The blackbird loves to be one of a great flock. He talks, sings or
scolds from morning until night. He cannot keep still. He will only stay
alone with his family a few months in the summer. That is the reason he
is called the "Bird of Society." When he is merry, he gaily sings,
"Conk-quer-ree." When he is angry or frightened he screams, "Chock!
Chock!" When he is flying or bathing he gives a sweet note which sounds
like ee-u-u. He can chirp--chick, check, chuck, to his little ones as
softly as any other bird. But only his best friends ever hear his
sweetest tones, for the Blackbirds do not know how to be polite. They
all talk at once. That is why most people think they only scream and
chatter. Did you ever hear the blackbirds in the cornfields? If the
farmers thought about it perhaps they would feel that part of every corn
crop belongs to the Blackbirds. When the corn is young, the farmer
cannot see the grubs which are eating the young plants. The Blackbirds
can. They feed them to their babies--many thousands in a day. That is
the way the crops are saved for the farmer. But he never thinks of that.
Later when the Blackbirds come for their share of the corn the farmer
says, "No, they shall not have my corn. I must stop that quickly."
Perhaps the Blackbirds said the same thing to the grubs in the spring.
It is hard to have justice for everyone.
In April the Blackbird and his mate leave the noisy company. They seek
a cosy home near the water where they can be quiet until August. They
usually choose a swampy place among low shrubs and rushes. Here in the
deep nest of coarse grass, moss and mud the mother bird lays her five
eggs. They are very pretty--light blue with purple and black markings.
Their friends say this is the best time to watch the blackbirds. In the
flock they are all so much alike we cannot tell one from another. You
would like to hear of some of the wise things Blackbirds do when they
are tame.
One friend of the birds turned her home into a great open bird cage. Her
chair was the favorite perch of her birds. She never kept them one
minute longer than they wanted to stay. Yet her home was always full.
This was Olive Thorne Miller. If you care to, you might ask mother to
get "Bird Ways" and read you what she says about this "bird of society"
and the other birds of this book.