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VOL. XVIII MARCH-APRIL, 1916 20c. a Copy
No. 2 $1 a Year
Bird-Lore
[Illustration (birdhouse in field)]
EDITED BY
FRANK M. CHAPMAN
PUBLISHED FOR THE AUDUBON SOCIETIES
BY
D. Appleton & Company
HARRISBURG, PA. NEW YORK
COPYRIGHT, 1916, BY FRANK M. CHAPMAN _R. Weber_.
Bird-Lore
March-April, 1916
------------------
CONTENTS
=GENERAL ARTICLES= Page
Frontispiece in Color--Bush-Tits, Verdin, and Wren-Tit
_Louis Agassiz Fuertes_
The World's Record for Density of Bird Population. Illustrated
by the author _Gilbert H. Grosvenor_ 77
The Robin in Yosemite. Verse _Garrett Newkirk_ 84
The Spring Migration of 1915 at Raleigh, N. C.
_S. C. Bruner and C. S. Brimley_ 85
First Efforts at Bird Photography. Illustrated by the author
_H. Tra Hartshorn_ 88
Long-eared Owl on Nest. Illustration _H. and E. Pittman_ 91
The Interesting Barn Owl. Illustrated by the author
_Joseph W. Lippincott_ 92
Photographs of Flickers _Arthur A. Allen_ 96
The Migration of North American Birds. Illustrated by
Louis Agassiz Fuertes _W. W. Cooke_ 97
Notes on the Plumage of North American Birds. Thirty-seventh
Paper _Frank M. Chapman_
=NOTES FROM FIELD AND STUDY= 100
A Correction; Hints for Bird Clubs, _W. M. Buswell_; Ornithological
Possibilities of a Bit of Swamp Land, _Arthur P. Stubbs_; My
Neighbor's Sparrow Trap, _Charles R. Keyes_; A Tropical Migration
Tragedy; A Shower of Birds, _R. L. Tripp_; A Heron's Involuntary
Bath, _John R. Tooker_; Winter Notes From Carlisle, Ind., _J. H.
Gilliland_; Notes from Nebraska, _Howard Paret_; A Gannet over the
Hudson River, _J. T. Nichols_; Petrels on the Hudson, _F. M.
Chapman_; Starling in Ohio, _Sheridan T. Wood_; Evening Grosbeaks
and Cardinals in Southern Wisconsin, _Ethel A. Nott_; Evening
Grosbeaks at Port Henry, N. Y., _Dora B. Harris_; Evening Grosbeak
at Glen Falls, N. Y., _E. Eveleen Hathaway_; Evening Grosbeaks at
Saratoga Springs, N. Y., _Jacolyn Manning, M. D._; The Evening
Grosbeak at Boston, _E. G. and R. E. Robbins_; Evening Grosbeaks
at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., _George W. Gray_; Evening Grosbeaks in
Lexington, Mass., _Winsor M. Tyler, M. D._; Evening Grosbeaks in
Vermont, _L. H. Potter_; Evening Grosbeaks in Connecticut, _Mary
Hazen Arnold_; Martin Problems, _May S. Danner_; A Bold Winter
Wren, _Edward J. F. Marx_.
=BOOK NEWS AND REVIEWS= 110
Grinnell's Distributional List of California Birds; Taverner on
the Food Habits of Cormorants; The Ornithological Magazines.
=EDITORIAL= 112
=THE AUDUBON SOCIETIES--SCHOOL DEPARTMENT= 113
Bird and Arbor Day--An Awakening, _A. H. W._; Junior Audubon Work;
Ways of Keeping up Interest in Bird Study; For and From Adult
and Young Observers, Red-wing Blackbird. Ills.
=EDUCATIONAL LEAFLET No. 85.= Chestnut-sided Warbler. With colored
plate by Bruce Horsfall _T. Gilbert Pearson_ 128
=AUDUBON SOCIETIES--EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT= 132
A Case in Point; A Feeding-Shelf; Photographing Water-Fowl; Birds
and the Cold Spell; Florence Merriam Bailey; New Members and
Contributors; The Virginia Game Bill; Notes From the Field.
*.* _Manuscripts intended for publication, books, etc., for review and
exchanges, should be sent to the Editor, at the American Museum of
Natural History, 77th St. and 8th Ave., New York City._
=Notices of changes of addresses, renewals and subscriptions should be
sent to BIRD-LORE, HARRISBURG, PA.=
=Please remit by Draft or Money Order=
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June, August, October, and December. Failure to secure the copy due you
should be reported not later than the 18th of the months above
mentioned. We cannot supply missing copies after the month in which the
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Entered as second-class mail matter in the Post Office at Harrisburg,
Pa.
* * * * *
[Illustration (Wren House)]
Send $1 for this famous
WREN HOUSE
Known as Jennie's Choice
For three seasons "Jennie" preferred this House where there was a choice
of fifty.
A. P. GREIM
"Birdville" TOMS RIVER, N. J.
* * * * *
THE JACOBS BIRD-HOUSE COMPANY
First American enterprise for the manufacture of =Bird-Houses and
Bird-Feeding Devices=
=Over 33 years' experience by the Pres. Mgr.= Always leading in the
Bird-House enterprise,
=Jacobs Now Pays the Freight=
to your nearest steam railroad freight station!
[Illustration: Our Indorsement.]
Twelve beautiful designs of colony houses for the Purple Martin.
Individual nest boxes for Wrens, Bluebirds, Swallows, Chickadees,
Flickers, Titmice, Woodpeckers, etc.
Sheltered Feeding Devices and Food Tables, Cement Bird Baths and
Drinking Fountains.
Genuine Government Sparrow Traps.
Direct from our factory to user at factory prices, thus giving customers
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Mention this magazine and send 10 cts. for our beautifully illustrated
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JACOBS BIRD-HOUSE COMPANY
404 S. Washington St., Waynesburg, Pa.
* * * * *
[Illustration (Publisher's Logo)]
+Just the Book to Interest Children in Bird Study+
=LITTLE BIRD BLUE=
By William L. and Irene Finley
"No child can read this beautifully printed and illustrated book without
having his love for the bluebird increased; even the adult will find
much pleasure in text, illustrations, and exquisite make-up."--_Guide to
Nature._
"One of the prettiest and most commendable of children's books."--_St.
Louis Republic._
"It has the beneficial effect of intensifying our love of
birds."--_Rochester Post Express._
"Children could hardly have a more happy introduction to
bird-study."--_Lexington Herald._
"One of the most entertaining books for juveniles."--_Boston Globe._
"Told in a manner to delight children."--_Zion's Herald._
"Mr. and Mrs. Finley have written the book with much charm, and woven
into the story a great deal of bird-lore."--_Portland Evening Telegram._
_Profusely illustrated with drawings by Bruce Horsfall and photographs
by Mr. Finley. Price 75 cents net._
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN CO.,
4 Park Street 16 East 49th St.
BOSTON NEW YORK
* * * * *
=Everything from "Soup to Nuts" for the Birds=
Try Evang Bros. Mixtseed for Native and Migratory Birds! Large size
package, 50 cents.
=230 Main Street Evanston, Illinois=
* * * * *
=Bird Gardening=
WALTER M. BUSWELL, at present the Superintendent of the famous Bird
Sanctuary of the Meriden Bird Club, is prepared to give expert advice on
all matters pertaining to the attraction and protection of birds.
=Address: Meriden, New Hampshire=
* * * * *
I should be pleased to have any MUSEUM or HIGH SCHOOL desiring to secure
an excellent ORNITHOLOGICAL and OOeLOGICAL COLLECTION for study and
scientific purposes communicate with me.
=GEO. W. AMES=
=No. 707 Washington Avenue=
=Bay City, Mich.=
* * * * *
+To Bird-Lovers+
Use Comstock's
BIRD NOTEBOOKS
Nos. 1 and 2
in your bird study
Each book has outlines for recording location, size, nesting, habits,
etc., for use in the field. In addition, book No. 1 has 30, and book No.
2 has 28 outline drawings of birds (by Louis Agassiz Fuertes), on
watercolor paper for recording the colors.
These books are used in quantity in classes, rural, city and normal
schools and colleges.
Pocket size, 124 pages
30 cts. each, 50 cts. set of two
_Send for circular of the Nature
Notebook Series_
The Comstock Publishing Company
110 Roberts Place, Ithaca, N. Y.
* * * * *
[Illustration: _Wren House No. 6_]
=Do You Love Birds?=
Encourage them to live in your gardens. Use our successful bird-houses
for Wrens, Chickadees, Bluebirds and Purple Martins. Strongly made--well
painted, to resist weather. Prices 35c to $10. Design illustrated $1 50.
Our reliable wire Sparrow Trap endorsed by U. S. Government, $3 F. O. B.
Dubuque. _Write for free illustrated Folder No. 233-B._
=Farley & Loetscher Mfg. Co., Dubuque, Iowa=
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* * * * *
[Illustration: Note: Frontispiece
1. Bush-Tit
2. Lead-colored Bush-Tit
3. Lloyd's Bush-Tit, Male
4. Lloyd's Bush-Tit, Female 5. Verdin 6. Wren-Tit
(One-half natural size)]
=Bird-Lore=
A BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE
DEVOTED TO THE STUDY AND PROTECTION OF BIRDS
Official Organ of The Audubon Societies
================================================================
Vol. XVIII March-April, 1916 No. 2
================================================================
The World's Record for Density of Bird Population
By GILBERT H. GROSVENOR
Editor of the National Geographic Magazine
With photographs by the author
In the winter of 1913, our family bought a farm of one hundred acres,
fifty acres in forest and fifty in fields, in Montgomery County,
Maryland, about ten miles from Washington. We moved out in April. At the
time, no members of the family, including my wife, six children, and
myself, could name more than three birds--the Crow, the Robin, and the
Turkey Buzzard. We had, however, become interested in birds, owing to
our friendship for the Editor of BIRD-LORE, and for other Audubon
workers, and determined to see what we could do to get birds around the
home, which we named 'Wild Acres.'
The house is a typical old farmhouse, surrounded by an old apple and
pear orchard, with vegetable garden and hedges, and open fields beyond.
Surrounding the fields is a tract of fifty acres in woods, with a
beautiful stream, and several springs scattered around in the fields and
woods.
The first thing we did was to drive away the English Sparrows which had
possession of the place. We got small shot-guns, and, whenever a Sparrow
appeared, shot him. It wasn't long before those that were not shot,
left. We then made houses for Martins, Wrens, Bluebirds and Flickers,
some of which were immediately occupied. We had such success that in the
winters of 1914 and 1915 we put up more houses, and in the spring of
1915 had attracted so many birds around the house that Dr. H. W.
Henshaw, the Chief of the U. S. Biological Survey of the Department of
Agriculture, became interested, and delegated Dr. Wells W. Cooke to
visit our place. Dr. Cooke was so impressed by the number of feathered
friends that we had gathered around us that he urged me to make a census
of the birds living on an acre or two adjacent to the house, as he
thought it probable that a count would bring us a world record. The
record up to this time was held by a family in Chevy Chase, Maryland,
who had attracted thirteen pairs of birds to one half-acre.
[Illustration: A BLUEBIRD'S NEST BOX, IN WHICH A PAIR OF BLUEBIRDS
REARED THREE BROODS IN 1914, AND AGAIN IN 1915]
The prospect of securing a world's record was so inviting that, during
the last week of June, 1915, I made a census of all birds nesting on the
acre adjoining our house and barns, with the result that we found
fifty-nine pairs of birds with young or eggs in the nest on that acre,
the highest number of land-birds inhabiting one acre that has yet been
reported to the Department of Agriculture or to any Audubon society. The
details of the census are presented below:
LIST OF BIRDS NESTING ON ONE ACRE ADJACENT TO THE HOUSE AND BARNS OF
GILBERT H. GROSVENOR IN THE WEEK OF JUNE 15-21, 1915
(Only pairs whose nests were located with young or eggs in them are
counted.)
Flicker* 1 pair
Bluebird* 1 "
Yellow Warbler 1 "
Orchard Oriole 2 "
Catbird 2 "
Song Sparrow 1 "
Chipping Sparrow 2 "
Phoebe 1 "
House Wren* 14 "
Robin 7 "
Robin 7 "
Kingbird 1 "
Martins* 26 "
--
Total 59 pairs
English Sparrows 0
The asterisk (*) indicates pairs nesting in boxes put up by the family.
A similar census made of the second adjoining acre showed thirty-three
pairs nesting in this area, as follows:
LIST OF BIRDS NESTING ON SECOND ACRE
Song Sparrow 1 pair
Carolina Wren* 1 "
Flicker* 1 "
Maryland Yellow-Throat 1 "
Brown Thrasher 1 "
House Wren* 4 "
Robin 2 "
Catbird 1 "
Chipping Sparrow 1 "
Screech Owl* (no young in nest
June 15, as brood had already
left) 1 "
Martins* 18 "
Towhee 1 "
--
Total 33 pairs
English Sparrows 0
[Illustration: A MARTIN HOUSE IN THE MEADOW, ABOUT ONE HUNDRED YARDS
FROM THE HOUSE
It is advisable not to place the Martin box too near the house, for
the birds begin to chatter long before dawn, and will awaken the
household.]
[Illustration: MARTIN HOUSE IN THE HEN-YARD OCCUPIED BY TWENTY-FIVE
PAIRS OF MARTINS IN 1914 AND 1915.
The Martins are very efficient guardians of our chickens. I have
often seen them drive the Hawks and Crows away. They hate Buzzards
also.]
I attribute our success primarily to shooting the Sparrows and driving
all cats away, to putting up many boxes, to keeping fresh water handy at
all times, etc. We did everything we could for the comfort of our birds;
for instance, we put on twigs little pieces of the oil-paper that our
butter was wrapped in, and we left mud in convenient places for the
Martins. The Catbirds used the oil-paper for their nests, in fact, they
used all kinds of scraps. Imagine the delight of the family when, on
examining one of the Catbird's nests in the autumn, we found one of the
children's hair-ribbons, and also a piece of an old dress of the baby!
[Illustration: A SCREECH OWL'S NEST
This box was put up for Flickers in the winter of 1914. Flickers took
possession in March, but were driven out by Sparrow Hawks. But the
Sparrow Hawks were frightened away two weeks later by the too great
prominence of the position. Later a pair of Screech Owls adopted it for
their home. Last winter we took the box down and carried it to the barn,
to serve as a model for making other boxes. On opening it we found a
live owl inside.]
[Illustration: A SPARROW HAWK'S NEST ON THE EDGE OF THE WOODS
We had much difficulty in keeping red and flying squirrels out of the
houses placed near the woods. In 1915 red squirrels drove out a pair of
Flickers brooding in a box on the forest edge.]
We had read a great deal about how tame birds become when they are
protected, but were constantly amazed at the quickness with which they
perceived the care taken of them. Perhaps the most remarkable nest was
that of a Phoebe, which was built under the cornice of the piazza,
within reach of my hand. We had a little school in the morning at the
house, and ten children were continually running up and down the piazza,
shouting at the top of their voices, but the Phoebe went on building
her nest, then hatched her eggs and fed her young without fear, though
she could see everyone and everyone could see her.
I was also surprised to find how friendly birds, even of the same
species, can become. For instance, we had fourteen pairs of Wrens on a
single acre, some of the nests being not more than fifteen feet apart.
We also had Robins nesting only twelve yards apart. The Bluebirds, on
the other hand, do not like each other and would not tolerate another
pair of Bluebirds nearer than 100 yards.
[Illustration: A FLICKER WAS NESTING IN BOX AND DID NOT STIR, THOUGH
THERE WERE FIVE CHILDREN IN THE TREE AND FOUR BELOW WHEN THIS
PHOTOGRAPH WAS TAKEN. (June 7, 1914.)]
[Illustration: AN APARTMENT HOUSE FOR WRENS
When we started building houses, we did not realize that Wrens would not
share a house with another pair of Wrens. This house has rooms for
eighteen pairs of Wrens. The room on the left was occupied in 1913, 1914
and 1915, and all the other rooms were vacant. Note Wren on box.]
[Illustration: A WREN HOUSE IN THE GARDEN
Note the Wren on the perch. We had fourteen pairs of house Wrens nesting
on one acre adjoining the house and barns in 1915. This is the largest
number reported of Wrens living on one acre.]
The first year we had no Flickers, but there was a pair nesting in an
old apple tree on our neighbor's property. During the winter the tree
was blown down and our oldest son obtained permission to get it. He cut
out the portion of the tree which contained the nest, cleaned out the
hole, and then hung the nest in a dying cherry tree, as shown in our
illustration. The nest was not more than ten yards from the house, but
was taken possession of in 1914 and again in 1915.
The photographs illustrate some of our tenants. We are putting up this
winter many more houses on the rest of the farm, as, up to this time,
our efforts have been confined to the ten acres nearest the house.
[Illustration: A FLICKER'S NEST BOX ON AN APPLE TREE ONLY TWELVE
YARDS FROM THE HOUSE AND BORDERING THE DRIVEWAY.
In this same tree, also, a pair of Robins and a pair of Chipping
Sparrows nested in 1915.]
[Illustration: A BOX OCCUPIED BY FLICKERS AND WRENS
When the Flickers came back the second year (1915), they tried to
excavate a new door to their house, on the opposite side from that
shown in the picture, but soon desisted, leaving a hole about 2
inches deep. Later a pair of Wrens built a nest in the new hole, so
that in 1915 a brood of Flickers and a brood of house Wrens were
living in the box at the same time. Note the Flicker's head in the
doorway.]
We have already found the following birds nesting on some part of the
100 acres of field and woods: Flicker, Robin, Catbird, Bluebird, Orchard
Oriole, House Wren, Purple Martin, Summer Warbler, Brown Thrasher,
Chipping Sparrow, Phoebe, Barn Swallow, Grasshopper Sparrow,
Whip-poor-will, Towhee, Indigo Bunting, Black-and-White Warbler, Song
Sparrow, Meadowlark, Chat, Maryland Yellowthroat, Field Sparrow,
Cardinal, Red-eyed Vireo, Ovenbird, Wood Thrush, Scarlet Tanager,
Acadian Flycatcher, Great Crested Flycatcher, Mourning Dove, Kingbird,
Red-headed Woodpecker, Wood Pewee, Bob-white, Chickadee, Titmouse,
White-breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Mockingbird, Goldfinch, Crow,
Bluejay, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Barred Owl, Screech Owl,
Sparrow Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Redstart, Yellow-throated Vireo,
Cedarbird, Vesper Sparrow, Louisiana Water-thrush, and Ruby-throated
Hummingbird.
We had, in 1915, seventy-five pairs of Martins in an area of
approximately ten acres, and expect to have a great many more than this
in 1916. We had one pair of Red-shouldered Hawks nesting in our woods,
and kept them for two years; but they developed such fondness for
poultry, being caught repeatedly thieving, that finally we had to shoot
them.
We have in the woods a splendid pair of Barred Owls. They come around
the barns at night, and I suspect them also of attempts at
chicken-thieving, but they are too handsome and rare a bird in these
parts to shoot. We have nothing good to say of the Screech Owl, which we
suspect of having been the cause of the mysterious disappearance of many
young birds from the nests.
If any one wants excitement, I suggest that he buy or borrow a stuffed
Owl, and put it out in the garden in the daytime during the nesting
season. All the birds in the neighborhood will soon congregate, and the
children will learn the birds quicker than in any other way.
The Robin in Yosemite
By GARRETT NEWKIRK
In this divine cathedral grand,
O'erborne by silent awe I stand,
When, friendly greets me, near at hand,
The Robin in Yosemite.
Beneath high wall and towering dome,
By roaring rapids dashed with foam,
I hear the old, sweet voice of home--
The Robin in Yosemite.
I hear from every sculptured wall
The voices of the ages call,
And, cheering with their echoes all,
The Robin in Yosemite.
The Spring Migration of 1915 at Raleigh, N. C.
By S. C. BRUNER and C. S. BRIMLEY
The migration of birds at Raleigh, N. C, during the spring of 1915 was
so unusual that it is believed that a short account, together with a
list of the records, will be of interest to the readers of BIRD-LORE. In
considering the following remarks, it may be well to bear in mind that
records of the bird migration in this locality have been made each year
for the past thirty-one years. Also, the amount of time spent in making
observations during the past season is significant. From March 19 to May
7, field trips were made by Mr. Bruner on forty-seven days out of a
possible fifty. Prior to and after this period observations were made by
him for several weeks at intervals of from two to four days. Mr. Brimley
was in the field for twelve days from March 30 to April 28, but was
unable to pay full attention to birds. The duration of each trip
averaged about four hours, this figure not including the time spent in
going to and from the city. Observations for the most part were made
independently by each of the writers, and on lands differing somewhat in
general character. It is believed that the great majority of species
were recorded on as near the actual date of their arrival as it would
ordinarily be possible to obtain them.
The most remarkable fact in connection with the season was the very
great delay in the arrival of the earlier migrants and in the departure
of the winter birds. This was very probably due almost entirely to the
unusual weather conditions which seemed to prevail throughout the South
during March and early April. March was abnormally cool, especially so
during the latter part of the month. At Raleigh one-half of an inch of
snow fell on the thirty-first, and this was soon followed by the most
severe snowstorm on record for the month of April. On April 2, at 8 P.
M., wet snow began to fall, and continued steadily until about 8 P. M.
on April 3, the ground at that time being covered to a depth of about
ten inches, the total fall being equivalent to thirteen inches of dry
snow. In the wake of this storm came fair and very warm weather. By
April 6 nearly all traces of snow had disappeared, and the birds began
to arrive. Between April 6 and April 9, the Black-and-White Warbler,
Louisiana Water-Thrush, Yellow-throated Warbler, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher,
Maryland Yellowthroat, and White-eyed Vireo all reached Raleigh, these
species being from nine to fourteen days late. Prior to this period the
Chipping Sparrow had appeared on March 19--about two weeks late,--and
the Blue-headed Vireo on April 1, this bird arriving only one week late.
After April 6, the greater number of other species came in at about
their usual time or a few days later, but several were decidedly early.
The Kingbird reached Raleigh on April 12, the earliest date yet recorded
in this locality. However, this was the only record for early arrival
that was broken among the commoner species, although two others were
equaled.
Six new records were established for late departures of winter birds,
namely: Loggerhead Shrike, April 1; Fox Sparrow, April 6; American
Pipit, April 6; Brown Creeper, April 19; Song Sparrow, April 28, and
White-throated Sparrow, May 19. Two former records were duplicated and
seven of the remaining fourteen species noted were from four to fourteen
days later than the average. It is plain that species which leave
normally before the sixth of April could have been delayed a few days by
the severe weather of late March and early April; but it is not easy to
understand how it could have affected, to any marked extent, the species
which depart in late April and in May.
The migration at Raleigh was also characterized by an unusually great
variety of species, including a number of very rare birds. A
Black-crowned Night Heron taken on April 4 and a Bay-breasted Warbler
observed on May 5 constitute new local records. Other rare or uncommon
species worthy of especial mention are the Yellow-crowned Night Heron,
Osprey, Black-throated Green Warbler, Yellow-legs, Pectoral Sandpiper,
Bartramian Sandpiper, Cape May Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler,
Chestnut-sided Warbler, Baltimore Oriole, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and
Wilson's Warbler. The total number of species whose arrival was observed
amounted to no less than sixty-eight in all, which is the largest number
yet recorded at Raleigh during a single season. This fact can probably
in no way be attributed to the abnormal weather conditions before
mentioned (except possibly in the case of the Night Herons), but rather
to the large amount of time spent in making observations. Also the fact
that two observers were in the field did not play so large a part in
this as might be expected, as one of them alone observed all but one of
the sixty-eight species recorded.
A. COMMONER SPECIES
I. Species normally arriving before April 1.
================================+===========+============+=============
| Average | | Days later
NAME | date of | Arrival | or earlier
|arrival [1]| 1915 |than average.
--------------------------------+-----------+------------+-------------
Chipping Sparrow | March 7 | March 19 | 12 late
Yellow-throated Warbler | March 24 | April 7 | 14 late
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | March 24 | April 7 | 14 late
Blue-headed Vireo | March 25 | April 1 | 7 late
Pectoral Sandpiper | March 25 | April 13 | 19 late
Louisiana Water-Thrush | March 26 | April 7 | 12 late
Maryland Yellowthroat | March 26 | April 7 | 12 late
Black-and-White Warbler | March 27 | April 6 | 10 late
Black-throated Green Warbler | March 27 | April 10 | 14 late
White-eyed Vireo | March 31 | April 9 | 9 late
American Osprey | March 31 | March 28 | 3 early
II. Species normally arriving from April 1 to 10 inclusive.
Tree Swallow | April 3 | April 13 | 10 late
Lesser Yellow-legs | April 3 | April 13 | 10 late
Barn Swallow | April 7 | April 13 | 6 late
Green Heron | April 9 | April 14 | 5 late
Parula Warbler | April 10 | April 15 | 5 late
Whip-poor-will | April 10 | April 18 | 8 late
III. Species normally arriving from April 11 to 20, inclusive.
Redstart | April 12 | April 12 | 0 late
Yellow Warbler | April 14 | April 17 | 3 late
Prairie Warbler | April 14 | April 12 | 2 early
Yellow-throated Vireo | April 14 | April 13 | 1 early
Spotted Sandpiper | April 15 | April 13 | 2 early
Hooded Warbler | April 16 | April 10 | 6 early
Crested Flycatcher | April 16 | April 24 | 8 late
Red-eyed Vireo | April 16 | April 20 | 4 late
Wood Thrush | April 16 | April 11 | 5 early
Chimney Swift | April 16 | April 13 | 3 early
Ovenbird | April 17 | April 9 | 8 early
Summer Tanager | April 17 | April 11 | 6 early
House Wren | April 17 | April 20 | 3 late
Ruby-throated Hummingbird | April 18 | April 14 | 4 early
Kingbird | April 19 | April 12 | 7 early
Catbird | April 20 | April 21 | 1 late
IV. Species normally arriving later than April 20.
Yellow-breasted Chat | April 24 | April 27 | 3 late
Solitary Sandpiper | April 24 | April 13 | 11 early
Orchard Oriole | April 25 | April 27 | 2 late
Wood Pewee | April 25 | April 27 | 2 late
Water-Thrush | April 27 | April 23 | 4 early
Black-throated Blue Warbler | April 27 | April 21 | 6 early
Green-crested Flycatcher | April 30 | April 21 | 9 early
Bobolink | May 2 | May 3 | 1 late
Indigo Bunting | May 2 | April 27 | 5 early
Blue Grosbeak | May 3 | May 1 | 2 early
Black-poll Warbler | May 4 | May 3 | 1 early
Kentucky Warbler | May 5 | April 23 | 12 early
Yellow-billed Cuckoo | May 6 | May 14 | 8 late
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
B. RARER SPECIES[2]
Yellow-crowned Night Heron April 2 and 8
Black-crowned Night Heron April 6
Rough-winged Swallow April 6
King Rail April 7
Rusty Blackbird April 8
Bachman's Sparrow April 10
Grasshopper Sparrow April 17
Bartramian Sandpiper April 17
Purple Martin April 17
Prothonotary Warbler April 24
Nighthawk April 24
(The last two were noted 15 miles
east of Raleigh.)
Cape May Warbler April 27
Olive-backed Thrush April 28
Blue-winged Warbler April 30
Scarlet Tanager April 30
Wilson's Thrush May 1
Chestnut-sided Warbler May 4
Baltimore Oriole May 4
Rose-breasted Grosbeak May 4
Bay-breasted Warbler May 5
Gray-cheeked Thrush May 13
Wilson's Warbler May 19
[1] The average date of arrival was calculated from records
made during the period 1884 to 1911 inclusive.
[2] This group includes species of which our records are too
meager or too irregular to obtain an average as to time
of arrival.
First Efforts at Bird Photography
By H. IRA HARTSHORN, Newark, N. J.
With photographs by the author
The accompanying pictures are the results of my first attempts at bird
photography, and I want to let others know how much pleasure is to be
derived from this method of studying birds. All the pictures I have
taken so far are of the tame birds one sees every day around the house.
That is, if one doesn't live in too big a city; in which case a trolley
to the suburbs will answer, as it did in my case.
My equipment, which includes a second-hand camera, two plate-holders, an
electrical release, a flashlight battery, small satchel, flexible wire,
etc., did not cost over $8.
[Illustration: CHIPPING SPARROW FEEDING ITS YOUNG]
The first nest I saw last year was a Chickadee's nest. I found it on
April 18. It was still cold, with not a leaf on the trees. The two birds
were taking out chips from the top of a birch stump, which was about
seven feet high. The hole was about eight inches deep. There was still
no lining in the nest, so I knew that the birds had not prepared it for
the reception of the eggs.
I visited it again on April 26, and expected to see two eggs in the
little home; but, when I arrived there, I found that the nest had been
broken off at the very bottom of the eight inches already dug. This was
caused by the Chickadees' digging too close to the rotten bark, when the
first gust of wind probably broke it. Much to my delight, the birds were
not daunted by this misfortune, but kept on building. On April 24, the
hole was started the second time. A friend saw the Chickadees begin the
hole. On April 26, the hole was six inches deep! The birds had dug
through fourteen inches of wood to make their home!
[Illustration: CHICKADEE LEAVING ITS NEST TO FORAGE FOR A FAMILY
OF EIGHT]
On May 2 the nest was finished, and on May 9 there were eight eggs in
the little bit of a hole that could hardly hold the mother bird.
May 23, I took my camera with me to the nest. I expected that the young
birds would be out by that time, and that the old birds would be flying
in and out with food, giving me many opportunities for photography. I
looked in the nest and saw that every egg was hatched, so I proceeded to
set my camera about two feet away, when who should appear on the
ground-glass but one of the parents, with a mouth full of struggling
little green caterpillars. She, if it were the female, looked at the
camera a second or two, then, without another thought of the outside
world, hopped down into the nest and fed her young.
[Illustration: CHIPPING SPARROW APPROACHING ITS NEST]
The camera arranged, I was just about to seek concealment behind a bush,
when both of the parent birds flew near the nest with food. I stood very
still. One of the birds, the male, I think, stopped too, but the other
one flew right into the nest. She soon came out, and stood on the very
point I had the camera focused. Very slowly I put my hand up to the
shutter-release, expecting the bird to fly any minute; but at last I
reached it and, click, I had my first 'close up' bird picture. And it
was the best one, too; for although I took six or seven others, they did
not turn out so well as the first one.
[Illustration: CHIPPING SPARROW BROODING]
May 31, I went to take the pictures of the little Chickadees, but found
that they were still too small to handle. I was not able to go again,
but my friend reports that the whole family of eight young left the
nest, and were very healthy-looking little birds. This nest was situated
on the edge of a woods at Verona, N. J.
During the two weeks' vacation at Fredon, Sussex Co., N. Y., I found
twelve nests, a list of which follows. All but three were found on a
farm.
One Robin's nest, containing one egg. Deserted for unknown cause.
Two Field Sparrows' nests. Each contained young, almost full-grown
birds. One nest had an unfertile egg in it.
One Barn Swallow's nest, containing four eggs.
Two Red-winged Blackbirds' nests, each with four eggs. Both nests were
broken up. One was entirely empty and the other contained the shells of
the eggs. I could not find out the cause of this double tragedy.
[Illustration: A HOUSE WREN ENTERING ITS NEST IN A FENCE-POST]
Two House Wrens' nests. Both of these were in fence-posts. I caught one
bird with the camera just as it was entering the nest.
Two Chipping Sparrows' nests. One was in an unusual place, on the limb
of a Norway spruce that projected over the porch roof. I got some very
good photographs of this family, which consisted of the parents and
three young. The young were hatched on June 6, and they left the nest on
June 15.
One Kingbird's nest, containing three eggs, was on a limb of a willow
tree that extended over a pond about ten feet. The nest itself was three
feet above the water.
One Flicker's nest. I could not determine the number of young in this
nest, but I knew they were there by their hissing at a shadow over the
entrance to the nest.
This year the Bobolink appeared in the neighborhood of Fredon for the
first time in at least four years, if not more.
Of all the songs of birds I have heard, I like the Bobolink's the best.
* * * * *
[Illustration: LONG-EARED OWL ON ITS EGGS IN AN OLD CROW'S NEST
Photographed by H. and E. Pittman, Wauchope, Saskatchewan.]
* * * * *
The Interesting Barn Owl
By JOSEPH W. LIPPINCOTT, Bethayres, Pa.
With a photograph by the author
The Barn Owl commands my respect. He is the greatest mouse-eating
machine I have yet encountered, and as such surely deserves every
consideration in these days of crop destruction by rodents. Like most
Owls, he does not allow his presence long to remain unsuspected. A loud,
harsh scream after nightfall, repeated at the right intervals to keep
one awake and echoed by the young Owls when they appear, is his
greeting. And well may the little mice shiver in their poor retreats!
I heard the good old Barn Owls again and again during early spring
nights, and later found that two, or perhaps more, young ones were
generally in or about a hemlock grove not far from the creek and the
swampy meadows that make such ideal feeding-grounds and are, in fact,
the nucleus of the rodent hosts that spread over the neighboring farms
each summer. It was by mere accident, however, that I found a nest.
A neighbor was planning a greenhouse on the site then occupied by his
young chickens and, to give security to the glass, cut down a great
storm-battered and fire-scarred buttonball tree that stood at one end of
his farm buildings. Down it came with terrific force, but without
killing three young Barn Owls, which were able to give one of the
workmen a big scare when he climbed over the top. And this happened in
the middle of August, when one brood was already in the woods!
They were in a deep, dark, ill-smelling hollow, and a weird-looking trio
indeed with the white down still clinging over the yellow-brown
feathers. What startled the workman was a splendid series of hisses; for
they understood how to make the sound about as wickedly as the most
poisonous serpent.
A little Owl is generally all grit, and these were the grittiest,
bramble-footed propositions I ever expect to handle. Their big eyes kept
an unwinking glare fixed on each one who came near, and they leaped like
lightning, often all three together, at a hand thrust within reach. It
would have been very comical except for the bitter earnestness which the
poor little fellows put into their defense, making one feel sorry for
them when double gloves prevailed, and they were deposited in a
chicken-coop nearby, to prevent interference with the chopping. Then,
for hours after the moving, it seemed as if steam were strangely and
violently escaping from an ordinary chicken-coop, much to the
astonishment of visitors.
Around the tree were many of the small masses of fur and bones which
Owls disgorge a few hours after meals. These show very well what animals
have been taken and, in this case, were most interesting, since the
dozens I examined contained the remains of field mice, deer mice,
shrews, and moles only. No rabbits, no squirrels, no insects, no little
birds! Indeed, there was not a feather of any kind, although the little
chickens had been running about and roosting all spring and summer
within a few feet--alluring, easy and constantly announcing their
presence by seductive peeping.
[Illustration: A YOUNG BARN OWL]
The old hollow must have suffered long use. It opened toward the south
through a large limb hole about thirty feet from the ground, and also
upward through the broken top of the tree; though that exit was not
used, and probably only served to let in a veritable deluge of water
during the thunderstorms. No doubt, too, the young Owls amused
themselves watching the clouds and the stars pass slowly over their
heads day by day, with the added excitement of a Hawk, Buzzard, or
smaller bird now and then. They rested on layers of debris which, when
examined, showed that honey bees had once been tenants, and later bats
and generations of Owls, perhaps many other birds, for hollows have a
strange, interesting history.
The birds themselves seemed about the size of old ones without the full
feathering, strong muscle and weight. They were so queer and wore such
humorous expressions whenever approached that, from the first, they
would have been objects of continual interested observation, were it not
for the rather discouraging fact that this almost always brought on a
quarrel. The bright light and excited feelings seemed to confuse one so
much that he would mistake the others for enemies and pounce on them.
This caused equally fierce retaliation every time, and resulted in all
three being scratched about the thighs. Darkening the coop remedied
this.
It impressed me then as strange that, with all the birds' show of
aggressiveness, there was no snapping of beaks nor marked disposition to
bite; but I later found that they did not have the same strength in
their beaks as most varieties of Owls, particularly the Great Horned
Owls, which crush the skull of a rabbit with such ease. This, I suppose,
has something to do with the species' love of very small mammals, which
can be torn to pieces and swallowed without trouble by those queer
cavernous mouths. Their hooked claws, which gripped me on several
occasions, were all right, though and as sharp as needles.
The youngsters were left severely alone until evening, when, with the
lessening light, came a quick change. They seemed to lose some of their
fear, and to be expectantly listening for something. Every now and then
one would utter a rasping cry, which blended harmoniously with the
insect chorus and yet could be heard a long distance.
Just as the sun set and the glow still spread over the west, the cries
became very insistent, and a shadow seemed to pass for an instant over
the coop as one of the parents flew quietly into a locust tree nearby,
and stood there close to the trunk, a mouse dangling from the left foot.
It soon flew out and circled noiselessly, only to disappear very soon,
much to the disgust of the coop occupants. Several minutes elapsed, the
evening silence broken only by the rasping call and the drum of the
katy-dids; then an old Owl circled by bearing a mouse in its beak. It
may have been the same bird and the same mouse, the deepening shadows
making it impossible to see accurately.
The night being dark, I left my hiding-place and the birds until
morning, when it was surprising to find only the smallest of the three
in the coop, and that dead. The other two had escaped; but how they
squeezed beneath slats which allowed only the tiniest chicks to go
through will ever be a mystery to me. I could not even pull out the
remaining one. It was much less developed than the other two, both in
size of limb and feather, and had evidently succumbed to the effects of
the frightful fall, though its body showed no bruise.
I hunted around the debris of the felled trees, and finally spied the
others, which had done some expert climbing and hidden in the darkest
corners, one beneath a tree trunk, the other in a leafy top where it had
evidently stayed all night, as evidenced by a kind of bed stamped down
and lined with surplus food carried there by the parents. Such a supper!
three particularly fine meadow mice and a fat star-nosed mole, all
freshly killed and whole.
The youngsters, which at first crouched silently, were in a very bitter
frame of mind, so I carried them out by the wing tips--the only
satisfactory way I found of handling such a brambly article--and later
made them stand in the light for a photograph--a difficult matter,
because they ran with all speed for the wood-pile as soon as released.
Just as I thought I had them, after many attempts, one mistook the other
for a foe, and, without preliminaries, went for him. However, the other
one met the rush feet first and seized the attacking claws before they
hit, practically holding down his brother by each foot while he glared
into his face in comical fashion, and hissed for all he was worth. This
holding hands continued with much comical shaking of heads, until both
birds suddenly struck at each other somewhat as roosters do; then they
held hands again until separated and put into a deep open-top box for
safe-keeping. If left free, dogs, cats, or opossums would most likely
have found them through the strong odor so noticeable about young birds
of prey. The mice were, however, first cut into pieces and thrust down
the apparently hungry birds' throats, while each was held by his feet
and neck.
Every night after that the youngsters were visited and fed by the
devoted old ones, and always it was with mice of some kind or
moles--principally meadow mice, house mice, white-footed mice, shrews
and ground moles--as many as eight sometimes, as shown by the disgorged
pellets or uneaten bodies.
The parents also scrupulously cleaned the old box each night. They lived
in the hemlock wood across the narrow valley, but in what tree I could
not discover. One would appear soon after sunset with some kind of
mouse, and by eleven o'clock had apparently satisfied the youngsters'
hunger, for the rasping cries would usually cease and an occasional
louder and clearer cry of the old birds pierce the darkness.
One fine morning found the youngsters gone. Day after day they had tried
to jump out of the box, each time coming a little closer to the edge.
After this they could be heard calling in the evenings, and sometimes
until dawn. Always in the wood, they perched high up side by side or on
nearby limbs, and lazily relied on their parents to keep up the good
work of providing mice. On dark nights they called much longer than on
moonlight nights, which convinced me that the hunting was more difficult
then.
Occasionally a parent could be seen standing always very erect on the
barn gable overlooking a truck-garden, but usually it would watch from a
tree in the marshy meadows, now and then dropping to the ground and
staying there a considerable time as if hunting on foot among the grass
clumps, a method which, from the great agility of the young when pursued
on the ground and in the brush piles, I can well imagine no cat could
improve on.
I tried without success to draw them by imitating their strange cry, and
also a mouse's squeak made by sucking loudly on the back of the hand. A
Screech Owl and many wild animals would take instant notice of the
latter, but not the Barn Owls. Even a rat caught in a trap failed to
entice these birds, though several Screech Owls responded at once.
But who has stirred a Barn Owl? Over the dew-laden meadows he stands
guard, or perhaps at the edge of the moonlit corn-fields, waiting for
the only prey that seems to interest him. He knows the country like a
book, the runways of the meadow mouse, the house mouse's path from corn
shock to corn shock, the mole's early morning starting point.
Under the old buttonball tree the broods of young chickens ran from
early morning to night. The owner felt that the large Owls were a menace
to his flock and watched for them with a gun. But, with the fall of the
old tree and a study of their food, a new light has spread to every farm
in that vicinity.
I heard the young Owl's last 'rasp' on October 16; it was full of the
weird power which thrills one in the dark hours. A few minutes later, a
big bird flew low toward the orchard--the young Owls had taken to
hunting at last.
* * * * *
[Illustration: In Again
On Again
Gone Again!
Photographs of a Flicker by A. A. Allen]
* * * * *
=The Migration of North American Birds=
Compiled by Prof. W. W. Cooke, Chiefly from Data in the Biological
Survey
With a drawing by LOUIS AGASSIZ FUERTES
(See Frontispiece)
THE BUSH-TIT
All of the forms of Bush-Tits in the United States are non-migratory.
The present species, which is better known by the name of the Least
Bush-Tit, is confined to the Pacific Coast, where it ranges from
northern Lower California to southern British Columbia. This is the
range of the typical form (_Psaltriparus minimus minimus_), while a
subspecies called the California Bush-Tit (_Psaltriparus minimus
californicus_) occurs over much of eastern California east of the
Sacramento Valley, from the southern end of the Sierras nearly to the
Oregon line. A third form, or subspecies, the Grinda Bush-Tit
(_Psaltriparus minimus grindae_), is confined to the southern end of
Lower California.
THE LEAD-COLORED BUSH-TIT
The southern boundary of the range of the Lead-colored Bush-Tit
(_Psaltriparus plumbeus_) is found in western Texas, northern Mexico,
southeastern to northwestern Arizona, and the Providence Mountains,
California. Thence it occurs north to central and northwestern Colorado,
northern Utah and northwestern Nevada. A few individuals have been noted
in southwestern Wyoming and southeastern Oregon.
LLOYD'S BUSH-TIT
Scarcely coming across the boundary from its real home in northern
Mexico, the Lloyd Bush-Tit (_Psaltriparus melanotis lloydi_) occurs in
the southern part of the mountains of western Texas and barely crosses
the line in southwestern New Mexico.
THE VERDIN
Confined to the borderland of the southwestern United States, the Verdin
in its typical form (_Auriparus flaviceps flaviceps_) is one of the most
interesting birds of the desert and semi-arid districts, and is
non-migratory. It ranges north to southeastern California, southern
Nevada, northwestern Arizona (and extreme southwestern Utah),
southwestern and southeastern New Mexico, western and southern Texas,
and south into northern Mexico and the northern half of Lower
California. The southern half of Lower California is occupied by a
subspecies called the Cape Verdin (_Auriparus flaviceps
lamprocephalus_).
THE WREN-TIT
The known ranges of the various forms, or subspecies of the Wren-Tit are
given in the following paper. All the forms are non-migratory.
=Notes on the Plumage of North American Birds=
THIRTY-SEVENTH PAPER
By FRANK M. CHAPMAN
(See Frontispiece)