The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1906-05-14
A B1RD-noTER,s NOTEBOOK.

more than half dozen of our most
common birds! Let the reader stop and
count them up How many? There is
the Robin, and the Bluebird, and the
Sparrow. Yes, but which Sparrow?
There are at least ten kinds Of Sparrows
to be found about New Haven but count
ing the English Sparrow, why not
gradually increase your list till you can
tell the song or the appearance of fifty
or a hundred species within three miles
radius of the library? Everywhere you
go in the country, or even the edge of
the city, you will constantly hear and
see old friends who will thrill your
heart with songs in many keys, sweet
err than instrument of man ere caught"
Do you know the Incompatible song Of
the wood thrush? If you do not you
have yet to hear the finest music, some
think, in all nature. When one first
learns the rich MARBLE Of the grosbeak
with its bright rose spot on the breast,
he feels that he has been lifted to a
higher plane of experience. Each year
you will watch the return Of your
II i0lldS Will AilO hCEAAC0l lHAClSbbs
The writer knows from experience
the difficulty of remembering so many
bird songs and calls, but try to trans
late into the nearest English or Chloe
taw what they seem to say and write
that in your note book, and you will
be surprised how easy it is to recall the
songs.
The flicker says "Yar-up," the red
winged blackbird, 'kori-ker-ee," the
Maryland yellow-throat "Wichity,
vicinity, wichity," or, sometimes, II be-
seech you, l beseech you, beseech
you" The oven-bird can be heard on
East or West rock saying as plainly as
any bird can Teacher, teacher, teach
er, teacher with the accent strongly
on the last syllable. The chestnut-s sid
ed warbler says II wish, wish, | wish
Miss Beecher," and the water thrush
sings along West river Jump In, jump
in jump in, jump in 1t. Dots, dashes
and curves have been of great help in
remembering the elusive songs. A SER
les of INTERVIEWING circles represents
the veerys weird song; three or four
dashes followed by the letter v will
recall at once the black-throated green
warbler's song
The yellow breasted chat is the most
characteristic and at the same time the
most laughable bird we have. He will
squawk and grunt, and squeal and
whistle and perform such queer antics,
he should be called the clown Of the
bird circus. have found him
in the edge of East rock, in Edge
wood park, and in several other places
about New Haven The following is a
very clever imitation of the bird $
method of accosting strangers: He
tells you that your gun won't shoot;
that it is flint lock; that your ram
rod is broken; that you haven't got
gun; that you are a bald-headed Grip
ple that there Is a nasty skunk In the
bushes; that your baby is crying; your
house is atire; that the bridge is brok-
en- down; that you have missed the
road to the reform farm; that the poor
house is over the creek, Then he calls
the dogs, says YOU have gone to seed,
advises you to go west, that you arc
taking UP too much of his valuable
time, that you must excuse him for a
moment" When he flies he acts as
though his legs were broken for they
hang dangling lifeless and sometimes
he will almost turn a sonersault in
the air. He is a whole circus and me-
nagerie combined.
Three things are needed to do sue
cessful bird study--a bird-book or
key a pair of field or opera glasses,
and enthusiasm to get you out occa-
sionally these May mornings at 8
o'clock. If you will provide yourself
with these three necessities and start
at once you have before you something
that will bring a new joy into your
life.
One of the most remarkable things
about the return of the birds is that
each species appears almost exactly the
same date year after year. You can
go to a certain locality on a certain
day and say to yourself: II expect to
see such and such bird this morning."
and you are seldom disappointed. In
looking over my list of first arrivals 1
notice that / saw the first wood-thrush
last year May 2, and this year the same
day. Last year l saw the first yellow
bird and the first redstart on May /
and this year the same day. If | go
to a certain hillslope on Forest street
on April 30 l am almost sure to see
my first blaekIthroated green warbler.
and on April 2S my first black and
white creeping warbler. On May 1
look for the warbling vireo and on Nav
4 the Baltimore oriole. Hearing the
first note Of returning bird in the
spring gives as much joy as meeting
an old friend.
The vireOs are an interesting group
of birds. There is the yellow-throated
and the red-eyed with songs so much
alike it takes a trained ear to tell them
apart. They are both common in our
parks and even in the heart of the city
singing all summer long. The yellow
throated vireo is the first to come and
is less a city bird than the red-eyed.
The warbling vireo is common in the
city, sandwiching a sweet cherry war
BILE between mouthfuls of grubs or
bugs. The whte-eyed vireo is none of
your common trash. He lives in arts
tocratic seelusion. He is to be sought
for, courted and approached in proper
style or you will get a piece of his
mind. Approach too closely without
proper Introduction and you will hear
his sharp nervous whit; who are