Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1902-02-03
SOME OF THE WINTER BIRDS.
That May Be Seen in Almost Any
Dooryard With a Few Trees.

| and DluGDlruS nave QISdppGaI6u III luG
fall. then we are apt to think, mo
more birds until spring comes again
But is that true? If you keep a sharp
| lookout, you will be surprised, per
haps to find, even in the city, especi-
allv if you are fortunate enough to
own a yard containing a tree or a
shrub or two, that a good many birds
don't object to cold weather at ali, and
| that we have feathered neighbors in
the winter as we'll as in the summer.
There are the chickadees. How they
do fluff up their feathers until they
look like little gray balls blown about!
and how gaily they call, "CnlcK-a-dee-
| dee-hee-hee," when the thermometer IS
way down to zero! They are me llttle
birds with black caps and threats anu
white s,-black-capped tltmlce
| they are also called The white
breasted nut-hatches wear black caps
too though theirs resemble hoods,
with tiny black lines from the BACK OF
the neck toward the front, like strings
to the hoods, not tied together. The
nut-hatches wear grayish-blue coats,
about the color of the pOstman's, and
white vests How hard they work,
Ticking off great patches OF bark 20
! get at the insects eggs underneath!
| I wonder if you know The brown
creepers. They are not a plain brown
| in color, but their backs are SO NOTED
that they look much like the bark OF
the tree. to which they cling SO close
| ". as they creep up, that If it wasn't
for their motion, one might not notice
them at all. The nut-hatches creep
down a branch or On the under SIDE
as easily as they creep up, but the
creepers always creep up and ny
down. Perhaps it makes them dizzy
to stand with their heads down as the
nut-haches do! One seldom hears the
creper's note, but the nut-hatches have
quaint little call-"Y ank-ya that
has a sort of muff1ed sound, as il they
had colds in their heads. Poor things!
! it would be strange, out in all sorts OF
weather as they arei
| fFIen there are the dOwny WoodpecK-
ers, dressed in black and white, the
male wearing a brilliant patch OF red
on the back of his head. They rap-rap
awav at the treetrunks all winter long.
1t is possible that some mild morning
you may hear sweet, spring-l1ke notes,
and see, pecking away at a shrub III
| the yard, quite flock Of little birds OF
| a dull olive-gray color. 1t would be
! hard for you to guess their names, DO
! YOU remember seeing last summer,
when you were away in the country,
numbers of gay little yellow birds,
with black wings and tails and tiny
black caps, lowering over thistle-tops,
or bounding over fields ofblue chicory?
| Those were American goldfnches.
Here they stay, summer and winter
some of them; but, like mos Of the
rest of us, they change their coats and
! hats when winter comes on, and these
dulIcolored little fellows are the same
birds that shone SO golden in the sun
| dast August.
! If you have an evergreen tree or two
in sight, you may have chance to
watch the junc0,-the slate colored
snow-bird he is called. You may know
him by his pinkish bill, and by the
white outer feathers in his tail. Per
haps the bluejays will come too,-
handsome too,-handsome, noisy fell
lows, with gay blue coats trimmed
with black and white, and with fine
! crests on their heads.
! The greatest treat that you may
hope for will be a sight of golden
crowned kinglets. They are the tlniest
birds we have, except the humming-
birds,-only a bit over four inches
long from the tip of the bill to the end
of the tail The general color s green
! ish olive, lighter underneath, but the
! top of the heod is bright reddish gold,
bordered by stripes of black. NO
wonder they are called kinglets,-little
! kings,-with such cleaning crowns on
their royal little heads! Hhey are
very friendly with the chickadees and
nut-hatches, and will sometimes be
seen in company with them, all ap-
parently travelling together. | had
never seen any kinglets until last
winter, though had often watched for
them; but one cold December day,
when I was obliged to stay IN the
house because 1 was i'll, and was dis
consolately looking out of the window,
and wishing something interesting
would happen, suddenly heard
chickadee announcing that it was
right pleasant sort of a day. if the sky
was gray, and the thermometer way
down below freezing. And he wasn't,
alone! The old apple tree outside of
the window was all at once the scene
of merry little party,-the chickadee,
| a pair of browny woodpeckers, pair
of brown creepers, and nut-hatch
were evidently travelling together, ana
! had stopped at my apple tree for
| light luncheon at noon!
But what were these that / spied in
the branches pa tiny, fairy-like pair,
| T