CHAPTER V 



INTERESTING EXPERIENCES 



While Engaged in Studying the Habits of Some of the 

 Wild Birds of California 



On a midsummer evening while walking out 

 among the shrubbery and flowers in the 

 grounds of the Diablo Country Club I saw a 

 small bird which I thought was an olive-sided 

 flycatcher. As this bird had not been previ- 

 ously noticed in that locality, its presence there 

 on this occasion was a matter of more than 

 ordinary interest to me. It was very busy 

 catching insects and did not seem to notice 

 my approach. It was perched on a low- 

 strung telephone wire when not on the wing 

 in pursuit of a bug or fly. I finally obtained 

 a position not more than 20 feet from the 

 bird without disturbing it in the operation of 

 collecting its supper. Thus I was enabled to 

 determine its coloring, the size of its bill, and 

 make note of the features that differentiated 

 it from other members of the fly-catching 

 family. 



Every moment or two it would spy a victim 

 flying in the air. Sometimes in darting or 

 flying to oatch the bug or whatever kind of 

 insect it might be it would go a distance of 30 

 feet or more. I could not see the victim in 

 its flight; the bird's eyesight was keener than 

 mine; but generally I could see the capture, 

 after which the bird would fly back and re- 

 sume the perch on the wire. It was most 

 interesting to study the bird while it was on 

 the watch for the coming of a victim. Its 

 head was never still, as it was continually on 

 the lookout for game. It would cock its head 

 first one way, then another, and by the mo- 

 tions it was plain that the eyes were follow- 

 ing the flight of some insect well up in the 

 air, or some bug scouting around near the 

 ground among the flowers. It was not only 

 wonderfuly sharp in eyesight (no human eye 

 could equal its keenness and accuracy), but it 

 was exceedingly clever in the capture of its 

 victims. It seldom made a miss. 



Finally it made a change in its perch from 

 the telephone wire to the top of a tall flower- 

 stake driven into the ground about six feet 

 from where I stood. This move on the part of 

 the bird improved my opportunity for the 

 study of it and watching its movements when 

 in flight for an insect. The bird made several 

 flights from the new perch and on one flight 

 it did not return to the stake top but made 

 another change of perch. This time it selected 

 me, for it lit on top of my head, or, to be 

 exact, on top of my hat. I remained as quiet 

 as possible. The visitor made one excursion 

 from this perch and returned as was its cus- 

 tom at the other perches. I called to one of 

 the gardeners to witness the novel sight. The 



sound of my voice did not seem to frighten or 

 disturb the bird, for it remained on my hat 

 while I talked to the man. However, as soon 

 as I moved the bird darted away like a flash 

 and that was the last I saw of it. 



This is the second experience I have en- 

 joyed in having a bird use my person as a 

 perching place. The other happened a few 

 seasons ago near Pleasanton. One forenoon 

 I went out and took a seat under the shade 

 of a tree near some heavy underbrush and 

 while reading, with my legs crossed, a little 

 California Creeper flew down from the tree 

 and lit on the toe of my shoe. I recognized 

 the little chap as a member of the Creeper 

 family, something of a stranger in these parts, 

 never having seen more than one or two speci- 

 mens of this particular species before and 

 none since. I remained perfectly quiet so not 

 to alarm it, full of wonderment at its famil- 

 iarity and curiosity as to what it was in search 

 of there. After eyeing me for a few seconds, 

 cocking its head first one way, then another, 

 it flew to my right shoulder, then ran around 

 my neck to the other shoulder. The inspection 

 of my clothes seemed to have much interest 

 for it. After leaving my shoulders it visited 

 nearly every part of my body and limbs, run- 

 ning up and down, over and under, as is the 

 habit of the bird when working around tree 

 trunks and limbs. After a most thorough 

 inspection of my clothes it flew off a short 

 distance, but remained on the new perch 

 for a few seconds only when it returned to a 

 position on my foot once more, from whence it 

 made another extended trip over and around 

 my legs and body; then departed to be seen 

 no more. The acquaintance was short and I 

 was sorry to have it end so soon. I have 

 often wondered when thinking of the inci- 

 dent why this particular bird should have 

 had no fear of me. Was it for the reason 

 that it was of the migratory class and came 

 from a wild section of country where there 

 were no human enemies to teach it to avoid 

 as dangerous all forms of the so-called higher 

 order of life? Or did the bird by reason of 

 youth and inexperience just fail to recognize 

 in me the form of a common and dangerous 

 enemy? 



In front of the window of my "den" where 

 I spend considerable time when in Piedmont 

 I have a place where I feed the wild birds. 

 The arrangement is such that the birds, when 

 they come to the place, are so near to me I 

 could put my hand on them if they would 

 submit to it. So I have opportunity to watch 



