Prairie Horned Lark
In the windy, open fields or on treeless hilltops, this demure and dull-colored bird lives. As he walks or runs among the short grass, twittering in a companionable way, standing still for a moment to survey his surroundings, then wandering off again, little is noted to remind us of the glorious courtship song which this bird of the ground gives during early spring, and for which he should be as famous as the English Skylark. Mounting upward from the clods, he finally reaches a far height, where he pours out his melodious, tinkling music, minute after minute, sweeping about in wide circles, or steadily flying into the wind. Thirty or forty times he may give his song, then becoming tired of his performance, downward he drops to the earth in long, graceful sweeps to alight unconcernedly. He sometimes sings from the ground or from a fence-post.
Horned Larks are given to flocking together in the winter, and when snow covers the ground they sometimes come into the farmyards, or congregate along roads, where they eat horse-manure or waste grain. Look for the black facial markings of these plain brown birds, and remember that they will be found only in open country.
BLUE JAY
Cyanocitta cristata bromia Oberholser
Description.—Larger than Robin; sexes similar, both with prominent crest; nostril covered with tuft of feathers. Head, crest, and back grayish blue; forehead and a noticeable collar across lower throat, ear-coverts, and back of crest, black; region about eye whitish; throat and underparts grayish white, darkest on sides; wings and tail bright turquoise-blue, the greater coverts, secondaries, and tertials tipped broadly with white, and all of the feathers barred strikingly with black on their exposed surface; tail-feathers barred with black, the outer ones tipped noticeably with white; feet and bill black; eyes dark brown. Length: About 12 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—We should expect the Blue Jay to be a permanent resident in Pennsylvania wherever it is found. It occurs the year round, notably in the southwestern and southern counties, and is usually a summer resident and early spring and mid-fall migrant from March 20 to November 1; as a summer bird it is somewhat local in distribution.
Nest.—A bulky mass of twigs, rootlets, and weed-stalks, rather well made and neatly cupped, placed from 10 to 30 feet from the ground, usually in a more or less open situation and often in a conifer. Eggs: 3 to 6, pale gray green or greenish gray, heavily marked with dull and indefinite brown and gray spots.
Blue Jay
The Blue Jay’s colors and manners are unmistakable. As he flies, the white-tipped outer tail-feathers and secondaries show plainly; as he perches, his crest is prominent. But when the bird student essays to identify the Blue Jay from call-notes alone there may be trouble, for this bright creature not only has a considerable vocabulary of his own but also imitates other birds extremely well. He can reproduce the scream of a Red-shouldered Hawk so faithfully that small birds of the vicinity drop into silence for an instant. More than once this cry has misled me. As a rule, he screams peer, peer in a dominant, harsh voice, or gives violin-like, squeaky calls, the pattern and musical intent of which are known only to himself.
He is a confirmed nest-robber and is not protected by law in Pennsylvania. While it is true that he eats the eggs and young of smaller birds, yet he has some food habits in his favor, and at worst is a handsome villain.
The nest is defended valiantly by the parents. I once climbed to a Blue Jay’s nest and took the last remaining young one. As I started to descend I felt a sharp blow on my forehead. When I reached the ground my face was lined with blood; the parent bird had punctured my skin with her beak.