A History of North American Birds; Land Birds; Vol. 2 of 3Baird, Spencer Fullerton
Science
A History of North American Birds; Land Birds; Vol. 2 of 3
Baird, Spencer Fullerton
Birds -- North America
In all the fertile portions of the country west of the plains, Mr.
Ridgway found Bullock’s Oriole—the western representative of the
Baltimore—extremely abundant. In May, when the valley of the Truckee,
near Pyramid Lake, was visited, he observed great numbers feeding upon
the buds of the grease-wood, in company with the Louisiana Tanager and
the Black-headed Grosbeaks. In certain localities there was scarcely a
tree that did not contain one or more nests of these birds, and as
many as five have been found in a single tree. Although constructed in
a manner almost precisely similar to those of the common eastern
species, its nest is less frequently pendulous, being in many cases
fixed between the upright twigs near the top of the tree. It is,
however, not unfrequently suspended, like that of the Baltimore, from
the extremity of a drooping branch, though very rarely in so beautiful
a manner. The notes of this Oriole, which are similar to those of the
Baltimore, are neither so distinct, so mellow, nor so strong, and
their effect is quite different from that produced by the splendid
mellow whistling of the eastern species; and the mellow, rolling
chatter so characteristic of the latter is not so full in the western
species, and generally ends in a sharp _chow_, much like the curious
mewing of an _Icteria_. He regards Bullock’s Oriole as altogether a
less attractive species.
Mr. Lord found this bird by no means an abundant species in British
Columbia. Those that were seen seemed to prefer the localities where
the scrub-oaks grew, to the pine regions. He found their long,
pendulous nests suspended from points of oak branches, without any
attempt at concealment. He never met with any of these birds north of
Fraser’s River, and very rarely east of the Cascades. A few stragglers
visited his quarters at Colville, arriving late in May and leaving
early in September, the males usually preceding the females three or
four days.
On the Shasta Plains Mr. Lord noticed, in the nesting of this bird, a
singular instance of the readiness with which birds alter their habits
under difficulties. A solitary oak stood by a little patch of water,
both removed by many miles from other objects of the kind. Every
available branch and spray of this tree had one of the woven nests of
this brilliant bird hanging from it, though hardly known to colonize
elsewhere in this manner.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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