Page:Condor17(1).djvu/44

 Jan., 1915 BIRDS OF THE BOSTON MOUNTAINS, ARKANSAS 43 Circus hudsonius. Marsh Hawk. On the top of one o the highest hills of the range there was a clearing of about fifteen acres surrounded by timber. It was over this field that most of the individuals recorded were seen. Ap- pearing in fall by October 7, departing before the winter months began, they reappeared in spring as early as March 10. Accipiter velox. Sharp-shinned Hawk. Not as numerous as at 'lower altitudes. Seemed to occur only as a transient, although a single bird was seen July 24, 1913. April and October were the months in which nearly every record was made. In the last named month they appeared by the 2nd. Accipiter cooperi. Cooper Hawk. ' A fairly common resident; most num- erous during the warmer months. The proximity of the forest about nearly every farmhouse insures a great degree of immunity to this hawk in its fre- quent raids on poultry. The drought during tile summer of 1914 caused most of the .mountain streams to dry up. Along the course of one of these brooklets I flushed, on several occasions, this hawk in the act of feeding upon minnows in the desiccating pools. Buteo borealis borealis. Red-tailed Hawk. Occurring principally as a fall and winter visitant. After November 15, and throughout the winter months, it proved to be the commonest hawk. it is my opinion that, although a larger bird than the Red-shouldered, it does not as a rule soar as high in hunting. An adult bird taken January 3 proved typical of this form. Buteo lineatus lineatus. Red-shouldered Hawk. Although Howell states (Birds of Arkansas), that he did not meet with this species in the mountainotis sections of the state, I found it to be the most abundant, and, with the Cooper, the only common hawk during the warmer months. It apparently does not winter, at least near the top of the range as I found none after November. In spring it appeared during the first week in April. Fully grown young were on the wing June 30. Buteo swainsoni. Swainson Hawk. An adult of this species alighted in a tree not more than 35 feet overhead, in a woodland through which I was walking, October 1, 1914, allowing of a close although brief scrutiny of a bird that I have been long acquainted with in the western states. Unfortunately, before I could swing my gun into position, it had flown away. It is, I believe, the first record for Arkansas. Buteo platypterus platypterus. Broad-winged Hawk. While ] found this hawk only as a transient, it may occur as a summer resident, as it has been reported at that season from several localities within the state. I found it fairly common during May, and again in September; in the latter month it appeared by the 17th. I found it only in heavy timber, usually perched on dead top-limbs of large forest trees. All specimens taken had the stomachs empty. Aquila chrysaetos. Golden Eagle. The first "norther" in the fall of 1913 arrived October 18, bringing with it snow and freezing temperature. On the following day a farmer living about four miles south of Winslow saw a goose belonging to him attacked and killed by a great bird, which he was ablg to frighten away before it began to devour its quar.ry. The man surmised that the bird would return, and set a steel trap nearby, baited with the goose. And, sure enough, on reaching his barnyard next morning he found the bird en- .trapped, although held only by a single toe. This individual came into my pos- session and proved to be a nearly adult Golden Eagle. It constitutes the first definite record for the state.