The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1907-05-30
Waldo County Birds.

To THE EDITOR OF The DAILY
News: Some thirty years ago as l
was riding up the south side of the
ped. 1t was black, and as the sun shone
it showed a greensh shade upon his
back. He was not afraid and | stopped
some time to look him over. Frequently
saw bird in the same tree. The fol
lowing year, as l was driving down
through Newburg l saw another. No
one seemed to know what they were
A few years later one morning, SINH
lar bird was at my door, quite tame and
eating my bird food. A few days later
he brought what l took to be a lady
with him. They came early for their
breakfast every morning, and usually
at night. The next year there were
four, and so year by year they have
continued to come and have increased
in number, until this Thursday morn
ing, May End, there were thirty four
They had a very nice time eating crack
ed corn, but they did not seem to like
bread crumbs. l sit upon the veranda
and watch them. They are not afraid
of me, but they are very shy of the
English sparrow, and do not seem to
have any use for them. | learned years
ago that they were crow black birds,
and in localities they have increased
quite rapidly. In the trees they seem
to be looking for something. But for
the English sparrows | think they
would come up onto my veranda.
l have got quite a number of bird
houses and used to have blue birds,
finches, martins and swallows. The
English sparrows finally drove my blue
birds away and then my martins and
swallows. My little bush sparrows that
make their home over the front door
are not driven. They know they are
very welcome and manage to dodge the
coarser birds. In fact they come up
onto the veranda and eat their crumbs.
Among them all is robin red breast,
who comes and goes like the tourist.
For sixteen years their nest was at the
caves of my house, but violent storm
blew it down. They then took the pro-
lection upon my warehouse, and for
three years, two birds have had their
home there. Early in the morning they
are around looking for worms, and we
intend to watch the youngsters when
they come out to keep the cats from
eating them.
while l love a cat, yet l love the
birds more"
Twenty years ago little beauty that
made noise in the early morning built
its hanging nest in my elm. | soon
learned him to be the oriole and am
now waiting for his return for 1907.
On the veranda when the flowers
bloom the humming bird visits them
while overhead the little fly -catcherhas
his nest, and visits the screen over the
window for his breakfast and MONDAY
lunch. But for the cats we should have
more birds around US.
The merry little chick -a-dee comes
down occasionally in the early spring
to eat a little of the fat meat that is
attached to the tree for him. And the
blue jay enjoys picking the corn from
the cob hung in tree for him.
FRED ATWOOD.
Winterport, May 2, 1907.
In few dabs, like painter of the
'impressionists" school, Mr.. Atwood
has told the exact story regarding the
gaining abundance of crow blackbirds
in eastern Maine One day this spring
we were able to count beyond 300 birds
in four tall elm trees right in front of
the window where writing operations
are conducted. These fiocks continued
to come for nearly every day for three
weeks or longer, though no doubt at
times it was the same flock returning
to the old trees. One day in April a
flock flew overhead and went on to-
ward New Brunswick, that was nearly
an hour in passing, the air being vocal
with squawks and squeals and whistles
all the time. A rough estimate placed
the number of birds in that flock at
ho lo
blackbirds travel in clusters of about
with doors and windows closed, he can
know when the blackbir light in his
vicinity from the noise the birds make.
They are chattering and squawking
continuously. Near Bangor the crow
blackbirds breed among alders and will
lows and elms growing near sluggish
brooks and sWampS, and are more or
less social in their habits, and when
ever the nest of a pair is found, the
hunter can feel fairly certain there are
other nests nearby. Judge Smith is
authority for statement that near
Presque Isle, Maine, the crow black
birds nest in great colonies in scrubby
pine trees and are most musical COM
panions almost atoning for the absence
of the bobolinks, which do not go so
far north.
There was never summer when the
crow blackbirds failed to visit Maine,
though their numbers seem to have
gained very much within the past
quarter of century, indicating that
these birds have learned the art of get
ting along and prospecting when in close
companionship with humanity. A few
years ago George Bird Grinnell, the
eminent naturalist and friend of Roose-
welt, suggested in Forest and Stream
that the crow blackbirds might be re-
placing the wild pigeons as field
scavangers for grain and autumn seeds
and nuts all over the eastern part Of
the North American continent. Though
somewhat of tax upon the farmers to
supply them with grain, the blackb birds
also consume many insects and thus
COMPENSATE for their ravages among
the buckwheat and oats. In passing it
may be remarked that the famous old
Mother Goose jingle concerning
"Four and twenty blackbirds
Baked in pie"
was no doubt written by somebody who
had eaten blackbird pie, which is good
enough for anybody to eat and fully as
good as pigeon pie or chicken pie. But