BIRDS WE SAW

The early morning hours are a vertible symphony of nature's music with the Juncos, Jays, Varied Thrushes, Nuthatches, Chickadees, Kinglets and many others all doing their share in saturating the atmosphere with song. Even the Raven, drifting about near the steep face of the Ramparts, adds his hoarse croak to the medley.

At the lower elevations the alders are hung with numerous catkins and here the Kinglets are found in greatest abundance. Large flocks of them seek those catkins, which seem to be a favored tid-bit of those birds at this time -- nor do they cease their incessant, high pitched chirping as they eat. Then quite suddenly, and for no apparent reason, they take wing with a flutter and excited chirping to dart en masse to some other tree but often to wheel suddenly about to return to their original perch again. And the Junco -- who can fail to notice him, perched high upon the top of some conifer from where he broadcasts his high pitched trill to the countryside. The Pileated Woodpecker is rarely seen but evidence of his presence is contained in the large, squarish chunks of wood that he has excavated from dead snags in his search for insect larvae. His near relative, the Sapsucker, also leaves tell tale marks of his activities -- the small holes which he bores in living trees in order that he may take the life fluid of the tree, a portion of his diet that he relishes. These holes are arranged in neat rows and often completely encircle the trunk; so neat and uniform that it appears as though some man had drilled them. The other day we came across one of those trees (an Alaska Cedar) which had served as a meal ticket for the Sapsucker. It was explained that the bird, after he had satisfied his own craving for the fluid often took a position on the tree trunk near by where he waited motionless until some insect, who was attracted to the point by the sap oozing from the wounds in the bark, alighted to enjoy the feast. At which time the bird would suddenly "come alive" and add the insect to his bill of fare. One of the party voiced the opinion that the Sapsucker might combine the two operations -- refrain from partaking of the sap until some insect had gorged himself sufficiently, at which time the bird could reach out and nip insect and sap at one and the same operation. So much for modern efficiency!

The Camp Robbers, which were so numerous here a few months ago, seem to have disappeared for they are conspicuous by their absence at Longmire. No doubt they have migrated to the high mountain parks as seems to be their custom.