Birds of The Palisades Interstate Park 
41 
2. Veery, ok Wilson's Thrush. Hylocichla fuscescens fusces- 
cens (Steph.) 
The Veery is not well known, having a shy and retiring dispo- 
sition. Its singing is a choice feature of the swamp woods where 
it resides. At Bear Mountain it seems to limit its resorts to the 
ravines south and east of the entrance to the Inn premises. The 
Veery can be distinguished from the other thrushes by the uniform 
tawny brown of its upper parts; in comparison, the Wood Thrush 
has the head and shoulders more brightly marked with reddish 
brown than the other upper parts. The song of the Veery can be 
easily identified by its repeated vibratory effect, dying away after 
the manner of the tones of a taut wire set in vibration. 
3. Wood Thrush. Hylocichla mustelina (Gmel.) 
The Wood Thrush is a common though not well-known summer 
resident of the Bear Mountain locality, as well as other sections 
of the Park. Its nesting sites are confined more to the woods than 
in the case of the Robin, though it is a regular dweller in park-like 
surroundings, especially where hard maples abound in the vicinity 
of water. At Highland Falls I noted a nest of a Robin and a 
Wood Thrush almost side by side in a little secluded nook along 
the busy road leading up from the railroad station to the main 
street of the town. In the small, rocky ravine overrun with vines, 
the Robin and Wood Thrush had chosen almost identical sites, 
both being on horizontal crotches of long bending saplings amid 
clustering vines. Both nests were about fifteen feet from the 
ground, and the sites were about twenty feet apart. The Robin 
sat on her nest facing the road, while the Wood Thrush sat facing 
the shrubbery back of the dark nook. In outward appearance the 
two nests greatly resembled each other, and my first thought was 
that two thrushes had selected sites unusually close together. 
The Wood Thrush can be identified by the brighter reddish 
brown of the head and shoulders in comparison with the other 
upper parts. Its singing is quite different from that of the Veery, 
consisting of repeated ringing phrases, suggesting to me the gen- 
eral expression. “ war-dle-ee”, the ending being lengthened and 
resonant in quality. 
