Part 44

The droll, unmusical song of the spring Black-poll will escape all but the sharpest ears. Ee, ee, ee, eee, eee, eeee, it seems to be, the latter syllables becoming louder. The first song I ever heard I listened to for a quarter of an hour before I could locate the singer among the leafy tops of some high elms. Once caught within the range of the binoculars, his colors were unmistakable, but it seemed scarcely possible that the slight, ventriloquistic song could be coming from him.

Remember that this bird comes late in spring. Its head pattern, at a distance, is somewhat like that of the Chickadee.

BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER Dendroica fusca (Müller)

Description.—Adult male: Above black; center of forehead, line above eye, patch on side of neck, and spot under eye, bright orange-yellow; back with two lateral streaks of yellow; wings with two wide white wing-bars which so merge as to form a patch which extends into the white edging of the tertials; tail-feathers edged with whitish, particularly at the base, and inner webs of outer tail-feathers tipped with white; chin, throat, and breast, bright, rich orange, fading into yellowish on belly, and to whitish on under tail-coverts; breast heavily streaked with black. Female: Similar, but duller, the black of the upperparts being replaced with grayish. Young birds resemble the female but are less conspicuously marked, the breast usually being dull buffy yellow without any trace of orange, the wings marked with two white bars, not with a white patch. Length: 5¼ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A common migrant throughout, noticeable in mid-spring. As a nesting bird, found only in the higher and more northern counties, and usually among conifers, where in midsummer the birds are so infrequently seen that their presence is often unknown.

Nest.—A neat cup made of fine twigs, lined with finer materials. Eggs: 3 or 4, creamy white, wreathed about larger end or speckled all over finely with brown. The nest is usually placed high in a hemlock.

The color scheme of this gem among warblers is much the same as that of the Baltimore Oriole, and a full-plumaged male among the spring blossoms of an apple tree is a sight which can hardly be rivaled for sheer color and delicacy. The song is a disappointing, wiry lisp, usually delivered from the top of the tree, and so slight and unmusical as to pass unnoticed as a rule.

If you expect to see this bird in its summer home, you will have to look up a great deal into the tops of the hemlocks.

BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER Dendroica virens virens (Gmelin)

Description.—Adult male: Top of head and line through eye, olive-green; sides of head clear yellow; chin, throat, and upper breast, black; back, wings, and tail, olive-green, back streaked obscurely with black; wings with two white wing-bars; outer tail-feathers with white on inner webs; belly and sides white, washed with yellowish, the sides streaked with black. Female and young: Similar, but duller, having very little black on the throat, and being somewhat more yellowish on belly. Length: A little over 5 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—As a migrant abundant during May and September; as a summer resident found in the more northern and mountainous counties where there is hemlock growth.

Nest.—A deep, neat cup, made of fine hemlock twigs and lined with finer materials, including fur, saddled on a hemlock bough from 5 to 30 feet from the ground. Eggs: 4 or 5, white, speckled with brown about the larger end.

In the hemlock shade, during summer, sounds the plaintive and musical song of this bird, which may be diagrammed thus, dēē dēē dēē dēē, dèē dēē. This bird is to be looked for anywhere in sturdy hemlock growth; during migration it may be seen near the ground in lower growth; during the summer, however, males often sing from favorite perches high in the trees.

PINE WARBLER Dendroica pinus pinus (Wilson)

Description.—Adult male: Olive-green above, with yellow superciliary not clearly defined; two prominent white wing-bars and the tips of the inner webs of the outer tail-feathers white; underparts dull yellow; an obscure line of olive-green from lower mandible leading back to side of chest where streaking of sides begins. Female: Similar but a little duller. Length: 5½ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A summer resident rather locally distributed; found chiefly in the southern and central mountainous counties and more or less restricted as a nesting bird to areas in which pine trees grow. Sometimes arrives very early in spring.

Nest.—A cup made of twigs and fine weed-stalks, lined with finer material, placed near the tip of a pine bough, often at great height. Eggs: 3 or 4, white, spotted with brown.

The Pine Warbler’s rather dull coloration and resemblance to other species of the family would make it a difficult bird to identify were it not that it is virtually always found among pine trees. Its bright chipping song, which resembles that of the Chipping Sparrow a good deal, is delivered from the tip of a pine bough, and at such times the yellow breast and white wing-bars are evident. At Mont Alto, Franklin County, and in certain sections of Huntingdon County, I have found this bird abundant.

PALM WARBLER AND YELLOW PALM WARBLER Dendroica palmarum palmarum (Gmelin) and Dendroica palmarum hypochrysea Ridgway

Two forms of the Palm Warbler occur in Pennsylvania, both as migrants. They are usually seen near the ground and are especially noticeable in the spring when they appear among the first of the smaller birds.

Description.—Adult male Palm Warbler: Crown rufous; rest of upper-parts dull olive-green, brightest on rump; wings with two white wing-bars; outer tail-feathers marked with white; dusky line through eye; distinct yellow line above eye; chin, throat, and breast dull yellow, streaked with olive-green; belly and under tail-coverts whitish. Female and young: Similar, but duller. The Yellow Palm Warbler is much brighter, though similar in general appearance. The entire underparts are yellow, including the under tail-coverts, and the breast and sides are streaked with reddish brown.

Range in Pennsylvania.—The Palm Warbler occurs as an early spring and mid-fall migrant in western Pennsylvania, west of the mountains. The Yellow Palm Warbler occurs in the eastern portion of the Commonwealth. At Harrisburg, the Yellow Palm Warbler occurs among the earliest spring migrants.

The Palm Warblers both have the habit of wagging their tails. They are often seen near the ground, or in low bushes, and are usually not difficult to observe. Their songs are a broken series of chips, given in a rather subdued voice.

PRAIRIE WARBLER Dendroica discolor (Vieillot)

Description.—Adult male: Upperparts olive green, back with patch of rufous brown; wing-bars yellowish; outer tail-feathers with white patches at tips; line over eye, face, and underparts yellow; lores and line under eye black; sides heavily streaked with black. Adult female: Similar, but duller, the back sometimes without reddish brown. Immature: Much duller than adults. Length: 4¾ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A common migrant east of the Alleghany Mountains in late April and May and in September; it has been known to nest in Lancaster County.

Nest.—A compact cup of plant fibers and down, lined with hairs, fibers, and rootlets, placed low in bushes. Eggs: 4 or 5, white, spotted with brown, chiefly in a wreath at larger end.

The Prairie Warbler is to be looked for in old pastures, or brush-covered hillsides, or in low pine or cedar growth. It is rather retiring in disposition. Its song is a series of zees rapidly repeated. In summer this species is decidedly local in distribution.