What Bird is That? Part 30

A tree-top Warbler of deciduous forests, nesting from 25 to 60 feet above the ground. Its song bears a marked resemblance to that of the Parula and its call-note is said to be like the _tchep_ of the Myrtle Warbler. The white eggs, heavily blotched with brown, are laid in May.

CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER

_Dendroica pensylvanica. Case 8, Figs. 43, 44_

Adults are distinguished by their chestnut sides, yellow crown and wing-bars, but the young are wholly different, silky white below, yellowish green above. L. 5.

_Range._ Nests from northern New Jersey and, in the Alleghanies, South Carolina, north to Canada; winters in the tropics.

Was.h.i.+ngton, abundant T.V., Apl. 19-May 30; Aug.

10-Oct. 14. Ossining, tolerably common S.R., May 2-Sept. 24. Cambridge, abundant S.R., May 5-Sept.

10. N. Ohio, T.V., May 2-25. Glen Ellyn, rare S.R., common T.V., May 1-Sept. 26. SE. Minn., common S.R., May 3-Sept. 15.

Scrubby second growths undergrown with bushes, roadside borders of trees and bushes, and the brushy margins of woods are all resorts of the Chestnut-side. Here he attracts our attention by his rather loud, frequently uttered song, which strongly suggests that of the Yellow Warbler. The nest is built within a few feet of the ground and the white, brown-marked eggs are laid the latter part of May.

BAY-BREASTED WARBLER

_Dendroica castanea. Case 8, Figs. 69, 70_

The adult male is unmistakable; the female has chestnut on sides and crown, a grayish streaked back and white wing-bars; the young bird in the fall cannot, in the field, be certainly distinguished from the young Blackpoll, but has the underparts tinted with buff instead of with yellow. L. 5.

_Range._ Nests from northern New England into Canada; winters in the tropics.

Was.h.i.+ngton, sometimes abundant, usually uncommon T.V., May 2-27; Aug. 29-Nov. Ossining, tolerably common T.V., May 14-28; Aug. 5-Sept. 26.

Cambridge, rather rare T.V., May 15-25; Sept.

12-28. N. Ohio, common T.V., May 4-23; Sept.

7-Oct. 10. Glen Ellyn, tolerably common; T.V., May 8-June 5; Aug. 13-Oct. 4. SE. Minn., uncommon T.V., May 13-; Aug. 18-Sept. 15.

The Bay-breast is one of the rarer members of its family. Most of us know it only as a migrant pa.s.sing northward in May and southward in September, when it may be found in woodlands a.s.sociated with other migrating Warblers. Its song resembles that of the Black and White Warbler. Mrs. Farwell describes it as "a poor, weak, monotonous saw-filing note." The nest has been found in hemlocks 15-20 feet from the ground. The white eggs, finely marked with shades of brown, are laid in June.

BLACK-POLL WARBLER

_Dendroica striata. Case 8, Figs. 71, 72_

In the spring, a black cap, white cheeks and a gray, black streaked back distinguish the male; a gray, black-streaked back, the female. In the fall, young and old are olive-green, streaked with black above; yellowish white below, and thus closely resembles the young Bay-breast. L. 5.

_Range._ Nests from northern New England and northern Michigan into Canada; winters in the tropics.

Was.h.i.+ngton, abundant T.V., Apl. 28-June 16; Aug.

31-Oct. 20. Ossining, common T.V., May 7-June 6; Aug. 30-Oct. 16. Cambridge, abundant T.V., May 12-June 5; Sept. 8-Oct. 20. N. Ohio, common T.V., May 6-June 2; Sept. 1-Oct. 16. Glen Ellyn, common T.V., May 2-June 8; Aug. 23-Sept. 27. SE. Minn., common T.V., May 8-; Aug. 27-.

Toward the end of the May Warbler 'waves' the Blackpolls come in force.

They are excessively fat and, perhaps for this reason, move rather slowly for a Warbler. They are Wood Warblers, but at this season may overflow into the trees of our lawns and orchards. Mrs. Farwell describes the Blackpoll's song as "a succession of hesitating, staccato, unmusical notes varying greatly in volume. The notes separated, not combined in twos, as in the Black and White Warbler's song." When nesting this Warbler frequents stunted spruce forests, placing its nest in these trees a few feet above the ground, and laying 4-5 white, brown-marked eggs the latter part of June.

BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER

_Dendroica fusca. Case 8, Figs. 67, 68_

The orange breast, fiery in the spring male, duller in the female and fall males, is distinctive. L. 5.

_Range._ Nests from Ma.s.sachusetts (locally) and central Minnesota north to Canada and southward in the Alleghanies to Georgia; winters in the tropics.

Was.h.i.+ngton, common T.V., Apl. 30-June 3; Aug.

14-Oct. 7. Ossining, common T.V., May 10-29; Aug.

15-Oct. 15. Cambridge, T.V., uncommon, May 12-22; rare, Sept. 15-30. N. Ohio, common T.V., May 4-June 8; Aug. 12-Sept. 22. SE. Minn., common T.V., May 3-; Sept. 4.

The remoteness of their homes prevents us from making the acquaintance of the brilliantly plumaged birds of the tropics, but among them all we will find none more beautiful than this flame-breasted Warbler, which each spring comes from his tropical winter home almost to our doors. In the summer he seeks the seclusion of coniferous forests and the higher branches of spruce or hemlock. There his nest is made sometimes 80 or more feet above the ground, and in late May or early June the white eggs, spotted, speckled and blotched with brown, are laid. The Blackburnian's song is described by Miss Paddock in "Warblers of North America" as "very shrill and fine, growing even more shrill and wiry as it rises toward the end."

YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER

_Dendroica dominica dominica. Case 5, Fig. 18_

A gray Warbler with a yellow throat. L. 5.

_Range._ Southeastern States, nesting north to Maryland; wintering from central Florida southward.

Was.h.i.+ngton, rare S.R., rather common late in July and Aug.; Apl. 19-Sept. 4.

The loud, ringing _ching-ching-ching, chicker, cherwee_ of the Yellow-throated Warbler is one of the characteristic bird songs of spring in southern woods. The bird usually sings from the upper branches of tall trees, often cypresses, in Florida, but further north, from pines, where he can be far more easily heard than seen. The nest is placed 30-40 feet from the ground and the white eggs, thickly marked with shades of brown, are laid in April.

The Sycamore Warbler (_D. d. albilora, Case 5, Fig. 19_) is a nearly related race of the Yellow-throat which inhabits the Mississippi Valley nesting as far north as southern Michigan and wintering in the tropics.

It differs from the Atlantic coast form in having a smaller bill and no yellow in front of the eye. As its name implies, it favors sycamore trees.

BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER

_Dendroica virens virens. Case 6, Fig. 62_

The female has a yellow throat and a band of black spots on the breast, but both s.e.xes may be known by the yellow cheeks and the large amount of white in the tail. L. 5.

_Range._ Nests from Long Island and northern Ohio north to Canada and south in the Alleghanies to Georgia.

Was.h.i.+ngton, very common T.V., Apl. 22-May 30; Aug.

26-Oct. 21. Ossining, common T.V., Apl. 30-June 3; Sept. 1-Oct. 26; a few breed. Cambridge, abundant S.R., May 1-Oct. 15. N. Ohio, common T.V., Apl.

25-May 24; Sept. 1-Oct. 16; a few breed. Glen Ellyn, common T.V., Apl. 29-June 6; Aug. 22-Oct.

12. SE. Minn., common T.V., uncommon S.R., Apl.

29-Sept. 22.

The quiet little _zee-zee, zee-ee-zee_ of the Black-throated Green announces the arrival of the vanguard of true Wood Warblers, which for the succeeding two weeks will pa.s.s in countless numbers through our woodlands, still almost leafless. At this time we may find him wherever trees grow, but his real summer home is coniferous forests, especially of hemlocks, in which he often builds his nests 15-20 feet above the ground. The eggs, laid in late May or early June, are white spotted and speckled with brown.

A southern form of this Warbler (_D. v. waynei_) has been described from the vicinity of Charleston, S.C.

KIRTLAND'S WARBLER