The Somerset reporter., 1904-04-07
Birds of Winter and Spring

something about birds f3f club Of
-ko"hegdn lad -, for have many
pleasant memories If tuat town AID It's
surroundings / wds born IL SgIlidgr-
wock, spent my boyhODd IN Madison and
htted Tor OlD5 IN the Skowhegan hIgu
school. IN 1872 when Nj. Billings was
the principal For the past u years u
more have been engaged in newspaper
work IN Portland. and for dozen Yeas
| have been pretty actively engaged IN
bird study in spare moments tor the
past two years have written a weekly
bird column for the Advertiser, publish
ing it every Saturday My summers are
spent in cottage on the ape Elizabeth
shore and l devote TWO hours every
morning To tramping through the woods
all around that vicinity Ia order To do
this | have to rise at daybreak and be
out as soon as the sun rises; leaving for
the city on the 80 car. This gives me
opportunity to watch carefully the ar
rival of the birds IN the spring and their
departure In the fall, and 10 note many
rare species that are overlooked by lust
as skilltul, but less persistent observers
Ia Skowhegan you have doub less real
lied that the past winter has been uu-
usually cold remember one morniug 10
1872 when the mercury froze In the Their
mometers, and | walked down from the
plains to school, without finding out that
ii was 80 cold until | got 10 DYER *
ushlng's drug store, or was ii a book
store? TO come back to my subject,
here IN Portland along the shore of the
ocean II has been remarkable that more
summer birds have staid north during
the severe weather than for many years.
On the Cape shore pair of robins has
wintered and in the city limits another
pair has remained in various back yards
and warm corners sheltered by dwelling
houses. The first week in January
found little flock of myrtle warble1s at
the ape, and for five successive weeks
visited them from time to time. taking
several friends with me on different oc-
casions, and finding the birds always
right in the same place. 1t was on
sunny slope hundred yards from the
water, where there was a thick growth
OF the wax-myrtle bushes, the favorite
food of these birds, and from which
they take their name In March they
are still there, waiting for their fellows
TO JOIN them, when they come north
from the southern states. So far as |
know this is the only record of the bird
wintering in Maine, though a small flock
WAS seen about 1885, and occasioned
some controversy at the time as to
whether they were really winterng or
not Pine grosbeaks have been very
plentiful ever since last fall and they
have been reported all over New Eng
land. They are now returning to their
lar northern nesting grounds. Red crust-
Oils have been roaming among the pine
trees, tree sparrows have been feeding
in the snowy pastures on the weed seeds
that they find pushing their heads above
The surface, goldfinches in their sober
winter dress have been here in numbers,
chickadees have been everywhere.
Snow buntings and juncos downy wood
peckers and red-breasted nuthatches
have been quite common. The first of
the winter several bald eagles lived on
tue shore of the inner bay, driven from
the inland lakes by the lack of food, and
sea ducks, such as bufiieheads and
goldeneyes, came into the upper harbor.
Near the marine hospital there was
flock of black ducks, numbering at least
TOO, which staid for weeks so near Mar
tins Point bridge that they might have
been shot with ease. In fact few were
killed, but as they are protected by law
a
that. They usually live around the
islands, but these have been 80 solidly
frozen that they refused the regular
food supply of the flats at low water.
Hundreds of people went out to see the
ducks and it really was the sight of a
lifetime.
In the spring robins, song sparrows
and bluebirds usually appear in this
40 in
This year they did not come until about
the oath, and by then it was time for
many other species When the first
warm days arrived the birds all came
along together with rush The last
week in March the woods and fields are
alive with them. AS one walks towards
the clumps of bushes they spring up
before him with a whir of wings by the
score l have never seen so many song
sparrows, fox-colored sparrows, jnncos,
tree sparrows, bluebirds, robins, fuckers,
red-wInged blaokbirds, purple finches
goldfinches and pine grosbeaks together
in my life as | did on the morning Of
the 28th of March. by this time many
of them have gone along and | do not
doubt that you have the same numerous
tlocks in Skowhegan and Somerset
county Cedar warnings have not yet
become plentiful, though one flock has
been reported near here.
The hawks have began to come along
with the migrating flocks, for the pur
pose of feeding on them. The small
sharped Skinned hawk is the most muir
derous to small birds, while the larger
hawks live principally on small animals.
BY keeping close watch one will nearly
always see these small hawks following
in the wake of the migrating bands of
songbirds, though the number that they
kill must be insignificant as compared
with those who survive and spread them
selves all over New England and the
Provinces
In the spring the songs of birds are
heard on all sides and it is a udy of
itself TO be able to tell every bird by its
note as well as by its colors and mark
ings Just now the fox sparrow Is by
far the finest songster, having a beauti-
full trll and good deal of fine execution
to his refrain. The juncos have little
feeble trill, quite musical, and the notes
OF the robins, song sparrows and blue
birds are familiar to almost everybody.
The purple finch is one of the best sing
ers of them all, especially in the edge of
the evening as he perches on the top
most twig of pine tree and gives him
self up TO melody. The hermit thrush
will be an early conner and his song
arouses much enthusiasm on account of
the purity of the tones, but ii is not
sklllful performance. Contrast II with
the brown thrasher who sings with end
less variations. runs. trills, high notes,
low notes now loud and again soft, hy