The Sunday Oregonian., July 21, 1901, PART FOUR, Image 25

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PJiRT FOUR
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Pages 25 to 32
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VOL. XX.
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E all love the beautiful. "We
are all enticed by Nature.
Some drink at deeper foun
tains than others. To some
people Springtime means only a change of
weather a spell of cold and rain giving
Way to a season of sunshine and warmth.
To others, Jt is a life-renewing season a
time to molt the old Winter garb and let
our thoughts and ideas feather out into
broader vision. We grow tired of the
city and its people, and the soul longs
for the green fields and shady hllk?. The
boyish ardor for a wild and free life re
turns as the birds arrive from the Sunny
South and pour out their praises of joy at
eight of their old haunts. We drink the
inspiration with deeper enthusiasm each
returning Springtime. The ennobling In
fluences of Nature form a fountain of
perpetual youth welling up in our souia
What a source of unfailing pleasure
the trees, the flowers, the brooks, the
hills! But they do not breathe; 'they
cannot talk to us. Nothing 'in Nature
breathes to the soul like the wild bird's
eong, nothing touches our sense of beauty
like the delicate plumage, or the grace
ful and easy flight of a feathered friend.
The Camera's Use Afield.
Nature study has received a great Im
petus within the last few years through
the use of the camera In the field. Em
ployed In this way, it affords not only a
pleasing pastime, but encourages the
closest study, and Is of considerable scien
tific value. But of the thousands who
use the camera comparatively few em
ploy it for any valuable purpose. Much
time is spent and effort made by the am
ateur photographer on what has been
termed "reminiscent photography" In
the taking of scenes and views of only
momentary interest. This serves as an
amusement, but It cannot compare in In
w
terest with the gathering 'of a series of
pictures of Nature's creatures in their
native haunts. The fascination of getting
a picture of a bird in its wild state is
something that not many people have ex
perienced; to be eucceosful, it requires
a knowledge of birds and a close study
of their actions, ways and habits.
The successful bird-photographer must,
of course, possess a good camera, with a
first-class, rapid, rectilinear lens, and-a
proper knowledge of its use. Ropes,
climbing-irons, etc., are also necessary, for
working in the trees or among the cliffs.
A ladder, hatchet and nails often save'
considerable time In the woods. A small
green tent, or some method of hiding, is
essential in getting the picture of a shy
bird.
oVntnral Requisites.
The greatest natural requisites are a
big store of patience and perseverance,
a good eye and a level head. Without
great patience, little can be accomplished.
Some birds are friendly and unsuspicious,
but many are ehy and wild and can only
be photographed by using some skillful
device for hiding and, perhaps, by wait
ing a long time for the coveted opportu
nity. Many birds nest In the wildest
places high up in the trees, among the
cliffs of the mountains, or on the rugged
rocks off the seashore but there are few
nests that cannot be photographed, If
the photographer has the proper requi
sites, a true love for the study and a de
sire for natural history picture-making.
The difficulties of getting a good bird
picture are exceedingly numerous, but
the ability to overcome the many ob
stacles and secure a true representation
of the bird in Its wild state places a true
value upon the results and gives the
subject its fascination. Nature has pro
vided her creatures with wonderful pro
tection as to coloring, and the camera
PORTLAND, OREGON, SUNDAY MORNING, JULY 21, 1901.
is utterly incapable of showing some birds
to any advantage, unless a suitable back
ground can be secured. Besides the diffi
culty of background, there is always an
equal one of getting the proper light at
the 'proper time. In a time exposure, the
subjept often makes some slignt move at
a critical moment and spoils the plate.
Some GaessTvorlc.
In order to catch a bird in a good posi
tion, one otten does not have a chance
of focusing, but has to do considerable
guesswork. Sometimes the camera is fo
cused on the place where the bird is ex
pected to return, as, for example, a
perching place or feeding ground; or. If
It be during the nesting season, the nest
Is then the best place to get a focus and
wait for the bird's return. In cases where
the bird is shy, a picture may sometimes
be secured by setting the camera and
covering it all except the lens with green
branches, and then using a long hose arid
bulb attachment.
It is early June, and these are the rar
est of all days. Let's take a ramble
through the field or woodland, or, better
still, down through the grove by the old
pond. Everything has awakened to new
life. We turn our condensing glass upon
the bird world and recognize all the old
friends of former years.
There is the same old woodpecker the
red-shafted flicker on the side of the
dead stump. He gradually climbs to the
top, peeping around at us from the oppo
site side of the tree, and his loud call
of "cheer-up! cheer-up!" echoes through
the trees and over the pond and seems to
awaken everything into joyous response.
All through the Winter's season of snow
and rain he remained here, for he is a
loyal Oregonian, , and refuses to migrate
with the other birds. But his food sup
ply ran iW during the cold weather, and
we now see him digging his dally supper
of worms from the ground, instead of the
trees a queer occupation for a woodpeck
er. A Misnomer. '
He Is commonly known as the yellow
hammer, but this is a misnomer; his East
ern cousin has the yellow under his wings
and on his breast, but our bird haa
changed his yellow vest for one of red,
and is a typical Westerner, common now
all along the Pacific Slope.
Our interest centers In the old flicker,
for we have watched him since early
Spring. He has spent many days in love
and courtship, and his acceptance is as
sured, for In the top of the old .dead
stump, just at the edge of the pond. Is
the beginning of a new nesting site.
A few days more, and the home has,
been completed. Both birds are seen not
far from their new residence, enjoying a
happy rest after their hard labor. Home
cares will soon begin, for every day a
clear, pinkish-white egg is laid on a bed
of soft, dry wood, until the nest contains
seven white treasures. Fondly the mother
cares for these, while the father calls his
words of cheer continually from some tall
tree, or hunts for the daily food. Often
he takes his turn at incubating the eggs
and caring for the house.
It may seem too bad to disturb such a
household, but a picture of the interior
will make a valuable addition 'to the col
lection, because the nest of this bird is
often in a much harder place to photo
graph, and if a little care be exerted,
there 'is ho danger of the birds deserting
the nest.
The morning of a clear day was select
ed, so that the light would be sufficient.
Ascending the tree and examining the
nest by the aid of a little pocket mirror,
the eggs were found to be placed a foot
and a haif below the entrance. On the
opposite side from the entrance, and on a
level with the eggs themselves, a neat
window was made with a small pocket
saw, giving a good view of the interior.
The dead tree limbs were not strong, nor
were they In a position to permit of the
camera being fastened or focused. A
j smau Doara, aDout lour reet long, was
tnereiore secured, and to the end of this,
the camera was firmly fastened. The
focus was. then made with a mirror re
flecting from the ground glass. A mirror
often comes in handy for focusing in the
treetops, or for reflecting the light Into
a dark nest.
' Dlfllcult Photography.
It was all that two of us could do to
retain our position in the tree top where
the flickers had their nest and hold the
camera out at the proper distance, on a
horizontal line, a little above the nest.
The 'exposure was necessarily very short,
and several plates were used, each in
slightly differing positions, so as to get a
good view of the eggs. Fitting back the
artificial window and fastening It se
curely, the mother soon had the pleasure
of returning to her eggs, apparently un
mindful of the change the home had un
dergone. .
After one or two more visits to the
scene of operations, we could tell that the
stump contained a thriving family, by the
store of worms that the old birds con
tinually carried to the nest. By knock
ing on the stump and placing the ear
close, you could hear the buzzing noise
that the youngsters made. It did not take
many days of feeding for the little fel
lows to develop and feather out. They
had one meal a day, and that lasted from
dawn till dark; in the meantime, they
slept and grew. It was a busy season
for the old birds.
The little ones were soon able to climb
up the side of their wooden home and
' meet the parents at the door. Then, as
soon as the old birds alighted In the tree,
there was a scramble for the entrance,
and the door was filled with gaping
mouths that never seemed to get enough.
The moment the old birds doparted from
the tree, was the sign for the young birds
to crouch back into the bottom of the nest
where they would never say a word un
til the parents appeared again. The les
son of crouching close and remaining
quiet is the first lesson that Is taught
young birds; It is an Important one, for
many enemies are always near at hand.
The time was ripe now for another
picture of the household, so we again as
cended the tree. When we reached the
nest, we were greeted by that peculiar
buzzing noise that young woodpeckers al
ways make. It sounds like the humming
of a swarm of bees, and is one of the
numerous devices of bird protection.
I remember once seeing a boy climb to
a woodpecker's hole who was not fa
miliar with this noise. He was so de
ceived by the buzzing that he Jumped
about ten feet to the ground, in his haste
to escape from the swarm of bees that he
said was inside. I have no doubt that
animals are sometimes kept from disturb
ing young woodpeckers by this deception.
A Family Party.
Removing the window from the little
log cabin, what a scene presented Itself!
There was a whole family of full-grown
birds. We took out one of the little fel
lows, but he did not like the idea .of leav
ing the nest at first. Young birds are In
stinctively afraid of man, but, with a
little care and patience, they can be tamed
very readily.
We soon had our young woodpecker so
that he would perch almost any place. He
would cling to our clothes, or climb up
the side of the tree, just as his parents
NO. 29.
were accustomed .to do. He began to en
Joy the freedom and a bath in the warm
sunshine. It was amusing to hear him try
to Imitate the call of his elders; he seemed
to think he was plenty old and large
enough to leave the narrow confines of his
home and start out In the world for him
self. The other young birds, one by one,
tamed with considerable patience, and
each In his turn posed for a picture. Fi
nally, all were placed on the stump to
gether to get a group picture, but this
was a big undertaking. One little fel
low was exceedingly ambitious and in
sisted on climbing to the top of every
thing he touched; another was anxious to
try the strength of his wings, and still
another was satisfied. In trying to peck
a hole in the top of the camera. It took
a long time to get them quieted. One
little fellow, that seemed to be the eld
est, was very domineering and he would
peck and fight with the others, when they
came too close, just as If he owned the
whole tree.
Good Xegratlven Secured.
The light began to fall at the critical
time, and the exposure had to be longer.
Many plates were spoiled, in trying to
get a good picture, but patience was
finally rewarded and a couple of good neg
atives of the bird group were secured.
This little household clearly Illustrated
that the fittest survive among the birds.
Two of the family were large and strong
and generally secured the lion's share of
the food; the other two took what they
could get. The fifth bird was more un
fortunate. He was younger and weaker
than the rest, and had succumbed in the
struggle, and had died in the nest. Two
of the seven eggs that had been laid
failed to hatch.
It was a task to get the birds back into
the crowded nest, after enjoying their
freedom. The home, must have seemed
like a prison house, for after the window
was closed, they started to climb out the
front door, but were restrained by the
scolding of the parents.
After a few days we visited the place
again and found the old home deserted.
But in different parts of the grove we
heard youthful calls and we watched the
old birds teaching the many lessons of
food-seeking and self-protection that
makes it possible for birds to thrive in
their world of many enemies.
Rnfons IIummliis-Birds.
Some of the pleasantest and most inter
esting work of the bird photographer is
gathering a series of humming-bird pic
tures. This little creature that seems
more "like a gem or a blossom on pin
ions," than a mere bird, builds where It
can be photographed to good advantage,
its nests being generally In bushes, not
far from the ground. The bird Is quite
common about Portland and in the sur
rounding woods and ravines. Many of
them build their homes in the yards
about town, often selecting a convenient
spot in a bush or vine about some piazza.
Here, as it comes and goes in the sun
light, it seems more like the flash of a
diamond than anything else.
Fond of the company of human beings,
the little hummer can be made very tame
by one who seeks bird friends. The male
bird of this neighborhood has a cinna
mon red body, with a fiery red gorget,
while its mate is plainer-colored. A fa
vorite nesting site with them is on the
side of a bank, where a little bush over
hangs. I have found them frequently in
railroad cuts, a few feet from the track
of a passing train or electric car. They
pay no attention to the trains, for they
soon learn that, with all the noise, there
is no accompanying harm.
IIuniming-Bird Xests.
One nest that was photographed was
built in a wild blackberry bush, under
a railroad trestle. This nest, on the out
side, was covered with green lichens, so
as to conceal it and make it look like
the surrounding bushes; the interior had
a soft lining of cotton. Even this white
lining and the two little white eggs were
hardly noticeable among the clusters of
white blossoms that covered the vine.
Nests of this kind are not often found,
except by the careful observer, but, by
watching the bird,' it will often lead you to
(Concluded on Page Thirty.)