Wm 
THE AUDUBON BULLE 
Some birds I had seen the year before were not present 
on our arrival this spring. However, the late appearance of 
the red-headed woodpecker enabled me to memorize the wavy 
note of the red-bellied so that I no longer would confuse 
the two. The summer tanager’s distinctive ‘‘pick-a-tuck’’ was 
Inot heard until the second week. And the purple finches 
|headed north before we headed for home. 
Each day brought a new delight. The kitchen table was 
placed so that my seat gave me a view through door of trees 
‘beyond, and one morning, while lifting a forkful of egg to 
“my mouth with my right hand, I used the left to focus the 
/binoculars on a bluebird and summer tanager sitting on the 
‘same branch. | 
The parula warbler sang in dogwood next to our cabin 
for three days; the lovely blue-wing buzzed his notes across 
the road for just one. The blue-gray gnatcatcher, who had 
nested above us the year before, appeared briefly. 
Two bluebirds dive-bombed the pileated woodpecker, 
who was pecking at a stump too close to their nest. At first 
he jerked his head away from their attacks, but finally gave 
up and flew off. 
Most of all I wanted to see and hear the chat again. The 
year before I had investigated a strange combination of notes 
and found him on the thickety point of land at the lake. I'd 
checked this area many times, finding white-throats, quail, 
thrasher, and even a white-eyed vireo. : 
(It was our fourteenth day, my last chance, and [| had 
less than two hours. The day’s schedule included a shampoo 
and set (in rain water), a pancake breakfast for charity 
sponsored by Rotarians, a trip to Mountain Home for gifts, 
and final opportunity to fish in Bull Shoals’ channels with 
our hospitable neighbor, a skillful angler. ; 
At 6:15 a.m. Bing was not on the step. (He returned 
later, after a night out.) Disconsolate, J went alone to the 
point. Almost immediatey I heard the weird sounds: a 
“cluck-cluck-cluck”’ and a three noted, dissonant whistle. 
There he was, in his rare splendor, the chat. While I 
stood quictly, he flew across the road and perched on a bare 
hickory limb, turning around in the morning sun to give 
me a perfect view. 
Ineflable. 
——Box 483, Park Ridge, Il. 
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