Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-03-01
BIRD FRIENDS IN OUR DOOR YARDS
WHO THEY ARE AND HOW THEY LIVE
BY Ira N. Gabrielson.

One Of the few birds which remain
with us thruout the year Is this tiny
bunch of feathers and cheerfulness. He
certainly deserves the title given him
because Of his constant and infectious
optimism Other birds also remain thru
the winter, but Chickadee alone seems
to be invariably in good humor.
No morning Is too frosty, no storm
so furious as to still his CHEEKY Chick
a-dee-dee-dee' or the ringing "phoe-
be-" This last call, whistled almost
impudently. often makes people think
he is the phoebe or wood peWee. 1t Is.
however, vastly different from the note
Of the latter bird. The chickadee's call
OF two syllables is phoebe" given
clearly and distinctly, while that of the
wood pewee is long drawn-out, pen
sive plant of three syllables "pe-ah-
wee"-the former signifying good
cheer; the latter, melancholy. Again.
the chickadee note is usually heard IN
winter and early spring and that OF the
wood pewee from the middle OF May
until early September.
All the year around he is with us,
doing impossible gymnastic featS
among the branches of the trees, While
seeking insect eggs and larvae on the
bark or among the bud scales. In Mas
sachusetts he was found to be most
valuable alley in destroying eggs ana
moths of the canker worm. From IN
vestigations there it was calculated
that each day of the canker worm per-
iod $3.50 eggs of this pest were de-
stroyed by each chickadee.
Who is this little fellow that renders
such valuable service? He is, or ought
to be, familiar friend Of every person
in Iowa. Look out Of your window
some frosty morning or watch the trees
along the street as you go to and from
your work and you can not fail to ma
him. You hear him talking cheerfully
to himself as he fits from one branch
to another. You stop and look-ah! at
last you spy him. What do you see?
Five inches Of animated life, that Is
all. You look longer and see an ash
colored back, a black cap, black
throat, and white or cream colored un-
derparts. You are satisfied now that
you know him, but do you? Do you
know his nest, his family, his ways Of
hunting, his wonderful acrohatic per-
formances his amazing self-confidence,
his friendliness and willingness to make
friends? Until you learn these, and
many more things about chickadee. or
any other bird, you do not truly know
him. After years Of acquaintance he
is apt to surprise or astonish you with
some new performance and in this
lies the perpetual charm Of bird study.
The most common Of your acquaint-
ances may teach you something new
and delightful.
But to return to chicadee: When
spring comes he selects his wife hunts
for a small hole in a fence post or
stump, or not finding one suitable,
manufactures one to his own taste and
lines 1t with feathers. Then appears q
number of tiny eggs. generally Ave to
eight, white In color, but thickly
speckled with brown.
After period Of incubation Of per-
haps ten days or more a lot Of naked,
blind. hungry nestlings appear. Then
comes a busy time for both chicadee
and his mate-worms, grasshappera
flies, larvae and any other insects
available are hurried into the nest in q
vain attempt to stop those gaping
mouths This goes on until tho babies
are large enough to try their own
WINGS when they are carefully led out
into the world. Perchance you may
find them in an overgrown gooseberry
bush, thorn apple or other shrub. II
you do. be sure you will find each and