Massachusetts Audubon Society 

 BIRDS BY TELEPHONE 



My dear Mr. Packard: 



White Wickets, West Newton, 

 Feb. 27, 1919. 



In regard to my window list, that was of course a very slight sketch of 

 the real host of feathered children who come and go there throughout the 

 season. In case you are interested to know how many one can see while 

 sitting at my telephone within a hundred feet of the highway, I append the 

 following list, 62 in all: 



Bronzed Crackle 



Red- Winged Blackbird 



Robin 



Bluebird 



Phoebe 



Cowbird 



Fox Sparrow 



Purple Finch 



Vesper Sparrow 



Chipping Sparrow 



Tree Swallow 



Myrtle Warbler 



Yellow Palm Warbler 



Black and White Warbler 



Nashville Warbler 



Parula Warbler 



Yellow Warbler 



Magnolia Warbler 



Chestnut-sided Warbler 



Maryland Yellow-throat 



Redstart 



Blackburnian Warbler 



Golden-winged Warbler 



Black-poll Warbler 



Hermit Thrush 



Swift 



Least Flycatcher 



Towhee 



Thrasher 



Catbird 



Wood Thrush 



Yellow-billed Cuckoo 



Black-billed Cuckoo 



Kingbird 



Oriole 



Rose-breasted Grosbeak 



Tanager 



Warbling Vireo 



Yellow-throated Vireo 



White-crowned Sparrow 



White-throated Sparrow 



Gray-cheeked Thrush 



Quail 



Pheasant 



Downy Woodpecker 



Hairy Woodpecker 



Flicker 



Pine Siskin 



Jay 



Crow 



Goldfinch 



Nuthatches (both) 



Chickadee 



Redpoll 



Cedar Waxwing 



Crossbill 



Tree Sparrow 



Junco 



Golden-crowned Kinglet 



Brown Creeper 



Pine Grosbeak 



Hawks 



I do not mean that every winter or year I see the whole list, but I do 

 mean that in the past two years I have seen from my window each and all 

 of these birds. A red-breasted nuthatch came to breakfast today, and the 

 usual boarders comprise a whirlpool of juncos and a fountain of chickadees. 

 This may sound crazy to some, but they weave and Hy about the feeder in 

 such a fashion as to remind one of the activities of those things. 



Nuthatches use the bark of the elm tree on which the feeder is nailed as 

 a clamp to hold the sunflower seeds while they are prying them open. The 

 interstices are filled with the shells of those seeds, and while the nuthatches 

 are so occupied they permit the other people to feed, but they are unusually 

 selfish and aggressive at other times. 



You need not bother to read these notes about my family, but I must 

 gossip about them to some one who appreciates the fine points of their 

 characters. 



