Part 17

The House Wren is destined to be popular because he nests in bird-boxes, even though they be poorly constructed and improperly placed. So intent is he upon rearing a brood that he builds in almost any sort of crevice, and so fond of gathering and hoarding twigs is he that he fills cavities just for amusement. Such a “fake” nest, which I examined, held three nails, two hairpins, a safety-pin, a dozen matches (which were partly burned), and innumerable twigs!

His marital customs, which have just been brought to light of day, are to be talked of in lowered voice. Apparently there is no such thing as a faithful husband, or wife, for that matter, among the House Wren tribe. Mother or father may leave at any time and consequences will take care of themselves.

Hue and cry about the House Wren’s habit of puncturing the eggs of the other birds in the neighborhood seem not to be greatly affecting this sturdy, interesting little creature’s popularity.

WINTER WREN _Nannus troglodytes hiemalis_ (Vieillot)

Description.—A chubby, small wren, with ludicrously short tail. Upperparts deep brown, barred on wings and tail with black; buffy line over eye; underparts buffy, barred and speckled with black, whitish, and brown. _Length_: 4 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly common migrant from early April to mid-May and from mid-September to October 20 or later; a summer resident in the mountainous counties; occasional in winter.

Nest.—Of moss and plant-down, finely built, placed on or near the ground in a tree-trunk or mossy bank. _Eggs_: 5 to 7, white, thinly peppered with brown.

The remarkably long and rippling song of this diminutive bird will arouse interest and wonder at once. Catch sight of the mouse-like performer, and he may dive for the underbrush. The alarm-cry is a double-syllabled harsh note which resembles the throaty _chup_ of a Song Sparrow. In migration, the Winter Wren will be seen about the roots of trees or along little streams; in summer, look for him in deep hemlock forests.

SHORT-BILLED MARSH WREN _Cistothorus stellaris_ (Naumann)

Description.—Small, even for a wren. Upperparts _brownish buffy_, streaked with black and white; wings and tail barred; underparts white; under tail-coverts, flanks, and zone about breast, buffy brown. _Length_: 4 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A rare and local migrant and summer resident from early May to October.

Nest.—Spherical, of grasses, built on or near ground among grasses in marshy situations, the entrance to one side. _Eggs_: 5 to 8, white.

I have seen this bird in only a few places in Pennsylvania. It is to be looked for in grassy marshes, but does not seem to like cat-tails, preferring coarse, rank grass which grows in water or on damp ground. The song, as I heard it, sounded like _dick, putt, jik, plick, tick, tick, tick_. These wrens may be fairly common in a certain locality, but unless they are singing or are literally _kicked_ from the grass, they will not be seen. All records are desirable.

LONG-BILLED MARSH WREN _Telmatodytes palustris palustris_ (Wilson)

Description.—Crown brown, bordered on sides with black; white line over eye; middle of back _black streaked with white_, rest of back brown; wings and tail barred with black; underparts white; sides reddish brown. _Length_: About 5 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A migrant and summer resident in suitably marshy situations from latter April to early October. It is very local in occurrence.

Nest.—A globular, strongly built structure of grasses and cat-tail leaves, made _while the materials are damp_, and placed among weeds or rushes a few feet from ground or water; the entrance is on the side. _Eggs_: 5 to 9, dark brown, or light brown, heavily and finely spotted with darker brown.

To find these wrens, wade out into the very heart of the marsh. Here the clackety songs of the nervous creatures announce to us that we are near the nest. We find three or four of these, but discover no eggs. Patient hunting finally reveals a set of eggs after we have located perhaps a dozen “dummy” nests.

BROWN CREEPER _Certhia familiaris americana_ Bonaparte

Description.—Climbs a tree-trunk like a woodpecker; smaller than an English Sparrow; bill curved like a wren’s. Plumage brown above, considerably streaked and otherwise marked with white, grayish, and darker brown; underparts grayish white; tail-feathers pointed and somewhat barred. _Length_: 4½ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A common migrant in March and April and in September and October; occasional, sometimes common, in winter; a summer resident only at high altitudes or in northern counties.

Nest.—Of bark-strips, fibers, plant-down, and the like, placed under loose or curled bark, at from 6 to 20 feet from the ground, usually in a dense, low, woodland or wooded swamp. _Eggs_: 4 to 7, white, spotted with brown.

The Brown Creeper’s fine, lisping call is not always heard, even by the keenest ear. Its song is a delicate, warbler-like bit which I have syllabized as _dee-dee, diddily, de-dwee_. This bird begins his trunk-searching at the base of the tree; he ascends spirally, searching carefully as he jerks along and when he gets to the upper branches, he dives to the base of the next tree, to begin his ascent again.

WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH _Sitta carolinensis cookei_ Oberholser

Description.—Size of English Sparrow, but with long, pointed bill, short tail, and short, strong feet. _Adult male_: Crown glossy blue-black; rest of upperparts blue-gray; outer tail-feathers blackish, tipped with black and white; wings with indistinct bars, and the tertials marked with black spots; sides of head and underparts white; under tail-coverts mottled with reddish brown. _Female_: Similar, but top of head grayish, not black. _Length_: 6 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A common, permanent resident throughout.

Nest.—Of hair, mosses, feathers, and shredded bark, placed in a cavity at from 15 to 60 feet from the ground, usually in a forest tree. _Eggs_: 5 to 9, white, spotted evenly and thickly with reddish brown.

The Nuthatch’s habit of perching and hopping, upside down, on tree-trunks is unmistakable. Actually, he seems to prefer to eat his food thus, making it proper to say, perhaps, that he _eats his caterpillars_ _up_. He may realize that the creepers, woodpeckers, and Black and White Warblers, working upward as they do, find the insects which can be seen from below or from the side, while he prefers to investigate the crannies that these other birds may pass by.

This neighborly winter bird visits the food-counter regularly and is very fond of suet. He has the habit of hiding food in the bark of trees. I once saw a Nuthatch thus hoarding sunflower seeds. At least a full hour he worked, hiding dozens of the little kernels. He was watched _and followed_ by a pair of lazy Downy Woodpeckers who deliberately ate the seeds as fast as the Nuthatch could hide them. The Nuthatch, it appeared, has great faith in his ability to hide food where it cannot be found—so great a faith, in fact, that he did not properly guard his store.

He calls _drrr, drrr, drrr_ in a nasal voice, as he busies himself with pounding at a bit of food. As he looks out from the trunk his neck is bent from his body at even more than a right angle, yet he does not seem to tire of these strained attitudes.

RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH _Sitta canadensis_ Linnæus

Description.—Smaller than English Sparrow. _Male_: Crown and wide line through eye to back of head, glossy black; line over eye white; rest of upperparts bluish gray, the outer tail-feathers blackish with white spots near their tips; underparts pale reddish buff, save on throat which is whitish. _Female_: Similar, but duller, the black of the head replaced with gray. _Length_: 4½ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A migrant in late April and May, and more or less throughout the fall; occasional in winter, sometimes abundant. Nests rarely in northern counties and at high altitudes.

Nest.—Of mosses, hair, and such soft materials, in a cavity, often in a conifer. _Eggs_: 4 to 7, white, speckled with brown and gray.

The Red-breasted Nuthatch’s mouselike body seems strangely small as it moves about the great trunk of a high hemlock, far from the ground. As it disappears behind the tree, we hear its querulous, complaining _nă, nă, nă_, as it searches for insects. During migration it is often to be seen about the outer twigs where it sometimes hangs upside down, like a Chickadee. On the tree-trunks its actions are much the same as those of its larger relative, the White-breasted Nuthatch. (See illustration, page 153.)

TUFTED TITMOUSE _Bæolophus bicolor_ (Linnæus)

Description.—Size of English Sparrow; with prominent crest. Upperparts gray, forehead dark brown, a light spot in front of and above eye; underparts grayish white, the sides washed with reddish brown. _Length_: 6 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A common permanent resident in southern and middle counties, gradually extending its range northward.

Nest.—Mass of leaves, mosses, hair, and feathers, placed in a cavity, at from 10 to 30 feet from the ground. _Eggs_: 5 to 8, white, spotted and blotched with reddish brown.

A small _gray_ bird with a noticeable crest is likely to be the Tufted Tit. He is fond of the lower branches and is almost never seen perching on a tree-top, where the Cedar Waxwing, another crested species, prefers to watch for passing insects.

The song, which is a musical whistle, may be written _wheedle, wheedle, wheedle_. He has other call-notes which resemble those of the Chickadee. In his nest he gives a snake-like hiss.

Like the Chickadee, the Tufted Tit is an acrobat. He pounds away at a rolled leaf, or at a beechnut, hanging upside down on a slender twig. He may carry food about with him in his feet, but nesting material is gathered with the bill.

BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE _Penthestes atricapillus atricapillus_ (Linnæus)

Description.—Smaller than English Sparrow. Top of head and throat black; cheeks white; rest of upperparts grayish; underparts grayish white, washed with brownish on sides. _Length_: 5 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A common permanent resident, usually more numerous about towns in winter than in summer.

Nest.—Of fur, plant-down, and feathers, couched in moss and bark strips, placed in a cavity in a tree, usually from 5 to 15 feet from the ground. The birds often dig their own nest-cavity. _Eggs_: 5 to 9, white, spotted with brown, often chiefly at larger end.

The friendly, jolly Chickadee is one of our most popular birds. He calls his name plainly, and his color-pattern is distinctive. In spring he has a plaintive love-call which sounds like _phee-bee_. An imitation of this whistle often brings the bird very close.

In winter, Chickadees may visit the lunch-counter daily; but in summer, when the duties of family-rearing are pressing, they may not be seen for weeks at a time. For this reason they are frequently considered as winter birds.

In late summer and autumn the family groups wander about among the trees, searching for caterpillars and insect eggs, and calling sociably to one another.

The Carolina Chickadee (_Penthestes carolinensis carolinensis_), a slightly smaller species, with almost precisely the same coloration as the Black-capped Chickadee, is to be found locally in the southernmost counties.

GOLDEN CROWNED KINGLET _Regulus regulus satrapa_ Lichtenstein

Description.—Size very small, one of our smallest birds; tail somewhat forked. _Male_: Center of crown red-orange, bordered with yellow which sometimes conceals the orange, and with black; line above eye whitish; rest of upperparts olive-gray; wings with an indistinct bar; tail and rump with greenish edgings; underparts pale gray, washed with olive and dull yellowish. _Length_: 4 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A common migrant and winter resident from about the first of October to the end of April. It has been known to nest in the higher mountains but it is exceedingly rare as a summer bird.

The Golden-crowned Kinglet is most noticeable as a winter bird when many of our familiar species are to the southward. It is a tiny bit of feathers, and as it perches on its slender legs it seems to be too fragile to endure the snow and cold weather. The call-note is a short lisping _tsee_, repeated three or four times. In spring it gives a song which starts with several wiry notes resembling one note given by the Chickadee and ending with an abbreviated series of _chips_. Golden-crowns like to hunt for food in coniferous trees.

RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET _Corthylio calendula calendula_ (Linnæus)

Description.—Size very small, tail somewhat forked. _Adult male_: Grayish olive above, grayest on head, greenest on rump; crown with brilliant red patch which is sometimes concealed; wings with two indistinct bars; underparts soiled white, washed with faint yellowish and olive. _Length_: 4½ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A migrant, usually common, from mid-April to mid-May, and from mid-September to latter October.

The song of the tiny Ruby-crown is amazingly loud and brilliant, and as the little creature sings, it may lift and fan out its startling crest. It is usually to be found in small trees or thickets, where it flits about, snapping up insects, and it often comes close at hand, when its bright eyes have a staring quality. Occasionally, it flicks its wings. Its alarm-note may be written _chŭ-dah_, rapidly given.

BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER _Polioptila cærulea cærulea_ (Linnæus)

Description.—Size very small, with long tail and short wings. _Male_: Upperparts blue-gray, a line across forehead and above eye white, bordered above by narrow black line; central tail-feathers black, the outer ones white; underparts soiled whitish. _Female_: Similar, the black of the head duller or missing. _Length_: 4½ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A rather local summer resident in southern counties.

Nest.—A beautifully made structure of fur, plant-fibers, and bark, covered with lichens and dried flower petals, held in place with cobwebs, from 15 to 40 feet from the ground on a horizontal branch. _Eggs_: 3 to 5, pale blue, rather heavily spotted with brown.

This dainty little creature is restless; his tail wags or shakes almost constantly as he pursues insects. His usual cry is a complaining _new, new_, whined as he hops about among the foliage. Both birds assist in covering the nest with lichens, which they gather from nearby tree-trunks, and which they bind into the structure with cobwebs so that it is firm and neat. The male may, at times, be rather noisy about the family secrets, and if we patiently watch him as he flits through the branches, he may lead us to the nest.

WOOD THRUSH _Hylocichla mustelina_ (Gmelin)

Description.—Smaller than Robin. Rich brown above, brightest on head and neck, with noticeable whitish eye-ring; below white, marked all over _with round black spots_; eyes large, very dark brown. _Length_: 8 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—Common migrant and summer resident from about the first of May to October. It is not found in dense hemlock woods in the wilder districts, nor at higher altitudes.

Nest.—A firm, neat cup of grasses, weed-stalks, paper, string, and leaves, lined with finer materials, with an inner wall of mud, placed from 5 to 20 feet from the ground in a tree. _Eggs_: 3 or 4, pale blue, much like those of the Robin in color, but smaller.

This is the largest, brightest, and most strikingly marked of our thrushes, and he is the only one whose underparts are marked _all over with round black spots_.

The Wood Thrush lives in shady lawns as well as in wilder woodlands. He is often a familiar dooryard bird, hopping about on the grass or singing from a low perch. The song is delivered in sections, with pauses of a few seconds between. Some of the notes are rich and deep; others are high and flute-like; others tremble like a twanged banjo string. The alarm-note is loud and sharp.

WILSON’S THRUSH; VEERY _Hylocichla fuscescens fuscescens_ (Stephens)

Description.—Smaller than Robin. Uniform brown above; throat and belly white; sides of throat and breast washed with buffy, and marked with indistinct rows of short, brown streaks; sides white, faintly washed with gray-brown; eye-ring not noticeable in field. _Length_: 7½ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A common migrant throughout in later April and May and in September. Nests in the more northerly counties and in the mountains. It is common as a summer resident in suitable damp woodlands.

Nest.—On the ground, made largely of leaves, lined with rootlets and small grasses. _Eggs_: 3 or 4, delicate greenish blue.

Go to a wooded swamp or to low, thick woodlands to find this elusive bird. If you keep quiet for a time, you may see his brown back as he flashes through the undergrowth. Make a slight disturbance, and he may call _zeu_ in a penetrating tone. He may sing his remarkable ringing song which, in liquid, tinkling, descending spirals, sounds a little like _veery, veery, veery, veery_. If you become familiar with him, you will see him hopping over the ground like a Wood Thrush; he snaps up an insect here and there, or flops the damp leaves over looking for food.

GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH _Hylocichla minima aliciæ_ (Baird)

Description.—Upperparts olive, unmarked, not even a whitish eye-ring being noticeable in the field; _sides of head dull grayish_; sides of throat and breast faintly washed with buff, the breast marked with a few dark streaks, which lie in rows; throat and belly white; sides gray. _Length_: 7½ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A regular migrant, though not often recorded, during May and in late September and early October.

This bird is difficult to identify in Pennsylvania. It does not often sing, and it is shy. Probably it is commoner than we suppose, but the thrushes look so much alike that we are afraid to record the species unless we have a specimen in hand. It resembles most closely the Olive-backed Thrush; it differs in having a dull whitish eye-ring and grayish cheeks, which in the Olive-back are distinctly buffy. Records of this species should be made with a good glass. The song, which may occasionally be given here, is like a Veery’s.

OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH _Hylocichla ustulata swainsoni_ (Tschudi)

Description.—Upperparts olive; _eye-ring and sides of head buffy_, the color spreading more or less over the face, throat, and breast; throat streaked and breast somewhat spotted with blackish; belly white; sides grayish. _Length_: A little over 7 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—An abundant migrant in late April and early May and in September and October; rare as a summer resident, found only at high altitudes in the mountains.

Nest.—Deeply cupped, compact, and neat, of grasses, moss, rootlets, and twigs, placed in a forest tree from 6 to 20 feet from the ground. _Eggs_: 3 or 4, pale blue, spotted or blotched with red-brown.

The Olive-back’s song is a little like the Wood Thrush’s, but is longer, and it usually ascends the scale, in this respect differing from the Veery’s. Its buffy eye-ring is usually a dependable field-mark. The alarm-note may be written _pert_, pronounced in front of the teeth.

HERMIT THRUSH _Hylocichla guttata faxoni_ Bangs and Penard

Description.—Underparts olive-brown, with a somewhat noticeable buffy eye-ring, and a _noticeably red-brown tail_, which is the most dependable field-mark; throat and breast washed with buffy, the breast marked with rows of short, blackish, rounded streaks; belly white; sides grayish brown. _Length_: A little over 7 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A common migrant, appearing early in spring often during March, and remaining late in fall, often until November or even Christmas; it is casual in winter. As a nesting bird it is rather rare, occurring in the northern counties and at high altitudes.

Nest.—Usually on the ground, of leaves, rootlets, grasses, and moss, lined with finer materials. _Eggs_: 3 or 4, greenish blue.

The Hermit Thrush’s red-brown tail is usually a good field-mark because it shows plainly, even as the bird flies away. It should not be confused with the Fox Sparrow, however, which has a brown back and bright red-brown tail, and which, curiously enough, occurs as an early spring, or late fall migrant, at about the same time as the Hermit Thrush.

The song of the Hermit Thrush is thought by some to be the highest point attained in American bird-music. It may be described as an elaborated and refined Wood Thrush song, given in deliberate, easy manner, often in the evening, and sometimes virtually at nightfall.

ROBIN _Turdus migratorius migratorius_ Linnaeus

Description.—_Adult male_: Head blackish; partial white eye-ring; rest of upperparts gray, darker on wings and tail; outer tail-feathers narrowly tipped with white; throat white, streaked with black; breast and sides brownish red, sometimes somewhat barred with whitish; belly and undertail-coverts white, the latter sometimes marked with grayish. Eyes dark brown. _Female_: Duller. _Young_: The breasts are spotted with black. _Length_: 10 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—Abundant migrant and summer resident, appearing early in spring, sometimes in February or March, and lingering often until November; casual in winter, when it is likely to be seen in flocks.

Nest.—A firm, neatly cupped structure of grasses, weed stalks, string, and so forth, with an inner lining of mud, placed in trees, on window-sills, under porches, and sometimes on the ground. _Eggs_: 3 or 4, pale blue.

The quiet, homelike beauty of the Robin appeals to every American. As the trim bird runs about the dew-drenched lawn, he seems to impart to us his own belief in the goodness of life. He pauses to listen for an earthworm as it scratches its way along its dark tunnel; but if he does not catch the worm, he looks up brightly, runs nimbly a few feet further on, and listens again, firm in his knowledge that he will sooner or later come into his own and catch a worm perhaps even longer than the one he missed. The spotted breasts of the young bespeak kinship with the thrushes.

BLUEBIRD _Sialis sialis sialis_ (Linnaeus)

Description.—A little larger than an English Sparrow. _Adult male_: Rich, deep, glossy blue above; throat, breast, and sides reddish brown; belly and under tail-coverts white. _Female_: Similar, but upperparts largely gray, bluest on wings and tail. _Young_: Similar to female, but with spotted breast. _Length_: 6 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A common migrant and summer resident from early March until November; casual in winter. It is to be found chiefly in more cultivated districts.

Nest.—Of grasses, in a cavity in a tree or bird-box, from 5 to 20 feet from the ground.