This is not an exact likeness of the Humming Bird that we have here, but is the one which is commonly found in the East. Our bird is known as the Rufous Humming Bird, and differs slightly from this one. No bird in the world makes a more beautiful nest or becomes such a good companion as this one. It builds the tiniest sort of a cup nest on the top of a branch; perhaps the cottonwood tree, or the down from any of the willows, anything to make a soft lining. The eggs are so tiny that one doubts a bird could come out of them, and when hatched they are little black animals that look rather more like small lizards or reptiles of some kind than birds. Another peculiarity is that when they are young their bills are short like the swallow’s bill instead of long and slim like the bill of the parent. But before they leave the nest they develop the long bills. You can attract these birds to your home if you want to by putting a little sugar solution into some of the flowers growing nearby.
The black-capped yellow bird sitting the the thistle is the willow goldfinch, then olive green bird to the right is the Green-backed goldfinch. They are abundant summer residents of the Pacific coast states, the willow goldfinch as far north as British Columbia, and the green-backed to the Columbia river. The green-backed goldfinch is more or less common in suitable localities in the interior valleys while the willow goldfinch is common from sea level to the mountains. Both are found along roadsides picking at thistle heads and dandelion and come freely into dooryards to feed and build their nests in the shrubbery. They consume great quantities of weed seeds and insects and should be carefully protected.
The killdeer is everywhere too common to need description, and even its name, called to us from roadside puddles, barnyard and meadow in the shrill kill-dee, kill-dee, kill-dee, becomes sometimes almost tiresome. “Vociferous at all times, the plover becomes doubly so when the little downy striped young are trotting about in the short grass. Then the cries and frantic endeavors of the old birds to limping, falling over, fluttering the speed wings and tail, and uttering low notes of pain, would be ludicrous if not done in tragic earnest.” — Vernon Bailey.
The Sierra Hermit Thrush is a bird of the mountains, living and nesting habitually above 5000 feet. It frequents thick, damp woods and loves the company of rushing mountain streams. There are several species of hermit thrushes found in the northwestern part of the continent, but this is the only one that is common in Oregon in summer. The Sierra hermit thrush is considered the finest songster of all the Pacific coast birds. It has a more reddish cast to its plumage than the russet-backed thrush.
