Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1905-06-23
COMING OF BIRDS
THE SPRING PROCESSION OF
FEATHERED FOLK.
Led by Robin and Bluebird-pretty
Soon Comes Phoebe Bird anI
Barn Swallow-Wail of
Upland Plover.

and as for the spring migration OF
birds, have been obliged to make
most Of my notes from the study win,
dow or the broad plaza AS my home
Is somewhat isolated, | have not only
the common birds of the farm yard
and orchard, but many rare varieties
OF migrants stop in my trees, and |
hear the call of still wilder birds from
the adjacent forest.
First of all came the robins. in twos
and threes, and then in flocks of % or
more, piping in the fields and along the
wood-edges, A day or two later the
family homesick notes of bluebirds
dropped out of gray sky, and they,
too, added spots of brilliant color to
the landscape, and a second voice to
lovers choir. The robins now have
nest in the lilac bush, directly in front
of our door, tall nest built in about
four days, and worked on nearly alto
gether by the female. An interval of
a day elapsed between the completion
of the home and the laying of the first
ereenish-blue egg Ten feet from the
robin, mother bluebird is brooding
her six eggs in box of white birch
bark at the end of the piazza.
In middle April, we were Weakened
in the morning by the complaining call
of little gray bird which sat upright
on the twig, and now and again DART
ed off after an early insect. His cry
was Phoebe, Phoebe and after much
investigation he and his mate have
built a messy nest that sits on beam
in the barn Another builder which
frequents our outbuildings is the barn
swallow A trim and skilful bird ia
he-a perfect flying machine, sailing
in long curves, wheeling, darting,
freaking on his long, pointed wings.
airy and graceful This is one of the
few swallows which hunt low; while
others seek their food in the upper
air, the barn swallow skins over the
grass tops and catches the low-fying
| insects He is a cheerful neighbor,
twittering softly and confdingly on the
| roof7tops, or peeping sharply as he
| dashes in at the wide barn door. The
barn swallow came, too, and began
| housekeeping in a bird box set high
up on pole. We watched him gather
ing straw in the road and admired
the steel-blue of his back, which con-
trasts sharply with the pure white Of
his under parts. In the old days, this
bird nestled in holes in trees, and
some individuals still adhere to this
ancestral habit, but gradually, like the
barn and cliff swallow, he is taking
advantage of the work of man. The
cliff swallows fasten their mud nests
to buildings, but the tree swallow
must have hole to hide in; hence his
use of convenient bird houses.
They say in England that when the
swallow arrives, spring has really
come Alas, it is not so with us! They
came in latter April; but our May has
been full of cold and cloudy dogs, of
east winds and driving mists, and
rain. 1t was on such a cold gray
morning, when the clouds hung low on
fountains, that we heard on the
uplands across the road a low, wailing
cry as of the wind shrleking in the
chimney on a winter night. 1t had
none of the qualities of the human
voice. it seemed more of a whistle,
and yet to me it suggested a lost
child wailing on a moor. Later in the
day we caught a glimpse of the crea-
ture which had made this eerie sound
1t was long-legged, long-billed bird,
of brown and white, and we knew him
for the Bertramian sandpiper or up
land ployer. Beside his voice, an
other popularity of this plover is his
habit Of stretching his wings just af-
ter he alights, extending them togeth-
er high above his back, and then slow
ly closing them. His markings, of
mingled brown and black and white,
harmonic well with the dried grass Of
the fields which he frequents, and af-
ford good example of protective coll
oring. In England, and indeed in many
| COuuJlleo, plDVGlD dIC COuoluClOu Ull III
Of bad omen.
In contrast to this Is the cheerful
ness of the sparrows. The chipping
sparrow is the most social, as his
Latin name signifies. The song spar
row sings in our bushes; and the fox
sparrow scratched in the mold not far
away
Often we hear the white-throat
whistling sweetly and plaintively from
the top of pine tree. 1t is a song that
once heard is always remembered. In
quality it is not unlike that of the
,, hermit thrush. Last week number
of the white-crowned sparrows spen;
days in our barnyard picking up the
seed which we always take good care
to scatter. This is perhaps the hand
soonest of sparrows. The distinct
black and white markings about the
head make this and the preceding spe
cies conspicuous and easy of identih
cation.
Perhaps.
| ear vuoudnr whV the DhOtOpraDher toll