The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1918-06-04
Eveningdat

Evening N4dS
/ actually saw q flicker yesterday
the first have personally seen. 81.
ting 10 my woTk.room With three win.
dows and q door open 10 the outdoors,
suddenly large bird with q long beak.
a red spot on the head, a black ores.
cent across the breast and brown
spots all over the body, like a thrush,
appeared close 70 me. Ny heart fairly
went Nd into my throat! ] dared not
move for the bird sat close on the top
OF a post-nothing but the screen be.
tween myself and the wonderful Crea.
ture. thought, Somebody has got
hold Of a bird and painted il all up
surely 10 was not originally all that
combination OF color,' Just then the
flicker turned around and held my
breath. L was almost as though he
read my thoughts and was turning
about for me 10 see him plainly from
al sides. J co. as plain a view as !
ever expect 10 get again OF such a
bird.
The flicker has a black mustache
He is often called a golden.winged
woodpecker and as a rule does not
leave the woods except 70 frequent
lonely roadsides He sings a sort Of
whistle song like this "Cuk, cuk, cuk. >"
with an intersection OF "Quit.u.
qu.tu,' Mrs. Flicker has her nest
in the hollow OF tree often way back
where YOU can't but wonder how the
little flickers keep from smothering.
She lays from five 10 ten eggs but as
many as seyentyone eggs have been
laid where an egg was taken from the
nest each day!" Can you surpass this
for ambition?
Let me describe the flicker again
more minutely The bird is 50 excep.
tionally odd and beautiful that it is
an experience indeed to run across
one. A bird OF this sort IS a wary
creature-not al all fond OF display.
ing himself For one 10 come volun.
'arily and sit outside ones window
is luck indeed, luck want TO share,
ina word picture OF the beauty, il moth.
ing else Beginning at the top the
bird Is brown in color with a few bars
OF black. There is a large white spot
on the tail. His body is very big With
a head OF gray With a black streak
about the eye A scarlet band runs
across the back OF the neck. The
wings are an exquisite yellow. The
breast is a pinkish brown and-here
we come 10 a mark quite wonderful
there is a black crescent distinctly
stamped across the throat. something
like a black necktie. Below the black
crescent are many black spots. Oh
indeed the flicker is a beauty.
This bird feeds mostly on ants. !
have heard that as many as three thou
sand are eaten at a meal, though from
the size OF the ant, three thousand
would not make more than a fair sized
meal The flicker has a long bill like
a "pickaxe" but is not used IN this
opacity except when digging out a
hole in a tree for a nest. They say
when q flicker goes counting he
spreads out his tail and dances in an
extremely funny manner.
Birds are quite the most wonderfully
graceful creation we have. Mere hu-
man beings cannot possibly compete
with them in this respect Expressing
many moods Of the Great Creator, we
find birds Of all coloTs and sizes. Ger.
tain birds frequent certain sections
of the country but very often We run
across one out of his environment. II
is seldom impossible to find at or two
strangers on a visit 10 our Fairmont
wooded sections. Where quiet Teigns
there is the place TO look for them.
It y rather difficult TO take a number
OF children on a bird hunt. Children
don't care much for quiet. though Oc.
casionally you may find a little mite
VINO can find pleasure in something
besides romping play.
With a pair Of field glasses, quite
recently, we went as far out Of the
city as we could get with nothing but
the street car and our four pairs OF
feet we had a list Of birds We want
ed to catch a glimpse Oft possible.
The youngest child in the party-and
that doetn't apply solely to age-nade
the following list: Humning.bird,
loves flower gardens, has a long nee
dle.like bill. is called an exquisite
jewel. Kingbird. has a tiny orange
color on the head. white throat and
dark body with a ruffle OF white on
tip OF tail feathers. Wood pewee, not
difficult to find We heard the plain.
tive "pe.ah.whee" and were the proud
observers OF a small gray little bird
whom We judged had quaker ancestry,
so prim and gentle was she. Though it
consumed quite an entire afternoon we
found her nest - simply adorable