Chapter VI: Part THREE: Early Spring Birds (1)

On a mild day late in February or early in March, before winter is really over and snow has entirely disappeared, one may hear the cheerful voice of the song sparrow, the welcome chirp of the robin, or the sweet note of the bluebird. Even though ice and snow return, courage is renewed with the advent of winged messengers who presage the ever fresh miracle of spring, and who hold home-love in their hearts so strong that they brave cold and distance to return to the "Land of Their Hearts' Desire."

As the season advances, other birds arrive. A "dusky line" of wild geese "honk" noisily; flocks of grackles "creak" from the pines; red-winged blackbirds join the hylas in awakening the marshes; phoebes call disconsolately for their mates; fox sparrows, chewinks, and white-throats sing melodiously from thickets; cowbirds appear in fields, which ring with the clear songs of meadowlarks and the tender notes of field and vesper sparrows. Mourning doves coo gently to each other; chipping sparrows make their homes in our gardens; kingfishers sound their rattles; flickers and red-headed woodpeckers raise their loud voices. The hills "clap their hands with joy"; the earth shows a flush of green and gold; trees and shrubs are touched with colors more exquisite than in autumn; wild-flowers carpet the woods and fields, and brooks join in the chorus of bird-song.

As the birds appear, it is not difficult to distinguish them, if one begins before the great migration of late April or early May, and goes forth with alert senses and infinite patience and perseverance. With a reliable guide-book, a learner may be reasonably sure of the early migrants, because only certain species of large and confusing families are to be found during March and early April.

In watching birds, a student learns to observe with lightning speed; to note color and comparative size; distinguishing marks such as crests or striped crowns, spots on breast or throat, bars on wings or tail; the length and shape of bill, wings, tail, and legs. He learns also to notice whether the bird walks, runs, hops, or "teeters"; whether its flight is swift or slow, direct like a robin's, undulating like a goldfinch's, soaring like that of hawks and eagles, labored or jerky like woodpeckers', or graceful and "skimming" like that of swallows.

A careful observer notices also whether the bird was seen in a plowed field or a grassy pasture; by a roadside or in a thicket; in an orchard or an open grove; in deep woods or coniferous forests; in a treetop, on a tree-trunk, on the ground; near a stream, a pond, or a marsh; near a sandy or a rocky shore; in an arid region, or among mountains.

A sure means of identification for many species is the song or the call-note. The songs of some birds are similar to those of others, but there is usually a characteristic note or strain. When beginning my study of birds, I traced every sound I could to its source, waited till I saw the author of the note or song, listened till I learned it, could reproduce it, or at least be sure of future recognition. I found that the training of my sense of hearing opened an avenue of enjoyment of which I had been utterly unconscious; many others testify to a similar pleasure. Thoreau speaks repeatedly of his joy in sound and even in silence. Truly the voice of God may thus be heard and His infinite power further revealed.

MIGRATION LISTS

Dates of Arrival of "Summer Visitants" Near New York City

February 15 to 28
Purple Grackle
Rusty Blackbird
Red-winged Blackbird
Robin
Winter Residents and Visitants

BIRDS SEEN IN MARCH

_Winter Residents Leaving For The North_
Snowflake
Northern Shrike
Horned Lark
Redpoll

_Migrants Arriving From The South_

Loon
4 species of Ducks

March 1 to 10
Purple Grackle
Red-winged Blackbird
Rusty Blackbird
Robin

March 10 to 20
Phoebe
Meadowlark
Cowbird
Fox Sparrow
Woodcock

March 20 to 31
Kingfisher
Mourning Dove
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Wilson's Snipe

BIRDS SEEN IN APRIL

_Winter Residents Leaving For The North_
Junco
Tree Sparrow
Winter Wren
Brown Creeper
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Golden-crowned Kinglet

_Migrants Arriving From The South_

April 1 to 10
Great Blue Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron
Osprey
Vesper Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Tree Swallow
Myrtle Warbler
Hermit Thrush

April 10 to 20
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Barn Swallow
Yellow Palm Warbler
Pine Warbler
Louisiana Water-thrush
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Green Heron

April 20 to 30
Whip-poor-will
Chimney Swift
Least Flycatcher
Towhee
Purple Martin
Cliff Swallow
Bank Swallow
Rough-winged Swallow
Black and White Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Brown Thrasher
Spotted Sandpiper

BIRDS ARRIVING IN MAY

May 1 to 10
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Black-billed Cuckoo
Nighthawk
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Crested Flycatcher
Kingbird
Baltimore Oriole
Bobolink
Indigo Bunting
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Scarlet Tanager
Red-eyed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo
White-eyed Vireo
Blue-winged Warbler
Parula Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Hooded Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Maryland Yellow-throat
Oven-bird
Redstart
House Wren
Catbird
Wood Thrush
Veery

May 10 to 20
Wood Pewee
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-winged Warbler
Worm-eating Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Black-poll Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Canadian Warbler
Marsh Wrens
Olive-backed Thrush
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Bicknell's Thrush

SUMMER VISITORS THAT BREED FARTHER SOUTH AND ARE OCCASIONALLY SEEN NEAR NEW
YORK

Red-bellied Woodpecker
Summer Tanager
Carolina Chickadee
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Mockingbird
Numerous Water-birds that nest in the Antarctic regions visit our
shores during the summer.

FALL MIGRATION

_Summer Residents Leaving For The South_

September 1 to 10
Orchard Oriole
Rough-winged Swallow
Worm-eating Warbler
Blue-winged Warbler

September 10 to 20
Baltimore Oriole
Purple Martin
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat

September 20 to 30
Green Heron
Hummingbird
Kingbird
Crested Flycatcher
Wood Pewee
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Yellow-throated Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Hooded Warbler
Louisiana Water-thrush
Veery

_Migrants Arriving From The North_

September 1 to 10
Black-poll Warbler
Connecticut Warbler

September 10 to 20
Wilson's Snipe
Olive-backed Thrush
Bicknell's Thrush

September 20 to 30
Herring Gull
Junco
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Myrtle Warbler
Yellow Palm Warbler
Brown Creeper
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Winter Wren
Gray-cheeked Thrush

October 1 to 10
Black-crowned Night Heron
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Black-billed Cuckoo
Chimney Swift
Least Flycatcher
Bobolink
Indigo Bunting
Scarlet Tanager
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow
Bank Swallow
White-eyed Vireo
Black and White Warbler
Oven-bird
Redstart
Wood Thrush

October 10 to 20
Spotted Sandpiper
Whip-poor-will
Nighthawk
Red-eyed Vireo
Maryland Yellow-throat
Catbird
Brown Thrasher
House Wren
Marsh Wren

October 20 to 31
Phoebe
Towhee
Tree Swallow

_Migrants Arriving From The North_

October 1 to 10
Bronzed Grackle
Rusty Blackbird
Hermit Thrush
Canada Goose
Loon
Pintail and Mallard Ducks

October 10 to 20
Fox Sparrow

October 20 to 31
Horned Lark
Tree Sparrow
Snowflake
Redpoll
Northern Shrike

NOVEMBER

_Migrants Leaving For The South_
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Cowbird
Red-winged Blackbird
Purple Grackle
Vesper Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow

BIRDS SEEN IN DECEMBER

Permanent Residents
Winter Residents and Visitants

It is interesting to note that the earliest arrivals in the spring are the last to migrate in the fall. The reason is the food-supply. The insectivorous birds arrive later and leave earlier than those that have a more varied diet. An unusually severe winter sends birds south of their usual winter range.

The dates of migration must necessarily vary with latitude. Migrants arrive near Washington a week or two earlier than near New York City, and near Boston a few days later. The lateness of the spring sometimes causes a delay of a week or two. The May arrivals appear more nearly on schedule. After May 15 birds begin to decrease in number, the "Transient Visitors" passing farther north; by June 5 we have with us our "Permanent Residents" and "Summer Residents."

In the fall the mildness of a season may cause November migrants to remain into December, or an open winter may tempt those that habitually migrate only a short distance to remain north of their usual winter range.

DESCRIPTIONS AND BIOGRAPHIES

THE AMERICAN ROBIN
_Thrush Family--Turdidæ_

Length: 10 inches.

Male: Head black; bill yellow; a white spot above and below eye; throat
white, streaked with black; back and wings gray; tail black, with
white spots near tips of outer feathers; white beneath tail; entire
breast and sides reddish-brown; color less brilliant in autumn and
winter, and bill darker.

Young Female: Paler than male.

Young: Similar to female, except for speckled breasts and backs.

Call-note: A sharp _tut_, used to express anger or alarm; also a sweet
tender note, with which it encourages its young or converses with
its mate.

Song: A loud, clear morning song, _Cheer-up, cheer-up, cheer-up,
cheer-up_, sweeter and more subdued toward evening. The song varies
decidedly with different individuals. Many robins seem to enjoy
improvisations; we may hear them sing their somewhat monotonous
strain with pleasing variations. During their sojourn in the South
they sing but little, and live in flocks remote from human
habitations; consequently they are not loved as they are in the
North.

Range: North America, breeding from the tree-limit south to the northern
part of the Gulf States and Mexican tableland; in winter, to Florida
and the highlands of Guatemala.

None of our birds is so well-known and so universally beloved as the robin. He, together with the song sparrow and the bluebird, arrives at a time when we are weary of winter and yearning for spring. He seems to show so much eagerness to return to us that he receives a hearty welcome. He is the first bird that we knew in childhood, unless it be the English sparrow; our earliest books were filled with tales and poems concerning him. Most of us have a fund of anecdotes that we could relate.

A robin has distinct individuality. His is a many-sided nature. He is cheerful and optimistic, aggressive and fearless, pugnacious and ardent--like the brave Lochinvar, "so daring in love and so dauntless in war,"--yet withal tender, joyous, and lovable. He is a fighter at mating time, but a gentle husband.

There are few bird-choruses as sweet as robins' rain-song or even-song. I recall a flock of these happy birds singing from maple-tops in a little village nestled beside a brawling river, when patches of brown earth showed beneath melting snow, and heavy rain-clouds broke away to reveal a golden western sky. The robins sang with the joy that my own heart felt at the renewal of life on the earth. I once heard their even-song in an elm-shaded college-town of Massachusetts during a lovely Sunday evening in June, when church-bells rang and robins held a vesper service all their own. My sister and I walked beneath the great arched trees and found ourselves speaking in whispers, as was our habit in the cathedrals of the Old World.

The robin's _tut-tut_, or _tut-tut-tut'-tut-tut-tut-tut_,--his scolding note,--is very similar to the exclamation of reproof our grandfather used to administer to us for childish misdemeanors. It is amusing to see how robins use this form of remonstrance to humans. John Burroughs wrote that he was kept out of his own summer-house by a female robin that was nesting there. She scolded him so soundly for trespassing upon his own property, which she had appropriated, that he could have no peace. He finally left her in possession till her young had flown.[49] I had a similar experience when picking cherries in a friend's garden. A robin had preceded me and resented my intrusion in no uncertain manner. No angry fishmonger of Billingsgate ever hurled more noisy vituperation at a thief than did that robin fling at me, especially when I coolly refused to heed his commands to "Keep Off."

I recall an amusing experience with a robin family one summer. The second brood of hungry babies were clamoring for "More," and following their overworked father about as I have seen human babies tease their mothers. He was decidedly "frayed" as to temper, but he chose to assume the entire parental responsibility. His faded, bedraggled spouse, perched disconsolately upon the roof of the chicken-house, flew down two or three times into the bosom of the family and endeavored to "do her bit"; but her testy husband drove her off each time with a sharp _tut-tut_, until in despair she remained upon the ridge-pole peeping forlornly. The father proceeded to pull up worms for his gaping brood in a manner so irritated and strenuous that I wondered whether he had had a "family jar," or was only worn out with anxiety and overwork. It is a huge task to feed one baby robin alone, who can eat sixty-eight angleworms a day,[50] or one hundred and sixty-five cutworms.[51]

Robins do good to the soil by dragging forth earthworms and preventing their too rapid increase. Mr. Forbush calls attention to the value of these birds in devouring "dormant cutworms and caterpillars even in February," also quantities of the larvæ of March flies and white grubs that injure grass. The robin is an enemy of caterpillars, especially those that live near the ground; his destruction of cutworms and white grubs alone entitles him to our gratitude. He does eat early cherries, and has been bitterly arraigned for so doing. When later cherries, apples, peaches, pears, and grapes are ripe, wild fruits and mulberries which he eats by preference, have also matured; so on the whole, he does little harm.[52] He is now protected in most of our states.

A Maine robin that had an inordinate love for cherries and garden-raspberries was at first intimidated by a most lifelike, well-set-up scarecrow placed in the garden for his benefit. But he grew wiser as the days passed: he approached the fearful creature and received no harm. Familiarity finally bred contempt, for one day he was discovered perched upon the scarecrow's shoulder eating a raspberry!

Robins become very tame. I once had the pleasure of the companionship of a dear, gentle, little English robin--a bird very different in size and manner from his American cousin--who would come out of the shrubbery whenever I called him. He would approach within two or three feet of my chair, to snatch the soft crumbs that I placed on the ground to lure him. He rewarded me frequently with his delightful little bubbling song.

An American robin during a March ice-storm learned that bread crumbs were to be found upon the window-sill of a house in Cleveland. He flew to the sill frequently. When he found no crumb awaiting him, he would tap on the pane, then fly away a short distance and remain until a fresh supply appeared. He and his mate nested in an apple-tree near by. They and their brood were fed in this way the entire season by their bird-loving friends, until they were in danger of becoming pauperized! One morning the following March while the Cleveland family were breakfasting, they heard the familiar tap upon the pane! There was Robin back again--you may imagine his welcome! For four years, he continued to announce his arrival in the same manner, and to build in the same yard; each year he and his family were supplied with part of their food by their devoted friends. Then ill must have befallen him, for he never returned.

To another Ohio woman came the joy of having a robin enter her room frequently. She had tempted him with crumbs inside a window-sill. One day he perched upon the sewing-machine where she was at work, and sang his sweet song to her, as the busy machine hummed its tune.

A robin's nest is an untidy affair, but it is something that we should miss were it not a part of our environment. Few birds' eggs are more lovely in color than those of the familiar robins'-egg blue, nestled in their grass-lined cup of clay. Olive Thorne Miller wrote of a clever robin that wished to build her nest during an almost rainless spring. She could find no mud, so she waded about in her drinking-dish to wet her legs; she then hopped into the dust, and with her bill scraped the mud off her legs. This she did repeatedly, until she had the necessary amount.[53]

I once saw a mother-robin sheltering her brood during a rainstorm of great violence. Her soft body and outspread wings were pelted by the rain, but she seemed quite oblivious to everything except to keep harm from her young. Her protecting attitude and the look in her bright eyes made as beautiful an expression of mother-love as I ever witnessed.

THE BLUEBIRD
_Thrush Family--Turdidæ_

Length: About 6½ to 7 inches.

General Appearance: Upper parts bright blue; under parts reddish-brown;
_no crest_.

Male: Head, back, and tail bright blue; wings blue, edged with black; in
the fall, edged with reddish-brown; throat, breast, and sides
reddish-brown; white from center of breast to tail.

Female: Similar to male, but paler; wings and tail brightest in flight.

Young: Grayish-blue, speckled with whitish; wings and tail bluish.

Call-note: An indescribably sweet rendering of the syllables,
_Cheer-e-o_, given usually while the bird is on the wing.

Song: A gentle warble of exceptional sweetness--_whew'-ee, whew'-ee,
whew'-ee_, uttered tenderly and pensively.

Habitat: Orchards and gardens. The birds are usually seen in pairs, and
like rather conspicuous perches, such as fence-posts and telegraph
wires.

Nest: Made of grasses and placed in old hollow trees, preferably
apple-trees. One objection raised against tree-surgery is that it
deprives bluebirds of nesting-sites, but that objection may be
removed by furnishing nesting-boxes.

Range: Eastern North America. Breeds from southern Canada and
Newfoundland to the Gulf Coast and Florida, west to the Rockies;
winters in the southern half of the eastern U. S., south to
Guatemala.

As spring approaches, I invariably "go a-hunting," not for "rabbit-skins," but for song sparrows and bluebirds. Robins usually seek us, and sometimes their blue-winged cousins call _Cheer-e-o_ as they fly swiftly over our housetops; but I am never happy until I have visited an orchard or pasture frequented by these heaven-sent birds. "My heart leaps up when I behold" once more their exquisite blue and hear their soft, delightful warble. Then I know that spring is really on her way, and I am again eager and expectant.

Bluebirds have always been much beloved, especially in New England. Florence Merriam writes: "Although the Bluebird did not come over in the Mayflower, it is said that when the Pilgrim Fathers came to New England this bird was one of the first whose gentle warblings attracted their notice, and, from its resemblance to the beloved Robin Redbreast of their native land, they called it the Blue Robin."[54]

The bluebird has always been a favorite theme for poets and nature-writers, especially in New England, where the beauty and warm coloring of this sweet bird seem exceptionally welcome after a long, severe winter. In Thoreau's diary, "Early Spring in Massachusetts," he refers to the bluebird thirteen times and writes: "The bluebird--angel of the spring! Fair and innocent, yet the offspring of the earth. The color of the sky, above, and of the subsoil beneath, suggesting what sweet and innocent melody, terrestrial melody, may have its birthplace between the sky and the ground."[55]

Burroughs, too, makes frequent mention of the bluebird. In "Under The Maples" he says: "None of our familiar birds endear themselves to us more than does the bluebird. The first bluebird in the spring is as welcome as the blue sky itself. The season seems softened and tempered as soon as we hear his note and see his warm breast and azure wing. His gentle manners, his soft, appealing voice, not less than his pleasing hues, seem born of the bright and genial skies. He is the spirit of April days incarnated in a bird. Not strictly a songster, yet his every note and call is from out the soul of harmony."[56]

Bluebirds are of economic as well as æsthetic value. They devour cutworms and other kinds of caterpillars, grasshoppers, crickets, katydids, and beetles. They eat fruit in the winter; they prefer that taken from pastures, swamps, and hedgerows, rather than from gardens or orchards. They never destroy cultivated crops; on the contrary, benefit them.[57]

These birds are such devoted lovers that one is rarely seen far from its mate. The female is very gentle and timid; she seems to need reassurance and protection. There are times, however, when she knows her own mind and shows firmness of character. A male bluebird in Asheville, N. C., intoxicated by the warmth of a sunshiny January day, wooed a female ardently. She was very distant and finally dismissed him. She evidently had sufficient foresight to realize that it would be disastrous to go to housekeeping so early and therefore withheld her consent.

Numerous instances have been recorded of bluebirds that have lost their mates by accident and have mourned so deeply as to touch the heart of any one who saw the tragedy or heard the cries of sorrow.

THE SONG SPARROW
_Finch Family--Fringillidæ_

Length: A little over 6 inches; about the size of the English sparrow.

General Appearance: A small brown bird with a grayish breast, a body
heavily streaked with black, _a black spot in the center of breast_,
and at each side of the throat.

Male and Female: Brown head with black streaks, a grayish line in center
and over eye; brown line back of eye; back brown and gray, streaked
with black; wings brown, with black spots,--no white bars; throat
grayish-white; _a dark patch on each_ side of throat; _a conspicuous
black spot in center of breast_; belly white; sides whitish,
streaked with brown and black; tail long, brown, darkest in center.

Call-note: _Chip, chip_--sharp and metallic.

Song: A sweet cheerful strain, with considerable variety in different
individuals. It usually consists of three notes that sound like
"See? See? See?" followed by a short trill. Henry van Dyke
interprets the song as _Sweet, sweet, sweet, very merry cheer_.

Habitat: Bushes; near water, preferably.

Range: North America, east of the Rocky Mts. Breeds in Canada from Great
Slave Lake to Cape Breton Island, south to southern Nebraska,
central Missouri, Kentucky, southern Virginia, the mountains of
North Carolina. Winters from Nebraska, Illinois, Massachusetts
(locally) and New Jersey, south to the Gulf Coast.

The Song Sparrow, like air and sunshine, is a part of our daily lives after we have once become acquainted with him. In some localities he takes up his abode permanently; in others, he arrives in late February or early March and remains until November. Joy in life and deep contentment abide with him. He is the most incurable optimist of my acquaintance. I have heard him sing beside a brook that has just broken its icy fetters, while patches of snow still remained on the ground; during days of rain which silenced most songsters; through hot summer noons and during the almost songless molting-season,--nothing seems to daunt him, from early morning until sunset. Occasionally during the night is heard his simple strain, as though he needs must sing in his sleep.

His song is pleasing, but in no way remarkable. It is in a major key and lacks the ecstasy and piercing sweetness of the fox sparrow's, and the exquisite tenderness of the field and the vesper sparrow's, but it possesses a charm all its own. It breathes a joy in simple things--a steadfast and cheerful courage that makes us say, "He, too, is no mean preacher."

Song sparrows, like other members of the Finch family, are of great service in their destruction of insects and weed seeds, of which they consume enormous quantities. They eat wild berries and fruits only when their favorite food is not obtainable. They possess no bad habits and are desirable "bird-neighbors" to cultivate. Water always attracts them; one is most likely to find them near streams, in which they love to bathe.

Their nests are made largely of grasses, dead leaves, and root-fibres, and are lined with soft grasses. They are placed in bushes or on the ground. The eggs, pale in color and flecked with brown, are well concealed by their markings. Song sparrows, usually serene, grow intensely nervous when the nest is approached, and betray its whereabouts by their incessant _Chip, chip_.

THE SONG SPARROW

"See? See? See? The herald of spring you see!
What matters if winds blow piercingly!
The brook, long ice-bound, struggles through
Its glistening fetters, and murmurs anew
With joy at the freedom the days will bring
When the snow has gone! And I, too, sing!

"See? See? See? A flush of color you see!
The tassels are hung on the budding tree,
Before it has drawn its curtain of leaves
To shade the homes of the birds. Now weaves
The silent spring a carpet fair,
With wind-flower and hepatica there.

"See? See? See? You are glad to welcome me.
You will hear my voice ring cheerfully
Through Summer's heat or days of rain
Until the winter has come again.
From dawn till dusk, my heart is gay,
And I sing my happy life away.
See? See? See?"

THE FOX SPARROW
_Finch Family--Fringillidæ_

Length: A little over 7 inches; about an inch longer than the English
sparrow, and nearly as large as a hermit thrush.

Male and Female: Upper parts reddish-brown, _brightest_ on _lower back_
and _tail_. (The red-brown tail is a distinguishing mark of the fox
sparrow as it is of the hermit thrush.) Under parts grayish-white;
_throat_, _breast_, _belly_, and _sides_ _heavily_ and _irregularly
streaked_ with reddish-brown and black, except the middle of the
belly, which is white.

Note: A faint _seep_ or _cheep_.

Song: The most beautiful of all the sparrows'--a burst of melody
possessing sweetness and power; joyous, yet with a minor strain.

Habitat: Tall thickets or clumps of weeds.

Range: North America. Breeds in the forest-regions of Canada and Alaska;
winters from the lower Ohio and Potomac Valleys to central Texas and
northern Florida.

Never shall I forget the thrill of surprise and ecstasy which my first fox sparrow brought to me! My sister and I were on eager quest for early migrants in open woods and overgrown pastures, when from a thicket of tall shrubs there burst so marvelous a "concord of sweet sounds" that we were spell-bound. No words can describe the tenderness, the joyous abandon, yet withal the strain of sadness in the song, as though the choristers had drunk deep of life, had visioned clearly its secrets, and transmuted its experiences. When the music had become a soft cadence, we sought the singers, and found a band of thrush like sparrows scratching in the old brown leaves like bantam hens. They remained in the thicket for several days, singing most rapturously toward sunset.

Though shy birds and seen infrequently, fox sparrows occasionally approach houses. During a deep spring snow that covered the birds' natural food-supply, several of these north-bound migrants came three times a day with a flock of juncos to feed on bread-crumbs in our back yard. Like Tommy Tucker, they "sang for their supper." Twice they arrived before a fresh supply of crumbs had been scattered; their songs announced their presence and were accompanied by the gentle trill of the juncos. A large flock remained in Middlesex Fells for several days.

Most bird-lovers consider an experience with fox sparrows as out of the ordinary. Thoreau wrote: "Is not the coming of the fox-colored sparrow something more earnest and significant than I have dreamed of? These migrating sparrows bear all messages that concern my life."[58]

THE PHOEBE
_Flycatcher Family--Tyrranidæ_

Length: About 7 inches; a little larger than the English sparrow.

Male and Female: Grayish-brown above; under parts light gray with
yellowish wash; breast darker than throat, sides grayish-brown; head
dark brown, somewhat crested; bill black, slightly hooked at tip,
with bristles at base; wings dark brown, _with inconspicuous whitish
wing-bars_; tail dark brown; edge of two outer tail-feathers
yellowish-white.

Song: No real song. Flycatchers are songless birds. The note is a hoarse
_Phoebe_, sometimes _Pe-wit-Phoebe_. It is usually uttered
mournfully and monotonously; occasionally the male gives numerous
_Phoebes_ rapidly while on the wing.

Habitat: Near streams preferably. A favorite nesting site is underneath
a bridge; eaves of barns or beams of piazzas are also used.

Range: Eastern North America. Breeds from north-central Canada south to
northeastern New Mexico, central Texas, northern Mississippi and
highlands of Georgia; winters south of latitude 37° to southern
Mexico.

When March has lost some of its bluster and gentler weather prevails, there arrives from the land of sunshine and teeming insect life, a small brown and gray bird--the Phoebe, first of the Flycatcher family to come North. Like many of the early migrants, he travels without his beloved little mate, whom he seems to miss sadly; for he sits disconsolately on a bare twig and calls her name in hoarse, wheezy tones. After she appears, it is pleasant to see their devotion, not only to each other, but to the nesting site. How they journey apart the great distance from South to North and find their own especial bridge or barn year after year, is one of the great mysteries.

Their large, loosely-constructed nest is made of moss and mud, lined with soft grass, hair, or feathers. It is usually infested with bird-lice, as I discovered, to my dismay. It is well not to allow phoebes to build where the lice may become a nuisance.

Like all the soberly-dressed flycatchers, phoebes seek conspicuous perches such as posts or dead branches. They have the family habit of ruffling up their head-feathers into a sort of crest, and of jerking their tails frequently, especially when uttering their note. They make unexpected sallies after insects, which their unusually keen eyes can see from dawn until dark.

Phoebes are among our most useful birds, for they destroy injurious beetles, weevils, flies that annoy cattle and horses, house flies, ants, mosquitoes, wasps, spiders, grasshoppers, and numerous other harmful insects.[59] Their soft brown and gray plumage blends with dull March meadows, with the silver sheen of the brooks they love, and with silken pussy-willows and brown willow-boughs.

THE BLACK PHOEBE

The Black Phoebe is found from Texas west to the Pacific coast. It catches flies persistently and well deserves its family name. In appearance it resembles the slate-colored junco, for it has a dusky head, back, wings, tail, and breast, with a white belly. Professor Beal writes of this bird as follows: "The black phoebe has the same habits as its eastern relative, both as to selection of food and nesting sites, preferring for the latter purpose some structure of man, as a shed, or, better still a bridge over a stream of water, and the preference of the black phoebe for the vicinity of water is very pronounced. One may always be found at a stream or pool and often at a watering-trough by the roadside.

"Careful study of the habits of the bird shows that it obtains a large portion of its food about wet places. While camping beside a stream in California the writer took some pains to observe the habits of the black phoebe. The nesting season was over, and the birds had nothing to do but eat. This they appeared to be doing all the time. When first observed in the morning, at the first glimmer of daylight, a phoebe was always found flitting from rock to rock, although it was so dusky that the bird could hardly be seen. This activity was kept up all day. Even in the evening, when it was so dark that notes were written by the aid of the camp fire, the phoebe was still engaged in its work of collecting, though it was difficult to understand how it could catch insects when there was scarcely light enough to see the bird. Exploration of the stream showed that every portion of it was patrolled by a phoebe, that each one apparently did not range over more than twelve or thirteen rods of water, and that sometimes two or three were in close proximity."[60]

THE CROW BLACKBIRD OR PURPLE GRACKLE
_American Blackbird Family--Icteridæ_

Length: 12 to 13½ inches. Tail about 5 inches long, nearly the length of
that of the blue jay.

General Appearance: A glossy black bird with _yellow eyes_, and a _long
tail_ that in flight resembles a pointed fan curving toward the
midrib. Blackbirds _walk_ instead of _hopping_.

Male: Black with beautiful iridescence; head, neck, throat, and breast
with green, blue, and purple reflections; back and rump purple and
green, with iridescent bars; wings and tail purplish; under parts
duller.

Female: Duller than male, with less iridescence.

Call-note: A hoarse, loud _Chack_.

Song: A disagreeable grating noise that Mr. Forbush likens to the
"rather musical creaking of a rusty hinge." I once noticed the
strong resemblance of the sound to the squeaking wheels of
farm-wagons that passed near a noisy flock of grackles. Blackbirds
always look unhappy and uncomfortable when making their attempt at
singing, as though they emitted the sound with great difficulty.

Habitat: Groves of pine and spruce, as dark and gloomy as the birds
themselves. They are found in parks and meadows, on lawns and near
buildings. They live in large flocks except at nesting time.

Range: Middle Atlantic coast-region of the United States. Breed from
north shore of Long Island Sound (rarely in Massachusetts), the
middle Hudson Valley west to the Alleghanies, and south to the
uplands of Georgia, Alabama, and eastern Tennessee; winter mainly
south of the Delaware Valley. The Bronzed and Florida grackles
extend the range over the whole of eastern North America, to Great
Slave Lake, Newfoundland, Colorado, and Florida.

It seems incredible that blackbirds should belong to the same family as sweet-voiced meadowlarks, gay bobolinks, and musical orioles. They are literally the "black sheep" of the family, with a plumage in keeping with their dark deeds, and a sinister expression that arouses suspicion and wins them few friends. Their habit of destroying birds' eggs and young birds makes them a terror to their neighbors. Dr. Frank Chapman humorously says that he "can imagine bird-mothers frightening their young into obedience by threatened visits from that ogre, the Grackle."[61] I saw a flock of them invading the seclusion of Wade Park, Cleveland, one spring morning. Two irate robins drove three bandit blackbirds away from their nest with loud cries and swift pursuit. A few minutes later, I saw a wood thrush attack a grackle. She administered a severe blow upon his shoulder, which disarranged his feathers and left him in such evident pain as to be quite oblivious of my proximity. This habit of devastating nests is not, however, so general as has been supposed, for Professor Beal reports that "remains of birds and birds' eggs amount to less than half of one per cent. of his diet."[62]

During the breeding season, grackles do much good by their destruction of insects upon which their young are almost wholly fed. They devour beetles, the caterpillars of gypsy and brown-tail moths, cutworms, grasshoppers, and locusts in great numbers. They "follow the plow" in search of the grubs and worms to be found in the up-turned earth.

Grackles are in great disfavor, however, because of the grain they consume. Professor Beal states that grain is eaten during the entire year except for a short time in the summer. Waste kernels are consumed during winter and early spring, but that eaten in July and August is probably standing grain. Middle-western farmers suffer considerably.[63]

It is interesting to see blackbirds migrate. They fly in flocks thousands strong. Mr. Forbush tells of a flock which formed a black "rainbow of birds" that stretched from one side of the horizon to the other. There seemed to be "millions" of them.

They fly with wonderful precision, like a well-trained army bent on destruction. They are truly "Birds of a feather" that "flock together" with a kind of joyless loyalty, disliked by most of the world.

THE BRONZED GRACKLE

The Bronzed Grackle, like the Purple Grackle, has a purple head, but has a _bronzed back without iridescent bars_. It is found in central and eastern North America from Great Slave Lake to Newfoundland in Canada, south to Montana and Colorado, (east of the Rockies), and southeast to the northern part of the Gulf States, western Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts. It winters mainly from the Ohio Valley to southern Texas.

THE FLORIDA GRACKLE

The Florida Grackle is abundant from South Carolina to Florida, and west along the Gulf Coast to southeastern Texas. It is similar to the Purple Grackle in appearance, but is smaller in size. Flocks of these grackles frequent groves of palmettoes and live-oaks.

THE BOAT-TAILED GRACKLE

The Boat-tailed Grackle, the largest member of the blackbird family, (16 inches long), has wonderful violet reflections on head and neck. The female is much smaller and is brownish. This grackle is found in the South Atlantic and Gulf States from Chesapeake Bay to Florida and west to the eastern coast of Texas, and like the red-winged blackbird seems to prefer the vicinity of water.

THE RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD
_American Blackbird Family--Icteridæ_

Length: About 9½ inches; length varies in different individuals.

Male: Jet black, except shoulders, which are _scarlet_ edged with
_yellow_; plumage mottled in winter--upper parts edged with rusty
brown; bill long, sharp-pointed, black; legs and feet black; eyes
dark.

Female: Head and back blackish, rusty brown, and buff. Light streak over
and under eye; throat yellowish; under parts streaked with black and
white; wings brown, edged with buff; tail brown. Plumage
inconspicuous, but attractive on close inspection.

Young Males: Similar to females, but with red and black shoulders.

Call-Note: A hoarse _chuck_ resembling that of the grackle.

Song: A liquid, pleasant _o-ka-ree_.

Habitat:

In meadows where a streamlet flows
Or sedges rim a pool,
There swings upon a blade of green
Beside the waters cool,
A bird of black, with "epaulets"
Of red and gold. With glee
He plays upon his "Magic Flute":
"_O-o-ka-ree? O-o-ka-ree?_"

Nest: A beautiful structure, long and deep, fastened to reeds; a
"hanging" nest.

Eggs: Pale bluish, with inky scrawls and spots.

Range: North America, east of the Great Plains, except the Gulf Coast
and Florida; abundant where there are marshes and ponds; winters
mainly south of Ohio and Delaware Valleys.

When the hylas begin to pipe in the spring, they are joined by the musical Redwings. The voices of these birds have been likened to flutes, also to violincellos in an orchestra. Their song is pleasant to hear, but seems to require considerable effort on the part of the performers--they lift their shoulders and spread their tails into broad fans when singing.

Redwings are noisy chatterers; they are intensely social in their nature. It is thought that some males have several wives at a time--one marvels at their courage! During the winter the females flock by themselves, and in the spring migrate about two weeks after their venturesome, prospective husbands have come northward. When they arrive, there is great "Confusion of Tongues"--the marsh is transformed into a Babel. Then sites for homes are selected, and house-building begins in earnest. Blackbirds make devoted parents.

They are much more popular than their cousins, the grackles, though in some localities where they are very abundant, as in the Upper Mississippi Valley, they are in disfavor because of the grain they devour. They eat oats, corn, and wheat, but only one-third as much as do the grackles; they eat the seeds of smartweed and barnyard grass in preference. Grasshoppers they consider great delicacies, also many other harmful insects.[64] Professor Beal states that nearly seven-eighths of their food consists of weed seed and insects injurious to agriculture. He pleads for their protection as does Mr. Forbush, who says: "Should there be an outbreak of cankerworms in an orchard, the blackbirds will fly at least half a mile to get them for their young."[65] They eat little fruit and do slight harm to garden or orchard. On the whole, they are beneficial to mankind.

The RUSTY BLACKBIRD and the YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD are two other species of blackbirds.

The RUSTY BLACKBIRD resembles both the purple grackle and the redwing. It is more nearly uniformly glossy black in summer than the former; it is rusty in winter like the latter. It is about the size of the redwing and has a sweeter voice. It is sometimes mistaken for the grackle; but its smaller size, its shorter, rounder tail, and more musical voice differentiate it.

The YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD, our western species, is easy to identify because of his yellow head, neck, throat, and breast, and his black body, with white wing-patches. The female has a paler yellow head, which, with the breast, is marked with white.

The Yellowhead lives in swamps of the Mississippi Valley from Indiana westward to California. He is attractive to see, but not pleasant to hear. He, too, is a grain-thief and therefore unpopular.

THE COWBIRD
_American Blackbird Family--Icteridæ_

Length: About 8 inches.

Male: Glossy black, with a brown head, neck, and breast; some metallic
reflections on body, tail, and upper wing-feathers. _Smaller than
the grackle_, with a shorter tail, less iridescence, and _dark
eyes_. Like the grackle, the cowbird is a walker.

Female: Dark brown, with a grayish tinge; under parts lighter,
especially the throat, which has two dark streaks outlining the
light patch.

Call-note: A loud _chuck_.

Song: No real song, only a disagreeable gurgle, that is emitted with
great effort.

Habitat: Pastures and open woodlands; usually seen on the ground, but
sometimes in trees.

Range: North America. Breeds in central Canada, south to northern
California, Nevada, northern New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, and North
Carolina; winters from southeast California and the Ohio and Potomac
Valleys to the Gulf Coast and Central Mexico.

The four common black birds--crows, grackles, redwings, and cowbirds--all have sins laid at their doors. Crows and blackbirds are grain-thieves and destroyers of the eggs and young of other birds; redwings have been accused of polygamy and theft; but if judged by human standards, none compare with cowbirds in what might be called moral degeneracy. Cowbirds not only mate promiscuously, but unlike blackbirds, have no regard for their own young. They are like the human mothers who lay their babies on doorsteps, depart, and let others rear them.

It is a well-known fact that the female cowbird always selects the nest of a bird smaller and weaker than herself in which to deposit her egg. Major Bendire lists ninety-one varieties of birds that have been thus outraged, frequent victims being the song sparrow, indigo bunting, parula warbler, yellow warbler, vireo, chipping sparrow, towhee, oven-bird, yellow-breasted chat, and even the tiny blue-gray gnatcatcher. From one to seven cowbirds' eggs have been found at a time in other birds' nests, often in the warm center of the nest. Unless the little bird should build a new floor, or abandon her nest entirely, the cowbird egg will hatch first, and the lusty changeling will demand the lion's share of food and attention. Frequently the other eggs do not hatch; if they do, the young birds often perish with hunger and cold. When young cowbirds have been reared by their patient little foster-parents, they leave their benefactors and join flocks of their disreputable relatives.

In justice it must be said that cowbirds, like all villains, have a redeeming trait--they are great destroyers of weed seeds and insects. Like Cadmus and his band, they "Follow the Cow," and enjoy the insects that she arouses as she walks about in pastures. When the cow lies down, they, too, pause; they have been known to hop upon her back in friendly fashion. Self-interest prompts them, however, for they know that they may find there a harvest of insects.

THE MEADOWLARK
Called also Field Lark and Old Field Lark
_American Blackbird Family--Icteridæ_

Length: About 10¾ inches, a little larger than the robin; bill 1½
inches.

General Appearance: A large brown bird, with a _short tail that shows
conspicuous white feathers_ at each side in flight. The bright
yellow breast crossed by a black crescent is less frequently seen.

Male and Female: Upper parts dark brown, mottled with black and buff;
head striped, with a light line through the center and a yellow line
over each eye, alternating with two dark stripes; cheeks gray;
throat, breast, and belly yellow; a V-shaped band on breast; sides
and lower part of belly whitish, streaked with black; bill long and
sharp; tail short, (about 3 inches); outer tail-feathers almost
entirely white; middle feathers brown, barred with black.

Call-note: A sharp nasal _Yerk_, and a twitter that sounds like a
succession of rapid sneezes.

Song: A loud, clear, sweet refrain that usually consists of four
syllables, but sometimes of five or six. It has been interpreted in
various ways as follows:

_Spring'-of--the-y-e'-a-r!
I love--you d-e-a-r.
I'm Mead'-ow-lar'-rk._

Mr. T. Gilbert Pearson tells of a lazy darky down South who
interpreted the lark's song as

"_Laziness-will kill' you._"[66]

Flight: Direct, yet fluttering; usually away from the observer, showing
the brown back and white tail-feathers, as though the bird was
conscious of its bright yellow breast.

Habitat: Cultivated meadows, and grassgrown fields, especially one
containing a running brook for drinking and bathing. Its fondness
for unmown fields has given it the name of "Old Field Lark."[67]

Range: Eastern North America. Breeds from eastern Minnesota and southern
Canada, south to northern Texas, Missouri, and North Carolina, and
west to western Iowa, eastern Kansas, and northwestern Texas;
winters regularly from southern New England and Ohio valley south to
the Gulf States, and north locally to the Great Lakes and southern
Maine.

In the South, from southern Illinois, southwestern Indiana and North
Carolina to the coast of Texas, Louisiana, and southern Florida is
found the SOUTHERN MEADOWLARK, smaller and darker than the northern
species, and with a different song.

In the West, from British Columbia to Manitoba and south to southern
California, northern Mexico, and Texas is the WESTERN MEADOWLARK,
similar to its eastern relative in habits and plumage, but very
different as to song. Its pure, sweet, liquid notes are among my
most delightful memories of western birds.

It is fortunate that no human being or bird is possessed of all the virtues and charms, and that every individual may hold his own place in our interest and affections. As the spring migrants arrive, each receives a welcome peculiarly his own.

"The lark is so brimful of gladness and love--
The green fields below him, the blue sky above,
That he sings and he sings and forever sings he,
'I love my love, and my love loves me.'"[68]

His voice, clear and sweet, rings out joyously across the fields, fragrant with up-turned earth and bright with sunshine. He is the delight of spring meadows as Bob White is of summer fields.

The meadowlark has many friends: those who love him for his winning ways--his brightness, cheerfulness, and devotion to his family; epicures, ignorant of his value or fond only of their own pleasure; and people who realize that he is of enormous economic importance.

He was formerly believed to be a destroyer of grain. He was accused of pulling up as much corn and oats as crows, and of eating clover seed; but he is now recognized as "one of the most useful allies of agriculture, standing almost without a peer as a destroyer of noxious insects."[69]

So untiring is he in his search, that he uses his long sharp bill, even while snow is on the ground, to probe the earth for larvæ. He rids the fields of grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, caterpillars, flies, spiders, and "thousand-legs." Grasshoppers are his favorite delicacy. Professor Beal states that these insects form three-fourths of the meadowlark's food during August. He eats also large numbers of the white grubs of beetles "which are among the worst enemies of many cultivated crops, notably grasses and grains, and to a less extent of strawberries and garden vegetables."[69]

Like the quail, meadowlarks destroy weed seeds, which are eaten mostly in winter. When insects are obtainable, they are greatly preferred.

A search for a meadowlark's nest is an exciting adventure that keeps one alert. It is usually found by accident, perhaps after the wary builder has ceased trying to deceive the searcher. A sight of the speckled eggs or young fledglings in their cozy home with a grass-arched doorway is not soon forgotten.

Unlike quail, baby meadowlarks are unable to run about as soon as they are out of the egg, but remain for two weeks in their cleverly camouflaged home, where they are often the prey of snakes and other enemies. Meadowlarks are now being widely protected, for many farmers regard them as one of their greatest assets.

THE NORTHERN FLICKER OR GOLDEN-WINGED WOODPECKER
_Woodpecker Family--Picidæ_

Length: About 12 inches; one of our largest common birds.

General Appearance: A large brown bird with a _red patch on the back_ of
the _head_, _conspicuous white rump_ and _yellow lining_ of _wings_,
which distinguish it from the brown meadowlark with its white
tail-feathers.

Male: Top of head and neck gray; a _crescent_ of _red across nape_;
cheeks and throat pinkish-brown, separated by _black patches_;
strong bill 1½ inches long; under parts pinkish-brown and white,
_heavily spotted with black_; a _black crescent_ separates throat
and breast. Back and upper wing-feathers a grayish-brown, _barred
with black_; large white patch at rump very conspicuous in flight;
upper tail-coverts black and white; tail black above, yellow
underneath.

Female: Like male, except for the _absence of black patches at the sides
of the throat_.

Notes: A loud _che-ack'_; also a note which Mr. Frank M. Chapman says
"can be closely imitated by the swishing of a willow-wand: _weechew,
weechew, weechew_."[70] Flickers drum frequently on boughs, also,
and give a loud, rapid _flick, flick, flick, flick, flick, flick,
flick, flick, flicker_,--which may be called, by courtesy, their
song.

Habitat: Open woods, fields, orchards, and gardens, where trees or
ant-hills are to be found.

Range: Northern and eastern North America. Breeds in the forested
regions of Alaska and Canada; in the United States east of the
Rockies and southward to the Gulf Coast and Texas in the winter.
Resident in the U. S. except in the more northern parts.

The SOUTHERN FLICKER, a resident as far south as southern Florida
and central Texas, is _smaller_ and _darker_ than the Northern
Flicker.

The RED-SHAFTED FLICKER, a western species, has _red cheek-patches_
instead of _black_, _red wing_ and _tail_ feathers, instead of
_yellow_; it _lacks_ the _red band_ on the _head_. It is found in
the Rocky Mt. and Pacific Coast regions from British Columbia to
Mexico, and east to western Texas, Nebraska, and South Dakota. In
regions where the northern flicker also is found, these two species
have hybridized. In the National Museum of Washington there are
numerous specimens of these hybrids, where the red and black
cheek-patches, the red and yellow wing-feathers and red band on the
head appear in various unusual combinations.

The Flicker is a bird of distinction. A glimpse of him at once arouses interest, curiosity, and a desire for further acquaintance. He is handsome, well set up, full of vitality and power--the personification of efficiency.

We like his cheerful voice--a trifle too loud for a gentleman of refinement, but a welcome sound in the season when the whole world wishes to shout with joy at the release from winter's confinement. Thoreau wrote: "Ah, there is the note of the first flicker, a prolonged, monotonous _wick-wick-wick-wick-wick-wick_, etc., or, if you please, _quick, quick, quick_, heard far over and through the dry leaves. But how that single sound peoples and enriches all the woods and fields. They are no longer the same woods and fields that they were. This note really quickens what was dead. It seems to put life into the withered grass and leaves and bare twigs, and henceforth the days shall not be as they have been. It is as when a family, your neighbors, return to an empty house after a long absence, and you hear the cheerful hum of voices and the laughter of children.... So the flicker makes his voice ring.... It is as good as a house-warming to all nature."[71]

We cannot repress a smile as we watch this golden-winged woodpecker striving to make a favorable impression upon Miss Flicker. He and a group of rivals take amusing, awkward attitudes, make a variety of noisy but pleasant calls, and without any ill-tempered quarreling, select their mates and "live happily ever after."

Though a woodpecker, the flicker departs from family habits and traditions by seeking his livelihood on the ground in preference to tree-trunks. He is a foe to the industrious ant that we were taught to admire along with the "busy bee." But ants destroy timber, infest houses, and cause the spread of aphids that are enemies of garden plants; therefore the ant's destroyer, the flicker, is a neighborhood benefactor and deserves our heartfelt protection. Professor Beal reports finding 3,000 ants in the stomach of each of two flickers and fully 5,000 in that of another.[72] These insects form almost half of this bird's food. His long, sticky tongue is especially adapted to their capture. He likes grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, and caterpillars, and while he enjoys fruit, he takes little that is of any value to man.

Most northern flickers migrate. They remain during the winter in some localities, as Cape Cod, where food is sufficiently abundant. Mr. Forbush tells of flickers that have bored holes in summer cottages on the Cape, and spent the winters in rooms which they damaged by their habit of "pecking." He states that bird-boxes containing large entrances placed on the outside of the houses or on the trees near by, would have prevented those flickers from forming the "criminal habit of breaking and entering."[73] Red-Shafted Flickers have also been found guilty of the same crime, and have entered not only dwellings, but school-houses and church steeples.[74]