Paintings from: Birds of Massachusetts and Other New England States
"Reverberant hooting in the big woods had called me from the roadway to follow the sound for half a mile,
when suddenly— there sat the great [Barred Owl] before me, on a horizontal limb, keeping the ready
attitude of apprehension, his head turned squarely around so that his dark, solemn eyes stared fixedly at me."
Next
"While singing [the Prairie Horned Lark] holds his wings motionless, stiffly outstretched, and his tail widely spread, as if he
were doing his utmost to transform himself into a parachute— as no doubt he is. Then, the brief, hurried strain
delivered, he beats the air again and makes another shoot heavenward."
Next
"Many still shudder whenever they hear [the Screech Owl's] plaintive, long-drawn-out wail, which, though it
seems to carry a note of sadness, is merely a love song, unappreciated, except, perhaps, by the ears
for which it is especially intended."
Next
"Zigzags and long curves intersect one another as the merry [Chimney Swifts] drive through the fresh morning air with
quivering wings and shrill titterings— erratic avian missiles seeking luckless winged insects in the over-arching
skies."
Next
"There is no more pleasing spring sound than the lusty scream of the [Red-shouldered Hawk] as it rings
through the bare leafless woods as they stand up straight and brown against the pale blue sky of April."
Next
"Five little downy young Sharp-shins in a nest are a beautiful sight. They fill the nest full to overflowing with their palpitating, snowy, fluffy mass, with five pairs of bright black eyes punctuating the fluff."
Next
"The young [Bob-whites] grow
rather slowly, and their little wings do not develop quite so fast as in the Ruffed Grouse
or the Spruce Grouse, but they begin to use them at an early age. Wings are needed indeed, as the
little ones must run the gauntlet of many enemies."
Next
"Lawson (1709) speaks of prodigious flocks of
pigeons in 1701-02, which broke down trees in the woods where they roosted, and cleaned up all the food in the country, scarcely
leaving one acorn on the ground."
Next
"[The Crested Flycatcher] is a prominent bird, for it is the largest and in some ways the
handsomest of our flycatchers; it often occupies a conspicuous perch, and its notes are so loud as to
compel attention. Its battles in the air are fierce and noisy and it is inclined to bully other
birds."
Next
"Sometimes this bird has a savage battle
with the bumblebees which are reluctant to leave its favorite flowers. The tiny hummingbird is a
mighty warrior, with greater strength and speed in proportion to its size than any other bird that
flies."
Next
"The courage and intrepidity of this falcon are so great that it sometimes attacks very large birds. Commander Donald MacMillan
says that he once saw [a Duck Hawk] drop like a comet out of the blue sky and knock down a Blue Goose with such force
as to partially disable it."
Next
"The Yellow-billed Cuckoo is a harbinger of summer. When the woods and orchards have put on their
spring greenery; when the blossom-buds of the moccasin flower and the columbine begin to unfold their petals, then
the voice of the cuckoo is heard in the land."
