56 



THE OOLOQI8T 



A MINNESOTA AFTERNOON 



Beating about through the woods 

 and brush this afternoon in search for 

 new specimens for my collection and 

 hoping to secure some new phases of 

 bird life, I found myself thinking of 

 your magazine, or perhaps I should 

 say our magazine, and I wondered if 

 a few bird notes woud not be accept- 

 able. 



With my wife and small daughter I 

 have been camping on the banks of 

 Girl Lake in Cass Co. Even as I 

 write 1 can hear the call of the Whip- 

 poor-will in the woods and the wild 

 laugh of the loon ringing across the 

 water. It is a veritable paradise for 

 birds. Within one hundred yards of 

 the cabin we have nests of the Robin, 

 Catbird, Kingbird, House Wren, 

 Spotted Sand-piper containing eggs 

 and over one of the windows is a fam- 

 ily of Phoebes, while in a small Nor- 

 way pine close by, the Bronze Grackles 

 are caring for a' brood of young. A 

 family of young Baltimore Orioles are 

 swinging in the breezes suspended 

 from the boughs of a nearby birch 

 tree and a mother Yellow Warbler is 

 solicitiously watching over small mor- 

 sels of bird life in a clump of hazle 

 brush I have been closely watching a 

 pair of Cedar Waxwings in the hope 

 of finding their nest but thus far they 

 have eluded me. The little Spotted 

 Sandpiper is having troubleous times 

 as she placed her nest under a small 

 sumac sprout one or two feet from the 

 pathway by which we travel to the 

 inn and every passerby causes her to 

 leave her treasures with wild cries 

 and flutterings. 



Wandering through the woods for a 

 few hours each day I frequently flush 

 Ruffled Grouse, sometimes an old 

 cock who flies away through the trees 

 but more frequently a brooding hen 

 who flutters away with her strange 

 dog-like whinning cries. 



1 have added to my collection a set 

 of Least Flycatchers and a set of 

 Loons or Great Northern Diver. It is 

 rather late for Loon to nest but I was 

 fortunate enough to find a belated 

 pair nesting in a lonely place. Large 

 numbers of Great Blue Herons were 

 seen winging their way through the 

 heavens or perching on the top of tall 

 dead trees and they must nest there 

 in considerable numbers. 



In a nest nearby there is a colony 

 of Red-wings atid the whinny of the 

 Sora is heard together with the pump- 

 ings of the Bittern. 



That ghost-like creature, the Black- 

 billed Cuckoo is very much in evidence 

 for so shy a bird and the Song Spar- 

 row sings jubilantly from every bush. 

 I spent some time watching a pair of 

 Towhees hoping to locate their nest- 

 ing piace but all in vain. 



Large flocks of Gold Finch perch 

 along the telephone wires and violet 

 c:reen tree Swallows flit everywhere. A 

 pair of Killdeer had for some days but 

 noisily proclaiming their tenancy of a 

 small potato field near the cabin and 

 one evening thought I would see if I 

 could outwit them and locate their 

 nest. Crossing the field and their 

 vociferous scoldings I passed into a 

 thick brushy place and then sat down 

 to watch them. They ran up and 

 down past the spot where I had dis- 

 appeared for some time and always 

 stopped to look in that direction. 

 Finally they gave a short call and in 

 a few seconds four small toddlers ran 

 out from under a bush not over a rod 

 away from me and ran across to their 

 parents. I at once arose and walked 

 out into view and great was the com- 

 motion as the old birds took flight 

 with wild cries of alarm and the 

 youngsters ran in every direction seek- 

 ing cover. 



A Great Bald Eagle is occasionally 

 seen whirling in graceful circles over 

 the lake and not infrequently takes 



