50 The Birds of Albany County 



The nest is an artistic, cup-like structure, very deep, 

 compactly woven, and placed in a thick-growing tussock of 

 grass, or at the base of several small shrubs, well canopied 

 with leaves or ferns. I have found several nests within five 

 miles of Albany. 



Mourning Warbler. — Geothlypis Philadelphia. 5.60 



Rare Migrant Late in May 



Field marks. — Head, neck and throat bluish-gray, forming 

 a sort of veil; breast blackish; back olive-green; belly 

 yellow. 



This is about the last migrant to pass through this County 

 in Spring. Several examples were seen in the Sand Plains 

 in 1907. 



Oven-bird. — Seiurus aurocapillus. 6. 1 7 



Common Summer Resident 



Field marks. — Walks; constantly teeters; upper parts plain 

 olive-brown; sides of white throat and breast streaked 

 with dark brown; crown pale rufus; has an up-and-down 

 song, which sounds like a repetition of the word shirtee, 

 shirtee, SHIRTEE, SHIRTEE, beginning softly and 

 ending in a wild shriek. 



Though called a Golden-crowned Thrush our subject is 

 really not a Thrush at all, but a member of the Warbler family. 

 He gets his most familiar name, Oven-bird, from the way he 

 has of building his nest, which is placed on the ground and 

 domed like an old-fashioned oven. Oven-bird, though very 

 common in Albany County, is probably unfamiliar to any one 



