Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1899-05-13
BIRDS ABOUT WOODSTOCK.


After long and tedious winter we
welcome our song birds back once more :
The following brief mention OF few
bids most commonly seen within the
limits of the village may b. of interest to
those who have Il friendly feeling for the
fcathercd son2>ter>.
The soIg-,plr:ow j. thr first of our
smaller birds to greet Us in the spring.
1t, welcome song was heard IL Wood
stock this year the last day OF February.
This sparrow is Il constant singer from
early spring until lae in the summer.
The song, although variable, is usually
recognized by Il Till. 1t is often inter-
prrlcd as: "MaidS. maids, maids, hang
en- yonr tea. kcttle-c,tlc- cltle.' The
song-sparrOw may he fonnd along the
banks of Il stream and among the hedges.
1t resembles its less-ilvorcd cousin the
Eu4li,h sparrow in appearance, having
upper parts gray, thickiy striped with
brown. 1t mag DC easily distinguishes
by the dark patch Oh the breast.
Next in order comes the blue bird, the
''hlrbingrr OF ring This iamiiar ard
much loved bird needs no introductIon.
Burroughs SPEAK, Of ii is "londcr b.n"-
bird, with the earth-tin-c on his breast
and The sky tin.e on his back
The robin usually arrives II few days
later than the buc-blrd and is the mo t
familiar of all our common birds.
Conspicuous, but not very common. j.
the r,dwinged blackbird, an inhabitant
of streams and marshy lands. His coat
is glossy black except for his scarc!
cpau.ets, from which he derives his name.
When approached he flies hastily away,
crying "O-ka-lce. o ka-lcc."
The phnbe, Il familiar resident, comes
during the first weeks of April and rc
mains until fail. The note of the chick
adcc is sometimes mistaken for that of
this bird The chickadec.s call, often
heard in The spring, is like that Of the
phpbe, except it is uttered in Il clearer,
higher tone.
One ofour sweetest sonoStrrs, although
but little known, is the purple finch. lie
is about the SIZE of an English sparrow
and is readily recognized by his purpllsh-
red head and breast. His cXul.ant song
may be heard any pleasant day from our
orchards and shade trees.
The chipping sparrow enjoys the COM
pany OF man, often building its nest in
the shrubbely on ones lawn. "Chippy.'
the smallest of the sparrows, is diSlin-
guished by the chestnut patch on his
head. lie persistently repeats his name
in quick, high one-toncd song.
The warbing vireO, mo'lcstly clothed
in olive green, is Il noticeable son9slcr.
He frcqucnls the maple trees AMI while
his song resembles the robins it is mucl
swceter. The vircos are abundant now
and unlike many other birds will sing ali
summer.
The lcast-nycatchcr, often known as
the chcbcc, from it, note, is a small bird
resembling his cousin the phUbe in APP
poarancc but not in size. He has Il pc
culiar habit of flirting his tail when he
uttcrS his note, "che)cc.'
The cntbird has again returned to his
old haunts. Although some of his disa-
grceable traits are familiar, it is not gen
orally known that he is versatile singer,
The beltcd kingti,her is Il conspicuous
inliabitant of the Ottauqucclee. His
coarse, gutteral note, generally uttered
while on the wing, is familiar to ALL
The American gol1tlnch at this time is
changing his quiet winter plumagc for
his cay snmmrr attire. L is a small y"l-
low bird easily distinguished by its bNc':
wings and zap and BY is peculiar un-
dulatlny ilight. 4 little later il the $ra-
son it bee ONE, . sweet singer. On nc
count of its fUndpc5> for thistle seeds and
the down for it, pest it is often called he
"thi>tlc-blrJ.'
To ;hc bird lover the first two weeks
N May is the most interesting time lot
the study of bird nature. Migration Is at
its height. The Orio!c, boz ,Iink, rose
breasted gro>bcak, kingbird and >wNl-
lows are among the best known arrivals.
These birds may all be seen rs we pass
along any of our shady streets, while
the woods are fairly alive with The
thrushes and warblcrs.