St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1900-06-13
Rare Summer Birds.

Editor CALIFORNIAN
1t is a delight to the botanist to find
beautiful flowers, rare ferns or fungi, and
no distance is too great to travel, no
mountain too steep to climb in quest OF
the same. Many lovers of birds have
crossed the ocean that they might hear
the rich notes of the nightingale. Audu-
bon would have crossed this continent
to have found and study the habits of
one OF the little warblers that are with
us now, the Cape May wood warbler.
In all his travels he writes, he never met
with one of these, and was indebted to
Wilson, who was more fortunate, for a
specimen from which to make his draw
ings for his great work on North Ameri-
can birds. At that time this bird was so
rare that Audubon says only one nest
was ever reported to be found in the
United States, Ornithologists of later
date than Audubon report them as more
frequently found, but uncommon in most
his valuable work, entitled "The Birds of
Florida" says: Upon visiting the ex-
tensive coniferous forests of Northern
Maine, in summer, was much surprised
to find these beautiful little warblers
abundant there. They frequented the
tops of the huge spruces and pines, often
more than 100 feet in the air. The birds
were ever busy in searching for insects
among the rich foliage, so that it was al
most impossible to see one. But the
lively and varied songs of the males,
which came floating downward through
the perfumed air, and mingled with other
harmonious sounds, which are constant
ly heard in these sylvan retreats during
the pleasant June weather, informed US
OF their presence, even though we could
not see the author OF the melodious
strains The Cape MAJ warblers
doubtless breed in the tops of these
densely foliaged trees.
In 1885 a specimen of this bird was
mounted by a local taxidermist and was
believed to be the first specimen ever
found in Vermont. 1t is evident they are
becoming more abundant, but yet so un-
common that any locality may be con-
sidered favored that counts them in its
list OF summer visitauts.
Probably the most attractive bird we
have with us now is the scarlet tanager.
In only one year before in more than a
dozen has this beautiful bird been 50
common in this locality. Its brilliant
scarlet plumage catches the eye instantly
and holds it as long as the bird remains
In sight. One almost holds their breath
as they see the tanager alight near them,
Expecting to hear from so beautiful bird
song of surprising sweetness. But as
is usual with birds of highly colored
plumage, it is almost destitute of song,
beng endowed with few notes only,
which resemble those of the Baltimore
onoe. This brilliant plumage which the
male now wears is his spring dress. This
changes soon after the young are Matched
and he puts on his summer dress, which
iSmuch like that of the female-green
above and yellow below, wings and tail
brownish black, edged with green.
Another bird of, perhaps, less attrac-
tlveness at distance, but of equal
oeanty on close inspection, is the rose
breasted grosbeak, Zone of the parrot
inches This bird is not so rare as those
ABOVE mentioned, as they are found
throughout the United States, and most
abundant in New England; but because
ol their rather retiring habits, they are
not so familiar to the casual observer as
are many other birds. The song OF the
Iose-breasted grosbeak is louder and
more beautiful than that of the orlole
Inc rich rose color on its breast and
unoer its wings, in contrast with the
olack and white nothing of it's upper
parts, is very marked, and makes com
olnatlon of coloring of unusual beauty
hese birds are not so abundant this
year as for some years past, but are by
no means uncommon. The more com
mon warblers are unusually abundant.