Birds and All Nature, Vol. 5, No. 4, April 1899: Illustrated by Color Photography — John Shaqi
Birds and All Nature, Vol. 5, No. 4, April 1899: Illustrated by Color PhotographyVarious
History
Birds and All Nature, Vol. 5, No. 4, April 1899: Illustrated by Color Photography
Various
Birds -- Periodicals; Natural history -- Periodicals
The Nashville warbler is common during the migrations in many parts of
the country, but seems to be scarce or entirely wanting locally. Thus,
in Lorain county, Ohio, as well as in Poweshiek county, Iowa, it is
always one of the commonest warblers during the first and second weeks
of May, and again during the second and third weeks of September, while
it is not reported from Wayne county, Ohio, by Mr. Harry C. Oberholser
in his "List of the Birds of Wayne county, Ohio." There are other
instances of its rarity or absence from restricted localities. Its
range extends from the Atlantic ocean west to eastern Nebraska, and
north into Labrador and the fur countries, occasionally wandering even
to Greenland. It winters in the tropics south of the United States.
In the northward migration it reaches Texas about the third week
in April and Manitoba near the end of the first week in May, thus
passing completely across the country in about three weeks. A careful
computation proves that the average rate at which this warbler traveled
across the country, in the spring of 1885, was nearly forty miles a
day. A single year, however, might show a considerable departure from
the normal rate of migration. This instance is given to show any who
may not be familiar with the phenomena of bird migration that small
birds, at least, do not perform their whole migration in a single
flight, but rest a good deal by the way.
The migrating Nashville warblers, in my experience, prefer the
outskirts of the larger woods, but may be found anywhere in the
smaller woods, preferring the middle branches, rarely ascending to the
tree-tops, not seldom gleaning near the ground in the underbrush, or
even among the leaves on the ground. They are by no means confined to
the woods, but glean as boldly and sing as cheerfully among the fruit
and shade trees in town, but they are more numerous in the woods.
The song has been compared to that of the chestnut-sided warbler and
the chipping sparrow combined. To my ear the Nashville warbler's song
is enough unlike the song of any other bird to be easily recognized
after a single hearing. Rev. J. H. Langille's rendering: "_Ke tsee,
ke tsee, ke tsee, chip ee, chip ee, chip ee, chip_," is a close
approximation, but seems somewhat lacking in the true expression of
the first part of the song. My note book renders it thus: "_K tsip, k
tsip, k tsip, k tsip, chip ee, chip ee, chip ee, chip_." The first part
of the song is thus halting, with a considerable pause between the
phrases, while the last part is uttered more rapidly and with little
effort. This song, issuing from the trees in every direction, is always
closely associated in the writer's mind with the early morning hours,
the dripping trees and the sweet incense of the flower-decked woods and
bursting buds.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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