Part 8

Eastern birders are unfortunate for only on rare occasions do they have a chance to see and study this handsome bird. He is larger than the Red-winged Blackbird, with which he often is associated, but smaller than the Grackles. During migration, they join other members of their family in feed lots, pastures or fields and any mixed flock is worth inspecting. They are identified easily for no other bird has the black body, white wing patch and yellow head and breast. The female lacks wing markings and shows dusky, grayish-brown coloring with a yellowish tinge on lighter head markings. They walk with almost a strut, as if they were proud of their brilliant plumage.

Yellow-headed Blackbirds nest in colonies and affix their bulky nests to tules and other vegetation which grow in the center of marshes and swamps in western areas. There seems to be a tendency to move eastward, for a few are nesting in the marshes of the upper Mississippi valley.

Their song is distinctive and consists of a series of chuckles, squeaks and grating notes, all produced by what seems to be a great physical effort. The results hardly justify such a strain.

Your favorite call, So loud and harsh, Would scare the frogs In any marsh.

Baltimore Oriole Icterus galbula

Most people are attracted to birds by one of 3 things—their brilliant plumage, a beautiful song or the way they build their nests. The Baltimore Oriole scores in every department. Few birds are more colorful than an adult male, perched on the top of some tall tree, in full sunlight. The rich-orange body glows like a living ember. When you add the black of the head, back, wings and central tail feathers, the white wing bar and feather edging on the wings and the orange outer feathers, near the end of the tail, the contrasting pattern is unique. The female and young are less colorful with dull black and yellowish-orange markings and 2 distinct wing bars.

The Baltimore Oriole’s song is a rich melodious whistle which varies slightly when given by different birds, but retains the oriole quality. It could be confused with songs of some of the grosbeaks, but the latter use more “chip” notes with their whistles. Western birders will find a similar quality in the songs of Bullock’s and Scott’s Orioles.

For nesting sites, they choose a spot near the end of some drooping branch, where they construct a deep, well-woven, gourd-shaped structure which swings in the breeze. Grasses and string furnish building material.

A lot of grass And bits of string, Will make their home A wondrous thing.

Bronzed Grackle Quiscalus quiscula

Almost everyone who lives or has traveled any place east of the Rocky Mountains has seen this bird. The chances are they call it a blackbird, for most people do. From his appearance, they are right. Since there are a number of different species of blackbirds, this one should be examined more closely. When you see him walking around your yard, you will notice he is larger than a Robin, has a wedge-shaped tail and yellow eyes. The male often shows a keel-shaped tail, when flying. The plumage is iridescent and may show green, blue or purple. Those who live along the Atlantic coast refer to these birds as Purple Grackles, a name which is becoming popular for both the eastern and western types.

Grackles gather in huge flocks and can do much damage to unharvested crops. In mixed flocks, grackles show a more even flight pattern than most blackbirds.

Other birds are not happy when grackles nest in their area for these birds are inclined to add both eggs and young of smaller birds to their diet. Credit must be given the grackle, however, for he mixes numerous insects with his diet of fruit and grain.

We watch you dunking Crusts so thick, And wonder where You learned the trick.

Blue Grosbeak Guiraca caerulea

Many birders seem to have trouble in listing the Blue Grosbeak. One reason is the size, for they are smaller than most members of this family. Another reason is that light conditions often make them appear black. A third reason might be their choice of habitat. They prefer brushy areas near some stream, but may be found along woodland borders or hedges, where ample brush is found. They usually nest in low trees or shrubs. There you probably will find the male as he sings from the top of some bush or even utility wire which crosses his territory. You can see he is a deep, but rather dull blue, with 2 chestnut wing bars. The female is brown and shows 2 buffy wing bars. Both show a heavy beak which gives them their name.

Blue Grosbeaks nest from Maryland to California but shun the northern states. They winter as far south as Honduras and are fonder of warm weather than most members of their family.

The Blue Grosbeak has a beautiful finch-like song, using a short series of notes which rise and fall into a sweet warble. It is slower than the song of the Purple Finch and does not carry like the usual grosbeak song. Their food consists of insects and small seeds or grain.

The male is blue, His mate is brown. But neither likes To live in town.

Pine Siskin Spinus pinus

Pine Siskins are unpredictable. Some years they are numerous, while others produce few, if any, in the same area. Food supply is not necessarily the answer, for they are erratic wanderers. These small finches seem to prefer conifers for nesting. They build a neat structure, using grass, bark or moss with a lining of finer materials. Their home is well hidden by the heavy foliage near the end of a limb. The eggs are a pale bluish-green, dotted with brown or black markings, more colorful than the pale blue eggs of the American Goldfinch.

Siskins resemble goldfinches in their notes, flocking habits and size, but can be identified by the uniform, striped appearance. They have semi-concealed yellow patches near the body on both wings and tail. Goldfinches show clear breasts in any plumage. Birders have found the best clue to the identity of this bird is the long buzzy note which forms a part of his song. His notes are husky in quality.

In winter siskins mingle with other finches in harvesting weed seeds. Other food consists of seeds of various trees such as ash, birch or elms, together with leaf buds. Most of their summer is spent in evergreens which offer not only the nesting sites but food necessary for growing families.

That buzzy note Makes it a cinch To know you’re not Another finch.

Red-eyed Towhee Pipilo erythrophthalmus

Towhees inhabit thickets, bushes and brushy areas, and spend most of their time scratching thru litter which covers the ground in such locations. When disturbed, they usually utter the call note which gave them their name. Opinions differ as to sounds made, so these birds are referred to as “Towhees,” “Jorees” or “Chewinks.” Some call them “Ground Robins,” since they feed on the ground and a part of their plumage resembles that of our Robins.

Towhees are smaller than Robins. The male shows 3 distinct colors; the head, throat, back, wings and tail are black; sides are rusty, and the belly, outer tips of the tail and wing spots are white. The female is browner but easily identified by the color pattern. Western birds are called Spotted Towhees, since their wings and backs show more white feathers. Both have red eyes. Those who do their birding along the coast from South Carolina to Florida will find birds with lighter irises and referred to as White-eyed Towhees.

These birds nest on the ground but do most of their singing from tops of trees. Songs vary and may include a series of notes or 1 or 2 notes followed by a trill.