Part 6

The Spotted Sandpiper is our best-known shore-bird. It is not particularly wary, and frequents all the small streams which have not been polluted. As it runs along the muddy margin, it bobs and teeters constantly, perhaps calling softly. Fluttering out over the water, its wing-tips almost touching the surface, it whistles _tweet_, _tweet, tweet, tweet_, clearly, and circles back to the shore or alights on a stone or fallen tree. The white areas in the wings show rather plainly in flight.

The young are so small and flimsy that they are comical, with their wisps of tails and long, slender feet. They can swim readily, however, and run with amazing rapidity. Even the adult can swim and dive if necessary.

The Spotted Sandpiper is a much more energetic, nervous bird than its relative, the Solitary Sandpiper, and it is not so often found wading about in deep water as is that somewhat larger, darker bird. When the two species fly up, the Solitary usually utters two or three loud, sharp whistles as it flies directly away, or up into the air. The Spotted, on the other hand, usually flutters away, just a little above the water, and customarily circles back to the shore not far away.

KILLDEER _Oxyechus vociferus vociferus_ (Linnæus)

Other Names.—Killdee; Killdeer Plover.

Description.—Three toes; size of Robin; forehead, patch over eye, throat, ring around neck, and underparts white, the breast crossed by _two prominent black bands_; forepart of crown and line from bill under eye, blackish; rest of head and upperparts gray-brown, with greenish reflections; wings with bases of flight-feathers white, showing plainly in flight; rump and upper tail-coverts bright orange-brown; middle tail-feathers dark brown, outer feathers white, all with white tip and irregular subterminal bar of black; bill black; feet pale flesh-color; eyelids red. _Length_: 10½ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A widely distributed migrant and summer resident from mid-March to mid-November; occasional in winter.

Nest.—A depression in the sod or among gravel, sometimes rather carefully lined with pebbles or bits of debris. _Eggs_: 4, whitish to buffy brown, heavily spotted with dark or reddish brown.

Our Killdeer is a bird of the open pastures. Although it searches for food along the water’s edge, it often builds its nest some distance away. The striking coloration and clear whistled cry _kill-deer, kill-deer_ make this one of our most easily identified birds, even at a considerable distance.

The large Black-bellied Plover (_Squatarola squatarola cynosuræ_) is common during the fall migration at Erie from mid-August to mid-September and later, but is rare elsewhere in Pennsylvania. The black underparts of the adult in spring and the _black underwing feathers_ of the young and adult in winter are diagnostic marks. The call-note may be written _too-ree_.

Somewhat smaller is the Golden Plover (_Pluvialis dominica dominica_), whose black underparts and golden flecked upperparts make the spring plumage easily recognizable; it is dull brownish in fall, with golden flecks on the crown and back. At Erie it is common in fall from early September throughout the month; elsewhere in Pennsylvania it is rare, and it is not noted during the spring, for its northward migration route passes along the Mississippi Valley.

SEMIPALMATED PLOVER _Charadrius semipalmatus_ Bonaparte

Other Name.—Ring Plover.

Description.—Like the Killdeer in general appearance, but much _smaller, and with only one black band around the neck_; rump and upper tail-coverts the same gray-brown as the back; eyelids yellow; bill short, orange, tipped with black. _Length_: A little under 7 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A rather rare migrant during May and from August 10 to October 1, save at Erie, where it is regular and common.

The clear call-note of this species, _ker-ee, ker-ee_, suggests that of the Killdeer. Young Semipalmated Plovers coming south for the first time are often very easy to approach.

The Piping Plover (_Charadrius melodus_), which is about the size of the Semipalmated Plover and like it in pattern, is pale sandy above, with a blackish ring about neck, black primaries and central tail-feathers, and bright yellow eyelids and feet. This species nests at Erie, arriving in mid-April and remaining until early September; elsewhere in Pennsylvania it is very rare.

RUDDY TURNSTONE _Arenaria interpres morinella_ (Linnæus)

Description.—Size of Robin; bill sharply pointed. _Adults in spring_: Upperparts strikingly marked with black, white, and rusty red; tail white, with black band near tip; underparts white, marked with black on throat and breast. _In winter_: Upperparts blackish, the feathers margined with grayish; lower back white; tail as in summer; legs orange-red. _Length_: 9½ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A rare but rather regular migrant in May and September, noted chiefly at Erie.

RING-NECKED PHEASANT _Phasianus colchichus torquatus_ Gmelin

Other Names.—Ring-neck; Pheasant; English Pheasant.

Description.—Size of a chicken; male with a long, pointed tail; female with shorter, more rounded tail. _Adult male_: Head and neck, with tufts on sides of head, glossy green; collar about neck white; back and scapulars golden yellow, the centers of the feathers glossy green; rump grayish, glossed with green, and marked with black spots; wings light gray, the primaries barred with black; tail brown, barred with black and glossed with pinkish; breast rich copper-red, glossed with violet, the feathers tipped with black; sides golden yellow, spotted with glossy purple; belly black; face bare, the skin deep red; bill and feet light gray; eyes bright yellow. _Female and immature male_: Pale sandy brown, the head and neck with a pinkish cast, and entire upperparts streaked and barred with dark brown and black, giving the bird an entirely different appearance and color pattern from that of the adult male; eyes dark brown. _Length_: Male, about 30 inches; female, about 24 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A permanent resident, very common in some districts, notably in the less mountainous counties. It is becoming common throughout much of the Commonwealth through the restocking efforts of the Game Commission.

Nest.—A depression in the ground, lined with grasses or other vegetation, usually placed in a field not far from a brush-lined stream, or under a fallen bough at the edge of a woodland. _Eggs_: 8 to 20, olive-brown in color, glossy in appearance.

The Ring-neck is a native of Asia. It was brought to Great Britain at the time of the Roman invasion and has become thoroughly acclimated there. In many parts of the New World, Ring-necks have been introduced and they seem to make their way very well. They have been present in Pennsylvania for only a few years, yet during the 1927 hunting season 177,500 of the birds were taken as legal game.

In spite of its magnificent coloration, the Ring-neck is protectively colored, though birds which wander about through the open field, where they search for food, can be seen easily. As they fly up, it sometimes takes a second or two for them to get well under way, but they fly strongly and make a difficult mark for the sportsman once they learn the meaning of a gun.

BOB-WHITE _Colinus virginianus virginianus_ (Linnæus)

Other Names.—Quail; Partridge; Virginia Partridge.

Description.—Size of small bantam chicken. _Male_: Head blackish, mottled with gray and red-brown; throat, spots on neck, and a prominent line above eye, white; back and breast mottled with gray, pinkish brown, buffy, black, and white; scapulars bordered with buffy; rump and tail gray; belly whitish, barred with black; flanks rusty red, feathers margined with white. _Female_: Similar, but with buffy yellow superciliary and throat. _Length_: 10 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—Common permanent resident, chiefly in the less mountainous counties, and usually to be found in cultivated districts.

Nest.—On the ground, in high grass or among brush, made of dry grasses, arched over with grasses or other vegetation; usually placed along a road, or at the edge of a field. _Eggs_: 12 to 24, pure white.

In winter Bob-Whites frequent old weed-patches, briar-thickets, or cornfields where the stalks have been left standing. They are very sociable, and wander about in flocks, searching for food, roosting together on the ground in a compact ring, their heads out and tails together. Being protectively colored, they usually do not fly until they are virtually tramped upon. When a flock is disturbed, they rush into the air on noisy wings and scatter in all directions. After a short time the birds begin to call to each other, _pur-lee, pur-lee_, and the flock reassembles.

With the coming of spring the flocks break up. Male birds mount favorite fence-posts, stones, or low boughs and give the clear whistle which every farmer boy can imitate. This whistle is one of the clearest and most powerful of bird-notes.

Male and female birds share the duties of incubating the eggs, which are turned over carefully so that they get the proper amount of heat. Sometimes the eggs are so numerous that they are piled upon each other in the nest, and at such times the lower layer of eggs must receive special attention. As a rule, all the eggs hatch.

Among the enemies of Bob-Whites are the blacksnake, which eats the eggs and young; the Cooper’s Hawk and the Goshawk, which capture the adults; and the skunk and other ground-prowlers which eat the eggs and sometimes the adults. Half-starved house cats are frequently serious enemies of this popular game-bird.

The Hungarian or European Gray Partridge (_Perdix perdix_ _perdix_), a bird a little larger than the Bob-White, gray in color with a dark brown horse-shoe shaped mark on the breast, a red-brown tail, and reddish eyelids, has been released in several parts of Pennsylvania as a game-bird, and it is now on the increase. The bright red-brown tail of this species is very noticeable in flight.

RUFFED GROUSE _Bonasa umbellus umbellus_ (Linnæus)

Other Names.—Partridge; Gray Partridge; Birch Partridge; Silver-tail (gray phase); Pheasant (erroneous).

Description.—Size of chicken, with broad, fan-shaped tail; sexes similar. Upperparts principally reddish brown, irregularly marked with black, buffy, gray, and whitish; _sides of neck with ruffs of broad, black feathers_ glossed with greenish; tail reddish brown or gray, or of intermediate shade, irregularly barred and mottled with black, with a broad blackish band near end, and a gray tip; throat and breast buffy; rest of underparts white, tinged with buffy and barred with black or dark brown, the bars indistinct on the breast and belly, stronger on the sides. The female, which is a little smaller, has smaller ruffs on the neck, and, as a rule, a shorter tall. _Length_: 17 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A permanent resident throughout in the wilder, wooded sections; variable in abundance as a result of unfavorable nesting seasons, change of forest conditions, destruction by natural enemies, disease, and heavy hunting.

Nest.—A hollow lined with leaves at the base of a stump, under a low hemlock, or under the fallen branch of a tree. _Eggs_: 7 to 14, pale buffy.

The Ruffed Grouse, our best-known game-bird, is a creature of personality. Protectively colored, he waits until he is almost trodden upon, then rises with a startling whir of wings, leaving the wayfarer thunderstruck. The female, as she incubates, is rarely seen, for she does not stir, and her back perfectly imitates her surroundings.

In the spring, the male Grouse struts and drums at chosen spots in the woodland. On a log he paces up and down, ruffs lifted, wide tail fully spread and elevated; or he stands erect, and, beating his chest rapidly with his wings, produces the drumming sound for which he is so famous. Grouse may drum at any time of the year, and sometimes at night, but they do so chiefly during the morning on spring days.

The young run nimbly soon after hatching and leave their nest at once. They develop rapidly. After a week they can fly readily though they are very small. The mother Grouse, in luring an enemy from her young, employs broken-wing tactics, dragging herself over the ground as though she were badly wounded.

In the winter, Grouse develop long lateral scales on their toes which function as snow-shoes. Their neat tracks in the snow lead from a roost under a branch to which dead leaves cling, and wander about the bushes and trees where the birds have been feeding on buds, twigs, and dried berries. Grouse are especially fond of aspen, birch, beech, and maple buds. They like wild-grape vines both for the food and the shelter which they afford. During summer, Grouse eat much insect food, as well as berries and leaves. They sometimes eat hemlock needles and leaves of mountain laurel.

WILD TURKEY _Meleagris gallopavo silvestris_ Vieillot

Description.—Size and appearance very similar to that of the domestic bird, but tips of tail-feathers and upper tail-coverts rich deep chestnut; primaries barred with black and white; feet mahogany-_red_. A large Wild Turkey gobbler in spring is a magnificent creature with its rich, iridescent plumage, highly colored and wattled head, and proud carriage. _Length_: About 4 feet.

Range in Pennsylvania.—Once fairly common throughout the State, especially in the southern mountainous counties, but brought to the verge of extermination through forest fires, excessive hunting, and encroaches of civilization. The Game Commission has brought in some birds from other States to replenish our stock; some mingling has occurred between wild birds and domestic individuals which have wandered from the farms. Wild Turkeys are now to be found chiefly along the ridges of the South Mountain District, and seem to be holding their own fairly well. While these are not strictly the original strain, they are nevertheless wild, and are therefore fairly representative of the race which once occurred. The Wild Turkey is a permanent resident.

Nest.—A depression in the leaves, under brush, or in a thicket, usually well concealed from above. _Eggs_: 6 to 15, cream-buff, thickly but finely spotted with reddish brown.

The sight of a flock of Wild Turkeys coasting on their strong wings from the crest of a ridge to the lower levels is one long to be remembered. The spectacle before us, of weighty, muscular creatures hurling themselves through the air is difficult to believe, accustomed as we are to the flightless clumsiness of their cousins of the barnyard.

Having very keen senses, the Wild Turkeys are difficult to approach, for they are very wary and at the slightest warning make off on a run up the ridge, or leap into the air.

In summer, they eat many small fruits and insects, including grasshoppers, but in winter, when it is often necessary for them to scratch in the snow, they eat chestnuts and acorns, the berries of Jack-in-the-pulpit, corn if they live near the farms, and other such food as they can find. In some districts these splendid birds have difficulty in finding adequate food to carry them through the winter and in such regions the Game Protector sees that the birds are fed, and Boy Scouts, sportsmen’s organizations, and others coöperate in saving the birds.

The Wild Turkey gobbler, notably in the spring, has the same tendencies toward fighting and vainglorious display as has his domestic relative.

MOURNING DOVE _Zenaidura macroura carolinensis_ (Linnæus)

Other Names.—Carolina Dove; Rain Crow (erroneous); Turtle Dove.

Description.—A little larger than a Robin; head small, tail long and pointed. _Adults_: Crown clear gray; front of head, face, throat, and lower neck, soft reddish brown, two small black spots back of and below the eye; sides and back of neck gray, with patches of iridescent feathers which reflect greenish, golden, and purplish lights; back and wings grayish brown, some of the coverts and tertials with black spots; rump and tail gray, the outer tail-feathers noticeably tipped with white; underparts pinkish brown, lightest on belly and under tail-coverts; bill black; feet reddish. _Female_: Less brightly colored than male. Young birds in their first flight plumage are much scaled in appearance and lack the bright colors of the adult. _Length_: About 12 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A common summer resident throughout, arriving in late March and remaining until November. It is occasionally found in winter when the ground is free of snow or when food in the form of seed or grain is plentiful. In many sections it is becoming commoner.

Nest.—A flimsy, flat structure made of small twigs, weed-stalks, or other bits of vegetation, placed, usually, on a horizontal branch or in an ample crotch in an orchard tree or willow, often near a stream, and usually not at great height from the ground. The nest is sometimes placed on the ground. _Eggs_: 2, white.

Doves are often to be seen perched on a prominent dead branch, and at such times their small heads, erect posture, and pointed tails are noticeable. As they fly up from a field, or alight, the white in their outer tail-feathers shows plainly, but wherever they occur they may be recognized by the characteristic whistling sound of their wings in flight and their gentle cooing. This song may be written _coo-oo-oo, ooh, ooh, ooh_, the opening syllable using three notes, the middle note being the highest in the song. At close range this cry is rough and throaty; at a distance it is mellow and soft, its tender, mournful quality making adequate description difficult.

Young Doves are fed with partly digested food which the parents pump up from their stomachs. They are helpless, dowdy creatures while in the nest, and they sometimes come to an untimely end when a gale blows the structure from its scant moorings or when, from lack of proper balance, it topples to one side.

The white eggs, when fresh, are translucent as moonstones, and the sunlight, in penetrating the thin shells, discloses faintly the color of the golden yolk.

Doves eat a great deal of weed seed. They have no destructive habits whatever, and are worthy of all possible protection. They appear to be on the increase as a result of shortening the shooting season in the South, where they are popular as game-birds.

TURKEY VULTURE _Cathartes aura septentrionalis_ Wied

Other Names.—Buzzard; Turkey Buzzard.

Description.—Smaller than a Turkey; head and upper neck virtually bare; ruff of feathers about lower neck; wings long as in most birds of prey, but feet without the sharp, curved claws of the hawk tribe; plumage blackish brown, glossed with purplish when fresh, rusty and soiled in appearance when old; under surface of flight-feathers lighter, showing in flight; skin of neck and head reddish, with whitish tubercles and ridges, and some hairs and small feathers; bill whitish; feet dull flesh-color; eyes brown. Downy young, white in color with pale blue-gray feet and head. _Length_: About 30 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A regular and fairly common summer resident in the southern half of the Commonwealth and locally in western Pennsylvania, at least as far north as Crawford County, where it nests in limited numbers at Pymatuning Swamp. It arrives in mid-March and stays until November, or later. In the southernmost counties, and occasionally elsewhere in its range, it remains throughout the winter.

Nest.—No nest is built. _Eggs_: 2, whitish, blotched irregularly with black, brown, and gray, placed on the ground in a cavity among rocks or in a hollow log.

At close range the Turkey Vulture is not a beautiful creature—its carriage is slovenly, its facial expression unpleasant, and its plumage harsh; but circling in the sky, its wide wings hardly moving for hours at a time, it becomes a glorified being, among the most graceful and well-balanced of our soaring birds.

It is equipped by Nature as a carrion-eater, the bare head and neck permitting it to eat the flesh of dead animals without soiling its feathers. Its feet are not used in capturing or carrying prey, but a considerable burden may be carried in the bill. When Vultures find a dead cow or horse, word seems to travel immediately to all nearby districts and the great birds swing silently in to the feast. They are frequently seen along roadsides where they devour rabbits and other small mammals which have been killed by motor cars.

It is said that the Turkey Vulture carries the germs of hog cholera and the dreaded foot-and-mouth disease. This is only occasionally, if ever, true, however, and, as a rule, it is a harmless and highly beneficial bird. Nevertheless, it is not protected in Pennsylvania at the present time.

Young Vultures cannot stand when newly hatched.

MARSH HAWK _Circus cyaneus hudsonius_ (Linnæus)

Other Names.—Swamp Hawk; Marsh Harrier; Pigeon Hawk (erroneous); Chicken Hawk; Hen Harrier.

Description.—Face with an owl-like ruff of feathers; wings _and tail_ long; feet long and slender. _Adult male_: Upperparts light ashy gray, somewhat darker on top of head, and slightly streaked on neck; tips of wings black; tail barred with black; _upper tail-coverts white_; lower parts white, grayer on throat and upper breast, and flecked with pale reddish brown on sides and flanks; eyes bright yellow. _Adult female_: Plumage rich brown, considerably mottled throughout, sometimes heavily streaked with blackish below, and feathers sometimes considerably margined with buffy; _upper tail-coverts always white_; eyes yellow. Immature birds are usually plain brown, unstreaked below, and have brown eyes. The feet are always yellow. _Length_: About 20 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A common though somewhat local migrant and summer resident from March 15 to November 1. Less often seen in the mountainous counties and occasionally noted in winter. Its summer range depends more or less upon swampy country in which the nest is characteristically built.

Nest.—On the ground in a swamp, composed of dead weed-stalks, cat-tail leaves, and similar materials, sometimes with neat cup and lining, at other times loosely constructed with little attempt at neatness. _Eggs_: 4 to 7, pale blue or chalky white, occasionally _faintly_ spotted with brown.

The Marsh Hawk is usually to be seen flying near the ground over a field or low meadow. Beating its way along rapidly, it pauses at times to watch the grass where prey may hide, sometimes wheeling suddenly toward the ground as it captures a mouse or shrew. It may always be recognized by the _white upper tail-coverts_ which show plainly in flight, a mark which our other hawks do not have.

Occasionally the Marsh Hawk circles high in air where the white patch on the back is not visible. At such times the _long and somewhat pointed wings_, black wing-tips, long tail, and white appearance of the male and the dull brown appearance of the female will distinguish the species.

The male has the interesting custom of looping the loop during its season of courtship. At the nest the birds are very fierce in defending their young and swoop about the intruder, uttering loud, piercing, Flicker-like cries.