BIRD STUDY 87 



day and the weather. Birds usually follow the sun. In spring and fall 

 you wiU find them in the fields and orchards in the morning, but when 

 the sun has warmed the south side of the woods they go there; and in 

 the afternoon they follow it across to the north side. During the heavy 

 winds and storms you are most likely to find birds well under cover of 

 the woods, no matter at what time of day; and then, often on the side 

 opposite to that from which the wind comes. 



One familiar with birds knows where to go to find them. 

 Birds Hve and congregate in places according to their liking — 

 places of safety and shelter, where food is plenty, where they 

 can build their homes. Most birds like the water, and we 

 find them near the shores of lakes and swamps, the banks of 

 rivers and meadow brooks. Sheltered valleys, which keep off 

 the winds, with water near at hand, attract many birds. 



The cliffs, islands, and bays of the seashore abound with 

 various water-fowl, ducks, geese, gulls, gannets, petrels, and 

 shore-birds. Similar water-birds are found in the inland 

 waters, feeding upon wild rice, aquatic plants and animals. 

 They build their homes on the sedgy banks. Sloughs and 

 swamps attract herons, cranes, coots, rails, snipes, and other 

 waders. 



Not only strictly water-birds, such as swimmers and 

 waders, but many others are to be found about all kinds of 

 waters. Many come for the water, many to feed upon the 

 myriads of insects and other animals found there, others to 

 make their homes in the inaccessible swamp. Here we find 

 swallows, flycatchers, warblers, tanagers, kingfishers, spar- 

 rows, catbirds, bobolinks, thrushes, blackbirds, wrens, hum- 

 ming-birds, and many others. 



Many birds are found in the open fields and near the edges 

 of woods, such as field-sparrows, blackbirds, kingbirds. 



