Omaha Bird Records, Feb.-May, 1903
Item
7
on our heels and watched its movements, and presently it began to pick up grasses.
It came toward us, gathering more and more material, until finally it was within thirty
feet of us, apparently not caring at all for our presence; then it stopped, put down
its load, and flew away, after a moment of arrangement. We went forward and found the
nest, almost completed. We paid ourselves and each other many impressive compliments,
all bearing upon how good we were. We were careful not to remain long at the nest.
Of course we had our cameras with us, but had no occasion to use them today.
From there we followed the Belt Line to The Tangle which was literally alive with
robins, juncoes, Harris sparrows, tree sparrows, bluebirds; there were also present a Carolina nuthatch and a downy woodpecker. Following the strip of woods to the County Farm, we amused ourselves gathering galls
from a small oak stump surrounded with sprouts, and examining them. Most of them were
empty; some had one large maggot-like occupant; others had a dozen small maggots.
One of the striking events of the day was in the woods south of Poppleton, where we
chanced to see an albino tree sparrow, pure white except for a feather or two in the tail and a little about the head.
It is almost invariable for traces of the black spot in the breast to persist in albinism
of this species, but I was unable to see a suspicion of it in this bird. The white
was pure; there was no gray or dirtiness about it. It was in a flock of normal birds
of its species, foraging among the bushes.
Trostler ventured an experiment which he says is a favorite with him. Finding a resonant place
on an oak — a dead, dry surface — he tapped upon it vigorously with the end of small
pocket knife. After a few repetitions of this a downy woodpecker came charging through the tree-tops looking for
- Title
- Omaha Bird Records, Feb.-May, 1903
- Date
- Feb.-May, 1903
- Creator
- Frank Shoemaker
- Description
- Frank Shoemaker - Omaha, Lincoln, and Nebraska Narratives
- Identifier
- 321301
- Transcription
- 7 on our heels and watched its movements, and presently it began to pick up grasses. It came toward us, gathering more and more material, until finally it was within thirty feet of us, apparently not caring at all for our presence; then it stopped, put down its load, and flew away, after a moment of arrangement. We went forward and found the nest, almost completed. We paid ourselves and each other many impressive compliments, all bearing upon how good we were. We were careful not to remain long at the nest. Of course we had our cameras with us, but had no occasion to use them today. From there we followed the Belt Line to The Tangle which was literally alive with robins, juncoes, Harris sparrows, tree sparrows, bluebirds; there were also present a Carolina nuthatch and a downy woodpecker. Following the strip of woods to the County Farm, we amused ourselves gathering galls from a small oak stump surrounded with sprouts, and examining them. Most of them were empty; some had one large maggot-like occupant; others had a dozen small maggots. One of the striking events of the day was in the woods south of Poppleton, where we chanced to see an albino tree sparrow, pure white except for a feather or two in the tail and a little about the head. It is almost invariable for traces of the black spot in the breast to persist in albinism of this species, but I was unable to see a suspicion of it in this bird. The white was pure; there was no gray or dirtiness about it. It was in a flock of normal birds of its species, foraging among the bushes. Trostler ventured an experiment which he says is a favorite with him. Finding a resonant place on an oak - a dead, dry surface - he tapped upon it vigorously with the end of small pocket knife. After a few repetitions of this a downy woodpecker came charging through the tree-tops looking for
- Rights
- To inquire about usage, please contact Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries. These images are for educational use only. Not all images are available for publication.
- Site pages
- Frank H. Shoemaker, "Omaha Bird Records"
