includes a useful summary of historical breeding status in the county for each 
     
     species. This attractive volume offers good value for its price. 
     
    
   
   
    
     FEEDBRWATCB NEWS Excerpt from Annual Report 
     
     by Diane L. Tessaglia 
     
    
   
   
    
     Letters accompanying some of the 44,490 completed Project FeederWatch 
     
     data forms suggested the possibility that the "Blizzard of '93", a severe 
     
     Eastern March storm, had caused shifts in the use pattern of birds at feeders. 
     
     This intrigued Diane L. Tessaglia and she analyzed the data provided to see if 
     
    
   
   
    
     the impressions were supported by the observations. She calculated the mean 
     
     number of birds per week for "Blizzard Areas" — the 30 states and provinces 
     
     that experienced the blizzard and "Non-Blizzard Areas". In Blizzard Areas, 
     
    
   
   
    
     the number of birds per feeder per week increased steadily throughout the 
     
     winter; then we documented a sharp and fairly large increase in bird numbers 
     
     from March 13 - 19, the week immediately following the blizzard. The data for 
     
     Non—Blizzard Areas shows no such increase for that week. So it seems that the 
     
     Blizzard of ’93 did bring birds to feeders in the East. 
     
    

    
     True to form, this analysis raised as many questions as it answered. 
     
     Although the Non-Blizzard Areas showed no increase in bird numbers during 
     
     March 13 - 19, the number of birds per feeder rose dramatically during the 
     
     week of January 1 — 9 and again from February 20 - 26. We’re curious about 
     
     what caused these increases - perhaps severe weather also attracted more birds 
     
     to feeders in these weeks. So we plan to incorporate more FeederWatch weather 
     
     data into our analysis in the future, to help answer questions like these. 
     
    
   
   
    
     FEEDERHATCH NORTH Excerpt from an 1992-93 
     
     Results by Erica Dunn 
     
    
   
   
    
     The winter before this one, 1991- 92, was characterized by two events: 
     
     an eruption of Common Redpolls throughout the country, and a massive 
     
     concentration of Purple Finches (and lesser numbers of some other finches) in 
     
     the Maritimes. In 1992-93 these events were reversed, as would be expected in 
     
     these finches with irregular movements. British Columbia had 3 times more 
     
     redpolls than last year, but not enough to prevent a precipitous decline in 
     
     the Canadian average overall..... 
     
    

    
     A few species have been overwintering more and more in Canada over a 
     
     longer period. Mourning Dove number in Ontario have grown steadily for 30 
     
     years, and now the trend seems to be taking hold further east as well. The 
     
     remarkable jump in New Brunswick may be a fluke, and it will be interesting to 
     
     see if the overall trend continues. 
     
    

    
     House Finch is also becoming more common in winter, in parallel with 
     
     expansion of its breeding range. These birds were first recorded at Ontario 
     
     feeders by the Ontario Bird Feeder Survey in the early 1980s and have 
     
     increased ever since. Meanwhile, this species has begun a march into Quebec. 
     
     So far numbers in the Maritimes are negligible —— but perhaps it is only a 
     
     matter of time before House Finches become established there as well. 
     
    

    
     ....Lastly, House Sparrows and blackbirds (redwings, grackles, and 
     
     cowbirds) all seemed to be a bit lower this year. Sparrows are undergoing 
     
     long-term decline in breeding populations. The changes in blackbirds however, 
     
     probably only reflect annual differences in timing of spring migration.