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Transcriber's note:
Page numbers in this book are indicated by numbers enclosed
in curly braces, e.g. {99}. They have been located where page
breaks occurred in the original book. The locations of some
illustrations have been moved to avoid splitting paragraphs.
THE BIRD STUDY BOOK
by
T. GILBERT PEARSON
Secretary, National Association of Audubon Societies
Coloured Frontispiece
Pen and ink drawings by Will Simmons
And sixteen photographs
[Frontispiece: Wood Thrush]
Garden City ------ New York
Doubleday, Page & Company
1917
Copyright, 1917, by
Doubleday, Page & Company
All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign
languages, including the Scandinavian
TO MY WIFE
ELSIE WEATHERLY PEARSON
{v}
PREFACE
This book has been written for the consideration of that ever-increasing
class of Americans who are interested in acquiring a greater familiarity
with the habits and activities of wild birds. There are many valuable
publications treating more or less exhaustively of the classification of
birds, as well as of form, colour, distribution, migration, songs, and
foods. Here an attempt is made to place before the reader a brief
consideration of these and many similar topics, and suggest lines of
action and thought that may perhaps stimulate a fuller study of the
subject. Attention is also given to the relation of birds to mankind and
the effect of civilisation on the bird-life of the country. The book is
not intended so much for the advanced student in ornithology, as for the
beginner. Its purpose is to answer many of the questions that students
in this charming field of outdoor study are constantly asking of those
more advanced in bird-lore. In conformity with the custom employed
during many years of college and summer-school teaching, the author has
discussed numerous details of field observation, the importance of which
is so often overlooked by writers on the subject.
If one can, in the recounting of some experience that he has found
interesting, awaken in the mind of a sympathetic hearer a desire to go
forth and acquire a similar experience, then indeed may he regard himself
as a worthy disciple of the immortal Pestalozzi. Let the teacher who
would instruct pupils in bird-study first acquire, therefore, that love
for the subject which is sure to come when one begins to learn the birds
and observe their movements. This book, it is hoped, will aid such
seekers after truth by the simple means of pointing out some of the
interesting things that may be sought and readily found in the field and
by the open road.
In the preparation of this volume much valuable aid has been received
from Messrs. E. W. Nelson, F. E. L. Beal, Wells W. Cooke, T. S. Palmer,
H. C. Oberholser, and others of the United States Biological Survey, for
which the author desires to make grateful acknowledgment.
Parts of some of the chapters have previously appeared in the "Craftsman
Magazine" and "Country Life in America," and are here reproduced by the
courtesy of the editors.
T. GILBERT PEARSON.
{ix}
CONTENTS
PAGE
PREFACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
CHAPTER
I. FIRST ACQUAINTANCE WITH THE BIRDS . . . . . . . . . . . 3
_Caution in Nest Hunting--Going Afield--Notebooks--Reporting
Blanks--Bird Books--Movements of Birds--Artificial
Cover in Hiding--The Umbrella Blind--Conclusion._
II. THE LIFE ABOUT THE NEST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
_Nest Hunting--Behaviour when Nest Is Discovered--Lessons
to Be Learned--Character of Material Used--Nests in
Holes--Variety of Locations--Variation in Families--Meagre
Nests._
III. DOMESTIC LIFE OF THE BIRDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
_Parental Care of Young--Sharing the Labours--Length
of Mated Life--A Much-married Bluebird--The Faithful
Canada Geese--Unmated Birds--Polygamy Among
Birds--The Outcast._
IV. THE MIGRATION OF BIRDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
_Moulting--Why Birds Migrate--The Gathering
Flocks--The Usual Movement--The Travelling Shore
Birds--The World's Migrating Champion--Perils of
Migration--Keeping Migration Records._
V. THE BIRDS IN WINTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
_A Good Time for Field Walks--The Downy's Winter
Quarters--Birds and the Night--The Food Question in
Winter--When the Food Supply Fails--Wild Fowl
Destroyed in the Oil Fields--Hunting Winter Birds._
VI. THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF BIRDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
_A Government Report--Plagues of Insects--Some
Useful Birds--The Question of the Weed Seeds--Dealing
with the Rodent Pests--The Terror That Flies by
Night--A Seldom Recognised Blessing._
VII. CIVILIZATION'S EFFECT ON THE BIRD SUPPLY . . . . . . . 120
_Number of Birds in the World--Number in the
Different States--Increase of Farm-land Species--Effect
of Forest Devastation--Commercializing Birds--Wild
Pigeon--Ivory-billed Woodpecker--Labrador
Duck--Great Auk--Eskimo Curlew._
VIII. THE TRAFFIC IN FEATHERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
_War on the Sea Swallows--What the Ladies Wore--The
Story of the Egrets--Amateur Feather
Hunters--Maribou--Pheasants--Numidie--Goura--Women's
Love for Feathers--Ostrich Feathers Are Desirable._
IX. BIRD-PROTECTIVE LAWS AND THEIR ENFORCEMENT . . . HOW
LAWS ARE MADE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
_Definition of Game--Audubon Laws--Game Law
Enforcement--Lacy Lava--Federal Migratory Bird
Law--History of Game Laws--The Theory of Shiras--Work
of the Bird Committee--Government Explanations--World's
Only Bird Treaty._
X. BIRD RESERVATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
_First Federal Bird Reservation--Congressional
Sanction--Florida Reservations--Distant
Reservations--President Taft a Bird
Protectionist--Audubon Society Reservations--The
Corkscrew Rookery--Wardens Shot by Plume Hunters._
XI. MAKING BIRD SANCTUARIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
_Natural Nesting Places Destroyed--Nesting Boxes for
Birds--Some Rules for Making and Erecting Bird
Boxes--Sites of Bird Boxes--Feeding Birds--Community
Sanctuaries--Birdcraft Sanctuary--Cemeteries as Bird
Sanctuaries--A Birdless Cemetery--Birds of a New York
Graveyard--Enemies to Be Eliminated--Berries and Fruit
for Birds._
XII. TEACHING BIRD STUDY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
_Teaching Children--Junior Audubon Societies--Correlated
Studies--Keeping Scrapbooks--Records of
Migrants--Essays--Sending Old Nests to City
Children--Audubon Prizes--Bird Day._
{xiii}
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Wood Thrush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _Frontispiece in color_
HALF-TONE CUTS
Facing Page
A ferocious young Eagle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Gannets nesting on the cliffs of Bonaventure
Island, Gulf of St. Lawrence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
A male Plumbeous Gnatcatcher feeding young . . . . . . . . . . 38
A mountain Bluebird family whose home has
been destroyed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Young Robins quarreling at their bath . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Feeding station for birds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Snowy Egret shot on its feeding grounds . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Farallone Cormorants and White Pelicans on
a Government Bird Reservation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Window "Cafeteria" at home of Mrs. Granville Pike . . . . . . 128
A Christmas dinner for the birds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
An Egret, bearing "aigrettes," in attendance
on her young . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Egret brooding on a Florida island owned and
guarded by the Audubon Society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
The Downy Woodpecker is fond of suet . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Members of a Junior Audubon class at Fergus
Falls, Minnesota . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
A California Hospital for injured birds . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Preparing for the coming of the birds . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
LINE CUTS IN TEXT
Page
The fox that followed the footsteps . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Heads and feet of various birds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Sample page of reporting-blank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
The umbrella blind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Nest of the ruby-throated hummingbird . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Bald Eagle's eyrie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Grebe or "water witch" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Canada Geese decoys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
A greedy young Cowbird . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Migration routes of some North American birds . . . . . . . . 71
Lighthouses cause the death of many birds . . . . . . . . . . 76
Tired migrating birds often alight on ships . . . . . . . . . 79
Grouse "budding" in an apple tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Cuckoo raiding a tent of caterpillars . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Screech owl and its prey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Passenger Pigeons are now extinct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
The Great Auk, now extinct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Terns formerly sought by the feather trade . . . . . . . . . . 144
Crowned Pigeon that furnishes the "goura" of
the feather trade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Migrative birds are protected by the Government . . . . . . . 172
The grotesque Wood Ibis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Hungry young Egrets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Cemented holes shut out the Chickadee . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Gourds and boxes for Martins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
A bird bath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Coloring of birds upon outline drawings . . . . . . . . . . . 257
{3}
THE BIRD STUDY BOOK
CHAPTER I
FIRST ACQUAINTANCE WITH THE BIRDS
It is in spring that wild birds make their strongest appeal to the
human mind; in fact, the words "birds" and "spring" seem almost
synonymous, so accustomed are we to associate one with the other. All
the wild riotous singing, all the brave flashing of wings and tail, all
the mad dashing in and out among the thickets or soaring upward above
the tree-tops, are impelled by the perfectly natural instinct of mating
and rearing young. And where, pray, dwells the soul so poor that it
does not thrill in response to the appeals of the ardent lover, even if
it be a bird, or feel sympathy upon beholding expressions of parental
love and solicitude. Most people, therefore, are interested in such
spring bird life as comes to their notice, the extent of this interest
depending {4} in part on their opportunity for observation, but more
especially, perhaps, on their individual taste and liking for things
out of doors.
It would seem safe to assume that there is hardly any one who does not
know by sight at least a few birds. Nearly every one in the eastern
United States and Canada knows the Robin, Crow, and English Sparrow; in
the South most people are acquainted with the Mockingbird and Turkey
Buzzard; in California the House Finch is abundant about the towns and
cities; and to the dwellers in the Prairie States the Meadowlark is
very familiar.
Taking such knowledge, however slight, as a basis, there is no reason
why any one, if he so desires, should not, with a little effort, get on
neighbourly terms with a large number of birds of the region, and
spring is a most favourable time to begin such an effort. One may
learn more about a bird's habits by closely observing its movements for
a few hours at this season than by watching it for a month later on.
The life that centres about the nest is most {5} absorbing. Few sights
are more stimulating to interest in outdoor life than spying on a pair
of wild birds engaged in nest building. Nest hunting, therefore, soon
becomes a part of the bird student's occupation, and I heartily
recommend such a course to beginners, _provided_ great care is
exercised not to injure the nests and their contents.
_Caution in Nest Hunting._--A thoughtful person will, of course, be
careful in approaching a wild bird's nest, otherwise much mischief may
be done in a very short time. I have known "dainty eggs" and "darling
baby-birds" to be literally visited to death by well-meaning people,
with the best of intentions. The parents become discouraged by
constantly recurring alarms and desert the nest, or a cat will follow
the path made through the weeds and leave nothing in the nest worth
observing. Even the bending of limbs, or the pushing aside of leaves,
will produce a change in the surroundings, which, however slight, may
be sufficient to draw the attention of some feathered enemy.
{6}
When one stumbles on the nest of a Quail, Meadowlark, or Oven-bird, it
is well not to approach it closely, because all over the country many
night-prowling animals have the habit of following by scent the
footsteps of any one who has lately gone along through the woods or
across the fields. One afternoon by the rarest chance I found three
Quails' nests containing eggs. The next morning I took out a friend to
share the pleasure of my discoveries. We found every nest destroyed
and the eggs eaten. My trail the evening before lay through cultivated
fields, and it was thus easy for us to find in the soft ground the
tracks of the fox or small dog that, during the night, had followed the
trail with calamitous results to the birds. When finding the nests I
had made the mistake of going to within a few inches of them. Had I
stopped six feet away the despoiler that followed probably never would
have known there was a nest near, for unless a dog approaches within a
very few feet of a _brooding_ Quail it seems not to possess the power
of smelling it.
[Illustration: The Fox that Followed the Footsteps]
{7}
_Going Afield._--It is rarely necessary to go far afield to begin the
study of birds. Often one may get good views of birds from one's open
window, as many species build their nests close to the house when the
surroundings are favourable. Last spring {8} I counted eighteen kinds
of birds one morning while sitting on the veranda of a friend's house,
and later found the nests of no less than seven of them within sight of
the house. When one starts out to hunt birds it is well to bear in
mind a few simple rules. The first of these is to go quietly. One's
good sense would of course tell him not to rush headlong through the
woods, talking loudly to a companion, stepping upon brittle twigs, and
crashing through the underbrush. Go quietly, stopping to listen every
few steps. Make no violent motions, as such actions often frighten a
bird more than a noise. Do not wear brightly coloured clothing, but
garments of neutral tones which blend well with the surroundings of
field and wood. It is a good idea to sit silently for a time on some
log or stump, and soon the birds will come about you, for they seldom
notice a person who is motionless. A great aid to field study is a
good _Field Glass_. A glass enables one to see the colours of small
birds hopping about the shrubbery, or moving through the branches of
trees. With its {9} aid one may learn much of their movements, and
even observe the kind of food they consume. A very serviceable glass
may be secured at a price varying from five to ten dollars. The
National Association of Audubon Societies, New York City, sells a
popular one for five dollars. If you choose a more expensive,
high-powered binocular, it will be found of greater advantage when
watching birds at a distance, as on a lake or at the seashore.
_Notebooks._--The bird student should early acquire the custom of
making notes on such subjects as are of special interest. In listening
to the song or call of some unknown bird, the notes can usually be
written down in characters of human speech so that they may be recalled
later with sufficient accuracy to identify the singer. It is well to
keep a list of the species observed when on a trip. For many years in
my field excursions I have kept careful lists of the birds seen and
identified, and have found these notes to be of subsequent use and
pleasure. In college and summer-school work I {10} have always
insisted on pupils cultivating the notebook habit, and results have
well justified this course.
In making notes on a bird that you do not know it is well to state the
size by comparing it with some bird you know, as, for example, "smaller
than an English Sparrow," "about the size of a Robin," and so on. Try
to determine the true colours of the birds and record these. Also note
the shape and approximate length of the bill. This, for example, may
be short and conical like a Canary's, awl-shaped like the bill of a
Warbler, or very long and slender like that of a Snipe. By failing to
observe these simple rules the learner may be in despair when he tries
to find out the name of his strange bird by examining a bird book, or
may cause some kindly friend an equal amount of annoyance.
[Illustration: Heads and feet of various birds]
As a further aid to subsequent identification it is well to record the
place where the bird was seen, for example: "hopping up the side of a
tree," "wading in a marsh," "circling about in the air," or "feeding
{12} on dandelions." Such secondary information, while often a
valuable aid to identification, would in itself hardly be sufficient to
enable an ornithologist to render the service desired.
That a young correspondent of mine entertained a contrary view was
evident from a letter I received a few weeks ago from an inexperienced
boy enthusiast, who was a member of a newly formed nature-study class.
Here is the exact wording of the communication: "Dear Sir: 10 A. M.
Wind East. Cloudy. Small bird seen on ground in orchard. Please
name. _P. S._ All the leaves have fallen."
_Reporting Blanks._--A convenient booklet of reporting blanks and
directions for using them is issued by the National Association of
Audubon Societies, New York City. This is very useful in recording
descriptions of birds. (See sample, page 13.) The blanks may be sent
to the office of the National Association and the species described
will be named.
[Illustration: Sample page of reporting-blank]
Bird Books.--There are a number of inexpensive {14} books which contain
illustrations of birds in natural colours. One of these will be of the
greatest aid to the beginner in bird study. Among the most useful are
the Reed's, "Bird Guides," one covering the birds of the eastern and
the other those of the western part of the United States. The pictures
alone will be of great use in learning the names of feathered
neighbours, while an intelligent study of the text will reveal the
identity of many others.
Local lists of such birds as are found in a neighbourhood, or a county,
are always a great aid in determining, with a fair degree of accuracy,
just what species may or may not be expected to appear in a given
locality. Such lists are usually first published in _The Auk_, _The
Condor_, or other ornithological publications, and in many cases are
printed and distributed later as separate pamphlets.
There have been published also many State lists of birds, usually
accompanied by detailed information regarding abundance and
distribution of all the species known to occur in the State. Every
bird {15} student should, if possible, get a copy of his own State bird
book. Any reader who may wish to learn if such a list of the birds of
his neighbourhood or State has been published is at liberty to address
the question to the author of this book.
_Movements of Birds._--One does not get very far in the work of bird
study without discovering that certain movements are characteristic of
various families; and when the observer is able to recognize this
difference in manner a long step has been taken in acquiring the power
of identifying species.
After watching for a time the actions of a Downy Woodpecker as it
clings to the side of a tree, or hops along its bark, one is quick to
recognize the Woodpecker _manner_ when some other species of that
family is encountered. Recalling the ceaseless activities of a Yellow
Warbler the observer feels, without quite knowing why, that he has
discovered another Warbler of some kind when a Redstart or
Chestnut-sided Warbler appears. Once identify a Barn Swallow coursing
through the air, and a long {16} stride is made toward the
identification of the Cliff or Tree Swallow when one swings into view.
The flight of the Flicker, the Goldfinch, the Nighthawk, and the
Sparrow Hawk, is so characteristic in each case that I have often been
able to name the bird for a student upon being told its approximate
size and the character of its flight. Who can see a Wild Duck
swimming, or a Gull flying, without at once referring it to the group
of birds to which it belongs? Thus the first step is taken toward
learning the names of the species, and the grouping of them into
families.
_Artificial Cover in Hiding._--When studying the larger or the shyer
species it is sometimes well to hide one's self from view with whatever
articles are at hand that resemble the natural surroundings. This may
be done by covering with hay if in a field, or by holding some leafy
branches about you if in the woods.
On a lonely island in Pamlico Sound I once got some fishermen to cover
me with sand and sea-shells, and in that way managed to get a close
view of {17} the large flocks of Cormorants that came there to roost
every night. The island was small and perfectly barren, and any other
method of attempted concealment would have failed utterly.
Another time, while crouched among some boulders watching for a flock
of Gambel's Quails to come to a water-hole in the Santa Catalina
Mountains of Arizona, a Canyon Wren alighted on my back, for I was
covered with an old tent fly so spotted with mildew that it closely
resembled the neighbouring rocks. A moment later it flew to a point
scarcely more than a foot from my face, when, after one terrified look,
it departed.
[Illustration: A ferocious young eagle]
_The Umbrella Blind._--A device now often used by ornithologists is the
umbrella blind, which is easy to construct. Take a stout umbrella,
remove the handle, and insert the end in a hollow brass rod five feet
long. Sharpen the rod at the other end and thrust it into the ground.
Over the raised umbrella throw a dark green cloth cut and sewed so as
to make a curtain that will reach the ground all round. A {19}
draw-string will make it fit over the top. Get inside, cut a few
vertical observation slits six inches long, and your work is done.
Erect this within ten feet of a nest, and leave it alone for a few
hours. The birds will quickly get accustomed to it so that later you
may go inside and watch at close range without disturbing them in the
least. This blind is often used for close bird photography. I have
taken pictures of Herring Gulls at a distance of only six feet with the
aid of such a blind. If you wish to use it on a windy day it may be
stayed by a few guy-lines from the top and sides.
[Illustration: The Umbrella Blind]
The foregoing instructions include all the necessary aids to a beginner
in bird study who desires to start afield properly equipped. To
summarize them, all that is really necessary is a field glass, a
notebook for memoranda, inconspicuous clothing, and a desire to listen
and learn.
In the next chapter we shall discuss some of the things to be learned
in the study of the life about the nest.
{20}
_NOTE.--The following publications will be found of great aid to the
student in identifying wild birds:_
_"Handbook of Birds of Eastern North America," by Frank M. Chapman,
published by D. Appleton Or Company, price $3.65, postpaid._
_"Handbook of Birds of Western United States," by Florence Merriam
Bailey, published by Houghton, Mifflin Company, price $3.68, postpaid._
_"Water and Game Birds: Birds of Prey" and "Land Birds East of the
Rockies: From Parrots to Blue Birds," by Chester A. Reed, published by
Doubleday, Page & Company, price of each in sock cloth, $1.10,
postpaid; inflexible leather, $1.35, postpaid._
_Educational Leaflets, published by the National Association of Audubon
Societies, New York City, a series of nearly one hundred, price 2 cents
each._
{21}