Birds and Nature, Vol. 10 No. 3 [October 1901]Various
History
Birds and Nature, Vol. 10 No. 3 [October 1901]
Various
Birds -- Periodicals; Natural history -- Periodicals
Tall evergreen trees, such as pines, hemlocks, spruces, firs and cedars,
situated near the edge of an opening or clearing in the forest, not too
far from water and commanding a good outlook, or on a bluff along a
stream, a hillside, the shore of a lake or pond, are usually selected as
nesting sites by this species, and the nest is generally saddled well
out on one of the limbs, where it is difficult to see and still more
difficult to get at. Only on rare occasions will this species nest in a
deciduous tree.
While it appears tolerant enough toward other species, it will not allow
any of its own kind to nest in close proximity to its chosen home, to
which it returns from year to year. Each pair seems to claim a certain
range, which is rarely less than half a mile in extent, and is usually
located along some stream, near the shore of a lake, or by some little
pond; generally coniferous forests are preferred, but mixed ones answer
their purpose almost equally well as long as they border on a body of
water or a beaver meadow and have a few clumps of hemlock or spruce
trees scattered through them which will furnish suitable nesting sites
and lookout perches.
While on a collecting trip a nest of this species was observed in a
spruce tree and about forty-five feet from the ground. The birds
betrayed the location of the nest by their excited actions and incessant
scolding. They were very bold, flying close around the climber’s head,
snapping their bills at him, and uttering angry notes of defiance rather
than of distress, something like “puy-pip-pip.” They could not possibly
have been more pugnacious.
The nest was a well-built structure. It was outwardly composed of fine,
wiry roots and small twigs, mixed with green moss and lined with fine
roots and moss. It was securely fixed among a mass of fine twigs growing
out at that point of the limb.
As a rule the nests are placed at a considerable height from the ground,
usually from forty to sixty feet, though occasionally one is found that
is not more than twenty feet.
In spite of their pugnacious and quarrelsome habits these birds are so
attached to the localities they have selected for their homes that they
will usually lay a second set of eggs in the same nest from which their
first set has been taken—Adapted from Charles Bendire’s Life Histories
of North American Birds.
THE COMING OF MISS OCTOBER MONTH.
Over in Farmer Goodman’s timber there was a great stir. Everybody was
busy. All summer the trees had been planning a picnic reception to be
given to the Month brothers and sisters when the hot weather had passed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account