The Bird Study Book | Page 4

House Finch is
abundant about the towns and cities; and to the dwellers in the Prairie
States the Meadowlark is very familiar.
Taking such knowledge, however slight, as a basis, there is no reason
why any one, if he so desires, should not, with a little effort, get on
neighbourly terms with a large number of birds of the region, and
spring is a most favourable time to begin such an effort. One may learn
more about a bird's habits by closely observing its movements for a few
hours at this season than by watching it for a month later on. The life
that centres about the nest is most {5} absorbing. Few sights are more
stimulating to interest in outdoor life than spying on a pair of wild birds
engaged in nest building. Nest hunting, therefore, soon becomes a part
of the bird student's occupation, and I heartily recommend such a
course to beginners, provided great care is exercised not to injure the
nests and their contents.
Caution in Nest Hunting.--A thoughtful person will, of course, be
careful in approaching a wild bird's nest, otherwise much mischief may
be done in a very short time. I have known "dainty eggs" and "darling
baby-birds" to be literally visited to death by well-meaning people,
with the best of intentions. The parents become discouraged by
constantly recurring alarms and desert the nest, or a cat will follow the
path made through the weeds and leave nothing in the nest worth
observing. Even the bending of limbs, or the pushing aside of leaves,
will produce a change in the surroundings, which, however slight, may
be sufficient to draw the attention of some feathered enemy.
{6}
When one stumbles on the nest of a Quail, Meadowlark, or Oven-bird,
it is well not to approach it closely, because all over the country many
night-prowling animals have the habit of following by scent the
footsteps of any one who has lately gone along through the woods or
across the fields. One afternoon by the rarest chance I found three

Quails' nests containing eggs. The next morning I took out a friend to
share the pleasure of my discoveries. We found every nest destroyed
and the eggs eaten. My trail the evening before lay through cultivated
fields, and it was thus easy for us to find in the soft ground the tracks of
the fox or small dog that, during the night, had followed the trail with
calamitous results to the birds. When finding the nests I had made the
mistake of going to within a few inches of them. Had I stopped six feet
away the despoiler that followed probably never would have known
there was a nest near, for unless a dog approaches within a very few
feet of a brooding Quail it seems not to possess the power of smelling
it.
[Illustration: The Fox that Followed the Footsteps]
{7}
Going Afield.--It is rarely necessary to go far afield to begin the study
of birds. Often one may get good views of birds from one's open
window, as many species build their nests close to the house when the
surroundings are favourable. Last spring {8} I counted eighteen kinds
of birds one morning while sitting on the veranda of a friend's house,
and later found the nests of no less than seven of them within sight of
the house. When one starts out to hunt birds it is well to bear in mind a
few simple rules. The first of these is to go quietly. One's good sense
would of course tell him not to rush headlong through the woods,
talking loudly to a companion, stepping upon brittle twigs, and crashing
through the underbrush. Go quietly, stopping to listen every few steps.
Make no violent motions, as such actions often frighten a bird more
than a noise. Do not wear brightly coloured clothing, but garments of
neutral tones which blend well with the surroundings of field and wood.
It is a good idea to sit silently for a time on some log or stump, and
soon the birds will come about you, for they seldom notice a person
who is motionless. A great aid to field study is a good Field Glass. A
glass enables one to see the colours of small birds hopping about the
shrubbery, or moving through the branches of trees. With its {9} aid
one may learn much of their movements, and even observe the kind of
food they consume. A very serviceable glass may be secured at a price

varying from five to ten dollars. The National Association of Audubon
Societies, New York City, sells a popular one for five dollars. If you
choose a more expensive, high-powered binocular, it will be found of
greater advantage when watching birds at a distance,