Part 3

Harriers seem to take pleasure in diving at each other, and the larger buteos, eagles, vultures, prairie chickens or flocks of ducks.

Nests are placed on the ground and are hidden by shrubs, weeds or marshy growth. The female spends much of her time with or near the young while the male is kept busy hunting food for his growing family. The usual clutch contains 5 white or pale-blue eggs, lightly marked with brown spots.

On tireless wings They scan your fields In search of rodents Which cut your yields.

Bobwhite Colinus virginianus

This chunky little brown quail is popular in every region where he resides. Hunters spend thousands of dollars each year in pursuit of this feathered bombshell. Farmers appreciate having such an active ally in their fight against the hordes of insects which menace their crops. They enjoy hearing his cheerful whistle as they go about their daily chores. Birders are happy to know this is one bird which offers no problem for they can list him by either sight or sound. Anyone can point with pride to this bird’s good character for the male can, and often does, take charge of the brood, teaching them how to exist in a hostile world.

The male shows a white throat and line over the eye, while the female is content to wear buffy feathers which make her only a little less colorful. Bobwhites nest and roost on the ground and will spend their entire lives in a limited area if shelter, food and water are available. Many farmers co-operate with their little neighbors by planting blackberries, multiflora rose, or raspberries along their fences, not farming the last inch of every corner of the field. Some even leave a little milo or other grain unharvested near the edge of their fields. Such practices pay dividends in the harvest of insects consumed by Bobwhites.

Some like to shoot And watch him fall, While others like To hear his call.

Wilson’s Snipe Capella gallinago

Wilson’s Snipe, frequently known as a “Jack Snipe,” is the most common of 3 species which have extremely long, straight bills. All feed by probing in soft mud where their sensitive bills soon locate and obtain their food. This bird prefers marshy areas near streams or ponds. When disturbed, he leaves the scene so rapidly that you might miss the erratic, zig-zag flight, the pointed wings, the stripes on his head, the brownish-striped plumage. You might even miss the orange tail, but you probably will hear the rasping note which he usually utters when he departs. The Woodcock, a similar species, feeds in dense cover and has bars across his crown, rounded wings and a chunky build. A third long-billed bird is the Dowitcher, which feeds in open, shallow water and is found often in small flocks.

Many birds are noted for unusual sounds which they make. Wilson’s Snipe is no exception; however in his case it is not a vocal effort for he ranks low as a singer. This bird uses a flight pattern which causes a vibration of feathers as the bird plunges diagonally downward. Observers have noticed the 2 outer feathers of the tail seem to be separated while on such flights; perhaps this is the clue to the unusual sound.

His king-size beak Is a handy tool, As he probes the mud ’Round each grassy pool.

Upland Plover Bartramia longicauda

The Upland Plover is a confusing bird. Ornithologists still are arguing about what he should be called—a sandpiper or a plover. He formerly was known as a Bartramian Sandpiper. Now the trend seems to indicate that Upland Sandpiper is a name which fits his habits better than Upland Plover. Altho he has legs long enough for wading, he uses them for traveling thru grasses, not water. When alighting, he holds his wings up momentarily before folding them; in fact most of his actions seem more like a plover. Whatever you call him, he still will be found on prairies and grasslands; marshes and mud flats have no appeal to this bird.

The Upland Plover is slightly larger than a Killdeer and is buffy brown in color. His long neck, small head with rather short beak, long tail, hovering flight, but most of all his prolonged call, make identification easy. His long-drawn, mournful whistle seems to blend with breezes which blow above the prairies, and once heard, is not easily forgotten.

These birds once were scarce due to heavy shooting by market hunters, who slaughtered them in great numbers. They now are protected in much of their range, but unfortunately this protection does not extend to their winter home in South America.

We hear your clear But mournful cry, As you go tip-toeing Thru the sky.

Greater Yellow-legs Totanus melanoleucus

Sandpipers can be confusing, especially in fall plumage. Mixed flocks require special checking even by experts, but not the Greater Yellow-legs. His large size, slender build, yellow legs, gray upper parts, white tail coverts and under parts can be confused only with the Lesser Yellow-legs (Totanus flavipes). When together, there is no problem for the latter measures 9½ to 11 inches while the Greater Yellow-legs runs from 13 to 15 inches in length. The small, slim beak of the Lesser is straight, whereas the heavier bill of the Greater seems to be slightly upturned. The call is different, for the larger bird uses a loud 3 or 4 note whistle. The smaller uses less volume in his 1 or 2 note effort.

This sandpiper prefers mud flats and his long legs permit him to feed in deeper water where he adds minnows and crayfish to his diet. He can swallow small fish but occasionally lands one which must be reduced to bite size. However, the bird is persistent and soon completes his meal.

The Greater Yellow-legs migrates thruout the United States and may be seen around any suitable habitat. It nests as far north as Alaska and Labrador and may winter far into South America; however many remain along our southern shores and bayous.

They could not miss When naming you. Those yellow legs Gave them the clue.

Avocet Recurvirostra americana

The black and white plumage of this medium-size shore bird is distinctive. A closer inspection will show long, blue legs, a thin, upturned bill and in breeding plumage, a rusty neck and head with white before the eye. In winter, the rusty markings are replaced by a gray wash. European birds lack the colorful neck and head markings, but show the black and white pattern and often are called Awl-birds. The bill gives the clue to such a name.

The Avocet feeds by wading in shallow water and swinging his bill back and forth; flocks often advance and feed in unison. These birds also are capable swimmers and have been observed while feeding like puddle ducks, tipping up and extending their heads far under water in search of insects and small crustacea.

Avocets formerly nested as far east as New Jersey but now favor the shores of ponds, lakes and sloughs in the western areas. Sun-dried mud or alkaline flats often bring loose colonies of these birds, anywhere from Southern Texas to Alberta and British Columbia. When disturbed, they circle overhead, utter a series of yelping calls or feign a broken wing in order to lure you away from their nesting sites.

The upturned beak, The legs so blue, The black and white All point to you.

Wilson’s Phalarope Steganopus tricolor

Phalaropes are unique. Unlike most birds, the female is more colorful, does most of the courting, leaves nest building, incubating and rearing of young to the long-suffering male. Her lone contribution to the rearing of the family is laying eggs. She does deserve some credit, however, for she remains in the area and will join the male in circling overhead when the nest is disturbed, both uttering a sort of nasal, trumpet-like toot.