USA > West Virginia > Webster County > Moccasin tracks and other imprints > Part 16
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When flushed he does not fly far, but makes a dash for the nearest cover. The nest is usually placed on the ground. but a bush may be chosen for the site. Three broods are raised between May and September, and each one consists of four or five nestlings.
The Cardinal Grosbeak.
The cardinal grosbeak, or Virginia red-bird, with his scarlet coat and prominent crest, is known and admired by every one. His mate is not so gaudily dressed but she is very readily recognized by the crest that adorns
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both sexes. 'This species is common from Florida to New York. The song, which is confined chiefly to the male, is a whistle of various notes and intonations. One of his favorite songs is thought by many farmers to indicate rain, as he seems to say "Wet, wet, year, year, year." They build their nest from four to eight feet above the ground and is located in a dense thicket. The nest is made of very coarse material in which the bark of the grape vine predominates. But one brood is reared each year and it consists of three or four young ones.
The Blue Jay.
The blue jay in his beautiful uniform of blue and white is a permanent resident with very erratic habits, and movements. He is very common in October and November, feeding on acorns, beech nuts, and chestnuts, which form his chief diet in the fall and winter. At times he is absent from his usual haunts for many months. These movements are governed by food sup- plies rather than upon climatic conditions. His best friends can not call him a songster of much merit, but his worst enemies cannot deny his great conversational powers. Besides a succession of melodious notes called a song, birds have certain call notes, which is a method of communication between individuals of the same family. To any one who has listened to a large flock of blue jays feeding in a woodland comprising five or six acres, their vocabulary appears almost unlimited. Besides the call notes peculiar to their own species, they are most excellent mimics and they can imitate
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the red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks in a way to deceive the most practiced ear. One is never certain from which it proceeds until he hears the unmistakable "jay," "jay" from the same vicinity or sees the hawk mount upward on tireless pinions.
Jays spend much time in teasing the owl. The one that finds an owl gives a peculiar cry which is immedi- ately answered by every jay in hearing of the call. They gather around the owl as closely as safety will admit, each uttering a protest in the most positive manner. It is very comical to see the owl turning his head from side to side to see each of his diminutive tor- mentors. A perfect Babel of noise is heard and the poor owl, driven almost to distraction, flies away, but he is followed by the entire flock of his persecutors. .Not until he is driven out of their feeding ground will they desist.
The jay is a robber and a despoiler of the nests of other birds. He also eats the young ones. This trait has made him many enemies that otherwise would be his friends. Jays build a very compact nest of small twigs and rootlets about fifteen feet from the ground. The eggs, four or five in number, are a pale olive-green color. Jays are very useful in the transportation and planting of seeds. I have found twenty-five beech nuts hidden by them in a stump at least four hundred yards from a beech tree. Jays are permanent residents from Florida to Nova Scotia.
The Tufted Titmouse.
The tufted titmouse is a very common bird through- out the year in central West Virginia. It has a long
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tail and a prominent crest. Its prevailing color is gray above, with reddish brown sides and cream-colored breast. Its call notes resemble the black-capped chick- adee, but they are somewhat louder and more nasal. Another call heard in mild winter weather is a low whistle, "peto, peto, peto," repeated for hours at a time. The male is an ardent suitor, and during the months of April and a part of May he is very attentive to his intended mate. It is a fact worthy of note that birds choose but one mate for the season, unless by some fatality it becomes necessary to choose another one. Some species select a permanent mate and the two are always found near each other, except in the spring mi- gration the male arrives at the nesting place two or three weeks earlier than the female.
Some years ago, near Bolair, I witnessed a very sin- gular courtship between two titmice. The male fol- lowed the female from branch to branch and from tree to tree, uttering a low, plaintive cry like that of a young bird. His wings were fluttering, and his move- ments indicated the utmost excitement. After some time the female flew down to the ground and was fol- lowed by her admirer. She picked up a small straw and gave it to him. This act must have indicated that his love was reciprocated, for he at once became quiet, but he continued to follow her. She, probably from the first, intended to accept him, but thought she would keep him in doubt and suspense for a while, like some young ladies do their sweethearts.
Titmice feed upon nuts and seeds in autumn and winter, and during the remainder of the year their chief diet consists of insects. They hoard their food
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like blue jays, and even when snow covers the ground they seem to have no trouble in locating it where it was concealed months before. While feeding they keep up a continual twittering, which is very pleasing to the ear.
The Downy Woodpecker.
The downy woodpecker belongs to a very numerous family distributed from the Arctic regions to Mexico. The members of this family are called the surgeons of the forests, because they excavate holes in the trees with their sharp, chisel-like bills in search of the larvæ of injurious insects. They do immense damage to timber in this way, but the harm done is in a measure balanced by their keeping the ravages of forest insects in check.
The downy woodpecker is common in all seasons of the year. His feet, tail, and bill are especially adapted to his mode of procuring food. His sharp toe nails enable him to climb with ease and rapidity; his stiff pointed tail feathers act as a prop to hold him against a tree. and his sharp bill can penetrate the hardest wood. It is used as a hand with which to procure food, and as a tool to excavate a receptacle in soft or decayed wood for a nest, and also to construct a winter home. In the coldest weather he may be seen diligently search- ing for insect food hidden in the bark or in decayed wood. He is the partner of the orchardist and the farmer, destroying myriads of insects, bugs, and worms that are injurious to trees. In the autumn he is found making a hole in a fence prop, a stump, or a post in which he snugly spends the cold, winter nights. In
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the same way he prepares a site for a nest. The eggs are white and the usual number is six.
The downy is not noted for his courage or his fight- ing qualities, although he is armed with a bill that could be used to good effect in both offensive and de- fensive warfare. He is very sociable in his habits, and spends much time in the company of nuthatches and chickadees.
Some years ago, I was interested in a pair of blue birds that had selected an abandoned home of a wood- pecker in a wild plum for their nesting place. They visited it daily to see if any other birds were trespass- ing on their rights. One cold, rainy evening in April they came as usual, and one of them looked. in at the door, but quickly withdrew his head in great agitation and utered a cry of alarm. He then flew to a nearby tree and his mate looked in with a similar result. They both flew some distance and appeared to hold a con- ferance as to the best method of procedure against the intruder. They were very much excited, and used tail, wings, and voice to express the indignation they felt at the intrusion. The downy was very much alarmed at thus being cooped up in a home that did not belong to him and two angry owners plotting against him. He had sought shelter from the rain, but he did not feel at all comfortable at this time. He very cautiously peeped out, and seeing his enemies some distance away, he made a dash for liberty hotly pursued by the angry blue birds. The chase continued in my sight for two or three hundred yards, and the pursuers did not re- turn for about an hour. They remained on guard until late twilight, but the downy did not return. For some
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unknown cause the blue birds did not use the plum tree as a nesting site that year.
The Hairy Woodpecker.
The hairy woodpecker, the downy's big cousin, is a shyer bird than his smaller relative, and does not visit the orchards very often, but he spends most of his time in the deep forests. His dress, like the downy, is barred with black and white. The outer tail feathers of the downy are white, barred with black; in the hairy they are white without black bars. In the males, the nape of the neck of both species is a bright red. The feathers on the back of the hairy woodpecker are somewhat stiff and resemble hair, hence the name. When entering the woods on a cold day in winter one will hear the tap, tap, tap of a woodpecker in search of tree "borers." When approached they will sidle to the other side of the tree and peep at the intruder. When the seeming danger is past work will again be resumed. All woodpeckers make a loud drumming noise by strik- ing a dead limb with their sharp bill, which is repeated a number of times in rapid succession. This is their love call.
The Pileated Woodpecker.
This is the largest member of the family with the exception of the ivory bill, which is found in Florida and adjacent territory. He is seventeen inches in length and his color is a dull black with much white on his neck and wings. The high pointed crest of bright red gives him a very jaunty appearance. It resembles the
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bright red cap worn by the Roman soldiers called pileus, and he has been called the pileated woodpecker. He is very shy and rarely comes into orchards or farm lands. They are not so plentiful as they were twenty years ago, but quite a number can be seen by those who go far enough into the dense woods. On the approach of a snow storm the pileated flies to a southern ex- posed part of the woods. He remains there until the storm is about ready to break and then he seeks the woods facing the north: The first settlers in Webster county learned to predict the weather by his flight. Like all other woodpeckers, he nests in a hole exca- vated in a dead stub or tree.
The Goldfinch.
To see the goldfinch in the month of May dressed in his gay wedding suit of yellow and black one can scarcely believe that he braves the winter storms. After the young ones are grown, he lays aside his brilliant coat and assumes the garb of his more modest mate, and becomes a winter resident. The goldfinch is a bird of many names. He is called the flax bird, the wild canary, the beet bird, the lettuce bird, and the yellow bird. He is very sociable and is usually found in flocks feeding on the seeds of thistles, dandelions, sun- flowers and many other plants. If you wish to make the acquaintance of this most interesting little bird, plant sunflowers in your garden and leave the seeds on the stalks until late autumn and early winter. The goldfinch does not go to housekeeping until June, al- though he has worn his wedding clothes since the month of April. A very compact nest is built in the
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crotch of a small branch ten to twenty feet above the ground. It is composed of fine bark and plant fibers and is lined with soft plant down. The eggs, from three to six in number, are bluish-white in color.
The song resembles that of the canary, and in early spring they sing in chorus, but later in the season the males become most excellent soloists. Sometimes while the female is feeding, the male will fly around her in a wide circle in graceful, undulating movements utter- ing "per-chic-oree, per-chic-oree" for some minutes. The nest is encircled in the same manner when the female is brooding. Many years ago, when each farmer sowed a small patch of flax for home consumption, goldfinches were very plentiful, and because they ate the seeds they were called flaxbirds. They eat the leaves of young beets and are therefore called beet birds. In the male, from April to August, the body is a beau- tiful golden color. The crown is black and the wings are black and white. The female is a grayish brown, with wings barred with black and pale yellow. The range of the goldfinch is from the tropics to the central part of Canada.
The Black-Capped Chickadee.
This bird belongs to the titmouse family. Titmouse means little mouse. It is one of our smallest birds, be- ing but four and one-half inches long. It is also called tit or tom tit. The chickadee is a permanent resident, but is more plentiful in the spring and autumn migra- tions. It is insectivorous and destroys many insects harmful to vegetation. It not only feeds upon the in- sect but upon the eggs and larvæ also. The song of
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three or four notes is very musical and need only be heard in order to be appreciated. It is not at all shy, but will allow one to approach very near when in its native woods. For a nesting place a hole in a dead tree or limb is selected, but, if a suitable. one cannot be found, one is soon made with his sharp bill. The small particles of wood are not dropped at the root of the tree like the woodpeckers, but they are carried some distance away before being dropped to the ground. The work is done by both male and female, working alter- nately. When completed, this house is lined with the soft, inner bark of trees.
The upper parts of the chickadee are gray, and the under parts are brownish-white. The crown and throat are black, and the cheeks are white. The eggs, five to eight in number, are white, spotted and speckled with reddish-brown.
The White-Breasted Nuthatch.
This is a very interesting bird and no one need be in the woods very long without hearing his call note, which is a loud "yank," "yank," or he will be seen running head downward on a tree. His song is a rap- idly uttered "ha-ha-ha-ha" in a very loud key. This is not music of a very high order, but when heard in bleak December, when there is a dearth of bird music, it has a cheerful ring. The red-breasted nuthatch is a near relative of the white-breast, but is a more north- ern bird and is not found in central West Virginia. They are called nuthatches because they use their sharp, slender bill to crack or "hatch" a nut after it has been wedged in some convenient crevice in the bark of a
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tree or a crack in a limb. In comparing titmice with nuthatches, it may be said that the former have long tails and short bills, and do not creep, while the latter have short tails and long bills and do creep. The nut- hatches, with no special structure other than slightly lengthened toe nails, differ from all other birds in the ease and rapidity in which they can ascend or descend trees. The tail is short and square and is not used for a support in climbing. The color of the white-breasted nuthatch is bluish-gray on the back with face and un- der parts white. The crown of the male is black, and in the female a slaty color. The nest is made in April and the eggs are white, thickly speckled with reddish- brown.
The Carolina Wren.
The Carolina wren is very common and is very much larger than its cousin, the winter wren. It is one of our jolliest birds, and its call notes and song are varied and very musical. Wrens are the most vigorous and en- ergetic of birds. Some species will build three or four nests before eggs are deposited in either one. A house wren will carry a half bushel of material to fill up a nesting cavity, and then build the nest on the top of the heap. The range of the Carolina wren is from New York to Florida. Its upper parts are bright cinnamon and its under parts are washed with the same color. The nest is built in some crevice or out of the way place, the more effectively to hide it. I have seen the nest in a basket of feathers hung up in a smoke house, and in the sleeve of an old coat left in the wood house. The eggs. from five to eight, are
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laid in April. Think of the amount of work Jenny Wren and her husband must do to supply food for so many baby wrens. February is a favorable month to study the habits of the Carolina wren.
The Raven.
The raven, the bird of ill omen, was very common thirty or forty years ago, but it is very seldom seen now. I have seen but two in twenty-five years. These were seen on Birch river in Nicholas county. They remained for several days in the vicinity where first seen before taking their final departure. This was in 1902. Ravens built their nests in the deepest forests far removed from human habitation. When the young were able to fly they visited the settlements where food was more plentiful. The clamorous cry of the hungry youngsters was a very familiar spring sound. They were casual visitors until spring, when they returned to their breeding ground, but not before they had aroused the enmity of the farmers by plucking out the eyes of young lambs. Farther north the raven is still very common.
The Crow.
The crow, another bird of jet black plumage, but much smaller than the raven, is not so common as formerly during the winter. He has become a mi- grant and spends his winters to the south of us, re- turning at the breaking up of winter. Not many years ago a small flock could be seen on nearly every farm, feeding with the cattle or other farm animals. The
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farmers considered the crow a great pest because of his fondness for sprouting corn in the spring and for roasting ears in the late summer. While much damage is still done by him, he is now considered a friend of the agriculturist, as his chief diet consists of grubs and worms, the natural enemies of the farmer. In the au- tumn, crows collect in immense flocks and have a com- mon place to roost from which they forage in small bands for miles in every direction. When they return about sundown, for some time their incessant cawing is almost deafening. They feed on beech nuts and the seeds of some plants in the fall. But their chief food supply at that season of the year is the shelled corn and small ears left in the fields by the farmer when he gathered his crops.
The Ruffed Grouse.
The popular names of many American birds were given them by the early English settlers because of some real or fancied resemblance to well known Euro- pean species. The robin is not a robin but a true thrush; the meadow lark is not a lark at all, but a starling; the orioles are not orioles, but a distinct American family having no representatives in Europe. One of our best known and most popular game birds, the partridge of the north and the pheasant of the south, is neither, but it is a grouse. Ornithologists have repeatedly pointed out these mistakes in the in- terest of correct scientific classification of our birds, but the names have been too long established to be easily changed.
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The ruffed grouse (the pheasant), so called because the neck is ornamented with a black ruff, or collar, is distributed from the Carolinas to Canada, but is more plentiful in mountain regions that are heavily timbered. The ruff of the male is black and the feathers compos- ing it are longer than the surrounding ones, but in the female it is brown and the feathers are of the same length as the surrounding ones. The color of the grouse, a dark brown and rusty gray, exactly harmon- izes with his surroundings of leaves, logs, and dead brush. This is called protective coloration and enables him to readily hide from his enemies. The sportsman who successfully hunts him without the aid of a dog must have sharp eyes and always be on the alert. He will quietly sit in a few feet of the hunter until his back is turned and with a loud whirr he springs into the air and is away like a shot.
The male grouse makes a loud drumming sound which corresponds to the love songs of other birds. They drum most frequently during the nesting season, which begins about the first of May. Thirty years ago drumming was often heard at night but I have heard no drumming after sunset for many years. The manner in which this sound is produced is not well un- derstood even by eminent writers on birds. One noted author says that the bird firmly braces himself against a low perch and beats the air with his wings. Another writer says that he drums on a hollow log by beating it with his wings. Now, I have often watched, at very close range, the process. The drummer selects a log, usually an old mossy one, and stands very erect upon
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it. The wings are thrust well in front, and by a very slow movement at first, strikes the primaries together producing the sound. The latter part of the perform- ance is so rapid that he is almost lifted from his perch, against which he is not braced. If the outer feathers of the wings did not strike together, no louder sound could be produced than by suddenly bounding into the air when flushed.
During the spring and summer the toes of the grouse are bare and slender, but in autumn a comb-like fringe grows upon them, which for all practical purposes acts as a snow shoe, which aids in walking on the snow. The natural habitat of the grouse is in regions of deep snow fall, and he spends much of his time on the ground, so this is a wise provision of nature enabling him to walk on the soft snow without sinking deep into it. Grouse belong to the family of scratchers, but he never uses this method of procuring his food. A leaf- lined nest is constructed on the ground under the side of a log or rock, and from eight to fourteen buff-col- ored eggs are laid early in May.
The Bobwhite.
This game bird, the quail of the north and the par- tridge of the south, is a permanent resident of small number. He is called "bobwhite" from one of his loud whistled calls and when heard it is a sure harbinger of spring. This is a more southern bird than the ruffed grouse and is found in the eastern United States from Florida to Maine. The bobwhite has the grouse mark- ings, and male and female are much alike in color, the
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most important difference being the throat and the line over the eye, which are white in the male and buff in the female. During the winter they are often seen about the barn and other farm buildings feeding on the grain scattered about. They have many enemies, in- cluding hawks and foxes. They roost on the ground in a circle with tails together and heads pointing in all directions. They spring into the air when an enemy approaches too near for safety. The bobwhite is one among the farmers' best feathered friends. He destroys immense quantities of weed seeds, grasshoppers, cut worms, and other injurious insects. The nest is made on the ground about the middle of May and from ten to twenty white eggs are laid.
Besides the birds I have enumerated there are hawks and owls to be found in Webster county, but because of their predatory habits, and their desire to live solitary and alone, they are not numbered among our winter bird friends.
Winter birds give us a feeling of comradeship with nature, and the sight of one of them, or the sound of a well known chirp, when all nature is held in the icy embrace of winter, makes a dreary day more cheerful.
The birds from an economic standpoint deserve care- · ful consideration. Leading entomologists estimate the damage done by insects to the agricultural interests of the United States at seven hundred million dollars. This almost inconceivable amount would be many times greater if the birds did not hold the insects in check. Immense damage is done by insects to the forests and our shade trees. Now, if insects are the natural ene-
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mies of vegetation, the birds are the natural enemies of insects. By feeding on insects birds prevent their un- due increase. If it were not for this, vegetation in many parts of the earth in a few years would be en- tirely destroyed. Birds by eating the seeds of harmful weeds are beneficial to the farmer.
It is from an æsthetic consideration that birds ap- peal most directly to us. Their beautiful plumage, their sweet songs, their means of procuring food, and their annual migration appeal to every one who likes to spend a part of his time beyond the narrow limits of a dwelling house. Birds possess many of the char- acteristics of man. Fear and courage, love and hate, modesty and vanity are each manifested by them. Many are ardently attached to their birth place, and return to it each spring, after having visited lands hundreds of miles distant. Some are very sociable, living in , large flocks, and they keep up a constant communica- tion with each other by means of call notes. Many birds live lonely, solitary lives in the deep forests and are gloomily silent.
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