More Arizona Birds

MORE ARIZ WORDS AND HARRY L. AND DRAWINGS BY

ARIZONA with a great variety of geographic and climatic conditions supports an abundant and varied bird life. Arizona Highways again gives us an opportunity to introduce some of our friends. This time we present six well-known birds and one which is little known but unusual. We hope these brief introductions will serve to start a long friendship or help advance the ones already made.There is hardly a head-gate or bridge in the irrigated sections of Arizona that does not support a pair of Black Phoebes. These little black flycatchers are active in their search for food. From a perch they have selected on the structure, the individual darts out to catch an insect. It returns with the insect to the same perch or one near it and takes off the wings or hard portions. The remaining morsel is eaten or carried to its babies. This ceaseless hunt for insects is of great value to man.The nest is built of small pellets of mud gathered at the edge of the water and stuck on the structure, these are strengthened by the addition of rootlets and straw material and lined with feathers and always under cover, for built of a soluble material just a little rain

ONA BIRDS PICTURES BY RUTH CROCKETT WALTER E. BOHL

would wash it off. In this nest are deposited four or five white eggs slightly spotted with brown. They seem to have little fear of man, building near his abode and showing little concern at his approach.Both the male and female wear the same dress, a black coat and white vest. The young wear a sooty black until fully developed. They are residents and spend their entire year in the warm valleys of Arizona where they can find water over which to hunt.

Western Mockingbirds are "Rugged Individuals." This perhaps comes to notice more in spring when they have chosen a certain territory in which to build their nest and raise a family. Their first job is to drive out other birds and especially those competing for the insect life for food. These birds are simply chased each time they appear in the vicinity of the Mocker's territory unless they are able to defend themselves or are too small to bother with. This duty tended to they can go on with the nest building. While she is busy with the nest duties, he keeps up the incessant viligance to protect his territory and giving warning to all wildlife about him of any approaching danger.

Their protection of the nest is clever and vigorous, when an enemy approaches he flies down close to the intruder scolding and flying at it. She by this time brings up the attack from the unguarded side, and should it be a small animal, takes a nip at the fur, pulling a portion out. The intruder thus attacked looks around and the other bird cross flies and takes a nip of fur. This continues until the enemy is well out of their territory. We have seen them chase a cat down the street a distance of several blocks. A neighbor's dog, old and fat, used to sleep in the sun at our back door. During the nesting period her arrival brought the Mockers down, as they considered her an enemy. Mrs. Crockett feeling sorry for the dog attempted to carry her out of their reach while the Mockers nipped her arms hard enough to make red spots.

Their nest is usually built five to eight feet above the ground with sticks and roots and lined with grasses. Their three to five eggs are greenish but so boldly spotted and splotched with brown they give the appearance of brown. A favorite nesting site is the crotch in a Yucca and one of the pictures in this article shows a Mockingbird as it appeared when we examined the nest. They also nest in bushes and thickets around the habitation of man. They are residents, living the entire year in the warm valleys of Arizona and in some cases a short ways up the mountain canyons.

Although a light gray in color the Mockingbirds are very attractive in flight because of the ease and grace with which they maneuver a long tail, edged with white and long wings, with white splotches on them. They are birds that attract attention in the neighborhood and are usually welcomed.

Few birds are such energetic singers as Mr. Mocking bird and he is also an accomplished mimic. He not only mimics other bird calls and songs, but animals and other sounds about him. He selects a high perch overlooking his domain and sings morning, noon, and night, with double measure for moonlight nights. The songs is a mixture of his own phases and parts of other birds' songs. Portions are repeated several times, then as if lifted on his own song he leaps straight up into the air about six feet, and on his standard phase teacher, teacher, teacher he settles to his perch on open wings.

He selects a high perch overlooking his domain and sings morning, noon, and night, with double measure for moonlight nights. The songs is a mixture of his own phases and parts of other birds' songs. Portions are repeated several times, then as if lifted on his own song he leaps straight up into the air about six feet, and on his standard phase teacher, teacher, teacher he settles to his perch on open wings.

A number of years ago one of the writers was asked The Western Mockingbird is an energetic singer, he has a pleasant song of his own and is an accomplished mimic.

to give a breakfast talk at a boys' camp in a location not visited before. Having a class late in the day at summer school was unable to go to the site of the camp until evening. After retiring to a bag on the ground the moon came out in all its glory and a Mocker started his repertoire of songs. From bits included in this concert the speaker was able to identify the songs of five other birds, which gave him enough key to the bird population in the vicinity to start the talk the following morning. We are often asked what is the most unusual bird in Arizona. Many things must be considered but probably the Mexican Crossbill will have to be nominated. His uncommon point is his crossed mandibles. This crossed bill is a development by nature to facilitate the opening of pine cones to get the small seeds. They seem to be found in greater or less numbers in proportion to the crop of evergreen cones. A friend of ours tells the legend, that at Calvary when Jesus was nailed to the cross a red bird appeared and tried to pull the nails from His hands. The bird's efforts were so great and the nails so secure that the bird bent its bill out of alignment and its descendants to this day have the same crossed bill. They are slightly larger, and darker, but in general appearances are very much like the House Finch. The male sports the same red head and back. It has been our good fortune to visit the South Rim of the Grand Canyon during August several times. A great thrill each time has been to see a flock of Crossbills come in to drink at the water basin. They come into the Pine tops with a great deal of chatter and talking, then slip down one or two at a time, drink deliberately and fly away hurriedly, chattering. Then one or two more slip down until all have come and gone. At rare times at mid-day when tourists were away and the camp quiet they were braver and would come in a flock of twelve or fifteen, have a bath amid much chatter and shaking. The Gambel's Sparrows are winter visitors in the warm valleys of south and central Arizona. The first of them have arrived in the vicinity of our home within a twelveday period, September 26 to October 8, for the past ten years. They make themselves known by a cheery song and it may even be a day before we see them. Their song is attractive and used more or less throughout the winter. Carlos Stannard, who has done Bird Banding in

the same vicinity for a number of years, through his records has reached the conclusion that after the first flight arrives other groups arrive at intervals which bear a relation to their arrival on previous years, each group arriving at the traps for its initial appearance at about the same date each year. For example his bird No. 622, an adult, was first caught in the trap December 25, 1938, November 12, 1939, and December 21, 1941. Another No. 655 was taken the first time January 21, 1939; January 14, 1940; and January 26, 1941. He has a similar record for twentyfive birds over a five year period. Their summer range is in the high mountains of Colorado to Alaska. We have seen them in Colorado picking bloom seeds from the snow packs and glaciers in the Mummy Range in July, where it probably was as cold as their winter range in Arizona. These little aristocrats are beautifully marked with white and black stripes on the head, three white and two black running the full length, topping a clean gray body with brown wings. They are in fact, a sub-species of the White crowned Sparrow.

In the winter range of the Gambel's Sparrow we see an interesting change in the young, as youth changes to maturity. When they migrate here the young birds have light brown and dark brown in place of the white and black of the adult crown stripes, and as spring approaches the browns rapidly change to white and black. The birds leave for their summer home fully plumed and developed to start their family life.

The Gambel's Sparrows are diligent little workers and are among the first to appear in the morning to eat. They scoot about under the weeds like mice picking up great amount of weeds and waste seeds. This trait makes them stand high in weed control as they appear in Arizona during a time there is not a great deal available but weed and waste grain.

They are nice neighbors and they do not have that nervous flightiness seen in English or House Sparrows but have a "perky" way of raising the head and crown in an alert pose before flying.

That magnificent fellow, the Arizona Cardinal and his wife are residents. They are seen summer and winter in the warm Lower Sonoran Zone of central and southern Arizona. Passing a mesquite thicket soon after Christmas there were so many and they were so brilliant they looked like flowers on the trees. Truly they are one group of Birds which are noticed by all, they appear on most every Boy Scout list, and every tourist with whom we discuss birds tells us of seeing them. Their number seems to be on the increase for we see them in more places on our trips and they are reported from more neighborhoods.

Mr. Cardinal is all red except for a black patch at the base of the bill, while his wife is yellowish brown with a tinge of red. They both have high red crests, which they raise and lower at will. They have heavy red bills which indicates they belong to the Grosbeak family. Because of his brilliant color which might attract enemies to the nest he does not incubate the eggs, but after the young are hatched he assists with the feeding. The Cardinal nest picture of this series was taken at Camp Creek and shows him coming in with food for the young. A mesquite tree is a favorite spot for their nest of twigs and roots, lined with grasses. Their three or four eggs are a pale bluish white with a variety of markings and spots in brown, predominately at the large end. They also build in vines and bushes. Their song is a clear whistled series of notes.

Brewster's Blackbirds, the western blackbirds with white eyes, are common in parts of Arizona. We see them in numbers at higher elevations in summer. This group pictured was at Big Lake atop the White Mountains. They wheeled and circled in formation. A study of the picture will reveal they are in many flight positions.

On the ground they have an energetic manner of eating, gleaning seeds from the ground or picking up insects and worms. As they exhaust the possibilities of the spot they are working, they fly low over the flock and start eating at the advancing edge. This gives the flock a rolling effect as if it were slowly swirling over the ground.

Their nesting habits vary with the situation, they nest in colonies the site being a community idea. It may be high in a tree or as the group at Big Lake chose, in the holes of the rocks shown in the picture.

During the winter months they gather with the Yellowheaded Blackbirds and the Red-winged Blackbirds in the warm valleys of Arizona. These combined flocks comprise thousands of birds, that gather evenings in the trees. This gathering and separating in the evening and morning is marked with a song or call which swells to a mighty chorus.

The Audubon's Warbler, are friends of long standing. (Continued on Page Thirty-seven)