WISCONSIN BIRD^STUDY BULLETIN. 13 



YELLOW WARBLER, SUMMER YELLOW BIRD. 



Abundant summer resident; length five incJies; sexes nearly alike; 

 nest of fine grass, plant-down and fibers placed in bush or tree, som,e- 

 times about the home grounds, more frequently in ivoods or clearings. 



This little fellow is a member of the largest and to many, the most 

 interesting family of birds that visit Wisconsin — the warblers. With 

 one exception they are small, dainty birds; so trim and prettily 

 dressed and so active and graceful that they merit the title given 

 them by JNIr. Henry Van Dyke, ' ' The little dandieg of the air. ' ' 



Not one of them is a winter resident mth us, and only two or three 

 stay through the summer, unless it be in the very northern part of the 

 state. They go to extremes: to Central and South America for the 

 winter and to British America for the summer. The warbler tide 

 sweeps northward over Wisconsin during the first half of May. Then 

 the air is full of them. They loiter among the bushes and trees. 

 They give a touch of life and an added beauty to the blooming 

 orchards. They coquette with the sweet scented clusters of the wild 

 plum and crab-apple blossoms. They invite one out into the open 

 v/ith note-book and opera glass to view their passing show ; and no one 

 has been properly initiated into the great fraternity of bird-lovers 

 who has not accepted their invitation and caught the warbler fever 



The yellow warbler is a connnon summer resident in our state. He 

 comes to us, in company with that other flash of golden yellow, the 

 Baltimore oriole, on the third day of May. Like pupils with a record 

 for punctuality to maintain, some of them come a little early for tha 

 sake of being on time, and may be seen the last day or two of April. 



The picture shows the male bird. Note that the whole body is yel- 

 low — an orange or reddish yellow. It is easy, therefore to distinguish 

 him from the goldfinch with his black and lemon plumage. The back 

 of this warbler is a little greenish and the under parts are streaked 

 with reddish brown. The female has few if any of the brownish 

 strealis and is a little greener above. 



The picture gives a good idea of the nest mth its full clutch of egg^i. 

 The male stands above the nest alert and, it may be, anxious; at all 

 events it is a period of great anxiety on the part of himself and mate. 



Thus far all is well: the nest is complete: maybe the female has be- 

 gun to sit and is now off for exercise and food. What a pity it would 

 be to have all their trouble for nothing — not only that, but to go on 

 having trouble, a growing trouble that shall fill the nest and spoil 

 everything! They have reason to be anxious for they have an enemy 

 lurking about. A red squirrel? Well, he is an enemy, but it is not 

 he. A bluejay? Little birds are much alarmed when a blue jay comes 

 about, if they have eggs or young in the nest, but it is not the bluejay 

 nor his big black relative the crow; no, nor a snake. They are all 

 bad enough, but they would destroy the eggs or young and have done 



