Part 3

We hear your call in early morn Like measured toots on mellow horn, We watch your rhythmic flap ... then sail As you descend from hill to vale.

American Coot Fulica americana

This slate-gray bird with white bill and white patch under the tail, belongs to the rail family but spends more time with ducks. He swims with a jerky motion of the head, dives like a grebe, walks out on the shore and eats grass like a goose. Yes, the “mudhen,” for that is what he is commonly called, is quite versatile. When taking flight, he either runs into the breeze or skitters across the water for a short distance until he can gain sufficient speed to gain altitude, then away to safety.

Coots feed largely on underwater vegetation and prefer algae or musk grass. Small fish or other aquatic animals are eaten on occasion while grass, grain or weeds are not overlooked. When diving for food, these birds often are robbed by the American Widgeon, or Baldpate, which relishes such juicy morsels but does not dive. Coots take such invasions as a matter of course.

They build nests of dried leaves of marsh plants, usually on a floating structure, either well hidden or rather open, depending on the habitat available.

Coots have large, greenish feet, with long-lobed toes, not webbed like ducks or geese, but just as useful for walking or swimming.

He feels at home Where’er he goes But likes a pond Where algae grows.

Killdeer Charadrius vociferus

The killdeer is the common plover which we see in pastures, meadows, fields or on shores of ponds and lakes. Freshly mown alfalfa fields, short grass or stubble, even newly plowed fields attract them. They gather in loose flocks to feed on exposed insects or worms. Their usual pace consists of a short run, a quick stop to check for some juicy morsel, then another short run. All stops are accompanied by a jerky movement as if undecided whether to spring into the air or stay on the ground. Even the spindly legged young have this bobbing habit.

This bird is only a little bigger than the Robin, but longer legs and tail make him appear larger. White collar with 2 black bands across the lower neck and upper breast, chestnut back and tail, white lines in the wings in flight, all make this plover easily identified. If there is any doubt you will soon hear his “kill-dee,” or “kill-deer” notes, for he is a noisy bird, quick to resent any intrusion in his territory. These calls alert other birds, much to the disgust of duck hunters who are trying to make a quiet approach to their blinds.

Nests are placed in open spots on the ground and lined with pebbles or grasses. Eggs are protectively colored and not easily found.

Two black bands, on breast so white Rusty tail, which shows in flight, That you would kill a deer’s absurd But that is what you say, I’ve heard.

Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularia

Any pond, lake or stream will be visited sooner or later by these little sandpipers. You find them teetering along shores, picking up insects and small crustacea which form the diet. Mud banks, sandy shores, pebbly mountain streams, half-sunken logs, all furnish happy hunting grounds.

The teetering tail is distinctive and no other sandpiper has the round black spots on his breast and none has the fluttering flight. They seem to tip-toe thru the air with very short wingbeats. Young and adults in winter plumage do not show the spots but continue to teeter. They often show a white spot just above the bend of the wing when in this plumage. Their usual note is a 2-tone “peet-weet,” which it utters when flushed from its feeding ground.

These birds nest in a variety of places, sometimes well hidden but often in more open situations but always in a slight depression in the ground. Their 4 eggs are protectively colored and are sometimes found some distance from water. The young teeter to the closest stream, led by the ever-watchful mother. There you will find them busily engaged in gathering food. They can swim or even dive, if necessary.

Wee wader with the spotted breast We wonder if you ever rest, “Peet-weet,” is what you seem to say As you go bobbing on your way.

Black Tern Chlidonias niger

This tern is distinctive, especially in summer plumage when the black head and body, short, slightly notched tail, slate-gray wings, combined with the erratic flight, tells us it has to be a Black Tern. In winter plumage these birds have white heads and bodies with backs and wings darker than other terns. They show dark spots around the eyes and back of neck. In fall migration you find birds of this species in various stages of dress, but there are usually a few which carry enough black to give a clue to their identity.

They nest in inland marshes and around lakes, forming loose colonies on favorite nesting sites. Floating vegetation, muskrat houses, in fact most any structure strong enough to support a nest is used.

Black Terns feed on larger insects such as moths, grasshoppers, dragonflies and water insects which they obtain from the air or by gliding down and picking them from the water. They can be seen flying over the fields like swallows or nighthawks, feeding as they go. When flying over lakes, they often hover then glide to the surface for minnows or insects.

These terns spend the winter in South America and migrate earlier than some species. They also arrive later from their winter homes.

What are those birds, we’d like to know, Which fly like swallows, black as crow? Twisting, turning, then a glide, To pluck some morsel which they’ve spied.

Mourning Dove Zenaidura macroura

There is something about a dove which makes you want to know him better. Could it be his low mournful call? (And why do we call it mournful? Someone described it in that manner, and while it is not as colorful as other bird notes, it has a restful and pleasing quality.) Could it be the graceful flight which shows the pointed tail with the white trimming? Could it be dainty steps which seem to fit his personality? Perhaps the way he drinks by inserting his bill and swallowing water until he has his fill. It might be the way he builds his nest: no time wasted when this bird constructs a home. It might even be the way he jerks his head, as if trying to get a better focus on the sights of the world.

Some call him brown; if so, where did we get the description, “dove colored”? In good light, the head and neck have a rich sheen which blends with the rest of the body. All in all, he is a beautiful bird.

He nests in almost any spot which suits his fancy, on the ground, in evergreens, around buildings, well out on a limb or in the crotch of a tree, but always in a loosely constructed home, unless he takes over some well constructed nest, made by others.

His food consists mostly of weed seeds.