Other Names.—Tilt-up; Tip-up; Peep.
Description.—Larger than an English Sparrow, with long, narrow, pointed wings; upperparts brownish gray, with a faint greenish gloss, more or less barred with black; an indistinct superciliary line of white; face and underparts white, spotted throughout with black, the largest spots on the sides and flanks; wings like back, the bases of the primaries and secondaries whitish, showing in flight; inner tail-feathers dark like back, outer ones lighter, about white, but never appearing, even in flight, as white as in the Solitary Sandpiper. Immature birds are not spotted below, and the barring of the upperparts is restricted to the scapulars and wing-coverts; there is a slight buffy gray wash on the breast. Length: 7½ inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—Common summer resident throughout from mid-April to late September. It is found along all small streams, sometimes even in the mountains and heavily wooded districts.
Nest.—On the ground, often near a stream, sometimes in a field, and made of dead weed-stalks, lined with finer materials. Eggs: 4, whitish to brownish buffy, irregularly and sometimes heavily spotted and blotched with reddish brown, usually about the larger end.
Spotted Sandpiper
The Spotted Sandpiper is our best-known shore-bird. It is not particularly wary, and frequents all the small streams which have not been polluted. As it runs along the muddy margin, it bobs and teeters constantly, perhaps calling softly. Fluttering out over the water, its wing-tips almost touching the surface, it whistles tweet, tweet, tweet, tweet, clearly, and circles back to the shore or alights on a stone or fallen tree. The white areas in the wings show rather plainly in flight.
The young are so small and flimsy that they are comical, with their wisps of tails and long, slender feet. They can swim readily, however, and run with amazing rapidity. Even the adult can swim and dive if necessary.
The Spotted Sandpiper is a much more energetic, nervous bird than its relative, the Solitary Sandpiper, and it is not so often found wading about in deep water as is that somewhat larger, darker bird. When the two species fly up, the Solitary usually utters two or three loud, sharp whistles as it flies directly away, or up into the air. The Spotted, on the other hand, usually flutters away, just a little above the water, and customarily circles back to the shore not far away.
KILLDEER
Oxyechus vociferus vociferus (Linnæus)
Other Names.—Killdee; Killdeer Plover.
Description.—Three toes; size of Robin; forehead, patch over eye, throat, ring around neck, and underparts white, the breast crossed by two prominent black bands; forepart of crown and line from bill under eye, blackish; rest of head and upperparts gray-brown, with greenish reflections; wings with bases of flight-feathers white, showing plainly in flight; rump and upper tail-coverts bright orange-brown; middle tail-feathers dark brown, outer feathers white, all with white tip and irregular subterminal bar of black; bill black; feet pale flesh-color; eyelids red. Length: 10½ inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A widely distributed migrant and summer resident from mid-March to mid-November; occasional in winter.
Nest.—A depression in the sod or among gravel, sometimes rather carefully lined with pebbles or bits of debris. Eggs: 4, whitish to buffy brown, heavily spotted with dark or reddish brown.
Killdeer