Water Birds 



OF NORTHERN VACATIONLANDS 



Melvin A. Traylor, Jr. 

 Associate Curator, Birds 



Cover and below: Habitat exhibit oi blue herons and wood ducks 



ing boxes to supplement the hollow 

 trees where it normally nests have en- 

 abled it to recover, and it is common 

 now even in our local forest preserves. 

 As you paddle around the next point 

 (to the adjoining exhibit case) a pair of 

 loons first attracts your attention. 

 Probably no bird so well typifies our 

 northern lakes as the loon. In the wil- 

 derness areas every lake will have a pair 

 or more, apparently undisturbed by the 

 visitors but actually staying well out of 

 range, diving and coming up at un- 

 expected spots whenever approached 

 closely. But it is at night that the loon 

 really makes its presence heard; its eerie 

 call echoing across the lake is an un- 

 forgettable symbol of the northern wil- 



/\ugust is the month when the minds 

 of most city dwellers turn to dreams of 

 the north woods, away from the dirt 

 and grime of the city. Many will make 

 their dreams a reality by going off into 

 the cool forests and lakes of our north- 

 ern states, but for those of us not so 

 privileged, the Museum's exhibits- 

 of-the-month may offer some solace in 

 the heat of summer. 



Located in Hall 20, the twin ex- 

 hibits of northern Michigan recreate the 

 shore line of one of the many clear- 

 water lakes that dot this area. Somno- 

 lent on an August afternoon, with the 

 dust of a dry summer heavy on the 

 foliage, the scene reproduced on this 

 page and the cover is typical of those 

 that greet the fisherman as he drifts 

 along the lake. Here are a pair of 

 blue herons fishing along the water's 



Page 2 AUGUST 



edge. Their stately look and deliber- 

 ate actions are belied by the noisy ac- 

 tivity to be found in the rookery in 

 the painted background. The little 

 green heron, feeding its two young on 

 the nest, is never an obtrusive bird and 

 is seldom noticed until it flushes from 

 a low bush with a quiet croak and flies 

 along the shore line to land and melt 

 into the background farther down. 



Half hidden by the overhanging 

 brush is a pair of wood ducks, prob- 

 ably our most striking native bird. As 

 you study the brilliant plumage of the 

 drake, you might think that he would 

 be obvious anywhere, yet he is strangely 

 elusive as he works his way along the 

 water's edge and is seldom seen before 

 he flies. Forty years ago the wood duck 

 was nearing extinction, but protection 

 from hunters and the provision of nest- 



derness. Unfortunately the loons are 

 not so tolerant of man and his works as 

 the herons are, and as the roads and 

 resorts extend farther each year, the 

 loon makes a steady retreat northward. 



Beyond the log behind the loon is a 

 hooded merganser, another strikingly 

 marked duck that is frequently over- 

 looked. Although it lacks the flashing 

 reds and greens of the wood duck, its 

 more sombre black, white, and rufous 

 colors make a handsome pattern. It 

 also is a tree-nesting duck, and in the 

 background the female may be seen 

 about to leave her nest hole. 



While summer in Chicago cannot 

 compete with the north woods, we hope 

 that our August exhibits will at least 

 evoke fond memories for those who have 

 known the pleasures of our northern 

 lakes. end 



