Iowa bird life

PUBLISHED QUARTERLY BY THE

II0WA O IRIM II T Hi CLOG II §T §" UmON

Edited by FRED J. PIERCE

VOL. Ill JUNE, 1033 NO. 2

OFFICERS OF THE IOWA ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION

President — Dr. George 0. Hendrickson, Ames, Iowa
V ice- Pres. —Mrs. C, C. Clark. Burlington, Iowa
Sec'y-Treasurer — Kate E. LaMar, Dcs Moines, Iowa

Executive Council:

Dr. Paul L. Errington, Ames, Iowa
W. F. Kubichek, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Mrs. C. J. Fulton, Fairfield, Iowa

Ex-officio Council Members (Past Presidents) :

Walter M. Rosene Walter W. Bennett

Arthur J. Pa las Dr. F. L. R. Roberts

SUBSCRIPTION RATES: In Iowa, $1,00 a year, Outside of
Iowa. 50c a year. Special rate for all libraries, public or college,
50c a year. Single copies 15c each.

Orders for reprints from articles or extra copies of the journal must be in (.be
hands of (he editor before publication. Plm-e notify (he editor promptly of
change of address and state whether the new address in permanent nr temporary.

Field Notes, on Iowa birds, book news, and historical nr biographical material
pertaining to Iowa ornithology are desired for publication.

EDITORIAL AND PUBLICATION OFFICE
W I N T H R O P , IOWA

Entered ns scctmd-diiss matter February 'J. VM2, at the post office a( Winthrop. Iowa,
under (he A<:t of March 2 1 8 7 ‘J ,

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IOWA BIRD LIFE

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THE BIRDS: A PART OF OUR HOME

19

THE BIRDS: A PART OF OUR HOME*

By GEORGE O. HENDRICKSON

President. Iowa Ornithologists* Union

One bright Sunday morning in spring I stepped out-of-doors after
breakfast for a breath of the fresh air. My attention was drawn to
a trio of Robins in a plum tree at the back of the yard. It was a
“triangle” — two males and one female. One male appeared to have
some food in his bill, and from his side of the tree he called in low
clucking tones an invitation to the female. At the opposite side of
the tree, male number two sang a low and very sweet song which surely
the female, perched between the two rivals, could not help hearing.
Shortly, the songster flew, with a stirring call note, to the ridge of
the barn a few yards away. There he opened up with all the power,
the joy, and the vigor that a male Robin can turn loose in song, and
the female heard the song. She soon flew to alight on the barn.

Male number one was now put out. He swallowed the food and
proceeded to give the call one hears so often when a cat comes near
a nest. But the female seemed to see no harm in being near male
number two. So it occurred to male number one to fly to the top of
nearby box elder tree and offer up his song. Ere long the female
left the barn and perched on a fence near the box elder tree. Now it
was male number two’s turn to try some tricks.

At this point the children and I were reminded of '‘time to go to
Sunday-school,” and we went. At the noon meal I told the family
about the Robins’ affairs. In time, matters must have been settled
properly because some days later the children joyfully reported a
nest in the plum tree. And, shortly, they found a nest in a blue-spruce
tree at the front of the yard ....

Thus you see these affairs, the songs, the habits, the nests, the
eggs and the babies of the two pairs of Robins had become a part
of our daily life in observations and in conversation. The Robins were
a part of our home— a part of our lives. We enjoyed them together.
Of all the things that made up our home, the Robins were an essential
source of pleasure— low-priced, health-building and instructive in ways
that are clearly evident to any adult man or woman.

By the time a neighbor’s cherries were ripe the Robins had more
than paid for a little of the fruit by eating many cutworms that might
have done much damage in our gardens. But the neighbor felt it to
be his duty to shoot at them occasionally. I think he killed very
few Robins, if any. Because some of the shot whistled too close
to the ears of other neighbors at work in their gardens, the police
were requested to inform the gunner of the ordinance forbidding the
shooting of firearms in our city. And the Robins reared a second
bdood-i

To me it seems that many birds return our kindness. A Rose-
breasted Grosbeak frequently visits my garden. I believe that he
helps in keeping my potatoes free from potato beetles. Occasionally
he shells out a few ripe peas. But the extra potatoes out-value the
few peas that the grosbeak takes. Several species of small sparrows
are in our yard from time to time. We observe them eating many
weed seeds. Although we have to continue to fight weeds, I am grate-
ful to any creature that eats seeds of undesirable plants. But, I shall
not expect unreasonable things from my bird friends. It is unfair
to expect birds to control cockleburs, quack grass and Canada thistles.
When an English Sparrow becomes so familiar that he insists upon
roosting in the garage, I am vexed for a while. I have a broom handy,

*Excerpts from a speech before the School for Curoc Wardens, at Des Moines, Decem-
ber 5, 1D32.

20

IOWA BIRD LIt'Hi

and some morning that sparrow will not be able to fly by me on his

way out. „ , , . ... .. i i

Throughout the summer we hear the Bob-white calling in the fields
to the south and the west of our home. The food habits of these
active little fellows are so well-known that we need not say more than
to state that the Bob-white must be preserved for the best interests
of agriculture in our state. We agree completely on that point. When
in the autumn the Bob-whites gather together and come up around
our barn for shelter and food, we begin to love them still more as
parts of our home. After watching the little flock of Bob-whites a
while this morning under the bridal-wreath just beneath the large
east window of our house, it would be hard for the children and me
to consent to part with any one of that little flock.

Courtesy t;i ltiwa Suits College
FEMALE KOH WHITE ON NEST
l>huUiKrii|ihe<l I Waller M. Rusenc. near Onden. [uwn.

Lately, the nuthatches and Downy Woodpeckers have come back to
climb down and up the apple trees and All up on codling moth larvae.
The children, mother and I watch them anti enjoy their behavior as
we see these feathered helpers from the playroom windows. To sueh
happy gatherings I come back daily from my work. Such happenings
are parts of our home .... The fireman protects our belongings
against disastrous tires, ami the policeman frightens the thief away.
To the game warden we look for aid in the protection of the birds,
a part of our homes ....

Iowa State College.

Ames. Iowa,

OUR ELEVENTH ANNUAL MEETINC

21

OUR ELEVENTH ANNUAL MEETING

By KATE E- LA MAR

Sec’y-T re usurer. Iowa Ornithologist*' Union

The eleventh annual meeting of the Iowa Ornithologists’ Union
opened in the lecture room of the Public Library, Fairfield, Iowa, May
5, 1933, at 9:00 A, M- Mrs. A. E. Labagh, president of the Fairfield
Bird Club, gave the address of welcome. A response in behalf of the
Iowa Ornithologists’ Union was made by Walter M. Rosene*

Mrs. C. C- Clark of Bur-
lington read a paper en-
titled ‘‘Field Notes of a Bird
Lover,” which consisted
largely of excerpts from the
journal of W. G. Ross, a
Fairfield bird student who
kept very careful notes from
1898 to 1909- The paper
was described as a “literary
gem” by those who are fam-
iliar with the writings of
this early bird lover-

A paper, “Birds of South-
eastern Iowa." bv Prof. H.

E. Jaques of Mou nt Pleas-
ant, described the bird trips
that he conducts for his stu-
dents and included a list of
birds seen during the pre-
vious month.

A talk on “Organized
Crow Shoots" was presented
by Dr. Mary Roberts- Dr,

Roberts brought out two
points: First, Crows are not
always bad; second, unreg-
ulated Crow shooting is very
detrimental. She spoke quite
fully on the food habits of
the Crow and its economic status in the Middle West, and outlined con-
trol measures. A discussion followed in which Dr. F. L. R. Roberts, Dr.
P. L. Errington, and Mr. Pierce brought out points not touched by the
author.

“Subspecies and Their Place in the List of Iowa Birds,” by Philip
A. DuMont, was the next paper on the program, and was of great in-
terest to all who heard it. He discussed this important problem thor-
oughly, and illustrated his talk with subspecific bird skins from the
University of Iowa Museum. Iowa has many migratory subspecies
which cannot be easily distinguished in the field, and Mr DuMont ad-
vised extreme caution in listing them as such Ornithologists wish to
know what subspecies are found in Iowa. Well regulated collecting
of specimens to determine the range of subspecies was recommended
by the speaker-

Just before the noon adjournment President Roberts appointed the
following committees: Crow shoots, Walter Bennett, Dr. Errington, P.
A. DuMont, Mrs- A. J. Pains, and Dr. Mary Roberts; Resolutions, Dr.
Hendrickson, Mrs. C. J- Fulton, and Walter Rosene; Nominating, A.
J- Palas, Mrs- Toni Wendelburg. and J- Wilbur Dole. Noon luncheon
was held in the Christian church-

ROLt WHITE CHICKS

which Wiiltcr M, Rosene r*h«Hct:r:mheeI hi* hut.
They were just hiitchcd :mJ fairly t-ifflo. The
jiholo is tisck by courtesy of Iowa SUite College.

90

IOWA BIRD LIFE

The Friday afternoon session opened in Barhydt Chapel of Parsons
College. The first feature of the program was a talk by Dr. Paul L.
Errington of Iowa State College on “Wintering of Quail in Iowa/' He
stated that the mortality of Quail in Iowa during winter is due largely
to lack of food and suitable cover, and went on to describe his work
for the state in the matter of quail studies. The destruction of quail
by foxes and other natural enemies was discussed by Dr- Errington-
The information which he gave was of great interest to us, since it
illustrated the progress that is being made in the state's work with
game birds.

“Wild Flowers of Iowa/' a talk by Wier R. Mills of Pierson, was
particularly educational, since it was illustrated by beautiful lantern
slides. It almost made some of the ornithologists decide to become
botanists- The pictures included the spring flowers and prairie flowers,
and showed over 5G species- Mr. Mills' entertaining lecture which ac-
companied the pictures was full of information concerning the different
wild flower habitats-

The next speaker was Mrs. Toni Wendelburg, who talked on “Birds
of a City Lot/’ from observations made at her home in Des Moines.
She said that her many birds were present because of her large berry
thickets, brush tangles, bird pool, and trees which attracted them.

John B- Slate of Sigourney introduced “A Bird We All Should
Know,” which ‘bird’ proved to be E- D- Nauman, the well known author
and ornithologist of the same city. All of our members have known
Mr. Nauman through his bird articles, and there were many more who
were glad to make his personal acquaintance at the meeting. Mr. Slate
read Mr- Nauman’s “Birds of Early Iowa,” published in ‘The Palim-
psest' in 1924 and republished in "Iowa Bird Life' in 1931. The literary
style was delightful- Anyone will be well repaid for the reading of
this article, which graphically describes the Passenger Pigeons, Wild
Turkeys, Prairie Chickens, Swallow-tailed Kites, and other birds known
to the pioneers of Iowa- One wonders which birds of today will be-
come the extinct species of tomorrow.

Dr. George O. Hendrickson of Iowa State College talked on “Quail
Farming” (illustiated by slides). His work has been carried on largely
in the southern part of the state, and he has organized many quail
clubs among boys of from 10 to 15 years of age- He teaches conserva-
tion of the soil in connection with providing cover for quail and other
game birds.

Two papers, “Amateur Observations,” by Judge 0. S. Thomas of
Rock Rapids, and “Recent Field Experiences with Birds” (moving pic-
tures), by W. F. Kubichek, were read by title in the absence of the
authors-

The afternoon program was followed by the business meeting. Re-
ports by the various committees and officers were heard. The “Resolu-
tions” included the following important sections:

“Resolved, that we proffer our thankful appreciation of the recep-
tion and entertainment by the Fairfield Bird Club as representatives
of the Fairfield community; . that we express our thanks to
President and Mrs, Clarence W, Green of Parsons College for the
courtesies and friendly reception of our Union; ■ , that we ex-

tend our thanka to the Rotary Club of Fairfield for its bountiful ban-
quet and the very pleasant evening reception given us.” “ . . . Be

it resolved, that, although we recognize the right of persons to protect
their property when in the act of being damaged or destroyed, the Iowa
Ornithologists’ Union goes on record as opposing organized and whole-
sale killing of Clows or other birds, except that any wholesale control
measures should be conducted according to the apparent needs of local
situations, and only when properly supervised by qualified officials.”
“Resolved, that we express our appreciation and commendation of the

OUR ELEVENTH ANNUAL MEETING

23

organization of Quail Protective Clubs and nature clubs in Iowa made
possible by the Iowa Fish and Game Commission, Iowa State College,
and Mr. Darling of Des Moines” (Lack of space prevents the print-
ing of the resolutions in their entirety, but they are preserved m the

As an^economy measure and to simplify the keeping of records, it
was decided to consolidate the offices of Secretary and Treasurer. The
list of new officers as elected is given on our title page of this issue.
Editor Pierce gave a short talk on the publishing of our magazine and
the problems connected with it- Size of issues, time of publication,
postal rates, advertising, and manuscript material were some of the
points mentioned. Various comments and suggestions by the mem-
bers followed his talk. After numerous business matters were brought
up for discusion and taken care of r the meeting adjourned for the

afternoon^ ^ ^ we were entertained at the home of President and
Mrs. Green of Parsons College- Tea was served and a short musical

program was enjoyed. ^ . , , .

The evening banquet was held at the Presbyterian church at seven
o’clock- Here we were guests of the Fairfield Rotary Club, and it was
easily the biggest and gayest event of the entire meeting. About 200
people were present. The unique menu and postprandial program were
most pleasing. An address of welcome was made by Rotarian A- G.
Jordan. Musical numbers of various kinds were provided by Fairfield
talent, and a burlesque scientific lecture by William Steve r of Fair-
field provoked much hearty laughter- It was entitled “Fifty-seven New
Varieties of Birds Discovered on My Recent Expedition to the Island
of Krum" The birds were new 1 One of the most astounding species
was the “auger billed ficklefinch” which dug fence-post holes in the
earth and pulled forth worms as large as auto inner tubes! A senes
of lantern slides accompanied the “lecture.” The speaker of the
evening was Walter W. Bennett, who presented slides and moving
pictures of “Birds in Their Homes.” His lecture was very enjoyable,
a3 were the pictures which accompanied it. His series of moving pic-
tures of the nesting of the Long-billed Curlew in Nebraska was a

feature worth going far to see.

The field trip occupied all of Saturday morning, May C- The various
groups reassembled at noon at “The Walton, a clubhouse near Fair-
field, where a fine luncheon was served by the local club- After some
songs around the campfire and the complete bird list was compiled, the
meeting adjourned. The Fairfield event will go down in our history as
one of our best and most successful meetings.

Attendance Remitter.— AMES. Dr- P- L. Errington, Dr- and Mrs. G.
0 Hendrickson; ARNOLDS PARK, Walter W. Bennett; ATLANTIC,
Mrs- Billy Williams; BURLINGTON, Mrs. C- C- Clark, Mrs- Kitty
Tiedemann; CEDAR RAPIDS, C. Esther Copp, Lavma Dragoo, Ada
Patterson, Mr. and M,rs. E- J. Petranek, Mrs- Jennie N. Pratt, Lillian
Serbousek, Romayne Wallace. Myra Willis; DES MOINES, Kate E-
LaMar, Olivia McCabe, Mr. and Mrs. A- J- Palas, Mrs- Toni Wendel-
burg 1 FAIRFIELD, Mrs. John Auckland, Mrs, W. H- Bangs, Roger
Barnes Mrs- Geo. Bonifield, Chas. Carter, Mrs. J. F- Clarke, Grace
Cline, Mrs. I. N. Crow, Mrs- E. A- Davies, J- Wilbur Dole, Mrs, Frank
Fourt, C- J- Fulton, Chas. Gilly, Mr. and Mrs- Chas. Heer, Mrs. R. D.
Hunt, Gail Hunt, Mrs. Walter Hunt, Mrs. Fred Hunt, Mrs. Fred John-
son, Paul S- Junkin, Mrs. A. E- Labagh, R. W. Lamson, Roberta Lou-
den, Hazel Manatrey, Fred D. Mason, Malcom McDonald, Mrs. Don
McGiffen, Mrs- C- T- McKenzie, Mrs. Carl Melander, Mrs- W. H. Ped-
rick, W. R. Phipps, E- R. Smith, Lenora Thomas. Alice and Elizabeth
Turney, C* D. Vernon, Carl Welty; IOWA CITY, Philip A- DuMont,

24

IOWA BIRD LIFE

Dr and Mrs. F. L. R- Roberts; MOUNT PLEASANT, H- E* Jaques,
John Moore, Edgar Pierson; OGDEN, Mr. and Mrs, W- M. Rosene;
PIERSON W R- Mills, Paul Osborn; SIGOURNEY, E. D. Nauman,
John B, Slate; TIPTON, Mrs. M. E- Fleagle; WINTHROP, Fred J.
Pierce; WEST BROOKFIELD, MASS-, Carlton B. Richardson. (This
register does not include all those who attended the Rotary Club ban-
quet, at which there were nearly 200 people, mostly of Fairfield-)

Bird* Seen on the Field Trip. — (Several groups visited different
areas near Fairfield, including the golf club grounds, timber land,
waterworks ponds, etc.; 6 A. M. to 12 M,) Pied-billed Grebe, Forster’s
and Black Terns, Double-crested Cormorant, American and Red-
breasted Mergansers, Blue-winged Teal, Shoveller, Scaup and Ring-
necked Ducks, Great Blue and Green Herons, Coot, Wilson's Phalarope,
Wilson’s Snipe, Least, Semipalmated, Solitary and Spotted Sandpipers,
Greater and Lesser Yellow-legs, Western Willet, Upland Plover, Kill-
deer, Bob-white, Mourning Dove, Marsh, Sharp-shinned, Cooper’s. Red-
tailed, Red-shouldered, Broadwinged and Sparrow Hawks, Barred,
Screech and Great Horned Owls, Belted Kingfisher, Yellow-bellied Sap-
sucker, Hairy, Downy, Red-headed and Ked bellied Woodpeckers,
Flicker, Chimney Swift, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Kingbird, Crested
and Least Flycatchers, Phoebe, Wood Pewee, Prairie Horned Lark, Blue
Jay, Crow, Starling, Bobolink, Cowbird, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern
Meadowlark, Baltimore Oriole, Bronzed Crackle, Goldfinch, English,
Vesper, Savannah, Grasshopper, White-crowned, White-throated, Tree,
Chipping, Field, Song, Lincoln’s and Swamp Sparrows, Slate-colored
Junco, 'iowhee, Cardinal, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Purple Martin, Cliff,
Barn, Tree, Bank and Rough-winged Swallows, Cedar Waxwing, Mi-
grant Shrike, Warbling, Yellow-throated and Bell's Vireos, Black and
White, Blue-winged, Nashville, Tennessee, Yellow, Myrtle, Black-poll,
Blackburnian, Black-throated Green and Palm Warblers, Ovenbird,
Grinnell’s Water-thrush, Maryland Yellow-throat, Redstart, Pipit, Cat-
bird, Brown Thrasher, Carolina, House, and Prairie Marsh Wrens,
Brown Creeper, White-breasted Nuthatch, Tufted Titmouse, Chickadee,
Golden and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Wood,
Wilson's and Olive-backed Thrushes, Robin, Bluebird. Total, 120
species.

GENERAL NOTES

Breeding Bird* in Iowa. — An attempt has been made by the writer
to determine which species of birds may be classed as breeding species
in Iowa. On the basis of all authentic nesting records either recorded
or reported during the past 20 years the Iowa list of breeding birds
totals 135. Certain others, noted occasionally as summer residents,
may yet be found as breeders. A special effort should be made to
determine whether the following species may be added to this list.
Those marked by an (X) are represented by another subspecific form,
which, in each case, is a common breeder. Specimens of all so marked
are needed for accurate determination. Eared Grebe, Hooded Mer-
ganser, Ferruginous Rough-leg, Eastern Pigeon Hawk, Yellow^ Rail,
Piping Plover, Eastern Solitary Sandpiper, Wilson’s Phalarope, Frank-
lin’s Gull, Aiken’s Screech Owl (X), Sennett’s Nighthawk (X), Long-
tailed Chickadee (X), Brown Creeper, Common Rock Wren. Willow
Thrush, White-eyed Vireo, Black and White Warbler, Worm-eating
Warbler, Golden-winged Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Sycamore
Warbler, Northern Prairie Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Kentucky Warb-
ler, Brewer’s Blackbird, Blue Grosbeak, Summer Tanager, Nevada
Cowbird (X), Lark Bunting, Eastern Grasshopper Sparrow (X), Le-
conte’s Sparrow, Western Henslow’s Sparrow, Nelson’s Sparrow,
Swamp Sparrow, and Eastern Song Sparrow (X).

Of the 135 breeding birds, it can be said that this list includes only

GENERAL NOTES

25

common species which all recognize as breeders, with perhaps not over
a dozen somewhat rare or local breeders included- These are: Com-
mon Canada Goose, Shoveller, Ruddy Duck, Swainson’s Hawk, Wilson's
Snipe, Bewick's Wren, Carolina Wren, Eastern Red-winged Blackbird
(the Giant Red-wing is the common form), Northern Pine Siskin, East-
ern Savannah Sparrow, and Clay-colored Sparrow, — PHILIP A. DU
MONT, Museum of Natural History, University of Iowa, Iowa City,
Iowa.

A Wounded Whooping Crane. — Much is remembered, more has been
forgotten, yet anon the vesper bells of memory toll into remembrance
voices and incidents of boyhood days spent upon the prairies which
have long since disappeared. Especially do the recollections of various
cries ana calls of the numerous wild birds linger down thru the flight
of vanished years.

About the middle of April, 1873, while brother and I were at work
sawing and piling wood on the paternal homestead, three neighbor boys
called and questioned in a chorus, ''Did you fellows see that great white
bird walking thru your pasture to the north, up the valley?'' Brother
and I answered, “No, we haven't seen any bird,” “Welt, there is the
biggest bird of some kind that we have ever seen, stalking slowly to-
waid the north, following the creek in the pasture,” Then the five of
us started afoot across the pasture toward where they said they had
seen the bird traveling northward. It seemed queer to brother and
me that a bird which had wings should be walking rather than flying.
When queried by us as to what sort of bird they surmised it might be,
one said he believed it was some kind of heron or crane, for it ap-
peared to have a long bill and its legs were stilt-like and very black.
We walked westward down the pasture, and upon reaching the valley,
were able to see the great white creature slowly plodding along north-
ward close to the banks of the stream. The land was all closely-cropped
pasture, and it was easy to secure a full view of the bird. Since first
seen by the boys, it had already somehow advanced over or under a
smooth-wire fence, crossed a highway, gotten thru a second fence, and
was still traveling northward in a neighbor's pasture. All five of us
followed fast. The biped was going along with slow strides, occasionally
raising its wings as tho to fly, which lifting maneuver revealed to us
jet-black, shining shaft feathers. Frequently, as it walked with far-
reaching footsteps, it turned its head sideways and looked back at us,
then it moved slowly on. At times it seemed to have a jaunty air and
confident poise. After some minutes when we were getting closer, it
stopped and again turned its head and haughtily looked back at us
long and deliberately. Stopping short, it pointed its long black bill
straight upward and pealed a thunderous trumpet call that made us
shudder. Then it turned its head to the northward and walked on but
in a moment slowly raised its wings as if it were a painful effort to
lift them. A shock of pity and compassion smote us. Our chorused
exclamations were: “The bird is wounded. It has been shot. It is
weak. It can't fly.”

A short distance ahead stood another barrier-fence. The tall bird
hesitated a moment. It made another attempt to fly. Just as it was
about to ascend, it uttered a wild, despairing wail, which weird and
woeful bird-appeal still haunts with mystic force. Then we agreed the
bird was a white Whooping Crane which was crippled. The wound was
undoubtedly in its body and not in its wings. In its second attempt to
fly it managed to clear the fence, then slowly floated along a few feet
above the ground, its long, loose, fluffy white feathers softly waving
in the spring-time breeze as its wings tediously beat the air; but finally
it appeared to gather strength and rose higher and higher, then flying
in a straight line, it disappeared from our view. We ceased the chase.

26

IOWA BIRD LIFE

While retracing our steps homeward, we talked about the tall, snowy
bird unable to fly but guided by instinct and walking in the direction
its comrades had flown. Perhaps it was one from a dock of several
hundred cranes, and undoubtedly had been injured by a shot from the
gun of some thoughtless hunter when with its kindred it was soaring
in spirals or gliding with poised wings high over the head of the gun-

^The white Whooping Cranes were never very numerous even in
early days and are now almost extinct. Their habitat was along the
Mississippi River Valley. When migrating they usually alighted on some
short-grass hilltop where they could observe the approach of enemies
and there they would stalk about in a stately manner When satisfied
with seed and insect food furnished by the prairies, they would fly to
streams and lakes for fish and frogs. Their nests were usually built
in marshes on tussocks piled high with reeds and rushes. Like the
eagles the flight of the cranes, of which in early days there were
several kinds, was usually above the storm planes, and their circling
and soaring movements in the sky made a wondrous avian spectacle.
There was an intense sublimity in their panoramic maneuvers which
nobly impressed the beholder.— ELLIS E. WILSON, Waterloo, Iowa.

The Burrowing Owl and Other Bird* in Story County, Iowa. A
uair of Bunrowing Owls made their home in some abandoned holes m
our cow pasture during the summer of 1923 and reared a J ami Jy of
young. This is my only record of these interesting birds for Story
County. I observed them in Rock County, Minnesota, m 1930.

In 1918 a pair of Marsh Hawks nested in a clover meadow on our
farm. When discovered, the nest contained four downy young which

1 The^ only Winter date I have for the Robin is January 18, 1926. I
have many winter dates for Meadowlark, Flicker, and Mourning Dove
A Meadowlark was seen in our farm yard on December 12, 1932. It
was 15 degrees below aero that morning. 1 saw a flock of 30 Frame
Chickens on November 17 and again on December 22, 1932.— HENRY
BIRKELAND, Nevada, Iowa.

The Eastern Goldfinch Named Iowa Bird— The Eastern Goldfinch
commonly known as the Wild Canary, has become the official bird of
Iowa. Voting on a concurrent resolution which passed the House, the
Iowa Senate unanimously adopted a resolution designating it as the
state bird. As such it takes rank with the wild rose, the state flower,
and the ear of corn emblematic of the Hawkeye State. Selection of
the Eastern Goldfinch was made at the request of the Iowa Ornitholo-
gists’ Union. — Newspaper clipping, March, 1933.

(The resolution was introduced by Hon. J. Wilbur Dole of Fairfield,
one of our members.)

The Le»er and Greater Snow Gee*e.— From time to time variously
numbered flocks of Snow Geese migrate through Iowa and arc watched
with great interest by observers. Usually they are mixed in flocks with
the Blue Goose fChrn carrttU'u'ens Linn.) or of White-fronted Geese f nur
ulbif ram at hi from Scop.), but occasionally are separate flocks of one kind.

At such times bird students have frequently been in doubt as to the
species, and it may be well to call attention to the status of the two
kinds of snow geese. In substance the 1931 A. 0. U. Check-list gives
the range of the Lesser Snow Goose ( Cbm byptrborea bypcrbona Fall.) as
breeding in northern Canada and wintering over the western United
States east to the Mississippi Valley, and from British Columbia and
southern Illinois south to the Gulf, This clearly would place it as
coming through Iowa during migration. . .

The Greater Snow Goose (Chen byfrtrhore* atiantica Kenn.) is given Dy

GENERAL NOTES

27

the same authority as much farther east, breeding: in Greenland, Baffin
and Ellesmere islands, wintering along the Atlantic coast of Maryland,
Virginia and North Carolina, and migrating along the coast. This
would place this species far from the migration range of the other
Snow Goose. Clearly, this bird would not come to Iowa according to
the A, 0. U,, so it would be well for anyone reporting a Greater Snow
Goose in Iowa to have the bird in hand to establish the record as an
accidental.

Another interesting fact is that the Lesser may migrate in many
groups while the Greater goes practically in one large flock. In April,
1932, the writer had the pleasure of seeing this splendid group of
beautiful birds along the St. Lawrence River. They were all of one
species, feeding along the shore. — WALTER W, BENNETT, Arnolds
Park, Iowa,

Set» of 'The Iowa Ornithologist/ — The following list is the result
of an effort by the Editor to locate all existing sets of this magazine.
It is believed that the list is quite complete. Appeals for information
regarding the location of sets were printed in 'The Auk/ 'Wilson Bul-
letin/ and ‘The Oologist/ through the courtesy of the respective editors,
and there was an earlier notice in Towa Bird Life/ In addition, a
dozen double postal cards (with return card attached) were sent to
persons thought to possess sets. Of these, six were heard from. Some
sets were heard of through personal correspondence, and Philip A.
DuMont located several sets.

There are but 23 sets of 'The Iowa Ornithologist' extant, according
to present information, and not all of these are complete. Six of these
sets are in Iowa, but only two are in public institutions. It is unfor-
tunate that the Iowa Ornithological Association made no provision for
depositing its magazine in a number of Iowa libraries, so that it would
always be available to the many bird students who would not other-
wise have access to it. Thus a publication which for at least a part
of its existence was printed in an edition of 500 copies, has become
very rare. Complete sets bring $10 and upward and are seldom offered
for sale, while single copies regularly sell for $1 each. The magazine
was published quarterly, beginning in October, 1894; it suspended with
Vol. 4, No. 3, 1898, after 15 numbers had been issued. The few in-
complete sets are indicated in the below list. Owners of these incom-
plete sets will be glad to learn where the missing copies can be ob-
tained.

CALIFORNIA. (1) Dr. W. I. Mitchell, Berkeley; (2) Dr. Guy C*
Rich, Hollywood-

ILLINOIS* (3) R. M. Barnes, Lacon.

IOWA. (4) Iowa State College, Ames; *(5) State Historical Society
of Iowa, Iowa City (lacks Vol- II, No. 4; Vol. IV, No. 2); * (Q) Carl
Fritz Henning, Boone (lacks Vol, IV, No. 3); (7) Dr. Chas. R. Keyes,
Mt. Vernon; *(8) Fred J- Pierce, Winthrop (lacks Vol. IV, No. 3);
(9) Dr. T- C- Stephens, Sioux City.

LOUISIANA. *(10) George Seth Guion, New Orleans (lacks Vol.
Ill, No. 1; Vol. IV, Nos- 1-2-3.

MASSACHUSETTS, *(11) Boston Society of Natural History. Bos-
ton (lacks Vol. Ill, Nos- 3-4; Vol- IV, No- 3; (12) Museum of Com-
parative Zoology, Cambridge.

New York. *(13) American Museum of Natural History, N. Y. C-
(lacks Vol. II, No. 4; (14) Columbia University, N, Y. C-

PENNSYLVANIA. (15) Dr. Witmer Stone, Philadelphia.

TENNESSEE. (1G) Albert F. Ganier, Nashville.

WASHINGTON, D. C- (17) Library of Congress; (18) U. S. Dept,
of Agriculture; (19) United States National Museum; (20) Dr. Paul
Bartsch; (21) Dr- H* C. Oberholser.

28

IOWA BIRD LIFE

CANADA- (22) McGill University Library, Montreal; (23) Dr. R.
M, Anderson, Ottawa. — F. J. P.

Ducks In Clay County, Iowa. — The thousands of ducks that have win-
tered in the north part of Clay County in Round Lake, where they
have kept a spot of ice open during the most severe weather by their
swimming and beating of their wings, are being joined almost daily by
other northbound ducks. When they leave Round and Trumbull Lakes
to go to and return from their feeding grounds the air is full of
thousands of ducks.

Doubtless when the great migration takes place some warm day
soon, a good many will delay and decide to stay and nest here, as they
do to some extent almost every year. A large majority of the birds
which wintered here were Mallards, but among the new arrivals are
Pintails, teals and baldheads. The lake is shallow and boggy and many
grassy hummocks make good beds for the ducks, — DES MUlNES REG-
ISTER, March 26, 1933 (Excerpts)

Reports on the Starling in Iowa

CALHOUN COUNTY. Since I have observed Starlings in this vic-
inity I have searched for published records of its appearance, but I
do not find it recorded this far west in Iowa by other observers. I
first saw them on March 4, 1933, along Lizzard Creek with a flock of
about 80 Robins. On March 4, 1 observed four of them inspecting the
holes in a huge cottonwood tree. 1 was near on this occasion and
studied them with a 12x glass— M. L. JONES, Pomeroy.

JEFFERSON COUNTY. On a March hike over territory within
a few miles of Fairfield, a flock of Starlings, estimated to be made
up of 100 birds or more, was seen in a draw just east of the waterworks
pond. This flock seems to be staying in this vicinity— FAIRFIELD
BIRD CLUB. Fairfield- „ . , , . ,

JONES COUNTY- On February 23, 1933, I saw a small flock of 15
or 20 Starlings on the State Reformatory farm near Anamosa- About
three weeks later I saw a single bird feeding with sparows among the
cattle in a barnyard. On March 24, 19 33, I saw' five or six of them
fly into a farm lot and start feeding. This was near Lisbon as I was
driving through- — ALBERT E. COE, Des Moines.

Extinct Birds in Iowa Collections, — It may prove of interest to the
ornithologists of the state to know where they may find specimens
of the extinct North American birds such as the Passenger Pigeon,
Heath Hen, Carolina and Louisiana Paroquets, and those others now
nearly exterminated such as the Eskimo Curlew and Ivory-billed Wood-
p^ck^r*

In the Davenport Public Museum there are three Passenger Pigeons,
two of them taken in Scott County; two Paroquets without data, and
two Eskimo Curlews. One of the latter was collected in Northern
Iowa, by Dr, $. C. Bowman, April 20, 1874, I believe the paroquets
were received from the University of Iowa Museum and were origin-
ally from the Talbot collection.

There is a mounted specimen of the Eskimo Curlew in the collection
of the Museum at Iowa Wesleyan College, Mt. Pleasant. No data are
available for this specimen.

In the Shaffer collection of birds, found in the Jefferson County
Public Library, Fairfield, there are four Passenger Pigeons. They
were probably all captured in Jefferson County before 1880. One
is a Juvenal, a plumage seldom seen in mounted groups.

The State Historical Museum, at Des Moines, has a pair of mounted
Passenger Pigeons and a nest with two eggs. The pigeons were killed
by Prof. Joseph Step pan from a flock of 18 in northern Michigan,
June 14, 1887.

GENERAL NOTES

JO

A mounted pair of Passenger Pigeons are in a case in the Science
Building at Iowa State College, Ames. These birds, while lacking
labels, were apparently part of the collection of Michigan birds which
were purchased by the college, probably in the seventies. There is
also a cracked specimen of the egg of the Passenger Pigeon.

In the collection of birds of the Sioux City Academy of Science,
housed in the Sioux City Public Library, there is one Eskimo Curlew

without data. * .

Oscar P. Allert has, in his collection at Giard, an Eskimo Curlew
taken March 22, 1903, at Oakficld, Wisconsin.

There is a fully plumaged male Passenger Pigeon m the collection
of 0. M. Greenwood at Manchester. This specimen was collected by
Dr. Wm. H. B, Greenwood, in Delaware County, on May 10. 1881.

In the Museum of the Iowa State Teachers College at Cedar Falls
there is a mounted pair of Passenger Pigeons. These birds were pur-
chased about 1900, but the locality from where they were taken is

There is a group of four Passenger Pigeons at the Bert Heald Bailey
Museum, Coe College, Cedar Rapids, two Louisiana Paroquets which
were formerly in the Talbot collection, and an Ivory-billed Woodpecker.

In the Museum of Wartburg College at Waverly, there is a mounted
paroquet, but nothing could be learned of where its was secured.

The collection of the Museum of Natural History, University of
Iowa, contains five mounted Passenger Pigeons; one mounted Ivory-
billed Woodpecker and two others as skins, all from Florida; two
mounted Heath Hens and a skin, from Martha's Vineyard, taken by
J. E. Thayer in 1897; one Eskimo Curlew taken at Burlington, April
5. 1893, by Paul Bartseh; two Carolina Paroquets from Florida; and
nine Louisiana Paroquets taken during 1882 in Indian Territory, by
D. H. Talbot.— PHILIP A, DU MONT, Museum of Natural History,
University of Iowa.

Red-winged Blackbirds in an Oat-field. — -It was the 24th Of July,
The afternoon sun blazed fiercely in a cloudless sky. There was a
light breeze that came at infrequent intervals, but it did little to re-
lieve the intense heat. I was in a small, eight-acre oat-field, where
the farmer had begun the work of harvesting his crop. At harvest
time there is always urgent need for haste, and despite the warmth
of the afternoon, the farmer urged on his four perspiring horses,
while the binder rattled along noisly, and the oats went down in wide
swaths before the sickle-bar. Suddenly the machinery stopped, and
the farmer called to me.

“There's a bird's nest over here.” indicating the location as he spoke.
“Young birds in it, too,” he added. It was late in the season for
nesting birds in Iowa, and as I walked to the other side of the held,
I wondered what bird might have its nest there,

I had little difficulty in finding the nest, as it was of fair size and
was lying on its side in the stubble. In it were four small birds that
had by some chance managed to retain hold of their home when the
binder caught it. The nest had been a toot or more above the ground
in its original position. It was cleverly woven into the oat-stalks so
that several of them hod supported the structure and held it firmly
in nlace. Although I ho nest had lain directly in the noth of th-*
hinde’’. it escaped th u deduction that circumstances indicated should
have been its inevitable f’Mc. The nest had been just high enough
in the oat-stalks to miss the sickle-bar. When the stalks supporting
it were nipped otF. the large reel of the binder caught it squarely
and with the swift movement that is intended to push the oats over
to the canvas, the reel tossed the nest of young birds across the machine
and into dear ground behind it. It was the work of a second, but

30

IOWA BIRD LIFE

within this space of time the miracle had happened. Instead of be-
ing run up the steep incline of rolling canvas into the “packers” where
the bundles of grain are tied, the nest came to rest on the ground
almost as soon as it had been seized by the binder. Here was the
exceptionally rare case where the nestlings had made their first night
BEFORE leaving the nest!

I studied the nest and the young birds carefully. Events which
followed disclosed the fact that they were young Red-winged Black-
birds. This species is one that we usually associate with marshes, and,
as a rule, we find them building their nests among the rushes and
cattails; this nesting seemed a new departure for the bird.

The little birds were safe for the moment, though evidently they
were hungry, to judge from widely opened mouths. The proper thing
to do, apparently, was to try to place them in as nearly their former
position as possible, in the hope that the parent birds would find them
and continue to care for them. Before the oats were cut the stalks
that stood above the nest provided considerable shade for its occupants
when the old birds were away in quest of food; to place them on
the ground under the broiling sun would be nothing short of cruelty.
Too, young birds that lie fully exposed upon the ground are not long
safe from enemies, I decided to place them in a shock of grain- Select-
ing one of the newly-made shocks that stood nearer to the original
nest-site than the others, I put the nest of little birds into its side,
about a foot from the ground, using care to place it on the shady
side of the shock and in a position where it would be conspicuous

from the air- , ,

I awaited the result with anxious expectation- Would the parent
birds find their offspring, or had the aspect of the field been changed
to the extent of their not recognizing their familiar abode. The field
of standing grain had presented a uniform, unbroken appearance to
me but I knew that many minor objects were of topographic import-
ance to the Red-wings, There was the slight gully at one side of the
field; to the Red-wings, no doubt, the nest was a certain distance from
this landmark. Perhaps a particularly large weed, or a certain stick
or a decaying corn-stalk fom last year's crop, pointed the way to
the nest. With the grain leveled and all such landmarks probably
obliterated, could the birds find their brood? .

I had not long to wait. In a short time a parent Red-winged Black-
bird appeared. There was brief poising in the air, while the bird
surveyed the changed surroundings. Soon it sighted the nest of
youngsters, and the food in its bill found the place for which it had
been intended. The work of feeding the nestlings then went on with-
out further interruption. . .

A little later that afternoon I found another young Red-winged
Blackbird, a week or more older than the others, that had not fared so
well at the hands of the binder. One of its wings had been clipped
at the very extremity, taking all of the new feathers at this point,
this doubtless the work of the sickle as the oat-binder passed over it.
The bird was very active, squealing and fluttering when I attempted
to catch it. Upon examination I decided that the wing had every
chance of healing, after which it would function perfectly. I placed
the bird on the top of a shock. Its parents fluttered about in the air
a few yards above my head and called excitedly as I handled their
baby. When I last saw this young Red-wing it was still perched on

the shock. „ ,

The number of young birds which are killed by farm mowers and
grain-binders at this season each year is purely a matter of conjecture,
but the total is no doubt a very large one. Mowing-machines cause
more destruction than grain-binders because their sickle-bars lie flat
upon the ground, while in the latter machine this bar stands from

MEMBERSHIP NEWS

o

l

four inches to a foot above the ground, depending on what height of
stubble the farmer cares to leave in his held,— FRED J, PIERCE,
Winthrop, Iowa.

MEMBERSHIP NEWS

A Letter from Our New President.

Dear Fellow Members:

It gives me great pleasure to have been elected President of this
group of enthusiastic bird students- All of us will be busy at our
'‘birding” this summer. May it continue through the fall and winter-
Some of us may work mostly with the feathered helpers of the garden
and around the home* Others will look for new and rare birds.

The article by Mr. DuMont in this issue will be very helpful to you.
Some members are led by the article prepared by Dr. Errington to look
for nests of game birds. And may others take up this study. Many
of the members will travel outside of the state and see birds new to
them* All of us should write Mr. Pierce, our Editor, about any un-
usual finds in order that alL of us may share them with you through the
pages of 'Iowa Bird Life-’

The Iowa Ornithologists' Union is a good organization! Let us tell
others about it. Good things should grow. Then at our next annual
meeting there will be more of us, and we shall have more observations
to report. Lots of good birds to you!

Sincerely,

GEORGE 0. HENDRICKSON

Ellis E. Wilson, a Waterloo, Iowa, attorney, has written many pioneer
stories based on his experiences as a boy living on Iowa's virgin prairies
in the sixties and seventies. Most of these stories have had as their
background the wild life of Iowa
in the early days, and a number
of them have described the birds
found at that time- ‘Iowa Bird
Life' has been fortunate in being
able to print a few of Mr. Wil-
son's articles; we are presenting
the third one in this issue-

Mr- Wilson was born at Oska-
loosa, Iowa, in 1861, one of ten
children. In I8C4 the family set-
tled on a prairie farm near Water-
loo- Here the boy began his
natural history education from
first hand observation and under
the guidance of his parents who
were both nature lovers. He at-
tended Iowa State Teachers Col-
lege and later taught school at
Hinton and Mo v die, Iowa. He
graduated from Drake University
in 1885, and from the law school
of the State University in 1805.

During the World War he went
overseas as an American Red Cross worker. He still takes keen de-
jight in watching the birds on the Wilson homestead, which has grown
into a 700-acre family estate during the years.

IOWA BIRD LIFE

32

New Iowa Members The following: people have joined the Union

since the publication of our last issue: Joseph N. Beck. Remsen; Miss
C- Esther Copp, Cedar Rapids; Miss Winifred Gilbert. Cedar Falls;
Mrs- George 0- Hendrickson, Ames; Mrs. R, W. Hendrickson, Forest
City; Ralph W- Lamson, Fairfield; Miss Ada Patterson, Cedar Rapids;
Mrs. Thomas Simpson, Washington; Mrs- Billy Williams, Atlantic.

* * * * *

The literature of Tennessee ornithology has recently been enriched
by the publication of two booklets prepared by Albert F. Ganier, The
first is entitled “A Distributional List of the Birds of Tennessee”
(Tcnn. Avifauna No. 1, Jan,, 1933, pp. 1-64, price 50c). This is a suc-
cessor to a preliminary list prepared by Mr. Ganier in 1917. The new
list contains 302 species with a key to habitat and abundance for each.
One section of the booklet describes briefly the geographic regions of
the state, the economic importance of birds with especial reference to
the raptores, the abundance of birds, how to study and attract them,
enemies of birds, and related tonics. There is an index to species, a
useful feature. The other booklet is entitled “Water Birds of Reel-
foot Lake, Tennessee” (Tenn. Avifauna, No- 2, Feb-, 1933, pp- 1-24,
price 35c). Mr. Ganier describes this interesting earthquake-formed
lake, and includes an annotated list of 58 species of water birds found
there. A map and several halftones furnish illustrations.

The two booklets are well printed and are bound in heavy paper
covers- They are a credit to both Mr. Ganier and the Tennessee Or-
nithological Society which sponsored their publication. We are always
glad to call to the attention of our Iowa readers these useful lists pub-
lished by our nearby states- Our lists have much in common, and com-
parisons are always of interest. The Tennessee booklets are for sale
by the Tennessee Ornithological Society, Box 341, Nashville.

***** *

The Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union discontinued its series of mimeo-
graphed letters and began the year 1933 with a printed quarterly called
'The Nebraska Bird Review,’ two issues of which have already appeared.
It is a neatly printed publication, similar in size and scope to our own
Bttle magazine, and carries bird notes and news on the ornithology of
Nebraska, which of course arc also of interest and value to Iowa bird
students. The 'Review' is edited by Dr. Myron H- Swenk, whose repu-
tation as an ornithologist guarantees the quality of the publication.
Subscriptions are 31 a year, and should be sent to Dr- Swenk, at 1410
North 37th St., Lincoln, Nebraska.

* * * * :(*

The Emergency Conservation Committee of New York City has a
Board of Consulting Biologists of about 40 members, among whom
are Drs. F. L. R. Roberts and B- Shimek, well known in our Union-

* *

*

* *

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