Birds and Seasons 185 The lists of the daily observer reach their lowest ebb at this time. The total number of species present is much greater than is generally supposed, but the birds are not very active and have but little to say ; while the observer perhaps is cold and fast loses his enthusiasm in the face of a biting wind or a driving snow-storm. Low meadows and swamps with sheltering thickets are the most favorable localities, and here will be found great mixed flocks of Tree Sparrows, Song Sparrows and Juncos, with perhaps a few Field and Swamp Sparrows. 1 his association in flocks is characteristic of most birds at this season. The Meadowlarks congregate in this manner and come down from the open upland to seek food and shelter on the broad river marshes ; while in the tree-tops of the woods and orchards are mixed troops of Nuthatches, Chickadees and Golden- crowned Kinglets, with perhaps a Downy Woodpecker or Tufted Tit. Crows are probably the most conspicuous of all winter birds, flying morning and evening in long black lines to and from their roosts. Winter is not a time of song, but we have some exceptions to the rule. Every bright sunny day the clear whistle of the Caro- lina Wren may be heard in the sheltered ravines, and the voices of the Cardinal and Tufted Tit, which he seems to imitate, are by no means silent. An added charm that this season possesses is the ever- present possibility of some sudden .flight of Snowflakes, Crossbills, Redpolls or other rare visiter from the north, and no weather is too severe for the bird-lover when such acquaintances may be formed. Southern New Jersey, with its sheltering pines and cedars and its deep swamps, is a great winter rendezvous for birds, and many species winter there regularly which rarely or never occur in Pennsylvania in December or January. PERMANENT RESIDENTS Great Blue Heron, Woodcock, Bob-White, Dove, Red-tailed Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Sparrow Hawk, ■Great Horned Owl, Screech Owl, Long-eared Owl, Barn Owl, Hairy Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Crow, Blue Jay, Meadowlark, Goldfinch, House Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Cardinal, Cedar Waxwing, Carolina Wren, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch. WINTER VISITANTS Regular. — Herring Gull, Rough-legged Hawk, Pigeon Hawk, Marsh Hawk, Short- ■eared Owl, Junco, Tree Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Pine Finch, Purple Finch, American Pipit, Winter Wren, Brown Creeper, Black-capped Chickadee, Golden- crowned Kinglet. /;-re^?^/ar (omitting Water Fowl). — Duck Hawk, Goshawk, Acadian Owl, Snowy Owl, Barred Owl, Horned Lark, Prairie Horned Lark, American Crossbill, White- winged Crossbill, Pine Grosbeak, Snowflake, Lapland Longspur, Redpoll, Northern Shrike.
