Part 8

Bluebird houses will help bring this bird to your community but remember that the opening should be smaller than 1½ inches which will admit Starlings, while low sites such as fence posts discourage the English Sparrow. These birds cover a large area in their search for food so houses should be spaced accordingly.

Grasshoppers, crickets, cutworms and other insects form a major portion of the food while small fruits and berries also are relished. Like the Robin, he often spends his winters with us.

A little bit of heaven Seems a part of your array, So blue above with brownish breast How can you dress so gay?

Golden-crowned Kinglet Regulus satrapa

Energetic little birds, smaller than House Wrens, the Golden-crowned Kinglets spend the winter busily engaged in searching the twigs and branches for insect eggs or larvae. There they join mixed flocks of chickadees, Brown Creepers, nuthatches and Downy Woodpeckers, all working together to protect our trees. He is easily identified for he has the habit of flicking his wings as he moves thru the branches. His short, slightly forked tail, white line over the eye, distinct wing bars, all seem dull when compared to the golden crown, edged with black. This gives an artistic touch to his olive-gray plumage. The female shows a yellowish crown. The only bird with which he can be confused is the Ruby-crowned Kinglet which shows a distinct eye ring. He flashes his ruby crown only when excited.

Like the Brown Creeper, this bird has a faint lisping call which usually is given in a series of from one to 3 notes, not the single note of the creeper.

They often feed in low bushes or shrubs, sometimes on the ground and seem to have little fear of man and will permit a close inspection. When feeding high in the trees, their small size gives you a clue to their identity.

Oh, little king with crown of gold How do you stand the winter’s cold? If I were small as you, I know I’d travel south and miss the snow.

Loggerhead Shrike Lanius ludovicianus

A gray bird with a black mask over the eyes, black wings which show a white patch when flying, and a black tail with white margins, all help identify this shrike. His head seems large when compared to his trim body, he has a hooked beak, the under plumage is white. If there is any doubt, watch him fly from one perch to another. He drops down near the ground, flies rapidly and then zooms up to his next location. Another habit is flicking his tail like a Phoebe when he alights.

This bird likes open fields, pastures, grassy or weedy grounds with handy perches where he can get a good view of his surroundings. He has good eyes and any small snake, mouse or grasshopper will cause him to investigate. He often hovers before striking and catches his prey with his strong beak, for his feet are not equipped with heavy claws like most predators. This also makes it necessary for him to impale his prey on thorns, barbed wire or some other pointed object where he can cut it with his sharp bill.

Shrikes seem to prefer thorny trees for nesting, but will use whatever is available. Most nests are rather low and are bulky structures.

These birds kill more food than they consume and would be held in better repute except for the habit of killing other birds.

A “butcher-bird,” you hear folks say For you use thorns to hang your prey. Now we don’t mind, your catching mice, But killing songbirds isn’t nice.

Starling Sturnus vulgaris

Previous to 1890, this bird was unknown in America. Then a few pairs were released in New York City and now look at them! Starlings are everywhere. When walking around your yard or field he appears to be black with a short tail, pointed wings and a sharp pointed beak which is yellow in summer and brownish-black in winter. On closer inspection you will find that he is a little smaller than a Robin, greenish with speckled plumage in fall and winter, which develops into greenish-purple in spring. In flight he flaps and sails much like a Meadowlark but his short tail and wing pattern are distinctive. The young are brownish with lighter throats.

Many of the Starling’s feeding habits are beneficial for he eats many worms and insects which he finds by turning over leaves or probing with his sharp bill. The fact that he likes fruit on occasion is not in his favor for he likes to travel in flocks and it takes a lot of fruit to feed a flock of Starlings.

Starlings have not learned to migrate and large flocks often gather about buildings to roost, and what noisy, dirty lodgers they are. Perhaps the worst habit is that of taking over all the available nesting sites before our native birds arrive in spring. Every hole, crack or cranny is occupied, so where are they to go?

When foreigners invade our land They sometimes get clear out of hand. So leave them all where they belong And then you’ll know they’ll do no wrong.

Red-eyed Vireo Vireo olivaceus

Unlike some of his relatives which prefer low bushes and shrubs, the Red-eyed Vireo prefers heavily-wooded areas. Where forests occur, he is the commonest bird. Clearing of timber reduced much of his habitat, but any grove of trees will furnish a home for this species. His numbers are limited only by the area of the wooded section.

Vireos are more often heard than seen for they feed slowly thru the tops of high trees, but have an endless series of notes and sing during the hot summer days when other birds seek shelter. The song consists of a series of short phrases sometimes rising, sometimes falling, as if the bird were talking to himself, even answering his own questions, with a distinct pause between. Some of these notes have a robin or tanager-like quality, but the repeated song soon places the bird.

When you see this sparrow-size bird, you will find that he has a clear white line over the eye, bordered with black. This is his only outstanding mark for he has no wing bars. His general appearance is greenish-gray above, white below with a greenish-yellow tinge on the sides and flanks. His red eye is not distinct enough to make a good field mark. His main diet consists of leaf-eating worms.

With others hushed By summer’s sun He still sings on As tho ’twere fun.

Myrtle Warbler Dendroica coronata

The Myrtle Warbler is a member of a colorful family of American birds most of which are smaller than sparrows, have thin pointed bills, are more active than vireos. They are often referred to as the butterflies of the bird world. The Myrtle Warbler is presented because he is the first to arrive in spring, often before the leaves arrive to hide him from view. This 5½-inch bird has 4 yellow marks which will identify him: the crown, rump and each side of the breast. He appears darker than most warblers, being blue-gray above, white below with black marks across the breast and back beneath the wings. The white throat and 2 white wing bars offer contrast. Females and young lack the brilliant markings of the male, but the yellow rump patch will identify the birds. The white throat distinguishes this from other warblers which show a yellow rump.

This bird is a migrant since he prefers to nest in the evergreens of Northern United States and Canada. He feeds on insects and larvae which infest our trees but captures many flying insects when available. Often he winters farther north than you would expect to find warblers and then feeds on small berries. Myrtle or bayberries are a favorite food and the name of the bird indicates its fondness for these berries.

The first to greet us in the spring, The last to leave in the fall, Four yellow spots before your eyes Is proof he’s paid a call.