members present. Field
notes and discussion of River Trip records.
June 14, 1937. Regular meeting called at Club Camp in Boxford.
Very few present. No formal meeting. Emilio talked at
length.
June 19, 1937. Special meeting. Informal outing. Few present.
No notes or formal meeting.
September 13, 1937. Regular meeting. Seven members present.
Evening devoted to field notes.
October 11, 1937. Regular meeting held at the Club Camp in
Boxford. Eight members present. A nominating committee
was appointed and field notes followed.
1 1 8
Bulletin of the
1 937-8
November 8, 1937. Regular meeting. Fifteen members present.
Nominating committee reported following which Mr. Carl
W. Buchheister spoke on “Bird-life at the National Audubon
Societies’ Camp at Hogg Island, Maine.”
December 13, 1937. Annual meeting. Sixteen members and one
guest present. Judge Robert Walcott spoke on his experi¬
ences in conservation.
January 10, 1938. Regular meeting. Twelve members and one
guest present. Evening devoted to field notes.
February 14, 1938. Regular meeting. Thirteen members and
one guest present. The communication of the evening was
on the identification of some of our more difficult species, to¬
gether with brief notes on the Passenger Pigeon by Mr. Ralph
Lawson and Mr. S. Gilbert Emilio, field notes followed.
March 14, 1938. Regular meeting. Twelve members present.
Communication was by Mr. Ralph Lawson and Mr. S. Gilbert
Emilio on the identification of difficult species of Hawks.
March 28, 1938. Regular meeting. Thirteen members and two
guests present. Communication was by Mr. S. Gilbert Emilio
on the “Identification of some of the Warblers, Sparrows, and
Finches.”
April 11, 1938. Regular meeting. Eleven members and one
guest present. Evening devoted to field notes.
April 25, 1938. Regular meeting held at the Club Camp in Box-
ford. Fifteen members and one guest present. “River Trip”
planned. Field notes followed.
May 9, 1938. Regular meeting held at the Club Camp in Box-
ford. Ten members and one guest present. The meeting
was preceded and followed by short field trips. Field notes of
a tolerably extensive character took up the meeting.
* \
May 23, 1938. Regular meeting. Ten members and one guest
present. Meeting devoted to a discussion of the preceding
“River Trip.”
June 13, 1938. Club Camp. Dr. Stephen Maddock chosen chair¬
man pro tem. Thirteen members and four guests present.
Field notes including a lengthy talk by Granger about “foxes?,”
etc.
Essex County Ornithological Club
119
September 12, 1938. Regular meeting. Ten members and one
guest present. Evening devoted to summer field notes.
October 10, 1938. Regular meeting. Thirteen members and
three guests present. A nominating committee was appointed.
Communication of the evening was by Mr. Benjamin Shreve
on his collecting trip to the Bahamas during the past summer.
November 14, 1938. Regular meeting. Thirteen members and
one guest present. Nominating committee reported. Com¬
munication from Mr. Ralph Lawson on “The Greater Snow
Goose.” Field notes followed.
December 12, 1938. Annual meeting. Twenty-two members and
one guest present. Evening devoted to an exhibition of ele¬
phant folio Audubon Plates which were commented on by
Mr. S. Gilbert Emilio and Mr. F. E. Smith.
120
Bulletin of the
*937-8
FORMER MEMBERS OF THE E.C.O.C.
Name
Abbott, Jacob B.
Ashworth, Fred
Averill, Eugene
Babson, Edward
Baker, Alfred
Barker, W. T.
Beckford, A. Courtney
Beckford, Arthur W.
Berryman, Francis
Brown, C. Emerson
Brown, Everett B.
Brown, Frank A.
Brown, Sumner F.
Bryan, G. Warren
Bubier, George M.
Chase, Charles E.
Clark, W. Hobart
Cousins, Willard C.
d’Este, John N.
Donaldson, Major George C.
Doolittle, Albert W.
Dwyer, Elmer F.
Emerson, Philip
Fanning, Dr. Walter G.
Fay, S. Prescott
Felt, George R.
Fletcher, Hugh F.
Fletcher, Laurence B.
Floyd, Charles B.
Fowler, Albert B.
Gifford, Frank S.
Gifford, Lawrence W.
Goodale, Loring B.
Goodridge, James W.
Griffin, Bertram S.
Haley, Francis N.
Hubon, William P.
Hunt, William S.
Jackson, Russell L.
Year of
Year of
affiliation
separation
*936
*937
*9*7
1921
*936
1938
*928
d.1936
1922
1924
*935
1937
1927
1929
Charter
*937
1922
1924
Charter
1933
1920
1927
Charter
1922
1921
d.1924
1925
*934
Charter
d.1920
Charter
d.1938
1924
1929
Charter
1933
Charter
1920
Charter
1934
1924
d-*937
1921
1926
1930
d-*937
Charter
d.1925
1927
*937
19*9
d.1933
1918
1924
1922
*937
1927
*935
Charter
*932
*9*7
1920
1922
>929
1920
1927
1918
d.1923
1919
d.1931
1933
i93d
Charter
d.1931
i9H
d.1920
1935
*936
Essex County Ornithological Club i 2 1
Jeffrey, Thomas B.
Jenkins, Stephen W.
Little, Charles R.
Little, David M.
Little, Philip
Lockwood, Dunbar
Long, William B.
Lord, J. Anderson
McGuffin, Victor H.
McNeill, David C.
McNeill, Ralph H.
May, Dr. John B.
Moon, Wilbur D.
Morgan, Rev. Garfield
Morley, Arthur
Morse, Albert P.
Morse, Prof. Edward S.
Morse, Frank E.
Newell, Frank F.
Nichols, Frederick M.
Ordway, Frank L.
Osborne, Arthur A.
Osgood, Edward H.
Perkins, Porter J.
Phelan, Joseph C.
Phillips, Dr. John C.
Preston, Charles H.
Ritchie, Sanford
Robbins, Reginald C.
Sanders, Richard D.
Smith, Fred A.
Spalding, Frederic P.
Stockbridge, David L.
Stocker, Philip
Stoddard, Walter P.
Stubbs, Arthur P.
Tenney, Ward M.
Tolman, Dr. Henry, Jr.
Townsend, Dr. Charles W.
Vaughn, Albert
Very, Nathaniel T.
Welch, George O.
!925
1932
1927
>936
1 933
1935
1920
d.1923
Charter
1936
1928
1938
1927
1932
Charter
1928
1920
1922
1921
1927
1921
1926
1928
i936
>9>7
d.1938
1921
1924
1920
d.i933
Charter
d.1936
Charter
d.1925
Charter
1933
1922
d.1925
1921
d.1924
1927
1932
Charter
d.1935
1928
>933
1920
1925
1921
d.1931
Charter
d.1938
Charter
d.1934
1927
d.1931
Charter
1921
1921
>932
1920
1927
Charter
d.1934
1921
1926
1937
>938
1922
1926
Charter
d.1932
1921
1932
Charter
1922
Charter
d.1934
1921
1922
1927
1932
Charter
d.1919
122
Bulletin of the
i 937-8
Whitney, Charles F.
1922
1935
Whittle, Charles L.
1922
1926
Wilson, Frank H.
1918
!923
Young, Alfred C.
1921
1922
LIST OF MEMBERS
Alexander, Donald C. (1936)
Batchelder, Edgar M. (1938)
Bates, Walter E. (1917)
Benson, Frank W. (Charter)
Benson, George E. (Charter)
Bosson, Campbell (1917)
Brown, Norman R. (1931)
Bruley, Roger S. (1920)
Bushby, Fred W. (1918)
Caswell, Herbert H., Jr. (1938)
Cogswell, Lawrence W. (1925)
Curtis, Richard C. (1935)
Cushing, Milton L. (1917)
Dickson, Ernest P. (1931)
Dodge, Ernest S. (1934)
Downs, Prentiss (1935)
Doyle, John F. (1926)
Emilio, S. Gilbert (Charter)
Foster, Maxwell E. (1930)
Foye, Elmer P. (1933)
Gifford, Morris P. (1918)
Giles, Ruel E. (1935)
Granger, Ralph T. (1933)
Greeley, Robert H. (1935)
Griscom, Ludlow (1928)
Guild, Henry R. (1936)
Ingraham, Phocion J. (1920)
Jones, Gardner M. (Charter)
Kelley, Herbert W. (1927)
Kelley, Mark E. (1920)
Kelley, Mark E., Jr. (1935)
Lawson, Frank B. (1936)
Lawson, Ralph (Charter)
Long, Harry V. (1921)
Low, Daniel S. (1933)
Y. M. C. A., Lowell
690 Lynnfield Street, Lynn
Fayette Court, Lynn
14 Chestnut Street, Salem
31 Summer Street, Salem
560 Concord Avenue, Belmont
20 Ash Street, Danvers
64 Center Street, Danvers
17 Washington Street, Peabody
1 Middle Street, Marblehead
Temple Court, Salem
30 State Street, Boston
Suffield, Connecticut
27 Essex Street, Lynn
Peabody Museum, Salem
Belmont Hills School, Belmont
35 Congress Street, Boston
7 Winter Street, Salem
Topsfield
210 Essex Street, Salem
2 Chestnut Street, Boston
8 Walnut Street, Danvers
123 Edgemere Road, Lynn
2 1 Birch Street, Saugus
21 Fayerweather Street, Cambridge
1 Federal Street, Boston
235 Lowell Street, Peabody
119 Federal Street, Salem
3 Willow Street, Winchester
52 Sutton Street, Peabody
Bowdoin College
88 Washington Square, Salem
88 Washington Square, Salem
260 Clarendon Street, Boston
16 Cypress Street, Marblehead
Essex County Ornithological Club
123
Low, Seth H. (1930)
Marcy, William A. (1931)
Means, Robert W. (1920)
Means, W. Gordon (1925)
Morrison, Alva (Charter)
Moulton, Charles E. (1917)
Newhall, Milo A. (1921)
Nichols, Rodman A. (Charter)
Parrot, Edward G. (1936)
Perkins, Wesley T. (1938)
Perry, George L. (1934)
Porter, Willard B. (Charter)
Preston, Charles P. (1925)
Proctor, George N. (Charter)
Rand, Stuart C. (1934)
Raymond, John M. (1927)
Robinson, John, Jr. (Charter)
Ropes, Col. Charles F. (1927)
Ropes, Lawrence G. (1934)
Ropes, Willis H. (Charter)
Sears, Judge George B. (1922)
Shreve, Benjamin (1928)
Shreve, William H. (1935)
Smith, Francis E., Jr. (1938)
Southack, Theodore L., Jr. (1933)
Spofford, Charles A. (1918)
Stevens, Harold C. (1933)
Taber, Wendell (1934)
Taylor, Arthur W. (1919)
Teel, George M. (Charter)
Tortat, Wiliam R. M. (Charter)
Walcott, Judge Robert (1920)
Wilkinson, Robert H. (1922)
Wolfe, Rolland Emerson (1930)
Kensal, North Dakota
9 Hawthorne Street, Lynn
45 Vernon Street, Boston
Essex
19 Congress Street, Boston
72 Maple Street, Lynn
12 Temple Court, Salem
7 South Pine Street, Salem
140 Federal Street, Salem
16 Corning Street, Beverly
68 Thurston Street, Somerville
5 Lee Street, Salem
Montross, Virginia
50 Congress Street, Boston
30 State Street, Boston
Main Street, Hamilton
18 Summer Street, Salem
67 Dearborn Street, Salem
1 1 Brimble Avenue, Beverly
83 Federal Street, Salem
37 Cherry Street, Danvers
29 Chestnut Street, Salem
29 Chestnut Street, Salem
1 Wolcott Terrace, Winchester
10 Summit Avenue, East Lynn
23 Elm Street, Danvers
Ropes Memorial, Salem
3 Mercer Circle, Cambridge
41 Lovett Street, Beverly
190 Maple Street, Danvers
6 Perkins Street, Peabody
152 Brattle Street, Cambridge
Asbury Grove
Depot Road, Boxford
CORRESPONDING MEMBERS
Buchheister, Carl W. (1938) 66 Newbury Street, Boston
Collins, John A., Jr. (1935) 20 Quincy Street, Lawrence
Ellis, Ralph, Jr. (1932) 2420 Ridge Road, Berkeley, California
Kincaide, W. Edward (1937) Amesbury
Safford, Charles A. (1935) P.O. Box 103, Newburyport
3ti Jflemortam
Charles E. Chase
Albert W. Doolittle
Philip Emerson
Richards B. Mackintosh
Wilbur D. Moon
Dr. John C. Phillips
PUBLICATIONS
for sale by
THE ESSEX COUNTY ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB
Supplement to The Birds of Essex County , Mass.,
Dr. Charles W. Townsend. 1920. 196 pp . $1.00
Annual Bulletins, 1919-1936 inclusive . 50 ea.
Annual Bulletins, 1933-8 . 1.00
A Few Complete Sets . 3.00
Index to First 10 Numbers . 10
Check List, 1921. Brief Migration Data. 28 pp . 05
Check List, 1922. More complete migration data and
brief status of occurrence, both with ruled pages for
field records . 10
“A List of Birds of Essex County, Mass.” Giving status
of occurrence, full records and migration data. In
1931 Bulletin . 5°
“A Field List of Essex County Birds.” 1934 . Separates
on more durable paper of the final 28 pages of the
1934 Bulletin, with ruled pages for notes . 20
Address
Elmer P. Foye 210 Essex Street, Salem, Mass.
Published April, 1939
The Southworth-Anthoensen Press, Portland, Maine
Phillips Library
3 6234 10001720 4
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