Northern Water-Thrush
The Water-Thrushes wag their tails in a characteristic fashion as they walk among the ferns and mosses, or seek their food at the edge of a woodland pool or thickly up-grown stream. They are not particularly shy, and may sometimes be “squeaked up” very close. Their song is loud, bright, and clearly patterned, and has been ably written hurry, hurry, hurry, pretty, pretty, pretty. It is usually not to be found along swift, shallow woodland streams, but seems to prefer more quiet, even stagnant, water.
LOUISIANA WATER-THRUSH
Seiurus motacilla (Vieillot)
Description.—Like the Northern Water-Thrush, but a little larger, the line over the eye whiter and more conspicuous, the underparts white, tinged with buffy, not with yellow, and streaked with blackish on the breast and sides, not on the throat or belly. Length: 6¼ inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—Fairly common but local summer resident in central and southern Pennsylvania.
Nest.—Built along the bank of a stream, sometimes not far from the water’s edge, of leaves, lined with grasses and rootlets. There is often a neat pavement of leaves in front of and below the nest. Eggs: 4 to 6, white, spotted and flecked all over with brown.
The Louisiana Water-Thrush’s home is the wooded ravine, where a swift stream speeds down its rocky bed amid fallen trunks and mossy ledges. Here the shy birds dash about with swift, erratic flight, walk among the mosses, teetering as they go, or singing their remarkably loud, ringing song when they are not disturbed. The song is louder, more ringing, and less abrupt in closing than is that of the Northern Water-Thrush.
KENTUCKY WARBLER
Oporornis formosus (Wilson)
Description.—Male: Crown and area below eye and on side of throat, black, crown-feathers tipped with gray; line from bill, which extends over and back of eye, yellow; rest of upperparts olive-green; wings and tail unmarked; underparts bright, clear yellow. Female: Similar, but duller, the black areas inclined to be grayish and not clearly defined. Length: About 5½ inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly common summer resident in southeastern and southwestern counties from about May 1 to September 5. It is a bird of the Carolinian faunal zone, which is probably gradually extending its range northward.
Nest.—On or near the ground, rather bulky, and made of leaves and roots, lined with rootlets and other fine materials. Eggs: 4 or 5, white, rather evenly spotted or speckled with brown. Nests of this species are often difficult to find.
Kentucky Warbler
In southwestern Pennsylvania, where I first became acquainted with the species, the Kentucky Warbler lives in damp, dense woodlands, usually in ravines. Its song is a strikingly smooth and sweet-voiced, rolling tootle, tootle, tootle, tootle, which has a penetrating quality. In singing, the males often sit upon the lower branches of the great trees; they search for their food chiefly on the ground. The black area on the face and the bold yellow line about the eye are striking field-marks.