THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Biology BEQUEST OF Theodore S. Palmer Plate 11) Blue Jay Scarlet Tanager THE BIRDS OF SOMERSET HILLS By JOHN DRYDEN^KUSER PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR 1912 THE QUINN 4 BODEN CO. PRESS HAHWAY, N. J. Kol. TO THE MEMORY OF MY GRANDFATHER honorable STofw jf. JSrpben 624 INTRODUCTION MY aim in writing this book has been to gather together the facts observed by me concerning bird-life in the Somerset Hills. I have used only the common names of the birds, except in the com- plete list in Chapter XIII, where the scientific names are also given. Whatever I shall attain by the writing of this book, I owe to the help and en- couragement of my Mother and Father. I am greatly indebted to Mr. C. William Beebe for his valuable criticism and advice. I also wish especially to thank Miss Lilian G. Cook for her great interest and assistance in my bird-work. The colored plates are the work of Mr. Chester A. Reed. JOHN DRYDEN KUSER. BERNARDSVILLE, N. J. APRIL, 1912. 5 CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. DESCRIPTION OF THE SOMERSET HILLS . . . . . .11 II. BIRDS THAT LIVE AROUND HOUSES. 15 III. BIRDS THAT LIVE IN THE FIELDS . 21 IV. BIRDS THAT HAUNT CULTIVATED LOCATIONS 25 V. BIRDS TO BE FOUND NEAR WATER OR MARSHES .... 48 VI. BIRDS THAT LIVE IN THE WOODS . 60 VII. BIRDS THAT LIVE IN THE AIR . . 72 VIII. A SCORE OF RARE BIRDS . . 83 IX. THE INCREASE AND DECREASE OF BIRDS ...... 101 X. MY BEST DAY'S RECORD . . . 105 XI. CALENDAR OF BIRD MIGRATION . no PART I. EARLIEST SPRING RECORDS . no II. LATEST FALL RECORDS . 115 III. MONTHLY RECORDS . . 118 XII. TERMS USED TO DENOTE THE ABUN- DANCE OR RARITY OF BIRDS . 128 XIII. COMPLETE LIST OF BIRDS OBSERVED IN THE SOMERSET HILLS . 133 XIV. THE HORRORS OF THE TAKING OF AIGRETTES . . . . 151 7 ILLUSTRATIONS PLATE 19. Blue Jay, Scarlet Tanager . Frontispiece PAGE Map of the Somerset Hills . . . n 1. House Wren, Robin . . . .17 2. Meadowlark, Indigo Bunting . . 23 3. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Northern Flicker ...... 29 4. Kingbird, Cedar Waxwing ... 33 5. Baltimore Oriole, Orchard Oriole . 41 6. Purple Finch, Goldfinch ... 47 7. Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Yellow War- bler . . . 57 8. Black- throated Blue Warbler, Black- throated Green Warbler ... 65 9. Myrtle Warbler, Redstart ... 73 10. Catbird, Brown Thrasher ... 83 11. Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Golden- crowned Kinglet .... 91 12. Black-capped Chickadee, Bluebird . 97 13. Mallard Duck, Spotted Sandpiper . 105 14. Great Blue Heron, Green Heron . m 15. Red-winged Blackbird, Maryland Yel- low-throat . . . . 117 io ILLUSTRATIONS PLATE PAGE 16. Veery, Hermit Thrush . . . 123 17. White-breasted Nuthatch, Downy Woodpecker 127 18. Screech Owl, Sharp-shinned -Hawk . 131 20. Red-tailed Hawk, Marsh Hawk . 135 21. Sparrow Hawk, Ruby-throated Hum- mingbird ..... 145 22. Barn Swallow, Tree Swallow . .151 BIRDS OF SOMERSET HILLS CHAPTER I DESCRIPTION OF THE SOMER- SET HILLS THE area covered by this book, as shown in the adjoining map, is in Som- erset County in the north-central part of New Jersey. It is thirty-two miles, as the crow flies, in a westerly direction from New York City. Its altitude ranges from three hundred to eight hun- dred and fifty-seven feet. The country is hilly, with many deep valleys, inter- sected in two places by rivers or more properly speaking, creeks as they are not very large. One is in the eastern 12 THE BIRDS OF part of the locality, and the other is situated near the western boundary. The first is the beginning of the Passaic River, and the second is the North Branch of the Raritan River, which widens into Ravine Lake about five miles from its source. The ground of the Somerset Hills is very stony, but in a few places sand- pits are to be found. Chestnuts, Oaks, Hickories and Beeches constitute the main forest trees, the first being the most plentiful. Ever- greens are scarce, except where they have been planted. There are a few Birch groves, and among the smaller trees the Wild-Cherry, Sassafras, Spice- Bush, Dogwood and Locust probably predominate. Along the roads Maples are commonly to be found, and these, together with a few Elms, and scattered Tulips and Buttonwoods, constitute the SOMERSET HILLS 13 main flora of the meadows and fields. On the farms there are a great many fruit trees: Apples, Pears, Peaches and Cherries. The principal crops are Hay, Corn, Rye and Oats. Probably half of the land is under cultivation. There are a few marshes, one at Ra- vine Lake, one near Far Hills, and two northwest of Bernardsville, one a mile, and the* other two miles away. The wildest localities are along the Passaic and Raritan rivers, but there are more birds at the latter place. The Somerset Hills are well adapted to birds and bird-study not only be- cause of the variety of country included therein, but also from the fact that they are near enough to the Hudson and Delaware rivers, which are natural routes for bird migration, for stray birds to often deviate from those courses, and pass through the Somerset Hills. 14 THE BIRDS OF SOMERSET HILLS On the other hand, they are close enough to the coast for wandering shore-birds to stop occasionally at the water- ways. CHAPTER II BIRDS THAT LIVE AROUND HOUSES STARLING, HOUSE WREN AND ENGLISH SPARROW AT the present time I believe the Starling, English Sparrow and House Wren are the most typical house-birds. The Wren and Sparrow are better known, because twenty years ago the Starling was not found as a wild bird in this country. Time, however, will probably make the Starling more widely known, for it is spreading rapidly, and it can apparently adapt itself perfectly to this country. When one sees a black bird with a yellow bill, a little smaller than a Robin, he may be sure he has found a Starling. These birds have a 15 16 THE BIRDS OF squeaky note, which may often be heard under the eaves of the house, where the Starlings will probably nest, if there be any in the neighborhood. The English Sparrows are those noisy, often untidy birds that one sees in the city, and unfortunately often in the country too. This is the only objection- able sparrow out of a dozen or more species that live near us. The House Wren (Plate i, p. 17) is a summer resident, being replaced in the winter by the Winter Wren, which may be distinguished from the former by being of a smaller size, hav- ing the feathers crossed by more black bars and by its generally darker appear- ance. The House Wren often nests in scarecrows and tin cans, and if there be a pair of Wrens in your locality you may induce them to nest by putting up a nesting-box. Plate 1 House Wren Robin SOMERSET HILLS 17 ROBIN To most people the Robin (Plate i, p. 17) is too well known to need descrip- tion, and almost every one has seen the Robin's nest, lined with mud, with an inner lining of soft material such as string, straw, etc., usually containing three to five sky-blue eggs, or later the yellow, unfledged young birds. I have found their nests almost completely com- posed of chicken feathers. In the North no one would think of shooting Robins, but they are frequently killed by the farmers of the Southern states, though in most states it is now unlawful. Usually, Robins do not travel in very large flocks, but once, late in the fall of 1910, when I was at Ravine Lake at dusk, thousands of Robins passed over- head; hundreds more were lined along the banks of the river, bathing them- i8 THE BIRDS OF selves; while numbers of others were roosting in the trees. PHCEBE This bird is probably the best known of its family, the Flycatchers. Its " phoebe " note may be heard from early in the spring to late in the fall. This bird may be easily recognized by its habit of jerking or sweeping its tail side- ways. The nest of the Phoebe is fre- quently situated in some corner of a shed or under a bridge. Both male and female are alike in color, grayish-brown above, with the head darker; grayish below, shading into pale yellowish. . SONG AND CHIPPING SPARROWS These two common Sparrows nest in the early spring within a short distance of your house if you live in the country, and a few of the former remain during SOMERSET HILLS 19 the winter. The latter, however, go South and are replaced by a near rela- tive, the Tree Sparrow. But this winter visitor does not, as a rule, come so close to houses as the Chipping Sparrow, usually frequenting the open fields. It may be distinguished from the Chipping Sparrow by having a brown, instead of a black line, through the eye, and by hav- ing a black spot in the center of the breast, which the Chipping Sparrow lacks. AN EARLY MORNING RECORD On the morning of July the third, 1911, I awakened unusually early. I decided to record the first time that each species of bird was heard singing. At 3:30 A.M. a Song Sparrow gave its call, which was the first sound of the day, in the bird world. Three minutes later, at 3:33, a Robin sang, and was 20 THE BIRDS OF SOMERSET HILLS followed at 3:38 by a Chipping Spar- row. At 3 150 the caw-caw, of the Crow was heard, and at 4:02 the beautiful song of the Wood Thrush came to my ears. A Mourning Dove cooed at 4:08, and a Catbird uttered its call at 4:25. The clucking of the Crackle was heard at 4:30, and I heard the Black-and-White Warbler's thin wiry note at 4:38, which was followed twelve minutes later (4:50) by the sad minor notes of the Field Sparrow. At 5:05 the Warbling Vireo sang its song, and the low, pene- trating and strongly contrasting notes of the Pewee fell upon the air at 5:25. Finally at 5:29 A.M. I heard the nasal note of the Nuthatch. While most of these are not typically " House Birds " yet they all feed or roost at times in the vicinity of our homes. CHAPTER III BIRDS THAT LIVE IN THE FIELDS VESPER SPARROW ONE always associates this Sparrow with wild fields. In looks it somewhat resembles a Song Sparrow, but it is paler, has no black breast mark and the outer tail-feathers are marked with white. Its song is two minor notes, fol- lowed by two loud ones and ending in a medley much the same as that of the Song Sparrow. The Meadowlark also has white in the outer feathers of the tail, but its larger size and yellow breast readily distinguish it. FIELD SPARROW The Field Sparrow is only a summer resident in New Jersey, but when it is 21 22 THE BIRDS OF here it is very common and its notes can be heard for a long distance. It may be distinguished from the Chipping Sparrow by the bill being pink instead of blackish, and by a more reddish tinge on the body. It also lacks the chestnut cap of the Chipping Sparrow. Its nest is made of rootlets, grasses and weeds, in which it lays three to five whitish eggs, marked with rufous. GRASSHOPPER SPARROW If you hear a most unbirdlike note in the grass which you think is made by a grasshopper or cricket, search care- fully, and you may find the smallest of the Sparrows. It has been named the Grasshopper Sparrow, and its voice well merits such a name, for it is noth- ing but a buzz, followed by an insect- like trill. Sometimes you may see the bird perched upon a fence. It is not Plate 2 Meadowlark \ Indigo Bunting SOMERSET HILLS 23 much larger than a Wren, and has a very short tail. Like most of its family, it is streaked with brown and black. i INDIGO BUNTING If any two birds ever represented colleges I think they would be the In- digo Bunting (Plate 2, p. 23) and the Orange Weaver. The male of the former is clad in Yale Blue, inhabiting Eastern North America, while the male of the latter is an Orange bird with black wings and tail, a color reproduc- tion of the Princeton flag. This Weaver, however, is an African species. The females are differently colored. The Indigo Bunting is common in the fields of the Somerset Hills, in summer, but it winters far to the south of us. The male bird is described above, but the female is very different, being of a smooth, unstreaked olive-brown color. 24 THE BIRDS OF SOMERSET HILLS In the birds previously mentioned I have said nothing in regard to the differences of male and female, as there has been very little appreciable distinction. MEADOWLARK I do not know of any sound that has greater carrying qualities than that of the Meadowlark (Plate 2, p. 23). It can be heard very distinctly when one is traveling through a country of fields in a train or motor. The Meadowlark nests in grain fields on the ground, and makes a partly arched nest. When singing, the Meadowlark usually takes a high perch; generally on the very top of a tree. CHAPTER IV BIRDS THAT HAUNT CULTI- VATED LOCATIONS MOURNING DOVE ONE of the most restful sounds in nature is the cooing of the Dove. It is lovely to hear in the deep woods, for the Dove is one of those birds whose song misleads one as to the place from which it comes. The only other bird of this family that lived in the Eastern United States was the Passenger or Wild Pigeon. But they have probably been all exterminated, as for two years rewards amounting to over three thou- sand dollars have been offered for in- formation as to the location of an un- disturbed nest containing eggs or young. No nest has been found. 25 26 THE BIRDS OF 4 In Audubon's time Passenger Pigeons were to be found in millions, and the following is an extract from the account of that famous naturalist: " In the autumn of 1813, on the banks of the Ohio, I observed the Pigeons flying from north-east to south-west, and in greater numbers than I thought I had ever seen them before, and feeling an inclination to count the flocks that might pass within the reach of my eye in one hour, I dismounted, seated myself on an eminence, and began to mark with my pencil, making a dot for every flock that passed. In a short time, finding the task which I had undertaken im- practicable, as the birds poured in in countless multitudes, I rose, and count- ing the dots then put down, found that one hundred and sixty-three had been made in twenty-one minutes. I trav- eled on, and still met more the farther SOMERSET HILLS 27 that I proceeded. The air was literally filled with Pigeons; the light of noon- day was obscured as by an eclipse, and the continued buzz of wings had a tendency to lull my senses to repose." The Mourning Dove lays two pure white eggs in a poorly constructed nest of sticks not very high from the ground. In identifying Doves on the wing, one has to be careful that he does not mistake them for Sparrow Hawks, whose actions in the air are similar to those of the Dove. YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO This is the commoner Cuckoo in the Somerset Hills, though I have sev- eral times seen the Black-billed Cuckoo, which may be distinguished by having the lower mandible black instead of yellow, and the white marks on the 28 THE BIRDS OF under side of the tail one-fourth of an inch long instead of one-half of an inch long as in the Yellow-billed. Our American Cuckoos do not call their names as do their foreign relatives, but utter a note sounding like Kuk-kuk-kuk- kuk - ka - ka - kow - kow - kow becoming more rapid toward the end. The Black- bill's note is softer and the syllables are more closely connected. YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER This bird (Plate 3, p. 29) is injurious to trees, as it sucks the sap and other juices from the tree by puncturing holes in the bark. Often one sees apple trees girdled with holes made by the Sap- sucker. This bird is not a resident with us, stopping only for a short time every spring and fall, while traveling from its winter to its summer home and vice versa. It is easily distinguished from Plate 3 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Northern Flicker SOMERSET HILLS 29 the Downy or Hairy Woodpecker by a broad white line running lengthwise along the wing. NORTHERN FLICKER The commonest of the Woodpeckers, with the possible exception of the Downy, is the Flicker (Plate 3, p. 29). He nests near our homes, and we may see his white rump, as he flies from tree to tree with undulating flight, or we may hear some one of his great variety of calls. As a rule he nests high in the trunk of a large tree, though at times he makes a nest lower down. I have seen a nest only about five feet from the ground. The Flicker is the possessor of nu- merous local names, the most often used of which are: Golden-winged 'Wood- pecker, High-hole, Yucker, Yellow- hammer, and Clape. The male has a 30 THE BIRDS OF black line down the side of the head which the female lacks. KINGBIRD A good many birds have white outer tail-feathers, but few have a band of white, about a fourth of an inch in width, at the end of the tail, such as the Kingbird (Plate 4, p. 33). It is one of his distinguishing field marks. Both male and female are alike, plain gray- black above, a silky, unmarked white breast, and a red patch on the top of the head, which the birds usually conceal. In defending their nests against the at- tacks of Hawks, Crows and other large birds, Kingbirds show marvelous cour- age and strength, for it is a common sight to see one or more Kingbirds driv- ing away a Crow. SOMERSET HILLS 31 CRESTED FLYCATCHER The one strange thing about this Fly- catcher is its nest. It is usually built in a hollow in some tree and nearly always has part of the skin of a snake in it The note of this bird is a shrill, piercing whistle, and following it up we find a bird with brown back, gray breast, and yellow belly, with chestnut in the tail- feathers. It has the habit of raising the crest when excited. LEAST FLYCATCHER The Least Flycatcher is often called Chebec, from its call-note, which some- what resembles a sneeze. This bird is the smallest of the Flycatchers that I have mentioned. It is by no means a shy bird, living near habitations, one of its favorite resorts being an orchard. It builds its nest in a sapling eight to twenty-five feet from the ground. The 32 THE BIRDS OF eggs are white, three to five in number. This Flycatcher arrives about the first of May, and departs about the middle of September. COWBIRD When one sees a flock of black birds following a cow and picking the in- sects from her they are usually Cow- birds. These birds have the habit of the European Cuckoo, namely, of mak- ing no nest, but instead the female lays her eggs in the nests of smaller birds, such as Chipping Sparrows, Warblers, Vireos, Indigo Buntings, etc. They lay a white egg streaked with brown. The male bird is black with a dark brown head and the female is grayish brown. Although the Cowbirds are beneficial in respect to their food, they are very harmful as regards their nesting habit, for the young Cowbird, being larger Plate 4 Kingbird Cedar Waxwing SOMERSET HILLS 33 than the other nestlings, gets most of the food, and consequently the young of the rightful owners of the nest ultimately perish. It is a common sight to see a tiny bird, such as a Redstart, feeding a large, ugly, young Cowbird, almost three times the adult Redstart's size. CARDINAL This bird is commonly seen in cages and often seen wild in the South, but it is rather a rare bird in New Jersey, seldom coming as far north as New York City, but by carefully searching the thickets above Ravine Lake, one mile northeast of Peapack, I can find them at almost any season of the year, for I have seen them there in every month of the year except January, Feb- ruary, July and September. I have, at times, seen two males and two females together there. 34 THE BIRDS OF CEDAR WAXWING Of all the birds of Somerset Hills, Waxwings and Goldfinches nest the latest in the summer, not starting to build until July. The appearance of the Waxwing (Plate 4, p. 33) is always neat. His trim brown body, with a yel- low band on the end of the tail, makes him easily distinguishable. The Cedar Waxwing gets the first part of his name from the fact of his feeding largely on cedar berries, though, when they are in season, he frequently eats cherries and strawberries. The latter part of his name comes from the fact that some in- dividuals have red, waxlike tips on the secondary feathers of the wings. WOOD PEWEE I always associate this bird with hot sultry summer days when his long drawn out Pee-ee-wee seems especially SOMERSET HILLS 35 appropriate to that sort of weather. He builds a small neat nest, rather far out on the branch of some high tree. This bird resembles the Phoebe in size and coloring, but differs in having a gray instead of a black crown, nor does it have the Phoebe's habit of jerking its tail. WARBLERS The Redstart, Black and White, Yellow, Chestnut-sided, Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, Myrtle, and Black-poll Warblers are among the most frequently seen of their family in the locality of which I am writing. Most species of Warblers are rare, and among the kinds I have mentioned above only the first four are here in summer. The Yellow Warbler (Plate 7, p. 57) is yellow with chestnut streaks on the breast. The Chestnut- 36 THE BIRDS OF sided has a white breast and the flanks are marked with chestnut; its back is streaked and it has a yellow crown. The Redstart (Plate 9, p. 73), which is the most common, is black with a white breast, and is brightly colored on the sides, wings and tail with salmon. The Black and White Warbler, or Creeper as he is sometimes miscalled, is a bird about the usual Warbler size, streaked with black and white. He acts Nuthatch fashion, climbing over the trunks of trees. The call of the Myrtle Warbler (Plate 9, p. 73) is one of the most readily distinguishable, being singularly unlike the notes of most of the other Warblers. The male is gray above and white beneath, with black on the breast. There are two white wing-bars. The sides, crown and rump are adorned by bright yellow spots about the size of a nickel. The female SOMERSET HILLS 37 is brown where the male is black, but otherwise is similar. The beautiful male Black-throated Blue Warbler (Plate 8, p. 65), with a blue back, white belly, black throat and sides, forms a strong contrast to his plainly colored mate, who is brown, with but one mark like the male. This is a large white spot on the wing. The Black-throated Green Warbler (Plate 8, p. 65), whose patterns are simi- lar to the Black-throated Blue, is col- ored with a green in place of a blue back and besides has bright yellow cheeks. The female of this species is green on her back, but has only a few faint streaks on her breast. Her yellow cheeks are not as bright as those of the male. One may confuse the male Black- poll Warbler with the Black and White, for they are alike in coloring, but not in actions. The former hops from place 3 8 THE BIRDS OF to place in the branches of the trees, whereas the latter creeps over the trunks of the trees. One mark distinguishes them; the crown of the former is jet black and the crown of the latter is striped black and white. The female Black-poll is olive green. VIREOS The two most common Vireos of the Somerset Hills are the Red-eyed and Yellow-throated. The first has a gray back and silky white breast, with a white line underscored by a black one above the eye. The second or Yellow-throated Vireo is green on the back and has a bright yellow breast. This is the smaller species. The Vireos build a hanging nest attached in three or four places to a branch, and frequently con- taining birch bark in its composition. SOMERSET HILLS 39 KINGLETS These birds (Plate n, p. 91) are even more tiny than the smallest of the War- blers and have still thinner bills and are more active, scarcely ever staying in one place a moment. Both species have brightly colored crowns, one gold and the other red, according to their names, Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglet. The former stays here all win- ter, but the latter, although he stays late, finally deserts us for a warmer clime. The song of the Ruby-crowned is won- derful in its variety, but the Golden- crown's note is a simple Tee-tee-tee. ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK The gaudy color of the male, together with his size, conspicuousness and song, makes him one of the most admired of birds (Plate 7, p. 57). As he flies, his flashing black and white contrast 40 THE BIRDS OF strongly with his red breast, and when perched, all his colors stand out splen- didly against the green foliage. How proudly he sits, singing his clear melody to his nearby mate, who is brooding on a set of blue eggs marked with brown. She is streaked with brown, and when on the nest is practically invisible. The male often incubates and notwithstand- ing his bright colors he is not conspicu- ous, as he sits low and all that shows is his black back. SPARROWS, FINCHES, TOWHEE AND JUNCO The White-throated Sparrow comes to us in September and stays until the next May. Its song is a clear whistle. With the exception of the Junco this is the most common bird of its family in the winter. It is streaked brown above and gray below, with a white throat colored on both sides by yellow Plate 5 Baltimore Oriole Orchard Oriole SOMERSET HILLS 41 lores. The female is the same, though paler. We hear a rustling in the leaves. What is it? A person's footsteps, a rab- bit, squirrel, or what? no, it is none of these; it is merely a Fox Sparrow, though you think it impossible after hearing such a noise. He is reddish- brown above, and beneath gray, spotted and streaked with reddish-brown. This is the largest of the Sparrows, and his long tail makes him, at first sight, look like a Thrasher or Hermit Thrush. He does not remain with us, either winter or summer, but lets us see him for an all too brief period in the spring and fall. When the foliage begins to turn from green to red, yellow and purple, when the honking of the migrating Geese fly- ing southward attracts our attention, and when the ice forms on lakes," rivers and ponds we expect the Slate-colored 42 THE BIRDS OF Junco; indeed he is often one of the earliest indications of winter, and stays with us through the most severe weather. He is gray on the back and breast, and white on the belly and the outer tail- feathers. Thickets, brush-heaps and second- growth woodland are haunts of the Tow- hee. Its tail is like the Junco in regard to the outer feathers. The male has the back, throat and wings black, with white wing-bars. The belly is white, marked with rufous on the sides. The female is brown where the male is black, but otherwise is the same. That beautiful little bird, the Gold- finch (Plate 6, p. 47), remains through the hot days of summer and through the icy days of winter, but during the latter time he is not the bright yellow and black bird that we are familiar with in summer, for he has changed his garb to SOMERSET HILLS 43 a plain olive green, like the costume of his mate. His note is a Pe-che-che-che! and his flight is swift and undulating. The so-called Purple Finch (Plate 6, p. 47) is not purple at all, but a shade of pink. He is a permanent resident with us. The female is striped with brown, like the Sparrows, but may be told from them by her thicker bill and heavier streaks. The Purple Finches are seed-eaters, feeding to a great extent on the seeds of the ash, and on the berries of the cedar. CATBIRD AND BROWN THRASHER These birds (Plate 10, p. 83) are closely related to the small Wren. The Catbird is the nearest Northern rep- resentative of the well-known Mocking- bird, for although the latter occasionally strays as far north as New England, it cannot be counted as a northern bird. 44 THE BIRDS OF The Catbird and Thrasher are wonder- ful mimics like the Mockingbird. The Brown Thrasher is often called the Brown Thrush, but it is not a Thrush at all. Its colors are somewhat thrush- like, but its voice is not. It may also be easily told by having a bright rufous back, a very long tail and having streaks, not spots like the Thrush, on its breast. BLUEBIRD The appearance of the Bluebird (Plate 12, p. 97) is a well-known omen of the spring, but the Bluebird really stays with us all winter, though it is not often seen until early spring. Blue- birds generally nest in holes in trees, often those left by Woodpeckers, or they will sometimes nest in birdhouses. Their note is Tru-u-lee, which they fre- quently give while flying through the air. The Bluebird is colored sky-blue SOMERSET HILLS 45 above and earth-brown below, the latter shading to cream-color on the belly. CHICKADEE While walking along in mid-winter, with the cold fairly piercing one's cloth- ing, and seeming to reach the very bone, is there anything more inspiring than to see a flock of Chickadees (Plate 12, p. 97) busily feeding; the little balls of feathers not seeming to feel the cold by which we are chilled. They apparently care not what the temperature is, for they sing their clear whistle, or give their Chick-a-dee-dee-dee note at any time of the year. In summer they are rarely seen, and one would think that they had left the place, but they have not. They have gone only to more se- cluded spots, in which to rear their young. 46 THE BIRDS OF ORCHARD AND BALTIMORE ORIOLES The Baltimore Oriole is the brighter of our two northern Orioles (Plate 5, p. 41). The male is orange, with black wings and tail, and his song shows his animated nature as well as his color, for it is clear and bright. How one misses it when the bird leaves, and he leaves early, for the South! The female is dull yellow. The male Orchard Oriole is chestnut where the Balti- more is orange. The female is greener than the Baltimore female. The young male for two years is like the female, but with a black throat. The Baltimore is the commoner in the Somerset Hills. It builds a hanging nest about five inches deep, and usually gray in color. The Orchard builds a partly hung nest, un- like that of the Baltimore. The Or- chard's song is so much like that of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak that it is Plate fi Purple Finch Goldfinch SOMERSET HILLS 47 sometimes difficult to distinguish be- tween them. BRONZED AND PURPLE CRACKLES There are two kinds of Grackles, the Purple and Bronzed, but it is exceed- ingly difficult to tell them apart, and it is wise for beginners not to try. Grackles ' always associate with one another, one hardly ever seeing one alone. They migrate, spend the winter and nest in flocks. Their note is a guttural cluck. They occasionally make themselves objectionable by eating the eggs of small birds. At a distance the color of the Crackle is apparently black, but on nearer approach we find that they are marked by the most beautiful iridescent colors, green, blue, purple, and bronze. CHAPTER V BIRDS TO BE FOUND NEAR WATER OR MARSHES ALL of the birds in this chapter have been seen and identified around the lower entrance of " Blairsden," near the so-called Smith Picnic Grounds at the upper end of Ravine Lake. It is the best place that I have ever found for seeing new and rare species of birds, and for studying the habits of birds. It is singularly well adapted to bird-study, having a lake, river, marsh, thicket, fields and woods in close proximity to one another. I have recorded no less than one hundred kinds of birds there. I believe that no matter at what time of the year one goes there he will be able 4 8 THE BIRDS OF SOMERSET HILLS 49 to find birds, for I have been at this place in every month except February, at most times of the day, varying from nine in the morning to half-past six at night. In most months I have gone at least six times for the last two years. I have been there in a heavy snowstorm, with the thermometer at 20 degrees, and at the hottest part of the hottest sum- mer days, with the thermometer at 98 degrees. I have been there when the trees are opening their buds in spring, and during the autumn when the woods are colored by red, yellow and purple leaves. Notwithstanding the variety of time, season or weather, I have always found that there were more birds there than at any other place that I know of in the territory covered by this book. I shall never forget one day in the fall of 1910. It was at sunset. Looking 50 THE BIRDS OF westward, I beheld the sun, a ball of fire, passing from sight behind a distant hill, and turning my head to look across the lake, I saw a most wonderful sight. At this late hour, the sun cast a red hue over all that it illuminated. Part of the trees on the opposite shore were obscured from the sun's rays by other trees. The colors of the turning leaves which the sunshine touched were magnified by the red hue, and were set out against a background of leaves that were still green. A section of the water that was shadowed by the hill was black as night, and the water that received the rays of the fast disappearing sun re- flected perfectly the wonderful coloring of the leaves. That part of the lake which was neither in sunshine nor shadow was green and blue. Not a ripple stirred the water. The wind was still, and there arose a chorus of the SOMERSET HILLS 51 voices of Ducks, Blackbirds, King- fishers and other creatures that were preparing for sleep. Dozens of un- familiar sounds came to my ears. They might have been made by rare birds, which I had never seen. Who knows? Finally darkness put an end to this sight, one which I shall always re- member. HERONS The Great Blue Heron (Plate 14, p. in) is the largest of our three Herons. His chief color is light blue, and he stands almost four feet high. His food, like that of the rest of his family, is composed mostly of frogs and fish. He wades through the water and seizes them with his long pointed beak. These Herons nest in trees, where, in small colonies, they build large rough platforms of sticks. Their call is a peculiar quawk. 52 THE BIRDS OF The small Green Heron (Plate 14, p. in) is not half the size of the Great Blue. This bird is green and blue with rufous markings on the shoulders. Gen- erally they live in. small marshes, but last summer there were six of them at Ravine Lake. Their call is very similar to that of the Great Blue, as is also that of the Black-crowned Night Heron, a bird considerably larger than the Green, but not equaling the size of the Great Blue Heron. The Black-crowned Night is silky white below, and gray and black above, with a black crown. During the nights of the spring and fall we often hear the quawks of migrating Night Herons, and as they fly low, we may pos- sibly see them. OTHER FISH EATERS The food of the Osprey or Fish Hawk, and of the Kingfisher, consists wholly of SOMERSET HILLS 53 fish. However, these birds are protected by law, and may not be shot. The Kingfishers live around small lakes, ponds and streams, watching for their prey; and as soon as they see it, diving into the water to capture it. To make their nest Kingfishers burrow into a bank for several feet, where they lay their eggs. Both male and female are the same, with the exception that the former has a dark-blue, and the latter a brown band across the breast. The Osprey rarely comes far inland, though I know of one being seen sixty miles from the ocean, and every year there are some at Ravine Lake, eleven having been seen there in the spring of 1911. The nest of the Osprey is an enormous accumulation of branches, leaves and sticks, usually built in a tree. 54 THE BIRDS OF MALLARD AND CANADA GOOSE The Mallard (Plate 13, p. 105) is now common at Ravine Lake, because a few pairs were liberated there several years ago, and they have increased rapidly. The body of the male is green, black and brown, with a beautiful em- erald green head, which is separated from the body by a white neck ring. The female and young are dark brown. These ducks stay almost all the year. The usual size of the Mallard is twenty- three inches, but a friend of mine, John B. Clark, of Bernardsville, New Jersey, has crossed some with the White Pekin Duck; and the young are the size of the latter. In captivity young Mallards sometimes dive under the water like Grebes, head foremost, but I have never seen the old birds do it. To a great many people, the V-shaped flocks of Geese flying over in migration are a SOMERSET HILLS 55 familiar sight, but strange to say, I have never chanced to see a flock of them. I have seen only one bird, in December, 1909, at Ravine Lake. a SPOTTED SANDPIPER This Sandpiper (Plate 13, p. 105) is commonly called " Snipe," but the real Snipe is a migrant, and a larger, darker and rarer bird than the Spotted Sand- piper. These Sandpipers " teeter," sin- gly, or in pairs, along the banks of our streams, but when any one approaches, they fly swiftly away, uttering a queer rattling note as they go. Their call sounds to me like the piping of young frogs in the spring. They were formerly more common at Ravine Lake than they are now. Occasionally I see other species of Sandpipers there during mi- gration. 56 THE BIRDS OF WATER-THRUSHES The actions of these birds are similar to those of the Sandpiper, but the Water- Thrush moves its tail more and its body less, whereas it is vice versa with the Sandpiper. This is not a Thrush as its name would imply, but a Warbler. There are two kinds of these birds: the Louisiana Water-Thrush, which is a summer resident, and the Northern Water-Thrush, which is a migrant in New Jersey. During the spring of 1911, I found the nest of a Louisiana Water- Thrush at Ravine Lake, and took several photographs of it. The dates concern- ing it were as follows: May 21 Nest found with 4 eggs. Male and female near. May 22 i bird seen near nest. May 29 i bird on nest. 5 eggs. May 30 i bird on nest. Stayed Plate 7 Rose-breasted Grosbeak Yellow Warbler SOMERSET HILLS 57 until camera was placed within 15 inches. One day between May 29 and June 4> 7 e g s were seen in nest and i broken egg on path near nest June 4 Several young hatched. One apparently just out of shell. Old birds near. June 12 Female near nest. Several young heard in neighborhood. Nest empty, except i infertile egg. ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW This bird often nests like a King- fisher, in a hole in a bank. I have never seen the similar and usually more common Bank Swallow in the Somerset Hills, whereas the Rough-winged are at Ravine Lake in summer. Both of these Swallows are dark brown above, but the Rough-winged differs from the Bank in having a gray breast instead of a 58 THE BIRDS OF white one. The white breast of the Bank Swallow is crossed by a brown band. MARYLAND YELLOW-THROAT Walking along the edges of a meadow we hear " Wit-che-ty, Myrtle Warbler Redstart THE BIRDS OF SOMERSET HILLS 73 and rarely attains a height of over two hundred feet. In both sexes the upper tail-coverts are white. The adult Red-tailed Hawk (Plate 2O > P- X 35) ' IS reddish brown on the upper part of the tail. The bird which is most frequently confused with this is the Red-shouldered, but the adult males may be easily told apart. The latter has no reddish brown on its tail, but its shoulders are of that color. The small Sparrow Hawk (Plate 21, p. 145) is brightly colored with patches of orange brown and black. These Hawks are about the size of a Shrike and their actions and food are similar. Both eat small birds, mice and insects. The Sparrow Hawk is beneficial, de- stroying vast numbers of vermin, insects and English Sparrows. They do occa- sionally eat song birds, but not often enough to class them with the hawks 74 THE BIRDS OF which are more harmful than bene- ficial to agriculture. TURKEY VULTURE OR BUZZARD These birds are very desirable, owing to their diet. It consists of the car- casses of dead animals. In a very short time a flock of these scavengers will de- vour a horse or cow. Up to the present time Turkey Vultures have been seldom observed in Northern New Jersey, but they are now common in the Somerset Hills. My first record for them was in 1908. They were seen occasionally in that year. In 1909 they were more common, but in 1910 rather less so, in which year, as also in 1911, the majority of Buzzards were late in arriving, though both years brought early in- dividual records. The feathers of the Buzzard are black and the head is naked and of a red color. SOMERSET HILLS 75 In the southern part of the United States Vultures are very abundant. THE CHIMNEY SWIFT This bird is frequently miscalled Chimney Swallow, but is not of the Swallow family, being a member of the same one as the Nighthawk, Whip-poor- will and Hummingbird, and yet how different these birds are in appearance. The flight of the Swift is different from that of the Swallow, as are also its notes. Chimney Swifts are dark brown in color with the throat gray, and their wings are extremely long. The Swifts nest in chimneys, fasten- ing the twigs together and sticking them to the bricks with their saliva, which acts as a mucilage. Before there were houses in this country the Swifts nested and roosted in hollow trees. John J. Audubon writes as follows 76 THE BIRDS OF concerning these birds: "Immediately after my arrival at Louisville, I was in- formed that on my way back to town there was a tree remarkable on account of the immense numbers of Swallows that resorted to it. I found it to be a sycamore, hollow nearly to the roots. The sun was going down, and the evening was beautiful; thousands of Swallows were flying closely above me, and three or four at a time would pitch into the entrance of the tree. I did not pretend to count them, for their number was too great, and the birds rushed to the entrance so thick as to baffle the attempt. Next morning I rose early enough to reach the place long before the least appearance of day- light, and after waiting about twenty minutes, I suddenly thought that the tree was giving way and coming down upon me, and what was my astonish- SOMERSET HILLS 77 ment to see it standing firm as ever. The Swallows were now pouring out in a black, continued stream. I could compare the noise made within to nothing else than the sound of a large wheel revolving under a powerful stream. I estimated that the time they took in getting out was more than thirty minutes." After cutting a hole in the tree and examining its interior^ the same author makes the following statement: " Let us now make a rough calculation of the number that clung to the tree. The space from the bottom of the tree to the entrance might be fully twenty-five feet, with a breadth of fifteen feet, supposing that the diameter of the tree was five feet at an average. There would thus be 375 feet square of surface. Each square foot, allowing a bird to cover a space of three inches by one and one-half, which 78 THE BIRDS OF is more than enough, judging from the manner in which they were packed, would contain thirty-two birds. The number of Swallows, therefore, that roosted in this single tree was 9,000." Where do the Swifts spend the winter months? This question has never been solved. From all over the United States Swifts gather around New Orleans in the fall, and suddenly every one is gone. Some say that they burrow in the mud; but no one really knows. They may winter in some cave in an unknown region. RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD This (Plate 21, p. 145) is the small- est bird in the Eastern United States. Its eggs are correspondingly small, for they are but half an inch in length and of a pinkish white color. A Humming- bird's nest is usually composed of plant down and lichens fastened together with SOMERSET HILLS 79 cobweb. Of over five hundred species of Hummingbirds, this is the only one that comes to Eastern North America, while but seventeen reach the Pacific slope. The male Hummingbird has a green back and white breast with a ruby-col- ored throat. The female is similar but lacks the color on the throat. When the Hummingbird flies from flower to flower with meteor-like flight which is so swift one cannot see the motion of the wings, it looks like a large butterfly or moth. The food of the Hummingbird consists of honey and in- sects. It flies to a flower, sticks its long bill into the depth of the blossom and extracts the honey, also taking insects which are injurious to the flower. TREE, CLIFF AND BARN SWALLOW The Swallows are entirely insect-eat- ing birds and are adapted for that pur- 8o THE BIRDS OF pose in every way. They have long wings, so that they can sail through the air for long periods without fatigue. Their feet are very tiny and weak and are rarely used by the birds for walking, as they prefer flight whenever possible. Unlike most perching birds, Swallows migrate by day. The Tree Swallow (Plate 22, p. 151) is silky-white below and shining em- erald-green above. It is termed the White-bellied Swallow by some authors. Tree Swallows are among the first to arrive from the South in the spring and the first to depart in the fall, though some linger late in the season. As early as the first of July they gather in flocks and at night roost in marshes. They raise two broods of young a year. The Tree Swallow may sometimes be told from the Cliff and Barn by the fact that this bird prefers to fly high in SOMERSET HILLS 81 the air, whereas the others stay lower. Tree Swallows nest in hollow trees. Cliff and Barn Swallows (Plate 22, p. 151) are dark blue-black above and chestnut below. The former may be told from the latter by a brown instead of a blue rump and a square instead of a forked tail. The Cliff Swallow is also called the Eave Swallow. The Cliff Swallow for- merly nested in cliffs, from which it re- ceives one of its names, and as it now builds its nest of mud under the eaves of barns, it is also called the Eave Swal- low. I have seen over sixty nests of these birds under the eaves of one side of a barn, which was about forty feet long. Before there were any barns in this country, these Swallows nested al- together in cliffs. The nest of the Barn Swallow is made of the same material as that of 82 THE BIRDS OF SOMERSET HILLS the Cliff, with straws added, but is of a different shape. The nest of the Cliff Swallow is globular and hangs down- ward. The Barn Swallow's nest is usually placed on a rafter or in the cor- ner of a barn and is cup-shaped. It is a common sight to see several of these Swallows sailing low over the fields or meadows, catching insects. Their twit- tering note can be distinguished from that of the other Swallows. Both males and females incubate, the female the greater part of the time. The period of incubation is about thirteen days. Once when I watched these birds as they were nesting, each bird would remain on the nest for about eight minutes. Plate 10 Catbird Brown Thrasher CHAPTER VIII A SCORE OF RARE BIRDS IN this chapter I am including twenty birds which are the most frequently seen of those which I have not already men- tioned. They are the following species: Solitary Sandpiper, Killdeer, Bald Eagle, Red-headed Woodpecker, Night- hawk, Rusty Blackbird, Redpoll, Pine Siskin, White-crowned Sparrow, War- bling and White-eyed Vireos, Blue- winged, Northern Parula, Magnolia, Pine, Yellow Palm and Canada War- blers, Yellow-breasted Chat, Olive- backed and Gray-cheeked Thrushes. Several times I have seen the Solitary Sandpiper, which is similar to the Spotted but distinctly larger in size. 83 84 THE BIRDS OF This Sandpiper, like the Spotted, fre- quents small streams, teetering up and down their banks in search of the worms and aquatic insects which constitute their food. In the spring of 1909 a pair of Kill- deers appeared in a small meadow about two miles from Bernardsville. They remained all summer, and though I never found their nest I think that they probably bred. One single bird of this species was observed on a sand- bar at Ravine Lake in the fall of 1910. The Killdeer is gray and black above with an orange-brown rump. Its underparts are white, crossed on the breast by two blackish bands. The Bald Eagle is one of the few Raptores which may be identified, even when soaring at a great height in the air. Its white head and tail contrast strongly with its brown body. The first time that SOMERSET HILLS 85 I saw this Eagle was in 1908. The next summer I saw it three times. In 1910 I had one report of it, but I have not heard of it being seen in 1911, so ap- parently the bird is becoming scarcer. The Red-headed Woodpecker is a per- manent resident throughout most of its range. In many places it is rather com- mon, but in the Somerset Hills it is rare. I have but three records of its occur- rence. I have frequently seen it near Somerville, Stirling and other adjoining places. This species of Woodpecker is an enemy of the telegraph and telephone companies, owing to the fact that it makes holes in their poles. This some- times results in the pole being made so weak from constant borings that it event- ually falls. However, the poles are not usually effectually damaged, and besides, the bird redeems itself by doing good in excavating insects from the bark of trees, 86 THE BIRDS OF which, if they were allowed to remain, would kill the tree. The whole head and upper breast of this splendid bird are crimson; the upper part of the back, the wings and tail are black, while the lower back, the belly and a wide band across the wing are white. The young birds are gray and white, streaked with brown. Many people think that the Whip- poor-will and Nighthawk are the same bird, but they are not, which one will readily see by carefully looking at them. The Nighthawk is gray, whereas the Whip-poor-will is brown. On the mid- dle of the wing of the Nighthawk is a large patch of white, which mark is absent on the Whip-poor-will. The Whip-poor-will is strictly nocturnal, rarely coming out in the daylight. I have been fortunate enough to see them at dusk. Whip-poor-wills utter their SOMERSET HILLS 87 " PTh-wh-whip-poor-will" note at al- most any hour of the night. When close by, one may hear a low chuckling note, which they prefix to their other call. The Nighthawk is more diurnal than the Whip-poor-will, frequently being seen in broad daylight. Their call is a nasal " Peent" Early in the fall Night- hawks gather in small flocks, and mi- grate southward. This is the time that I usually see them in the Somerset Hills. The Whip-poor-will is exceedingly rare in that locality, and it was my intention not to mention it in this book, but owing to the ease with which these birds are confused, I was obliged to mention the Whip-poor-will in connection with the Nighthawk. About the size of the Red-wing, the male black, and the female the color of the female Cowbird, the Rusty Black- bird is a migrant in the Somerset Hills. 88 THE BIRDS OF During the spring of 1910 a pair stayed for about two weeks at a small pond. There are several other records of its occurrence. Some winters when food is scarce in the North, the northern birds are to be found commonly in New Jersey; and other winters almost none are seen. The winter of 1910 was one of the former kind, and Pine Siskins and Redpolls were both common in the Somerset Hills. Siskins were first seen in 1910 on Octo- ber eleventh and from that time until December twenty-sixth, they were seen several times. On October seventeenth, a flock of seventy-five birds was counted, and on the same day a small flock was seen in another spot. The large flock was feeding on the seeds of the birch tree at the time. No- Siskins were seen from December twenty-sixth until March fifth, at which date ten or twelve SOMERSET HILLS 89 were recorded. A flock of several dozen Redpolls appeared on December seven- teenth, 1910. There were both males and females in the flock. They were frequently seen in a grove of birch trees, the seeds of which they fed upon. The last date that the flock was recorded for the season was on February twelfth, 1911. The Siskin is streaked with brown, has a yellowish tinge and also has yellow on the under sides of the wings. The Redpoll is streaked like the Siskin, but has no yellow ill the wings, and the male Redpoll has its throat, upper breast, rump and crown reddish. The female is without the red except on the crown. The White-crowned Sparrow differs from the White-throated in having a wide white line on the crown, no white throat, and no yellow on the lores. The female is duller. This bird is rare, but go THE BIRDS OF in the spring of 1910, one stayed for over two weeks near our house. It fed principally on dandelions, which had gone to seed. I heard the bird's song several times. Other than this I have seen the White-crowned Sparrow on only a few occasions. The White-eyed Vireo is a marsh bird. He is a great mimic, imitating the calls of the Catbird so closely that it is nearly impossible to distinguish the sound from that of the real bird. He is green above, has a whitish breast, tinged on the sides with yellow, and his eyes are white. These Vireos are frequently to be found at Ravine Lake in the summer. The Warbling Vireo is similar to the former, but has no whitish wing-bars like the White-eyed. One or two birds of this species stayed at Ravine Lake most of the summer of 1911. Their song is very different from that of the Plate 11 Ruby-crowned Kinglet Golden-crowned Kinglet SOMERSET HILLS 91 other Vireos, for instead of being a single call, it is a warbling medley. The Blue-winged Warbler is like the White-eyed Vireo, in regard to the choice of its haunts. It has a preference for swamps. It is blue-gray above, and bright yellow below. Through the eye is a black line, which mark is its dis- tinguishing characteristic. In 1910 I saw it frequently at Ravine Lake, but it did not appear in 1911. It is one of the few song birds that hybridize in a wild state. Sometimes it mates with the Golden-winged Warbler. The hybrids are divided into two classes. Those with white breast are termed the Brewster's Warbler, and those with yellow are called the Lawrence's Warbler. The former is more frequently seen. Of the latter not more than two dozen speci- mens have been recorded. The colors of the Parula Warbler are 92 THE BIRDS OF bright and varied. Its back is green, the rest of the upper parts bluish gray, and its breast is bright yellow. It is one of the smallest of the Warblers and may be distinguished by having a patch of yellowish green in the center of the back. It builds its nest of moss or lichens, in which it lays three to five eggs during the middle or latter part of May. The eggs are white, with the larger end spotted with a few reddish marks. Its song is very insignificant, being only a buzz and twitter. I occasionally see it in migration time, more often in the spring of the year. After arriving about the first week in May, the Yellow-breasted Chat waits three weeks or more before building its nest, which is usually placed in a small bush or briar, not far from the ground. The exterior is composed of grasses and leaves and the lining of SOMERSET HILLS 93 the nest is of finer grasses. In this it deposits three to five glossy white eggs spotted with brown. Most Warblers are difficult to identify, but no one could mistake the Chat, which is the largest of its family. It is a summer resident in the Somerset Hills, and may be found in the. marshes at Ravine Lake. One can frequently hear them there, though they rarely show themselves, neverthe- less I have seen them on certain occa- sions. One afternoon I watched a Chat in the top of a tall tree for about half an hour. It remained motionless most of the time. One may tell the Chat by his actions and his long tail, which serve as distinguishing char- acteristics for this bird. He is nearly six and one-half inches long, is green above and yellow below with the ex- ception of the belly and under tail coverts, which are white. Another way 94 THE BIRDS OF of recognizing him is by his large bill and white line over the eye. The Chats leave early in the fall and by the first of September most of them have gone south. The locality which the Chat prefers is a marsh containing grasses, alders and other semi-aquatic plants and bushes. His notes seem unlimited, for not only does he possess extraordinary calls of his own, but he shows his great vocal ability in practising imitations of the notes of other birds. His common- est note is Too! too! too! As its name implies, the Pine War- bler is a truly pine-loving bird, very sel- dom, other than during the times of migration, being seen far away from pine trees, which are its home. From these trees it utters its musical trill, which, though something like that of the Chipping Sparrow and Junco, differs from them in being sweeter and having SOMERSET HILLS 95 more variety as to scale, starting very low, gradually rising to a high pitch and suddenly ending by dropping very low again. In the pine trees it builds its nest at varying altitudes, eight to eighty feet from the ground, usually on a horizontal limb. About two weeks are required for this Warbler to build its nest, which consists of strips of bark, weeds, etc. Its eggs are four or five, generally the former number being laid, As regards color, the eggs are whitish marked with brown and about three- quarters of an inch long, by half an inch wide. Pine Warblers are among the first of their family to arrive from the South in the spring, the first indi- viduals being seen, as a rule, between the middle and twentieth of April. Ap- parently protective-coloration has en- tered to a great extent into the mark- ings and colors of this bird, for not only 9 6 THE BIRDS OF is it greenish-yellow (which is the color of the pine needles), but it is streaked with brownish lines, which in life make it even more closely resemble its en- vironment. One realizes the above to be true, when, after hearing the Pine Warbler, one searches for the bird in the tops of high pine trees, and is unable to discern it among the foliage of the pine, to which it is so closely allied in color. Together with the Pine and Myrtle Warblers, the Yellow Palm Warbler is one of the earliest arrivals in spring, usually coming about the middle of April. It is greenish-yellow above, with a chestnut cap, and below is yellow, streaked with brown. The outer tail feathers have white patches on their inner vanes. It may be known at a great distance by the continual motion of the tail, which is almost incessantly Plate 12 Black-capped Chickadee m Bluebird SOMERSET HILLS 97 jerked up and down. This is a sub- species of the Palm Warbler, and is the Eastern form of that bird. O. W. Knight gives the following description of its nest: "composed of fine dry sedges and grasses, lined with a few feathers, and one or two horse-hairs. Its external diameter was three inches, and its internal diameter at the top two inches. Its depth outside was two and a half inches, and the depth inside one inch." The Canada Warbler is a migrant in Somerset Hills, and is apparently much rarer in the spring than in the fall, though at all times it must be considered a rare bird in that locality. It is bluish- gray above, with no white in the wings or tail. The under parts are bright yel- low, with a necklace across the breast of black spots, one underneath the other in downward lines. The female is very 98 THE BIRDS OE similar, but universally paler and with fewer spots on the breast. The Canada Warblers usually arrive about the mid- dle of May and the last birds depart about the first of October. Their nests are bulky and made of dead leaves and grasses lined with fine grass. From three to five eggs are laid, white, speckled and spotted with brownish marks. Usually about June first the bird begins its nesting. The song is loud, clear and lively and reminds one of the note of the Water-Thrush. The Magnolia Warbler resembles the Myrtle in having the yellow rump and sides, but not only the sides of this bird are yellow but also the throat and breast, which are streaked with black lines. The one feature in which this bird dif- fers from all other Warblers is in having the under part of the tail white with a black band at the end. This mark may SOMERSET HILLS 99 be very plainly distinguished when the bird is in the tops of the highest trees and often makes it identifiable when no other mark can be seen. This species of Warbler is a migrant in the Somerset Hills, usually being found on hillsides, among birch groves and in conifers, fre- quently together with Myrtle, Black- poll and Chestnut-sided Warblers. This bird's note is very beautiful and full, and when once learned is not easily for- gotten. It builds its nest low, usually in an evergreen, where it deposits its whitish eggs, which are spotted with reddish brown and of which the bird generally lays four. The Olive-backed, Gray-cheeked and Bicknell Thrushes are all very similar, with plain olive-brown backs and gray- ish breasts, the latter streaked with blackish. There are differences between them, but they are slight. The first may ioo THE BIRDS OF SOMERSET HILLS be told from the two others by keenly observant bird students, not beginners. The last two can be told apart in life only by the most expert field ornitholo- gists. The differences between the three kinds are as follows : The cheeks of the Olive-backed Thrush are buffy, while those of the other two are grayish. The Gray-cheeked and Bicknell Thrushes differ in the latter being slightly smaller and brighter. The song of the Olive-backed Thrush starts high and each note becomes lower and lower- The song of the Bicknell Thrush is very much like that of the Veery, but that of the Gray-cheeked is, I believe, un- known. The Olive-backed and Bicknell Thrushes nest in our Northern states, but the Gray-cheeked breeds much farther north. However, they are all only mi- grants in the Somerset Hills. CHAPTER IX THE INCREASE AND DECREASE OF BIRDS ONE of the great questions in the bird- world is: are birds increasing or de- creasing in numbers? There is no doubt that some are rapidly becoming extinct, whereas those birds which adapt themselves to civilization are becoming more numerous. In the following para- graphs I have taken up the question as to whether, from my observations, I think the different species of birds are be- coming scarcer or more abundant in the Somerset Hills, in the northern central part of New Jersey. The following are rapidly increasing: Turkey Vultures, Starlings (a few seen 101 102 THE BIRDS OF in 1908, in 1909 they were more fre- quent and several large flocks were seen in 1910, also several nests being recorded in the latter year), English Sparrows, Robins, Bluebirds, Meadowlarks (one heard in mid-winter), Song and Chip- ping Sparrows and Chimney Swifts. Those which show a steady increase, though not so rapid as the above men- tioned, are: Pheasants (about 100 of these birds have been liberated annually for several years, but it is a question if no more were let out whether the birds would increase. Several nests have been recorded), Ospreys, Sparrow Hawks, Orioles, Goldfinches, Grosbeaks, Woodpeckers (except the Red-head, which is always rare), Blackbirds, Jays, Crows, Mallards (several pairs of which were liberated a few years ago and there is now a flock of a dozen or more) ; Great Blue, Black-crowned SOMERSET HILLS 103 Night, and Green Herons; Flycatchers, Towhees ; Red-eyed, Yellow- throated and Warbling Vireos; Black and White, Chestnut-sided and Yellow Warblers; Ovenbirds, Maryland Yellow-throats, House Wrens (formerly rare, have be- come more common during the past two years), White-breasted Nuthatches. The birds which seem to remain about the same in numbers, neither increasing nor decreasing, are: Mourning Doves; Red-tailed, Red-shouldered and Marsh Hawks (all of these Hawks are only seen occasionally) ; Screech Owls, Hum- mingbirds, Swamp Sparrows, Indigo Buntings, Rough-winged Swallows, Cedar Waxwings, Water-Thrushes, Cat- birds, Chickadees, and lastly Wood Thrushes. The slowly decreasing birds are as fol- % lows: Hawks of the Genus Accipter, Cuckoos, Kingfishers; Vesper, Field and 104 THE BIRDS OF SOMERSET HILLS Grasshopper Sparrows; Cliff, Tree and Bank Swallows (none of the last named have been seen for two years, but for- merly they were occasional) ; Brown Thrashers (only a few seen in 1910, and in 1911 they were even scarcer than in the previous year), and all the Thrushes not already mentioned. The following birds are rapidly de- creasing: Shore birds of the order Limicola, Ruffed Grouse and Bob- whites. Plate 13 Mallard Spotted Sandpiper CHAPTER X MY BEST DAY'S RECORD 64 SPECIES IT is always interesting to try to beat one's record as to the number of birds seen in a day. In the spring of 1909 I had a record of twenty-eight species of birds. Later I raised it to thirty-two, then to thirty-eight, and finally, in July, I saw fifty-four kinds of birds in one day. That was the largest record for the year. I beat this in 1910 by seeing fifty-seven birds. All these records, however, were beaten on May 14, 1911, by my seeing or hearing sixty-four species of birds. It was a beautiful warm day. In the early morning the 105 io6 THE BIRDS OF sky was clear, but as the day advanced the sky became slightly overcast. In the afternoon, from 2:30 to 5:30 P.M., I was at Ravine Lake. The list of birds is as follows: 1. Mallard 2. Green Heron 3. Solitary Sandpiper 4. Spotted Sandpiper 5. Common Pheasant 6. Mourning Dove 7. Turkey Vulture 8. Small Hawk, species unknown 9. Belted Kingfisher 10. Downy Woodpecker 11. Northern Flicker 12. Chimney Swift 13. Kingbird 14. Crested Flycatcher 15. Phoebe 1 6. Wood Pewee SOMERSET HILLS 107 17. Least Flycatcher 1 8. Crow 19. Starling 20. Cowbird 21. Red-winged Blackbird 22. Meadowlark 23. Orchard Oriole 24. Baltimore Oriole 25. Crackle, species unknown 26. English Sparrow 27. Goldfinch 28. Vesper Sparrow 29. Grasshopper Sparrow 30. White-crowned Sparrow 31. Chipping Sparrow 32. Field Sparrow 33. Song Sparrow 34. Lincoln's Sparrow 35. Towhee 36. Cardinal 37. Indigo Bunting 38. Scarlet Tanager io8 THE BIRDS OF 39. Cliff Swallow 40. Barn Swallow 41. Rough-winged Swallow 42. Cedar Waxwing 43. Red-eyed Vireo 44. Warbling Vireo 45. Yellow-throated Vireo 46. White-eyed Vireo 47. Black and White Warbler 48. Yellow Warbler 49. Black-throated Blue Warbler 50. Chestnut-sided Warbler 51. Ovenbird 5^. Maryland Yellow-throat 53. Yellow-breasted Chat 54. Redstart 55. Catbird 56. Brown Thrasher 57. House Wren 58. White-breasted Nuthatch 59. Chickadee 60. Ruby-crowned Kinglet SOMERSET HILLS 109 61. Wood Thrush 62. Veery 63. Robin 64. Bluebird. CHAPTER XI CALENDAR OF BIRD MIGRATION IN SOMERSET HILLS PART I EARLIEST SPRING RECORDS a Records of Miss Lilian G. Cook, b Records reported to J. D. Kuser. All others, records of John Dryden Kuser. a Crackle Mar. i Pine Siskin " 5,1911 a Fox Sparrow " 7 Robin " 11,1911 Red-winged Blackbird . " 14,1911 a Hermit Thrush " 18 Turkey Vulture " 20,191 1 no Plate 14 Great Blue Heron Green Heron THE BIRDS OF SOMERSET HILLS in , Common Pheasant. .. .Mar.22, 1911 Phoebe " 22,1911 Flicker " 26,1911 Field Sparrow " 29,191 1 Cowbird " 29,191 1 Vesper Sparrow "30,1910 Mourning Dove " 30,1910 Chipping Sparrow "31,1910 b Osprey Apr.i,i9ii Belted Kingfisher " 1,1911 Yellow-bellied Sapsuck- er . " 3j l 9 l Ruby-crowned Kinglet . " 5,1910 Louisiana Water- Thrush " 6,1911 Marsh Hawk " 6,191 1 a Brown Creeper " 7 a Yellow Palm Warbler . . "7 Green Heron " 8,1911 a Hooded Warbler "12 Rusty Blackbird " 12,1910 Brown Thrasher "13,1910 ii2 THE BIRDS OF a Canada Goose. Apr.i3 a Tree Swallow . . . / " 14 a Myrtle Warbler "14 a Swamp Sparrow " 16 Mallard " 18,1911 Towhee " 20,1910 Barn Swallow " 21,1912 a Purple Finch "21 a Savannah Sparrow "22 a Blue-headed Vireo "22 a Baltimore Oriole " 25,191 1 Carolina Wren " 27,1910 b Scarlet Tanager " 28,1910 Redstart " 29,191 1 a Blackburnian Warbler . " 29 Yellow Warbler "30,1911 Northern Parula War- bler " 30,1911 Black and White War- bler " 30,1910-11 Least Flycatcher " 30,1911 Catbird May 1,1911 SOMERSET HILLS 113 Chimney Swift Maya, 1911 a Crested Flycatcher " 2,1911 Solitary Sandpiper .... " 2,1911 Spotted Sandpiper " 2,1911 Wood Thrush " 2,1911 Yellow-throated Vireo . " 3,1910 Warbling Vireo " 3,1910 Orchard Oriole " 3, I 9 J o Ovenbird " 3,1910 House Wren " 3> I 9 ][ o a Magnolia Warbler .... " 3 a Rose-breasted Grosbeak " 4 Cliff Swallow " 5,1910 Maryland Yellow-throat " 5,1910 a Grasshopper Sparrow . . " 5 a White-eyed Vireo " 5 a Chestnut-sided Warbler " 5 a Blue-winged Warbler . . " 6 Black-throated Green Warbler " 6,1910 a Yellow-breasted Chat . . " 7 Red-breasted Nuthatch " 8,1911 ii 4 THE BIRDS OF Kingbird May8,i9i i White-crowned Sparrow " 8,1911 Cedar Waxwing " 8,1910 Veery " 8,1911 Northern Water-Thrush " 9,1910 Black-crowned Night Heron " 9,1911 Red-eyed Vireo " 10,191 1 Rough-winged Swallow " 10,1910 Black-throated Blue Warbler "10,1911 a Wilson's Warbler " 10 a Black-poll Warbler .... " 10 a Canada Warbler " 10 a Bay-breasted Warbler . . " 11 a Golden-winged Warbler " 1 1 Ruby-throated Hum- mingbird " 13,1910 Lincoln's Sparrow " 14,1911 Indigo Bunting " 14,1911 Pewee " 14,1911 Yellow-legs ........... " 14,1910 SOMERSET HILLS 115 a Olive-backed Thrush. .May 15, 1911 Cape May Warbler . . . . " 16,1911 aKilldeer "20 a Pied-billed Grebe "20 Great Blue Heron .... " 21,1911 a Bobolink "21 Bicknell's or Gray- cheeked Thrush "22,1911 a Black-billed Cuckoo ... "29 Acadian Flycatcher .... " 30 PART II LATEST FALL RECORDS a Seen by Miss Lilian G. Cook. All others, seen by John Dryden Kuser. Pewee Sept. 7,1910 a Chestnut-sided Warbler . . " 8,1910 Yellow-throated Vireo ... " 11,1911 Philadelphia Vireo " 12,1910 Wood Thrush " 12,1910 THE BIRDS OF Chimney Swift Sept 13, 1910 Black-crowned Night Her- on " 13,1910 Blackburnian Warbler . . " 19,1910 Nighthawk " 20,1910 Ovenbird " 20,1910 Rose-breasted Grosbeak .. " 25,1910 Brown Thrasher " 26,1910 Black and White Warbler " 27,1910 Black-throated Blue War- bler " 27,1910 Magnolia Warbler " 27,1910 Redstart " 27,1910 Maryland Yellow-throat " 27,1910 a Northern Parula Warbler " 27,1910 Canada Warbler " 30,1910 Tree Swallow Oct. 1,1910 Great Blue Heron " Phoebe " a Pine Warbler " Catbird " 4,1910 Cedar Waxwing " 10,1910 Plate 15 Red-winged Blackbird Maryland Yellow-throat SOMERSET HILLS 117 Green Heron Oct. 10,1911 Common Pheasant " 12,1910 Red-eyed Vireo " 14,1910 Red-breasted Nuthatch .. " 14,1910 Northern Flicker " 17,1910 Black-poll Warbler " 18,1910 Osprey " 18,1910 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker " 18,1910 Crackle " 18,1910 Rusty Blackbird " 18,1910 Field Sparrow " 24,1910 Coot " 25,1910 a Chipping Sparrow " 25,1910 a Black-throated Green Warbler " 25,1910 a Hermit Thrush " 25,1910 Myrtle Warbler " 31,1910 Towhee " 31,1910 Horned Grebe " 31,1910 Killdeer Nov. 1,1910 Duck Hawk " 1,1910 Yellow Palm Warbler.. " 1,1910 n8 THE BIRDS OF Swamp Sparrow Nov. 12, 1910 Cowbird " 12,1910 a Mourning Dove " 18,1910 Robin " 18,1910 Turkey Vulture " 19,1910 Fox Sparrow " 19,1910 White-throated Sparrow. " 19,1910 Ruby-crowned Kinglet . . " 22,1909 Meadowlark " 24,1910 Pine Siskin " 26,1910 Mallard (may have win- tered) Dec. 5,1910 Baltimore Oriole (Central Park) " 8,1909 Bluebird " 16,1910 Belted Kingfisher " 26,1909 PART III MONTHLY RECORDS Horned Grebe ; October, November. Mallard; April-December. SOMERSET HILLS 119 Canada Goose; March, April, Octo- ber-December. Great Blue Heron; April-September. Green Heron; April-October. Black-crowned Night Heron; May- September. Coot; April, May, September-Novem- ber. Yellow-legs; May, July-October. Solitary Sandpiper; May, July-Octo- ber. Upland Plover; August, September. Spotted Sandpiper; May-October. Killdeer; May-October. Mourning Dove; March-November. Turkey Vulture; March-November. Marsh Hawk; March-November. Sharp-shinned Hawk; April-Novem- ber. Red-tailed Hawk; January-December. Red-shouldered Hawk; January-De- cember. 120 THE BIRDS OF Broad-winged Hawk; May- Septem- ber. Bald Eagle; April-September. Duck Hawk; October. Sparrow Hawk; January-December. Osprey; April-October. Screech Owl; January-December. Yellow-billed Cuckoo; May-Octo- ber. Black-billed Cuckoo; May-October. Belted Kingfisher; April-December. Hairy Woodpecker; January-Decem- ber. Downy Woodpecker; January-De- cember. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker; April, May, September, October. Red-headed Woodpecker; April- September. Northern Flicker; March-October. Nighthawk; May-October. Chimney Swift; April-October. SOMERSET HILLS 121 Ruby-throated Hummingbird; May- September. Kingbird; May-September. Crested Flycatcher; May-September. Phoebe; March-October. Wood Pewee; May-September. Acadian Flycatcher; May, June, Sep- tember. * Least Flycatcher; April-October. Blue Jay; January-December. Crow; January-December. Starling; January-December. Bobolink; May-October. Cowbird; March-November. Red-winged Blackbird; March-No- vember. Meadowlark; January, March-No- vember. Orchard Oriole; May-September. Baltimore Oriole; May-September. Rusty Blackbird; March-November. Crackle; March-November. 122 THE BIRDS OF Purple Finch; January-December. Redpoll ; December-March. Goldfinch; February-November. Pine Siskin; October-May. Vesper Sparrow; March-November. Grasshopper Sparrow; May-Octo- ber. White-crowned Sparrow; October- May. White-throated Sparrow; September- May. Tree Sparrow; October-March. Chipping Sparrow; March-Novem- ber. Field Sparrow; March-November. Junco ; September-May. Song Sparrow; January-December. Lincoln's Sparrow; May. Swamp Sparrow; April-November. Fox Sparrow; March, April, October- December. Towhee ; April-October. Hate 16 Veery Hermit Thrush SOMERSET HILLS 123 Cardinal ; March-December. Rose-breasted Grosbeak; May-Sep- tember. Indigo Bunting; May-October. Scarlet Tanager; May-October. Purple Martin; April-September. Cliff Swallow; April-October. Barn Swallow; April-October. Tree Swallow; April, May, July- October. Rough-winged Swallow; April-Sep- tember. Cedar Waxwing; January - Decem- ber. Northern Shrike; November-March. Red-eyed Vireo; May-October. Philadelphia Vireo; September. Warbling Vireo; May-September. Yellow-throated Vireo; May-Septem- ber. Blue-headed Vireo; April, May, Sep- tember, October. 124 THE BIRDS OF White-eyed Vireo; May-October. Black and White Warbler; April- October. Blue-winged Warbler; May-Septem- ber. Nashville Warbler; May, August- October. Northern Parula Warbler; May, August-October. Cape May Warbler; May, August- October. Yellow Warbler; May-September. Black-throated Blue Warbler; May, August-October. Myrtle Warbler; April, May, Sep- tember, October. Magnolia Warbler; May, August- October. Chestnut-sided Warbler; May-Sep- tember. Bay-breasted Warbler; May, August, September. SOMERSET HILLS 125 Black-poll Warbler; May, June, Sep- tember, October. Blackburnian Warbler; May, Sep- tember. Black- throated Green Warbler; April, May, August-October. Pine Warbler; April, May, August- October. Yellow Palm Warbler; April, May, September, October. Ovenbird; April-October. Water-Thrush; May, August-October. Louisiana Water-Thrush; April-Sep- tember. Maryland Yellow-throat; May-Octo- ber. Yellow-breasted Chat; May-Septem- ber. Hooded Warbler; May, August, Sep- tember. Wilson's Warbler; May, August, Sep- tember. 126 THE BIRDS OF Canada Warbler; May, June, August, September. Redstart; May-October. Catbird ; April-October. Brown Thrasher; April-October. Carolina Wren; April-November. House Wren; April-October. Winter Wren; September-April. Brown Creeper; September-April. White-breasted Nuthatch ; January- December. Red-breasted Nuthatch; April, May, August-November. Chickadee; January-December. Golden-crowned Kinglet; September- April. Ruby-crowned Kinglet; September- November, April, May. Wood Thrush; April-October. Veery; May-September. Gray-cheeked or Bicknell's Thrush; May, June, September, October. Plate 17 White-breasted Nuthatch Downy Woodpecker SOMERSET HILLS 127 Olive-backed Thrush; May, June, September, October. Hermit Thrush; April, May, Sep- tember, October. Robin ; February-December. Bluebird ; January-December. CHAPTER XII TERMS USED TO DENOTE THE ABUNDANCE OR RARITY OF BIRDS i WHEN reading lists of birds with indications of their abundance or rarity, it is often very difficult to tell just how comparatively common or how rare each bird is, for it is seldom that any two people use the same scale, preferring to write each term as it is needed regard- less of the preceding and succeeding ones, and consequently, without realiz- ing it, they have a long, illogical list of terms. Those most frequently adopted are given below. I have limited myself to eight, which are: abundant, common, frequent, uncommon, occasional, rare, 128 THE BIRDS OF SOMERSET HILLS 129 scarce and irregular. Together with other terms which are often used I have given my reasons for not using them. Most of the data has been given me by Mr. C. William Beebe, who believes in using only the above eight terms : ABUNDANT. Very 'Common is the same as Abun- dant, for Abundant means More Common than Common. COMMON. Plentiful means the same as Abun- dant or Common. Usually Common or Usually Rare are the same as Common or Rare, for we are writing about what the bird usually is, so Usually may be omitted. Quite Common. The real meaning of Quite is completely or wholly. It is wrongly used to indicate to a considerable extent. Thus Quite 130 THE BIRDS OF Common, correctly used, means no more than Completely Common or, simply, Common. Not Uncommon is equal to Common. Tolerably Common is usually used to mean Fairly Common, but tolerably is a very meaningless word in this case, as the word means that which can be endured. If, however, one wishes to use it as meaning Fairly Common, he can just as well use the latter word, or, instead of these, Frequent. FREQUENT. Often Seen is the same as Frequent. Usually Tolerably Common is the same as Tolerably Common, which is the same as Frequent. Fairly Plentiful is the same as Fairly Common. Fairly Common is the same as Fre- quent. Plate 18 Screech Owl Sharp-shinned Hawk SOMERSET HILLS 131 UNCOMMON. Infrequent is the same as Uncommon or Occasional. Not Common is Uncommon. OCCASIONAL. Sometimes Seen is Occasional. Accidental is Occasional or Rare. RARE. Very Rare is using an unnecessary adverb, for Rare is Very Rare, and to use the latter makes a list only more confusing and difficult to understand. SCARCE. Scarce does not mean the same as Rare, but indicates that the bird mentioned was at some previous time Common, but that it has since decreased in numbers, until it is now Rare. Very Scarce means Scarce, Very is unnecessary. 132 THE BIRDS OF SOMERSET HILLS IRREGULAR. Irregular indicates that at times the bird may be Common, and at other times Rare. Often this has to be used in connection with one of the other seven terms. In such a case it is often necessary to add Usually, as: Crossbill, Irregular, Usually Rare. Of course it is not intended that these terms should always be used by them- selves. One may use them when neces- sary in conjunction with other words as Common Migrant, Scarce Resident, etc. CHAPTER XIII COMPLETE LIST OF BIRDS OB- SERVED IN THE SOMERSET HILLS As I explained in the preceding chap- ter, owing to the widespread confusion resulting from the loose way in which terms of relative abundance and rarity are used by ornithologists and others, I have confined myself to the following eight terms, which may be taken as a standard to express a gradual decrease from abundance to rarity: Abundant. Common. Frequent. Uncommon. Occasional. 133 134 THE BIRDS OF Rare. Scarce. Irregular. 1. Horned Grebe (Colymbus auritus), rare, one female seen in fall 1910. 2. Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), rare, flock of ten or more at Lake. A few pairs liberated several years ago. Breed annually. 3. Canada Goose (Branta canadensis canadensis), rare, one seen De- cember, 1909, migrant. 4. Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias herodias), rare, one pair every summer for eight years at Ra- vine Lake; young birds seen. 5. Green Heron (Butorides virescens virescens), occasional in marshes. Six at Ravine Lake, summers of 1910 and 'u. 6. Black-crowned Night Heron (Nyc- ticorax nycticorax flavins), rare. mate Red-tailed Hawk Marsh Hawk SOMERSET HILLS 135 7. Coot (Fulica americana), rare, one seen fall 1910. 8. Yellow-legs (Totanus flavipes), rare, one seen spring 1910, mi- grant. 9. Solitary Sandpiper (Helodromas solitarius solitarius), rare, mi- grant. 10. Upland Plover (Bartramia longi- cauda), rare, flock seen fall 1909. n. Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macu- laria), occasional, summer resi- dent. 12. Killdeer (Oxyechus vociferus), rare, pair summered in small meadow near Bernardsville in 1909. 13. Mourning Dove (Zenaldura mac- roura carolinensis), common, nest in 1910, summer resident. 14. Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura septentrionalis), common, sum- 136 THE BIRDS OF mer resident, twenty-one seen in flock summer of 1910. 15. Marsh Hawk (Circus hudsonius), uncommon. 1 6. Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter velox), uncommon. 17. Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo borealis borealis), uncommon. 1 8. Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lin- eatus lineatus), occasional. 19. Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo pla- typterus), rare. One young bird captured by Kingsley Kunhardt in spring of 1910. 20. Bald Eagle (Hali&tus leucocephalus leucocephalus), scarce. 21. Duck Hawk (Falco peregrinus ana- tum), rare, seen once, fall 1910. 22. Sparrow Hawk (Falco sparverius sparverius), common, permanent resident. 23. Osprey (Pandion haliaetus caro- SOMERSET HILLS 13? linensis), occasional, eleven seen in spring of 1911, summer resi- dent. 24. Screech Owl (Otus asio asio,) fre- quent, permanent resident. 25. Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus americanus), uncom- mon, summer resident. 26. Black-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus erythrophthalmus), rare, summer resident. 27. Belted Kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon), frequent, summer resident. 28. Hairy Woodpecker (Dryobates vil- losus villosus), uncommon, per- manent resident. 29. Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens medianus), abundant, permanent resident. 30. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyra- picus varius varius), occasional, migrant. 138 THE BIRDS OF 31. Red-headed Woodpecker (Mela- nerpes erythrocephalus), rare. 32. Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus luteus), abundant, summer resi- dent. 33. Nighthawk (Chordeiles virginianus virginianus), occasional, summer resident. 34. Chimney Swift (Chtetura pelagica), abundant, summer resident. 35. Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Ar- chilochus colubris), common, sum- mer resident. 36. Kingbird. (Tyrannus tyrannus), common, summer resident. 37. Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus), frequent, summer resi- dent. 38. Phoebe (Sayornis phcebe), abun- dant, summer resident. 39. Wood Pewee (Myiochanes virens), common, summer resident. SOMERSET HILLS 139 40. Acadian Flycatcher (Empidonax virescens), rare. 41. Least Flycatcher (Empidonax mini- mus), abundant, summer resident. 42. Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata cris- tata), occasional, becoming more plentiful, permanent resident. 43. Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos brachyrhynchos), abundant, per- manent resident. 44. Starling (Sturnus vulgaris), com- mon, increasing rapidly, perma- nent resident. 45. Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus), rare, in two localities fairly common at times, summer resi- dent. 46. Cowbird (Molothrus ater ater), frequent, summer resident. 47. Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phceniceus phceniceus), common, summer resident. i 4 o THE BIRDS OF 48. Meadowlark (Sturnella magna magna), common, summer resi- dent. 49. Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius), frequent, summer resident. 50. Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula), common, summer resident. 51. Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus caro- linus), rare, migrant. 52. Purple Crackle (Quiscalus quiscula quiscula), abundant (Purple probably more common than Bronzed), summer resident. 53. Bronzed Crackle (Quiscalus quis- cula teneus), summer resident. 54. Purple Finch (Carpodacus pur- pureus purpureus), occasional, permanent resident. 55. Redpoll (Acanthis linaria linaria), irregular, winter visitant. 56. Goldfinch (Astragalinus tristis iris- SOMERSET HILLS 141 tis), abundant, summer resident, occasionally seen in winter. 57. Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus), irregu- lar winter visitant. 58. Vesper Sparrow (Pocecetes grami- neus gramineus), common, sum- mer resident. 59. Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammo- dramus savannarum australis), frequent, summer resident. 60. White-crowned Sparrow (Zono- trichia leucophrys leucophrys), rare, winter visitant. 61. White-throated Sparrow (Zono- trichia albicollis), common, win- ter resident. 62. Tree Sparrow (Spizella monticola monticola), frequent, winter resi- dent. 63. Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passe- rina passerina), abundant, sum- mer resident. 142 THE BIRDS OF 64. Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla pusilla), common, summer resi- dent. 65. Slate-colored Junco (Junco hye- malis hyemalis), abundant, win- ter resident. 66. Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia melodia), abundant, summer resi- dent, occasional in winter. 67. Lincoln's Sparrow (Melospiza lin- colni lincolni), rare, migrant, seen once, May 14, 1911. 68. Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana), rare, summer resi- dent. 69. Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca iliaca), occasional, sometimes common in migration. 70. Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus erythrophthalmus), common, sum- mer resident. SOMERSET HILLS 143 71. Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis cardinalis), uncommon, perma- ment resident. Only near Ravine Lake. 72. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Zame- lodia ludoviciana), occasional, .summer resident. 73. Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea), frequent, summer resident. 74. Scarlet Tanager (Piranga erythro- melas), common, summer resi- dent. 75. Purple Martin (Progne subis subis), rare, summer resi- dent. 76. Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon luni- frons lunifrons), uncommon, sum- mer resident. 77. Barn Swallow (Hirundo erythro- gastra), abundant, summer resi- dent. 144 THE BIRDS OF 78. Tree Swallow (Iridoprocne bi- color), occasional, migrant. 79. Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgi- dopteryx serripennis), occasional, summer resident. 80. Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla ce- drorum), occasional, summer resident, rare in winter. 81. Northern Shrike (Lanius borealis), rare, winter visitant. 82. Red-eyed Vireo (Vireosylva oliva- cea), abundant, summer resident. 83. Philadelphia Vireo (Vireosylva philadelphica), rare, migrant. 84. Warbling Vireo (Vireosylva gilva gilva), occasional, summer resi- dent. 85. Yellow-throated Vireo (Lanivireo flavifrons), common, summer resident. 86. Blue-headed Vireo (Lanivireo soli- tarius solitarius), rare, migrant. Plate 21 Sparrow Hawk Ruby-throated Hummingbird SOMERSET HILLS 145 87. White-eyed Vireo (Vireo griseus griseus), occasional, summer resi- dent. 88. Black and White Warbler (Mnio- tilto varia), common, summer resident. 89. Blue-winged Warbler (Vermivo- ra pinus), rare, summer resi- dent. 90. Nashville Warbler (Vermivora rubricapilla rubricapilla), rare, migrant. 91. Northern Parula Warbler (Comp- sothlypis americana usnete), occa- sional. 92. Cape May Warbler (Dendroica tigrina), rare, seen once, spring 1911, migrant. 93. Yellow Warbler (Dendroica cestiva cestiva), frequent, summer resi- dent. 94. Black - throated Blue Warbler 146 THE BIRDS OF (Dendroica c&rulescens carules- cens), occasional, migrant. 95. Myrtle Warbler (Dendroica coro- nata), common, migrant. 96. Magnolia Warbler (Dendroica magnolia), occasional, migrant. 97. Chestnut-sided Warbler (Dendro- ica pennsylvanica), frequent, sum- mer resident. 98. Bay-breasted Warbler (Dendroica castanea), scarce, formerly seen occasionally. I have no record of it for over two years. 99. Black-poll Warbler (Dendroica striata), frequent, migrant. 100. Blackburnian Warbler (Dendroica fusca), rare, migrant. 101. Black-throated Green Warbler (Den- droica virens), frequent, migrant. 102. Pine Warbler (Dendroica vi- gorsi), rare. 103. Yellow Palm Warbler (Dendroica SOMERSET HILLS 14? palmarum hypochrysea), occa- sional. 104. Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapillus), common, summer resident. 105. Northern Water-Thrush (Seiurus noveboracensis noveboracensis), occasional, migrant. 106. Louisiana Water-Thrush (Seiurus motocilla), frequent, summer resident. 107. Maryland Yellow- throat (Geothly- pis trichas trichas), common, summer resident. 1 08. Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens virens), occasional, sum- mer resident. 109. Hooded Warbler (Wilsonia ci- trina), rare, migrant, no. Wilson Warbler (Wilsonia pu- silla pusilla), rare, migrant, in. Canada Warbler (Wilsonia cana- densis), occasional, migrant. i 4 8 THE BIRDS OF 112. Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla), abundant in 1910; frequent in 1911; summer resident. 113. Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis), common, summer resident. 114. Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma ru- fum), usually common, summer resident. 115. Carolina Wren (Thryotho- rus ludovicianus ludovicianus), rare, seen once in spring of 1910. 116. House Wren (Troglodytes aedon aedon), common, summer resi- dent. 117. Winter Wren (Nannus hiemalis hiemalis), occasional, winter visi- tant. 118. Brown Creeper (Certhia familiaris americana), occasional, winter visitant. 119. White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta SOMERSET HILLS 149 carolinensis carolinensis), com- mon, permanent resident. 120. Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis), uncommon, migrant. 121. Chickadee (Penthestes atricapil- lus atricapillus), common, perma- nent resident. 122. Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regu- lus satrapa satrapa), frequent, winter visitant. 123. Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula calendula), frequent, migrant. 124. Wood Thrush (Hylocichla muste- lina), abundant, summer resi- dent. 125. Veery (Hylocichla fuscescens fuscescens), common, summer resident. 126. Gray-cheeked or Bicknell Thrush (Hylocichla alicia alicitz or Hy- locichla alicia bicknelli), occa- 150 THE BIRDS OF SOMERSET HILLS sional, five seen in one day in spring of 1910, migrant. 127. Olive-backed Thrush (Hylocichla ustulata swainsoni), occasional, migrant. 128. Hermit Thrush (Hylocichla gut- tata pallasi), frequent, migrant. 129. Robin (Planesticus migratorius migratorius), abundant, summer resident, rare in winter. 130. Bluebird (Sialia sialis stalls), abundant, summer resident, occa- sional in winter. 131. Common Pheasant (Phaslanus col- chlcus + torquatus), frequent, about one hundred are liberated annually; several nests recorded. 132. English Sparrow (Passer domesti- cus), abundant, permanent resi- dent. Tree Swallow Barn Swallow CHAPTER XIV THE HORRORS OF THE TAKING OF AIGRETTES THE beautiful plumes so frequently seen on a lady's hat are aigrettes, taken from the backs of the American and Snowy Egrets. Where did she get them? From the retail milliner, who buys them from the wholesale supply house, which secures them from the plume- hunter, actually, the Egret Slaughterer. The story of how the latter gets the plumes is as follows: After selecting a roost, he shoots the adult birds, which have nests in the vicinity, for he shoots the birds only during the breeding season, as that is the only time at which the plumes are worn. He slaughters 152 THE BIRDS OF them by the hundred, and leaves their young to die of starvation, after untold agony. Sometimes before the birds are dead, their backs are torn off, and they are left to die and be eaten by insects. In South America, wounded birds are propped up to attract the attention of passing birds, and sometimes the red ants eat the eyes out of the wounded birds. The young call for food until they are too weak to stand, and then die. All assertions by milliners that the plumes are artificial or have been moulted are false. It is impossible at the present time to imitate them satis- factorily, and after being dropped by the birds, they are unfit for use. Shall we let the birds be extermi- nated? Do you realize that a prom- inent scientist has said: "I will go on record to say that one kind of bird be- SOMERSET HILLS 153 comes extinct every week," and this is caused by man. Over $700,000,000 annually is saved to agriculture through the birds. Egrets gather in colonies during the nesting season, and are therefore easily killed. Originally the plumes are white, but they are dyed all colors. The Buffalo and Wild Pigeon, which were formerly abundant, are now prac- tically, if not wholly extinct. The Egrets will soon follow them, if imme- diate care is not taken. Both Ex-President and Mrs. Roose- velt, and Queen Alexandra, have ex- pressed their disapproval of the use of Aigrettes. How can the slaughter of Egrets for their plumes be stopped? In two ways: first, by women refusing to buy them, and second, by stationing wardens at the various colonies of Egrets, during the 154 THE BIRDS OF SOMERSET HILLS few months in summer, while they are nesting. The National Association of Audubon Societies, 1974 Broadway, New York City, employs special men to guard the colonies, and the cost of membership in this society is $5.00 an- nually. All the money goes to the pro- tection of birds. Can we, a civilized nation, afford to allow this cruelty to continue? Will not some of the readers of this book become members of the Audubon Society? INDEX Page number in italics indicates principal reference; in black figures, colored plates Blackbird, Red-winged, j/, 106, 113, 121, 138 11 Least, j/, 107, 112, 121, 139 Geese, 41 Goldfinch, 34, 42, 47, 102, 107, 122, 140 Goose, Canada, .5^, 112, 119, 134 Goshawk, 66 Grackle, 20, 47, 68, 107, no, 117, 121 " Bronzed, 47, 140 " Purple, ^7, 140 Grebes, 54 Grebe, Horned, 117, 118, 134 Pied-billed, 115 Grosbeak, Rose-breasted, 3*9, 46, 57, 102, 113, 116, 123, 143 Grouse, Ruffed, 104 Hawks, 30, 65, 66, 72, 73, 103 Hawk, Broad-winged, 120, 136 " Cooper's, 66 " Duck, 66, 117, 120, 136 Fish, 52 " Hen, 66 " Marsh, 7^, 103, in, 119, 135, 136 " Red-shouldered, 66, 7.2, 73, 103, 119, 136 " Red-tailed, 66, 7^, 73. 103, 119, 135, 136 " Sharp-shinned, 65, 66, 119, 131, 136 " Sparrow, 27, 75% 102, 120, 136, 145 Herons, 51 Heron, Black-crowned Night, 52, 102, 114, 116, 119, 134 ** Great Blue, 57, 52, 102, in, 115, 116, 119, 134 " Green, 52, 103, 106, in, in, 117, 119, 134 Hummingbird, Ruby-throated, 75, 7^, 79, 103, 114, 121, 138, 145 Jay, Blue, 68 t 69, 102, 121, 139 Junco, Slate-colored, 40, 41, 42, 94, 122, 142 Killdeer, 83, 84, 115, 117, 119, 135 INDEX 157 Kingbird, jo, 33, 106, 114, 121, 138 Kingfisher, Belted, 51, 52, jj, 57, 103, 106, in, 118, 120, 137 Kinglets, 39 Kinglet, Golden-crowned, jp, 91, 126, 149 44 Ruby-crowned, j?, 91, 108, in, 118, 126, 149 Mallard, 34, 102, 105, 106, 112, 118, 134 Martin, Purple, 123, 143 Meadowlark, 21, 23, 24, 102, 107, 118, 121, 140 Mockingbird, 43 Nighthawk, 75, 83, 86, 116, 120, 138 Nuthatch, 20, 36, 62, 63 11 Red-breasted, 62, 63, 64,113, 117, 126, 149 44 White-breasted, 62, 103, 108, 126, 127, 148 Orioles, 102 Oriole, Baltimore, 41,^6, 107, 112, 118, 121, 140 " Orchard, 41, 46, 107, 113, 121, 140 Osprey, 52, jj>, 102, in, 117, 120, 136 Ovenbird, 70, 103, 108, 113, 116, 125, 147 Owl, Hoot, 65 " Screech, 64, 65, 103, 120, 131, 137 Pewee, Wood, 20, j^, 106, 114, 115, 121, 138 Pheasant, Common, 102, 106, in, 117 Phosbe, 18, 35, 106, in, 116, 121, 138 Pigeon, Passenger, 25, 26, 27 '* Wild, 25, 153 Plover, Upland, 119, 135 Redpoll, 83, 88, 89, 122, 140 Redstart, 33, 35, 36, 73, 108, 112, 116, 126, 148 Red-wing, 51, 58, 59, 87 Robin, 15, 77, 17, 19, 71, 102, 109, no, 118, 127, 150 Sandpipers, 55 Sandpiper, Solitary, 83, 84, 106, 113, 119, 135 Spotted, 55, 105, 106, 113, 119, 135 Sapsucker, Yellow-bellied, 28, 29, in, 117, 120, 137 Shrike, Northern, 123, 144 158 INDEX Siskin, Pine, 83, 88, 89, no, 118, 122, 141 Snipe, 55 Sparrows, 40, 41, 43 Sparrow, Chipping, 18, 19, 20, 22, 32, 94, 102, 107, in, 117, 122, 141 English, 75, 16, 73, 102, 107 44 Field, 20, 5, 57, 103, 108, 112, 124, 145 Yellow Palm, 83, 96, in, 117, 125, 147 Water-Thrushes, 56, 98, 103, 125 Water-Thrush, Louisiana, 56, in, 125, 147 " Northern, 56, 114, 125, 147 Waxwing, Cedar, 33, j^, 103, 108, 114, 116, 123, 144 Weaver, Orange, 23 Whip-poor-will, 75, 86, 87 Woodpeckers, 44, 63, 102 Woodpecker, Downy, 29, 63, 106, 120, 127, 137 " Golden-winged, 29 Hairy, 29, 63, 64, 102, 120, 137 " Red-headed, 83, 85, 102, 120, 138 Wren, Carolina, 112, 126, 148 " House, /jr, 16, 17, 23, 43, 103, 108, 113, 126, 148 " Winter, 16, 126, 148 Yellow-legs, 114, 119, 135 Yellow-throat, Maryland, 58, 103, 108, 113, 116, 117, 125, 147 FOURTEEN DAY USE RETURN TO DESK FROM WHICH BORROWED Bkfog j lilhafaffy This book is due on the last date stamped below, or on the date to which renewed. Renewed books are subject to immediate recall. LD 21-100w-2,'55 (B139s22)476 General Library University of California Berkeley