Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-05-20
SECOND FIELD MEETING.
Audubon Society Makes Notes of Sew
enty Species of Birds.

enty Species of Birds.
The second field meeting of the Audubon
Society was held Saturday at Dyke, a sta
ton on the Mount Vernon electric railway,
three miles beyond Alexandria. Despite
threatening skies the attendance was larger
than at the meeting at Forest Glen the
preceding Saturday, between twenty-five
and thirty members participating in the
outing
The locality selected for the days study
of birds Is regarded as admirably adapted
to the purpose. The conjunction of river,
marsh, open meadow and wild woodland
affords great diversity of cover suited to
many different kinds of birds, and more
than seventy species We're noted by the
party during the day. Along the river
herons of various kinds including the great
blue heron, were to be seen; in the tangled
growth of the marsh lurked long-billed
marsh wrenS, king fishers, swamp spar
rows and other birds that prefer wet local
tiles; in the woods, the uplandS abounded
with oven birds yireos, thrushes, titmiee
and various warblers, while the damp
thickets about deeply shaded streams con-
tanned Kentucky warblers, Carolina wrens,
Maryland yellow Threats and white eyed
warblers. song-and-field sparrows and in
digo birds, and the low, wet meadows were
full of HenslowS Sparrows.
.Yellow-breasted chats were everywhere,
piumage and quaint actions We're readily
obtainable. The curious manner in which
their notes seem to ascend their Threats in
globular masses and are finally elected
with a bodily convulsion, and a ridiculous
change in the position of the head sug-
gesting a most self-conscious attempt to
posture, afforded much interest and amuse-
ment to those that watched the perform
ance. The chants of wood thruShes echoed
almost constantly through certain parts of
the woods, and were frequently accompa-
MED by the ringing, beating notes of nu-
merous oven birds. Blaek-poH warblers,
with their song of fine. light, lisping notes
even in pitch and stress. were abundant,
and redstarts, blue, yellow-backed warblers
and black-and- white creepers were also
plentiful.
The large representation of the society
necessitated a division into separate par
ties. which made several jaunts under the
guidance of Mr.. Arthur H. Howell, Mr.
Henry Olds and Mr.. William Palmer
Those who arrived after luncheon did not
the forenoon, on account of the occasional
driZzles the afternoon brought, but there
was no lack of birds throughout the day,
and the showers merely served to drive
more of these to the lower stories Of the
trees, where they Were more readily OBJ
servable. Some of the attending members
were Mrs. Wallace Radcliffe, Mrs Arthur
H. Howell Miss Eddy. Miss Givins, Mrs
Esterly Miss Esterly, Miss Salisbury Miss
Stockett, Miss Beers, Miss Sullivan Miss
Breen, Miss Wilkins, Mr.. Maynard and
Mr.. William r. Maxon.
The third and last field meeting of the
season will be held next Saturday after
noon at Glen Carlyn, Va, when the society
will be the guests of the residents of that
place, who are much interested in the bird
by an informal discussion of birds in the
evening at the Glen Carlyn hall.