The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-03-26
OUR EARLIEST SPRING BIRD.
His Song Is Associated with the Open
ing of the Sugar Camp.

His Song Is Associated with the Open
ing of the Sugar Camp.
Maurice THOMPSON, in the Independent.
When the mild days Of late winter or
early spring quicken the blood I'm the maple
trees it is time to listen for the sugar birds
song. And a brisk song ii Is. fun OF lie.
CHEEKY, far-reaching and encouraging If not
particularly melodious. Like his song, the
singer has points-a pointed crest, A pointed
beak and a pointed pair of eyes-indeed. he
looks as if he could prick one from any d.
rection with any part Of himself.
Sugar bird is but another name for the
tufted titmouse the ashy gray little brother
of the chickadee. named by ornitholoSists
ParGs Bicolor. You will know him by his
keen and brilliantly aggressive call, which
is both a whistle phrase and pure voice
cry, sounding like wheeto-wheeto-wheet
flung from some low tree, or out of a
thickei, bur if his song cannot satisfy you.
get a glimpse of his forehead and you will
see black spot slanting UP toward his
crest from the base OF his upper mandible.
He is built like bluejay from tip TO tip
and has the bluejay's bold manners; though,
IN general nake-up; ne also 11d i,,, inc
utive size, however, take him out of such
splendidly robed company. What he lacks
in coiors and stature he tries to make up
with incesSant motion.
This little titmouse can bear cold winter
very well. i have seen il resident above
10 degrees north latitude when the Their
mometer did as ii pleased. But no bird
spends readily To a fair turn OF weather.
A single day of soft sunshine in late January
will bring out its song. Long before the
robins or bluebirds have arrived out OF the
far South, even in advance of St Valentines
day, pairs of sugar birds may be seen bnsily
considering :he prospect for "A nesting place
in hollow boughs and deserted woodpecker
dens. They sometimes actually build as
early as the 10Th Of March ia Kentucky and
southern Indiana. North OF Indianapolis i
found eggs on the I'd day of April.
In the magnificent sugar camps, as the
sugar-maple woods are called in the West.
when the sweet sap is running, and parties
of sugar makers-men, women, boys. girls
are abroad with noggin and pail carrying the
fragrant liquid from trough TO Kettle, ike
to hnger the outskirts where the actiYi-
ties OF both birds and people can be most
satisfactorily observed
1t is March, and the 81 ound Is not warm.
but there hangs in the air something ike
the mist of faded rainbow, a tender. elu-
sive haze, dreamy hint OF skyey substance
quite unapproachable and suggestive OF
coming heat. An AK rings energeucaly
from fallen tree-top where man Is chop,
ping furnace wood; voices of youth and
maid echo from hollow 10 hollow; sheep are
beating on the hillsides where the hazel
bush grows and IN a little ravine, ora .I,,l
stunted blackberry trees, hear O. crested
titmouse piping as IL life depended upon the
Pretty soon / see the restless little body
fitting from .twig to twig. With my binocu-
lar glass can watch the fine expression or
its prominent hazel eyes, which nave way
of protruding saucily at every turn OF Its
head. Its crest tuft is slightly movable
at will. and so in moments of excitement
| becomes an organ OF expression by which
the bird indicates its emotions. When the
| tuft feathers lie fiat and smooth, Mr.. Tit
from danger; when each feather stands apart
| and stiffiy erect, battle is offered TO all
| Corners and when the crest is drawn 10
| nice point like that OF an artists finest
side that fiery little breast
In habits the tltmouse resembles wood
pecker much as IL does the jays and gros-
beaks. AT nesting time. which, as / have
said, is very early in spring, the pair go
| about looking for a cavity ready made for
| their use: but If one be not found they VIII
| fall TO and dig IL with great labor OF beak
| and foot Usually they choose natural pit
shape to suit them. male and female work
| ing turn about. When the hole has been
completed they line 1t with soft substances;
| like inner bark shreds and weed lint, and
| Immediately the eggs begin to appear, one
each day until five or six are laid.
| 1t is a delicate jewel box OF a nest, and
| sometimes the eggs number as many as ten,
beautiful little spheroids, creamy white.
| with thick-sown freckles shading from dark
brown to pale olive, fading and thinning to-
| continues the male bird is very noisy I'm the
immediate neighborhood of the nest, often
| ulleFlIg q tTemulOOS tender whistle, as IL
of the most solcitous endearment. and
| have heard the little mate answer IN a keen,
fife-like strain from within the nest hole.
albeit she does not sing. When the num-
erous brood comes forth. the whole family
soon strays away keeping together for A
month or two.
The farmer. fruit grower and gardener
have no more faithful and valuable friend
than the titmouse IL is an incessant
searcher after insects. No hiding place OF
bug, worm or lsrya escapes it's keen eye and
penetrating bill. i have seen IL try appar-
entity every scale and Granny Of a tree s
bark from root TO topmost twig I'm the
course OF an hour, picking away consider
able spaces and dragging forth every egg.
moth. caterpiller and grub that IL could find
II loves sweet sap. and is often seen on the
rim OF bucket I'm the sugar orchard drink
window sill by spreading thereon the broken
Kernels OF nuts and fine bread crumbs
| AS a uppler, furthermore, this utmouse
delights in the juice of ripe grapes. but !
indulge IL here. for / have seen how well
IL cleans the vines. especially very early IN
spring. Rose fanciers should coddle the tit
mouse. ! watched one going through a
tangie of my cabbage vines seemingly
feeding upon something plucked from the
stems. This was in February. Throughout
the coldest part OF winter one or two pairs
are always 10 be seen in my hedger0w.
But, after ALL IL Is in summer that / most
ENJOY the titmpuse: for then / find him a
shy yet faithful companion afar I'm the lone
~ woods. where can lie upon a messy log
ana cream my dreams. while he flutes
cneerily In the beech sprays overhead.
! what shame IL Is that the ugly and un-
interesting English sparrow should have
been imported 10 extermnate nearly all II
our little native birds The destruction s.
especially rapid In the case OF the titmonse.
and OF al the small builders In cayities
The English sparrow takes all of the nest
ing places. and with ruthless beak and claw
tears TO shreds every trace OF a titmouse
, home that X can find. In a comparatively
short time this useful and ent<ftainins little