This flycatcher lives in shadowy woodlands along ravines where long, swaying branches of beech, maple, or hemlock overhang a stream. Here, not at great height, is built the shallow, thin nest, where three eggs are laid. These are creamy white, spotted with dark brown at the larger end. The call of this bird may be written pit-i-yuk or wee-zee-eep, and is of an explosive character. Do not look for this bird save in woodlands along streams. It will not be found in swamps, or in orchards. It comes in early May and stays until mid-September and occurs chiefly in the southern and less mountainous counties.
ALDER FLYCATCHER
Empidonax traillii traillii (Audubon)
The Alder Flycatcher will be seen in low growth along streams or in swamps, often actually among alders. Its sides are yellowish, but the belly is always white. The song of this species, which is usually delivered from a prominent and sometimes high perch, may be written becky-weer, and is different from any other flycatcher song, save, perhaps that of the Olive-sided. Its nest is a compact structure, built in the alders, 2 to 3 feet from the ground, usually in a swamp. The three or four eggs are white, sparsely spotted with brown. The Alder Flycatcher is found chiefly in the more northerly counties as a summer resident, from early May to September.
LEAST FLYCATCHER; CHEBEC
Empidonax minimus (W. M. and S. F. Baird)
The Least Flycatcher is a bird of open aspen copses or orchards. Its energetic che-bec, which is given with a violent toss of the head, is always characteristic and is responsible for its common name. Look for the bird during migration in May and in September. As a summer resident it occurs chiefly in the more northern counties, where it builds its deep nest in the crotch of some low tree. The eggs, 3 or 4 in number, are pure white. Feathers are often used in the nest, which is made of vegetable fiber and hair.
HORNED LARK
Otocoris alpestris alpestris (Linnæus)
This northern relative of our Prairie Horned Lark visits Pennsylvania occasionally in winter, especially in the northern counties. It is a larger, more reddish bird, and the line above the eye is distinctly yellow, sometimes quite colorful.
PRAIRIE HORNED LARK
Otocoris alpestris praticola Henshaw
Other Name.—Shore Lark.
Description.—Larger than an English Sparrow; a bird of the ground, with straight toe-nails, the hind one very long. Adult male: Patch on forepart of crown with lateral lines leading to two tiny tufts or horns on nape, patch in front of and below eye, and another on upper breast, black; forehead and line above eye whitish, sometimes very faintly tinged with yellow; throat pale yellow; back of head and upperparts pale grayish brown mixed with reddish brown on neck, back, and wings; middle tail-feathers brown, the other feathers blackish, the outer vanes of the outer feathers white; lower breast and belly whitish, suffused with pinkish brown on sides and flanks; bill, feet, and eyes black. Female and immature: Similar, but duller. Young birds in their first plumage are much spotted, with pale yellowish above, and with blackish below. Length: A little over 7 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—Local permanent resident, sometimes quite common, and found only in the opener sections, on bald hilltops or in wide fields in agricultural districts.
Nest.—A cup in the ground lined with grasses, plant-down, and other vegetable material. Eggs: 3 to 5, greenish white, heavily marked with grayish brown, sometimes with a wreath of heavier spots around larger end. The nest is always placed in a wide-open field, sometimes on a bare hilltop. It is built very early in the season, sometimes in early or mid-March, while snow is still on the ground.
