MARYLAND BIRDLIFE ^Bulletin of the ^Maryland OrnitkoLoyicai Society s>o 3 Boltoa Sireel, Baltimore ij, -Maryland VOL. I MAY - TONE, 1945 NO. 2 THE MARYLAND ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY In response to an appeal "by a group of bird students a meet- ing was held on February 23rd, 1945 at the Natural History Soci- ety of Maryland to organize a bird study club. Abodt 40 persons enrolled as ohartar members and appointed Irving E, Hampe as temporary chairman and Mrs. M. C. Kent as tem- porary secretary and treasurer. Mr, Ray I. BeaslSy was appointed chaixman of a committee to draw'up a constitution. A general pro- gram was discussed and approved, A meeting was called for March 9th at 8:30 P,M. to elect officers and adopt a constitution. At the Maroh 9th meeting the following officers were elected : Irving E . 'Hampe , president; Orville Crowder, vice-president; Mrs, Millard C. Kent, recording secretary; Miss Helen C. Klinke, cor- responding secretary; and Millard Kent, treasurer. The constitution and by-laws were discussed and after seme minor changes were adopted. The President appointed committees on hikes, programs, membership, records and publications. The second Friday of each month was nhosen for the regular meetings. The publication of a bi-monthly %illetin was approved. The mem- bership had increased to 67 persons at this meeting. The May meeting and the spring migration walks were well at- tended, Our bulletin made its appearance ' on time due to the co- operation of Mr. and Mrs. Millard C. Kent, At the June meeting it was decided to hold a picnic meeting in August instead of hold- ing the regular indoor meetings. Regular meetings will be re- sumed in September, Our bulletin, ndw called MARYLAND BIRDUFE , will be issued bi-monthly as planned. Thi3, briefly, is our progress todate. Our organization now 97 members, add with the cooperation of all members our future seems assured. - 6 - NOTES ON AN OVENBIRD NEST On April 29th, 1945, about four o*clock in the afternoon, while walking through the grounds of the Mariners* Museum, near Newport News, Virginia, I was Slightly startled when an Ovenbird flushed almost beneath my feet# The bird, apparently a female, started fluttering on the ground with both wings spread out as though broken. Realizing that I must have closely approached a nest I followed for about 25 or 30 feet to a spot where I could easily see eVery foot of the ground I had Just passed, and awaited developments. By this time the bird had flown into same nearby low branches, twittering all the while, and flitting into one branch after another until she returned to about 10 or 15 feet from where I had first raised h6r, Another Ovenbird alighted in a tall- er tree some distance away. This bird, evidently the 'male of the pair, seemed to be keeping watch over the proceedings, and at least once while I was watching, chased ‘away two other Ovenbirds that had been attracted by the disturbance. In the meantime, several Caro- lina Chickadees rushed to the scene, offering their assistance and sympathy, Suddenly the disturbed Ovenbird stopped twittering, and seem- ingly satisfied that all danger was past, dropped quietly to the ground and disappeared. I immediately went to the spot where she had alighted, and presently found only a step or two away the char- acteristic Ovenbird nest, loosely constructed on the ground with a sort of thatched roof composed or dried weed stalks, grasses and leaves, completely covering the nest*s occupants. Only the beady eyes and bill of the mother bird were visible through the entrance on one side. On' approaching the nest the mother bird again ‘flew off expos- ing to view four naked babies, only a few days old. The mother had evidently been disturbed while feeding the young as only one of the four opened its mouth for feed, the others appearing con- tent to be left alone. Ray I. Beasley, BIRD BOOKS EOR THE BEGINNER While the possession of a good pair of binoculars, a note- book and, pencil, and a field manual comprise the essential equip- ment for bird-watching in the field, no less important for the beginner is at least one good reference book containing brief but adequate descriptions of every bird apt to be encountered, to- gether with general range and distribution, ’nesting habits, song and other concise but important information, A good book of colored plates is also a great advantage. To be of the most val- ue, however, the colors miist be as nearly true to life as our mod,-* em processes can produce. Otherwise, the beginner will meet with much confusion and some discouragement. - 7 - As the student advances, he will naturally wish to add to the scope of his ’reference library by obtaining books of a more scien- tific nature. He will, perhaps, wish more information on water birds and will seek a book written solely on that phase of bird- life# He may desire to delve farther into the subject of water game-birds, and will want a treatise containing more detailed data than can be found in the more "popular books# further, he may wish a book devoted to one ’species, as, for instance, the Canvasback, or one of many others. In 'many cases such books have been written and are available# However, the further one specialises toward a single genud or species the fewer books he will find from which to choose. Suffic- ient research and study have not been made by individual authors to "fill” a book for each and every one of our wild birds. Sc, in' addition to the more or les3 brief articles in existing bird-books, further information for many species will have to be sought in periodicals and bulletins of various educational institutions, mus- eums, ornithological organizations and bird-clubs. It should be borne in mind that to produce a book containing full details of every bird occurring in even a small section of our country with all noted observations and a colored plate or even black and white line drawing of each, would be far too ex- pensive for the average person, and would result in a book of un- wieldy proportions# Limited attempts along this line have been made, notably Forbush* s BIRDS OF MASSACHUSETTS AND OTHER NEW ENGLAND STATES, Eaton* s BIRDS OF NEW YORK, Robert’s BIRDS OF MINNESOTA and Dawson* s BIRDS OF CALIFORNIA. In each of the above cases the material has been broken up into three or more books, and later, except for Dawson* s book, the plates have been reprint- ed into separate books with much briefer and more general descript- ive matter. As further information has been obtained and more specific studies made, the observations as to range, habits and nesting Soon become dated in so far as they are affected by the new data# Even with such books or sets colored plates or drawings are not provided for every bird for the reason that hot all birds have been painted or drawn, particularly sub-species. Nor do such publications contaih all the known written material for each or any particular bird# Copyright laws and publishers* interests, of course, preclude the collection of all such written and illustra- tive material into one repository# It has ’been written that bird-books are only a "crutch to bird-study"# A happier corallory would b6 that "bird-books are a shoe to bird-study" • While the early pioneers were forced to go barefoot, that is, without the aid of satisfactory books, they found the way indeed very thorny and long, until exceptional ob- servers begah publishing their observations and collected data, and illustrating by drawings and paintings, the birds they had studied# Thanks to the information accumulated over the years in this w&y succeeding generations have found the way smoother and easier# And from the wealth of written observations and illus- trations that have amassed, the beginner can learn as much in a comparatively short time as earlier students gathered in a life- time# - 8 - It is, then, not necessary for the beginner to start the study of birds barefooted. Nor should hd attempt to walk with his shoes in his hand or slung over his back. He must 'wear feta shoes on his feet to obtain the most pleasure and profit. That is to say that he must closely associate his field efforts with what he can learn from the printed Word left by those that have passed his way before, And in passing, he should make the way easier for those that follow by supplementing thd already available informa- tion with his own written experiences, A good many books have been written to introduce the beginner to the study of birds. While there is much of value in each, most of them fall short of being a practical guide, either because they are too general in character, do not contain sufficient scientific' data or do not include all the birds a student is apt to encounter. Some of them are written for the Juvenile mind and for that reason have little or no appeal to thd adult, although they serve a very useful purpose in their sphere. At 'the top of the list of guide books for use in the field Roger Ti Peterson's HELD GUIDE TO HIE BIRDS is undoubtedly pre- eminent, It is equally valuable for the beginner. Juvenile or adult, and the advanced student. Written in understandable lang- uage, liberally illustrated in black and white, and in colors, and, above all, Scientifically sound, no other field guide can quite approach it. It has also the ’ advantage of being of a size easily carried in the hand or pocket. The user should realise, however, it is intended solely as a field identification guide, and should be uSed in connection with a more complete manual or reference book. The reference book or manual that is recommended by most ex- perienced bird 'students to beginners in the range covered by its contents is Dr, Prank M. Chapman’ s HANDBOOK OP BIRDS OP EASTERN NORTH AMERICA, Its popularity is extremely well deserved and it should be in every "birder’s" library. There are, of course, many other good reference books covering partivular regions of America, Generally, these books have been issued by various State Legislatures, written by State Ornithologists, or by inter- ested educational institutions. Probably the most complete of these pertaining to the territory nearest to Maryland that are now available are BIRDS OF NORTH CAROLINA by T. Gilbert Parson, C. S. Brimley and H. H. Brimley, and the BIRDS OF WESTERN PENN- sy33TA|QlA by w* E* Clyde Todd* The l&tter has a good collection e 5 ce P*fc£°nally we 11-colore d plates* It was written in 1940 and the fomer in 1942, so the data is quite up-to-date* Other good books covering larger territories but containing many colored plates of birds occurring in this "region are BIRDS OP AMERICA, T* Gilbert Person, editor-in-chief* This book* al- though quite generalized in character, describes about 1,000 birds, including most all the species and sub-species the stud- 5 . J: s a:pt to 3ec ^ North America* NATURAL HISTORY OF BIRDS OF EASTERN AND CENTRAL AMERICA by edward H* Forbush and John B* May is in reality an abridged edition of Forbush* s BIRDS OF MASS- ACHUSETTS AND OTHER NEW ENGLAND STATES, and is very complete, - 9 - although, many of the life -hi Stories are very short and out-mode d due to recent investigations. But the colored plates are, on the whole, of the best; except for four by Peterson, all are by Puentes and Brooks. These two books should eventually find their way to every bird student's bookshelves, and the sooner they do, the sooner their owner* s store of bird- lore will be enriched. and enhanced. Also of particular value from the standpoint of rich- ness and accuracy of color of the plates is Thomas Sadler Rob- ert's BIRD PORTRAITS IN COLOR. 295 birds, most of which ocdur in this area, are beautifully portrayed in very natural colors. Ade- quate descriptions of the birds shown, has been greatly sacrificed to keep the volume within about 90 pages of text. As the student advanoes in the art of identification, books describing various classes of birds will be desired. HAWKS OP NORTH AMERICA by John B. May contains very complete descriptions and life -hi stories as ’well as good colored plates of all the hawks in this country. THE DUCKS, GEESE AND SWANS OP NORTH AMER- ICA by Prancis H. Kortwright covers very Thoroughly 'all water- fowl. The colored plates and illustrations by T. M. Shortt In- cluded in the latter book are probably the most profused and true to life of any to be found in any book yet published treating solely of one olass of bird. BIRDS OP THE OCEAN by W. B. Alexan- der contains good descriptions and life-histories of our oceanic birds.' Well illustrated in black and white but has no colored plates. WAHBDERS OP NORTH AMERICA by Prank M. Chapman is the best treatise on that subject but has been out of print for seme years. Por books on bird behavior, flight, heme life and songs.. tne most popular are BOOK OP BIRD LIFE by Arthur A. Allen, exception- ally well written and informative; BIRD PLIGHT by Gordon Aymar, well illustrated by photographs of birds in flight; HOME LIFE OP BIRDS by Prancis H. Herrick, of special interest to students of nosts and nesting habits; and a GUIDE TO BIRD SONGS by Arctas A. Saunders . THE MIGRATION OP BIRDS by Alexander Wetmorc and TIS „ MIGRATION OP AMERICAN BIRDS by Frederick C. Lincoln are both good books on migration. However, 30 much new data is constantly be- in g published on this subject that any book soon becam.es dated and Its value correspondingly decreased* In addition to the f arcgoing many books dovering separate classes or single species have been published* They arc highly , specialised and consequently extremely scientific in content* The most important of these are the Bulletin issued by the U*S« National Museum under the editorship of A, C* Bent* Each of ^ these Bulletins contain only certain orders of birds and are is- sued from* time to time in limited quantities which rapidly become exhausted* To date 14 have been issued* Others are in the course of preparation* When these have been completed all the birds of North America will have been included, and ^11 contain 5 more data concerning each bird than anything ever published in this country* - 10 - And last but by no means least, a book that has only recent- ly been Released, but which deserves particular commendation is Joseph J* Hickey* s OTXDE TO BIRD WATCHING. It is not a book primarily devoted to the usual various phases of bird life but presents the whole subject of bird watching from an entirely new and delightfully refreshing viewpoint. The beginner, as well as the more experienced observer, will learn from it what to watch for while in the field, and ‘how to translate his observations into terms of bird behavior. Its use will lead into habits of study and observation that will produce a more thorough under- standing of bird life and will result in a tremendous increase to our store of ornithological information. Hay J. Beasley, MARYLAND ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY Organized April 9, 1945 "The object of this Club shall be to record the observations of bird life in Maryland; to disseminate in a popular manner the results of such observations; to collate the scientific data fur- nished by bird students throughout the State, and to supply such available information to other groups as requested; and to pro- mote the cultivation ' of public sentiment in th.6 preservation of our native bird life." Irving E.'Hampe, President Orville W. Crowder, Vice-President Mrs. Millard C. Kent, Recording Secretary Miss Helen Klinhe , Corresponding Secretary Millard C. Kent, Treasurer OFFICERS EXECUTIVE COUNCIL Mrs, John L, Cotsworth Miss Helen Coggins Miss T. Pearl Heaps Ray J, Beasley Andrew Simon COMMITTEES PROGRAM Miss J, Pearl Heaps Ray J, Beasley PUBLICATION Ray T, Beasley Miss Helen Klinke Millard C. Kent Irving E, Eampe MEMBERSHIP Miss Harriet L. Caspan Miss Helen Coggins HIKE Miss Florence H, Burner Orville W. Crowder BIRD RECORDS Miss Ruth Fishpaugh Miss Helen Klinke Irving E. Hampe