Omaha Bird Records, Feb.-May, 1903
Item
10
the bird were not successful, only one being passable and that with some movement.
The poor light made too long an exposure necessary.
A disagreeable feature of the occasion was the attention bestowed upon us by seven
or eight small boys, ranging from 7 to 12 years of age. Unavoidably they found out
what we were doing, and though they all promised to leave the eggs, so that we might
photograph the young, I think the chances are very slim. Another bad feature of the
case is that fact that plowing commenced on adjacent fields, and it is not likely
that this field will escape for a sufficient period to permit the raising of the young
to the point of leaving the nest.
The actions of the birds were very interesting. They invariably approached the nest
from the north, whether we were near or distant. When frightened the female bird flew
sometimes over a hundred yards, and was absent on one occasion for a half hour,
spending most of the time in sight, apparently feeding. We saw the male on one occasion
only. He flew from the north and gradually approached the nest. When he reached it
the lady chased him a hundred yards to the west. He betook himself over the hill whence
he had come, murmuring “Wot a life!†and the lady returned. We saw the female many
times at a distance of less than twenty feet. She did not mind us or our cameras much
at first, but gradually became more wary. She is a beautiful bird, and even without
a successful photograph of her the afternoon was profitably spent.
Took a flying trip this noon to Riverview Park. The buds are bursting and the woodland
taking on just a suspicion of a green tone. Erythronium in full leaf, but no flowers yet.
Trostler and I left at 11 o’clock for Riverview, not intending to go far, but we extended
our trip to
- 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
- 10 the bird were not successful, only one being passable and that with some movement. The poor light made too long an exposure necessary. A disagreeable feature of the occasion was the attention bestowed upon us by seven or eight small boys, ranging from 7 to 12 years of age. Unavoidably they found out what we were doing, and though they all promised to leave the eggs, so that we might photograph the young, I think the chances are very slim. Another bad feature of the case is that fact that plowing commenced on adjacent fields, and it is not likely that this field will escape for a sufficient period to permit the raising of the young to the point of leaving the nest. The actions of the birds were very interesting. They invariably approached the nest from the north, whether we were near or distant. When frightened the female bird flew sometimes over a hundred yards, and was absent on one occasion for a half hour, spending most of the time in sight, apparently feeding. We saw the male on one occasion only. He flew from the north and gradually approached the nest. When he reached it the lady chased him a hundred yards to the west. He betook himself over the hill whence he had come, murmuring "Wot a life!" and the lady returned. We saw the female many times at a distance of less than twenty feet. She did not mind us or our cameras much at first, but gradually became more wary. She is a beautiful bird, and even without a successful photograph of her the afternoon was profitably spent. April 8 Took a flying trip this noon to Riverview Park. The buds are bursting and the woodland taking on just a suspicion of a green tone. Erythronium in full leaf, but no flowers yet. April 12 Trostler and I left at 11 o'clock for Riverview, not intending to go far, but we extended our trip to
- 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"
