32 
BIRD LIFE IN WASHINGTON 
VIDEOS 
Late in April the basket makers begin 
to arrive. They are tiny birds about the 
size of the warblers but much more plain¬ 
ly dressed. They have chosen gray and 
white—excellent colors for neat but busy 
mechanics. These colors serve as a pro¬ 
tection. Gray and white corresponds so 
nicely with the lights and shades of the 
leaves and bark, that a Yireo may often 
sing for half an hour directly over our 
heads, while we search for the tantalizing 
singer and yet fail to see him. 
The baskets are almost always light in 
color. The birds use plant down, white 
strips of paper, and plants. The lining 
is made of tine grass stems. 
Sometimes mosses are woven into the 
nest, but seldom are there enough to make 
the nest dark in color. These little nest 
baskets are hung from the forking twigs, 
a little late for May Day but they are 
more carefully hung than the May fairies 
hang theirs. 
