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- Accessories
- Description
- 16.1 Megapixel BSI-CMOS Sensor
- DIGIC 6 Processor
- 65x Optical Zoom
- 21-1365mm focal length
- 3.0" 922k-Dot Vari-Angle LCD
- Continuous shooting of up to 2.5 fps
- Full HD 60p Video & External Mic Input
- 922k-Dot Electronic Viewfinder
- Intelligent IS & Zoom Framing Assist
- High Speed AF System & RAW Image Capture
- Built-In Wi-Fi Connectivity with NFC
- 2 Years Genuine Warranty with Canon Australia
PowerShot SX60 HS Compact Digital Camera embarks to a far reaching view of up to 65x Optical Zoom with 21-1365mm focal length equivalent to 35mm format. It features 16.1 Megapixel BSI-CMOS Sensor powered by DIGIC 6 Processor. It is capable of continuous shooting of up to 2.5 fps with High Speed AF System and RAW Image Capture plus full HD 60p Video and gaining clear audio via the External Mic Input. The 3.0" 922k-Dot Vari-Angle LCD and 922k-Dot Electronic Viewfinder will provide an easy focusing and offers easier methods for composing images and videos especially when partnered with Intelligent IS and Zoom Framing Assist. SX60 HS also has built-In Wi-Fi Connectivity with NFC for easy file sharing or connecting to a compatible mobile device.
Product Features in Detail
Shoot ultra-far and wide
Capture a huge range of beautiful shots. With an incredible 65x zoom and 21mm ultra-wide angle you can shoot everything from exceptionally detailed long range close ups of wildlife to impressive landscapes.
Effortlessly keep track
It's simple to keep track of distant subjects at high zoom. Simply press a button and Zoom Framing Assist quickly zooms the camera out of the scene - so you can relocate your subject - zooming back the moment it's released. Improved Auto Mode automatically zooms out when the subject starts to leave the frame and helps you keep your subject at a preset size.
Comfortable, steady shooting
Designed with your comfort in mind, you can enjoy steadier shots even at full zoom and shoot comfortably for longer periods thanks to a refined ergonomic grip. An Electronic Viewfinder offers SLR-like handling and lets you see clearly in very bright conditions. Ultra Sonic Motor (USM) ensures fast, silent focus and zooming.
Excellent quality in any light
Day or night your images will be just as you remember them. Canon's HS System – with DIGIC 6 and a 16.1 MP CMOS sensor - gives you stunning image quality and excels in low light. So it's easy to capture the real atmosphere of the moment without using flash or a tripod.
Sharp results every time
There's no need to worry about camera shake ruining your results thanks to an intelligent optical Image Stabilizer. This camera automatically adapts and ensures sharp, detailed photos even if you're shooting at full zoom or handheld in low light. Plus your movies will be spectacularly steady thanks to 5-axis Enhanced Dynamic IS.
Always capture the moment
Life is fleeting. Don't miss a single precious moment and capture stunning split second action with super-responsive operation and sustained high-speed continuous shooting.
Stunning images with ease
Effortlessly shoot fantastic photos or movies with Smart Auto. Enjoy a fun HD (720p) movie summary of all the day's shots with Hybrid Auto.
Realistic movies at your fingertips
Making stunning movies is easy. With one touch of a button you can shoot smooth, realistic Full HD movies at 60p, with crisp and clear stereo sound thanks to silent controls and zoom. You can also attach an external microphone and manually control the levels of sound on camera for extra flexibility.
Take control
Explore your creative skills. Capture stills and movies with full exposure controls. Open up a new world of possibilities with RAW and EOS System accessories.
Connect with Wi-Fi
Enjoy the freedom of Wi-Fi. Upload images and movies to social networks - straight from the camera. Or transfer them to your smartphone or tablet using the Mobile Device Connect Button and NFC. Use the Canon CameraWindow app to remotely control the camera from your smartphone and enjoy convenient PC and cloud backup with Image Sync.
- Specification
IMAGE SENSORType1/2.3 type back-illuminated CMOSEffective PixelsApprox. 16.1M¹Effective / Total PixelsApprox. 16.8MColour Filter TypePrimary Colour IMAGE PROCESSORTypeDIGIC 6 with iSAPS technology LENSFocal Length3.8 – 247.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 21 – 1365 mm)ZoomOptical 65x ZoomPlus 130x Digital Approx. 4x (with Digital Tele-Converter approx. 1.6x or 2.0x¹). Combined approx. 260xMaximum f/numberf/3.4-f/6.5Construction15 elements in 11 groups (1 double sided aspherical lens and 3 UD lenses)Image StabilisationYes (lens shift-type), approx. 3.5-stop¹. Intelligent IS with 5-axis Enhanced Dynamic ISUltrasonic Motor (USM)Yes FOCUSINGTypeTTLAF System / PointsFace Detect, 1-point AF (any position, fixed to centre or Face Select and Track)AF ModesSingle, Continuous, Servo AF/AE¹, Tracking AFAF Point SelectionManual selection using FlexiZone AF/AE, Size (Normal, Small)AF LockYes, via customisable buttonsAF Assist BeamYesManual FocusYes, plus MF PeakingFocus BracketingYesClosest Focusing Distance0 cm (W) from front of lens in Macro EXPOSURE CONTROLMetering modesEvaluative (linked to Face Detection AF frame), Centre-weighted average, Spot (centre or linked to Face Detection AF or FlexiZone AF frame)AE LockYes, via customisable buttonsExposure Compensation+/- 3 EV in 1/3 stop increments Manual and automatic dynamic range correction Automatic shadow correctionAEB1/3 – 2 EV in 1/3 stop incrementsISO sensitivity100, 125, 160, 200, 250, 320, 400, 500, 640, 800, 1000, 1250, 1600, 2000, 2500, 3200 AUTO ISO: 100 - 3200 (possible to set Max. ISO speed and rate of change) SHUTTERSpeed1 – 1/2000 sec. (factory default) 15 – 1/2000 sec. (total range – varies by shooting mode) WHITE BALANCETypeTTLSettingsAuto (including Face Detection WB), Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Flash, Custom 1, Custom 2 Multi-area WB correction available in Smart Auto White Balance CompensationTypesRGB VIEWFINDERViewfinderEVF (0.17 type), 4:3 aspect ratio, approx. 922,000 dotsViewfinder / CoverageApprox. 100%Dioptre CorrectionYes LCD MONITORMonitorVari-angle 7.5 cm (3.0") PureColor II VA (TFT), Approx. 922,000 dotsCoverageApprox. 100%BrightnessAdjustable to one of five levels. Quick-bright LCD FLASHModesAuto, Manual Flash On / Off, Slow SynchroSlow Sync SpeedYes. Fastest speed: 1/2000 sec. (built-in flash) 1/250 sec. (external flash) 1/2000 sec. (external flash using high-speed synchro)Red-Eye ReductionYesFlash Exposure Compensation+/- 2 EV in 1/3 stop increments. Face Detection FE, Safety FE, Smart Flash ExposureFlash Exposure LockYes, via customisable buttonsManual Power Adjustment3 levels with internal flash (up to 19 levels with external EX Speedlite 270EX II, 320EX and 430EX II. 22 levels with 580EX II, 600EX and 600EX-RT¹)Second Curtain SynchronisationYesBuilt-in Flash Range50 cm – 5.5 m (W) / 1.8 m – 3.0 m (T)External FlashE-TTL with EX Speedlite range¹ SHOOTINGModesSmart Auto (58 scenes detected), Program AE, Shutter priority AE, Aperture priority AE, Manual, Custom 1, Custom 2, Hybrid Auto, Creative Shot, Sports, SCN (Portrait, Smart Shutter (Smile, Wink Self-Timer, FaceSelf-Timer), Handheld Night Scene, Low Light (4.0MP), Snow, Fireworks), Creative Filters (High Dynamic Range, Fish-eye Effect, Miniature Effect, Toy Camera Effect, Soft Focus, Monochrome, Super Vivid, Poster Effect), MovieModes in MovieSmart Auto (21 scenes detected), Standard, Program AE, Manual, Portrait, Miniature Effect, Monochrome, Super Vivid, Poster Effect, Snow, Fireworks, iFrame Movie, Super Slow Motion MoviePhoto EffectsMy Colors (My Colors Off, Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, Black & White, Positive Film, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red, Custom Color)Drive modesSingle, Auto Drive, Continuous, Continuous with AF, Self-TimerContinuous ShootingApprox. 6.4 shots/sec until memory card becomes full¹ with AF: Approx. 3.8 shots/sec²³ with Live View: Approx. 4.6 shots/sec²³ RECORDING PIXELS / COMPRESSIONImage Size4:3 - (RAW, L) 4608 x 3456, (M1) 3264 x 2448, (M2) 2048 x 1536, (S) 640 x 480 16:9 - (RAW, L) 4608 x 2592, (M1) 3264 x 1832, (M2) 1920 x 1080, (S) 640 x 360 3:2 - (RAW, L) 4608 x 3072, (M1) 3264 x 2176, (M2) 2048 x 1368, (S) 640 x 424 1:1 - (RAW, L) 3456 x 3456, (M1) 2448 x 2448, (M2) 1536 x 1536, (S) 480 x 480 4:5 - (RAW, L) 2768 x 3456, (M1) 1952 x 2448, (M2) 1232 x 1536, (S) 384 x 480 Resize in playback (M2, S)CompressionRAW, Superfine, FineMovies(Full HD) 1920 x 1080, 60 fps / 30 fps (HD) 1280 x 720, 30 fps (L) 640 x 480, 30 fps Super Slow Motion Movie (L) 640 x 480, 120 fps, (M) 320 x 240, 240 fps Miniature Effect (HD, L) 6 fps, 3 fps, 1.5 fps Hybrid Auto (HD) 30 fps iFrame Movie (Full HD) 30 fpsMovie Length(Full HD & HD) Up to 4 GB or 29 min. 59 sec.¹ (L and M) Up to 4 GB or 1 hour² (Super Slow Motion Movie) Approx. 30 sec. FILE TYPESStill Image TypeJPEG compression (Exif 2.3 [Exif Print] compliant) / Design rule for Camera File system and DPOF ver. 1.1 compliant), RAW, RAW+JPEGMoviesMP4 [Video: MPEG-4 AVC / H.264, Audio: MPEG-4 AAC-LC (stereo) recording level can be manually adjusted by user] iFrame DIRECT PRINTCanon PrintersCanon SELPHY Compact Photo Printers and Canon Inkjet Printers supporting PictBridgePictBridgeYes (via USB or Wireless LAN) OTHER FEATURESGPSGPS via mobile (linked to a compatible smartphone)Red-Eye CorrectionYes, during shooting and playbackMy Camera / My MenuMy Menu customisation availableMy CategoryImage tagging featureIntelligent Orientation SensorYesHistogramYes, live histogramPlayback zoomApprox. 2x – 10xSelf TimerApprox. 2 or 10 sec., CustomMenu LanguagesEnglish, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Italian, Greek, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, Spanish, Ukrainian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish, Simplified Chinese, Chinese (traditional), Japanese, Korean, Thai, Arabic, Romanian, Farsi, Hindi, Malay, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Hebrew INTERFACEComputerHi-Speed USB (MTP, PTP) DIGITAL connectorOtherHDMI Mini Connector A/V output (PAL/NTSC) External microphone (3.5 mm Stereo mini jack)Computer/OtherWireless LAN (IEEE802.11b/g/n), (2.4 GHz only), with NFC support¹ MEMORY CARDTypeSD, SDHC, SDXC (UHS Speed Class 1 compatible) SUPPORTED OPERATING SYSTEMPC & MacintoshWindows 8 / 8.1 / 7 SP1 Mac OS X 10.8 / 10.9 For Wi-Fi connection to a PC: Windows 8 / 8.1 / 7 SP1 Mac OS X 10.8.2 or later / 10.9 SOFTWAREBrowsing & PrintingImageBrowser EXOtherCameraWindow PhotoStitch Map UtilityImage ManipulationDigital Photo Professional for RAW development POWER SOURCEBatteriesRechargeable Li-ion Battery NB-10L (battery and charger supplied)Battery lifeApprox. 340 shots Eco mode approx. 450 shots Approx. 360 min. playbackA/C Power SupplyOptional, AC Adapter Kit ACK-DC80 ACCESSORIESCases / StrapsSoft Case DCC-850 PowerShot Neck Strap NS-100 PowerShot Accessory OrganizerLensesLens Hood LH-DC90 Filter Adapter FA-DC67A (Compatible with Canon 67mm Filters: Circular Polarizing PL-C B, Protect Filter)FlashCanon Speedlite (including 270EX, 270EX II, 320EX, 430EX II, 580EX II, 600EX, 600EX-RT¹) Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2, Speedlite bracket SB-E2, Off-Camera Shoe Cord OC-E3Remote Controller / SwitchRemote Switch RS-60E3Power Supply & Battery ChargersAC Adapter Kit ACK-DC80, Battery Charger CB-2LCEOtherInterface cable IFC-400PCU Canon AV cable AVC-DC400ST Canon HDMI Cable HTC-100 PHYSICAL SPECIFICATIONSOperating Environment0 – 40 °C, 10 – 90% humidityDimensions (WxHxD)127.6 x 92.6 x 114.3 mmWeightApprox. 650 g (including battery and memory card)*1Recording conditions by CIPA standard- CIPA is an abbreviation of [Camera & Imaging Products Association].- Temperature: 23 oC (73.4 oF)/Humidity: 50%RH when LCD monitor is on.- Using a Panasonic SD Memory Card (32 MB).- Using the supplied battery.- Starting recording 30 seconds after the camera is turned on. (When the optical image stabilizer function is set to [ON].)- Recording once every 30 seconds with full flash every second recording.- Rotating the zoom lever from Tele to Wide or vice versa in every recording.- Turning the camera off every 10 recordings and leaving it until the temperature of the battery decreases.*2- These are standard times taken at a temperature of 23 oC (73.4 oF) and a humidity of 50%RH.- The time available for recording varies depending on the environment, the interval between recordings, and the manner of use.- Actual recordable time is the time available for recording when repeating actions such as switching the power supply [ON] / [OFF], starting/stopping recording, zoom operation etc.- Use a card with SD Speed Class with "Class 4" or higher when recording motion pictures.SD speed class is the speed standard regarding continuous writing.- Maximum time to record motion pictures continuously with [AVCHD] in [FHD/50p] / [FHD/50i] is 29 minutes 59 seconds.- Maximum time to record motion pictures continuously with [AVCHD] is 29 minutes 59 seconds in some Asian area.- Maximum time to record motion pictures continuously with [MP4] is 29 minutes 59 seconds or up to 4 GB.
- Warranty
The product comes with 24 Months Genuine Warranty from Canon Australia.
Our products are sourced from authorised Australian suppliers and therefore come with genuine Australian warranty.
Camera Warehouse does not participate in 'Grey Market' or 'Parallel Import' activities.
- In the Box
Canon PowerShot SX60 HS Compact Digital Camera
Lens Cap (with strap)
Neck Strap NS-DC11
Battery Pack NB-10L
Battery Charger CB-2LCE
AC Cable
User Manual Kit
24 Months Genuine Warranty with Canon Australia
- User Reviews


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Luxurious Club-Life in Paradise
With the spectacular views you will be delighted by the beauty featuring the amazing water and lush greens.
There are 114 strategically placed bunkers, this 18-hole course is full of enjoyment no matter how many times you play, where family and friends can fully enjoy the golf lifestyle that is a Hawaiian Ohana. This is Hoakalei Country Club.
Private Golf Club
The difference between a Private Country Club in Japan and in the US is that, in the US most Private Country Clubs are for member's only, not allowing non-member play. Country Clubs are private golf courses that you must join in order to have full access to the golf course. Unlike Japan, you can't call the golf shop or get on a website to book tee times. The only way that you can play on Private Courses is to play with a member or by a member's invitation. Private Country Clubs are a place not only for golfing but also making life time friends, sharing the experience with other members, having memorable dining experiences, and most of all a place for a relaxing, no stress environment.
There are two types of private membership: Equity and Non-equity. These terms relate to the ownership and financial structure of the club and the associated membership. The Equity membership structure is typically defined as one in which the member is theoretically an "owner" of the club, which is run by a Board of Directors elected by the members. In the Non-Equity, the club and all of the amenities are owned by an entity other than the members.
Play Style
In the US, most golf courses allow non-golfers to be on the courses as a rider. As far as caddies go, high-end private golf courses often offer caddies but most of the courses are without caddies. Also, unlike Japan, you must play 18-holes without taking a lunch break and tee time intervals are at 9-11 minutes apart compared to the 6-7 minutes like Japan. This means that you can play golf in the morning and do something else in the afternoon. Hoakalei Country Club is a 10 minute interval. Cost of play is also different compared to Japan. In the US, once you have become a member, there is no green fee, there is only a cart fee. Not only Green fees, but other amenities such as range balls and use of pool are covered by either monthly dues or yearly dues. Therefore to play Hoakalei, member only need to pay the $25 cart fee per member.
Membership Category
- Resident Membership
- Resident Non-Transferable Golf Membership Individual
- Resident Transferable Golf Membership Individual
- Resident Non-Transferable Corporate Golf Membership 2 designee must be assigned
- Non-Resident Membership
- Non-Resident Non-Transferable Golf Membership Individual
- Non-Resident Transferable Golf Membership Individual
- Non-Resident Non-Transferable Corporate Golf Membership 2 designee must be assigned
- <Benefit>
* Complimentary green fees for Members, Spouses and all dependent children under the age of 22
* Complimentary driving range balls.
* 20% member discount on soft goods and merchandise in the golf shop.
* Accompanied guest play allowed. Member-Guest rate apply/
* A reduced rate to Taishi Country Club in Japan, Sankara Hotel in Yakushima, Catsle Hotel & Spa in NY.
* Please do not hesitate to contact us for more information.

subset: commoncrawl


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Nordic Ski Transition
To our customers, friends and partners,
This is to let you know that effective January 7, 2016 Different Bikes will no longer sell Nordic ski equipment or accessories. We have transitioned our Nordic ski and accessory business to our neighbours Deep Cove Outdoors in North Vancouver. While we're still passionate about Nordic skiing, our bike business has experienced such strong growth in all four seasons that we've found it challenging to find the space and time to commit properly to the ski business.
The team at Deep Cove Outdoors are experts in Nordic sports and we're pleased to be able to transition our ski customers and brands seamlessly into their capable hands. They will handle all warranty and service for our existing Nordic customers, and we happily recommend anyone looking for skate or classic skis and related gear to visit them!
We'd like to sincerely thank our ski customers, club members, especially Hollyburn Ski Club, and our key Nordic suppliers, especially Salomon Canada, for their trust and support over the years. We'll see all of you out on the ski trails!
-- The DB Team


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In its fifth year of running, the 2014 America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins continue the US Mint's tradition of a series of coins celebrating the beauty of the United States and its territories. The coins scheduled to appear as part of the 2014 releases are:
Tennessee – 2014 Great Smoky Mountains National Park Silver Bullion Coin
Virginia – 2014 Shenandoah National Park Silver Bullion Coin
Colorado – 2014 Great Sand Dunes National Park Silver Bullion Coin
A unique feature of the five 2014 releases of the America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins is that all of them honor national parks. While multiple other national parks are honored throughout the fifty-six coin 11-year run of the program, this year is the only one in which another site of national interest is not honored. Of course, this has no major impact on the series, it just happens to be the way in which the chosen sites were added to the federal system.
All of the coins in the series were authorized by the America's Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008 which stipulates that only sites of national interest be selected for the program. As such, not only national parks were included but sites like national forests, national monuments, national memorials as well. In order to insure a fair representation of the nation as a whole, only one site was selected from each state, the District of Columbia and the five US Territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, US Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands). The coins release order is dictated by the order in which the site came under the direct control of the federal government.
Since the entire program is dedicated to the beauty of the United States, the reverses (tails side) of the coins will be reserved for the designs showcasing the selected sites. The US Mint will probably only reveal the final designs for the 2014 strikes early in that year before the first strike is released. However, interested individuals will be able to catch a glimpse of what the coins might look like in 2013 when the Mint releases the design candidates of each strike for review.
These bullion coins are required to be identical in design to the circulating quarters. As such, the portrait of George Washington that is seen on the quarters will be found on the obverse of the bullion strikes as well.
The bullion coins similarity to the quarters end at their design, however. The bullion coins will be much larger and struck from the precious metal silver. In fact, the bullion coins will be over three times as large with a diameter of three inches. Each coin will contain five ounces of .999 fine silver. In order to signify the bullion coins content, an edge inscription will show their weight and fineness.
Additional information on the selected sites for the 2014 America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins is provided below:
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee was officially established in 1934, but the area has a rich history that precedes that date. Since prehistoric times the mountains in the area have been home to native Americans.
By the time European settlers encroached on the region, the highly advanced Cherokee Indians already had established a well-developed political system, towns and even trails connecting them throughout the Smoky Mountains. Their way of life was about to change, however, as the American government began a process in 1830 to forcibly move all Native American tribes east of the Mississippi River to land in Oklahoma. The Cherokee tribes of the Smoky Mountains were no exception and their "trail of tears" is still well remembered today.
With most of the Indians removed, white settlers started to homestead in the region and unfortunately this led to a boom in the logging industry resulting in many clear-cut sections of forest land. By the early 1900's, a movement had begun to protect the landscape but it met with little success owing to a lack of funds.
Shenandoah National Park
Probably best known for its scenic 105-mile Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park in Virginia has so much more to offer its visitors.
Construction of Shenandoah began in 1926 as the state of Virginia started to slowly acquire land for use as a park through the legal process known as eminent domain. In the process, many families were forced to relocate and even several communities ceased to exist. By 1935, the state turned over this land to the federal government for the creation of Shenandoah National Park.
By far, the most popular attraction in the park is the aforementioned Skyline Drive. The scenic road bisects the park and runs along the ridge of the mountains. Most visitors find the fall the best time to visit as the leaves on the trees start to turn colors.
Arches National Park
Arches National Park in Utah preserves over 2,000 sandstone arches including the world-famous Delicate Arch which stands 52-feet high and is widely considered an icon of not only the park, but of Utah itself.
Native Americans frequented this area for centuries before settlers of European descent started living in the region in earnest in the late 1800's. Still, the beauty of the area was relatively unknown until the 1920's when a push was made to preserve it for future generations.
Several government investigations were made into the area, and in 1929 Arches National Monument was created out of two small disconnected sections. In 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt enlarged the monuments acreage and it remained that way until 1969 when President Lyndon B. Johnson significantly enlarged the monument once again. However, most of this acquisition was reversed in 1971 by then President Richard Nixon when he signed new legislation decreasing the monuments size, but changing its status to a national park.
Great Sand Dunes National Park
The Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado protects a system of dunes that is not only considered the tallest in North America but also one of the most fragile and complex in the world.
Contrary to what many believe, the system is far from being void of water. In fact, it is the presence of water in and around the dunes that keep the regenerative cycle going. If one were to dig down only a few feet, even at the dunes peak, you would start to find moist sand. The presence of this moisture prevents the entire dunes from blowing away. The top layer, however, does get blown off of the dunes, only to be caught up in a series of streams that surrounds them. These streams also slowly erode at the edge of the dunes as they pass by. As these streams slowly dry up the further they progress from their source, the sand they have caught gets blown back up onto the dunes, completing a full circle.
Included in the parks boundaries in addition to the dunes are several alpine lakes, ancient spruce and pine forests, high peaks over 13,000 feet in elevation and even some wetlands. This diverse collection of attractions draws over a quarter of a million visitors annually.
Everglades National Park
Unlike most national parks which were created to protect a geographic feature, Everglades National Park in Florida offers protection to a fragile ecosystem.
This ecosystem was created over thousands of years and once consisted of almost 11,000 square miles. But, with man's encroachment by the early 1900's, this delicate balance of nature was severely threatened. Seeing the land as more usable if farmed or built on, many drainage projects were initiated to remove the water.
Unknown by many, the Everglades is actually an extremely slow-moving river traveled at a rate of around .25 miles an hour. Fed by the Kissimmee River through Lake Okeechobee, the Everglades slowly dump into the Florida Bay. Before that occurs, however, the forces of the water create an environment that thousands of species call home.


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Posted by BDT in Minnesota on October 17, 2012 at 09:33:06 from (220.127.116.11):
In Reply to: C/CA mods? posted by dgerth on October 17, 2012 at 07:16:11:
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TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.


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|Talent Center - Career Connections
Career Immersions offers an introductory visit for small groups of high school students interested in a career in technology. Target partners are fun and exciting tech companies. Visits offer insight on the business, career pathway overviews from staff and a hands-on, experiential component. We work to identify, prepare and connect companies to school programs that organize the students. We are currently partnering with the Denver Public Schools and their 3 high schools with IT career pathways: Lincoln, West and Hi-Tech.
Interested? Keep reading. Outlining career pathways for students helps them to discover and prepare for future employment opportunities. Maybe even at your company! There are critical points along a student's career pathway, and we welcome the opportunity for your employees to interact with students to:
Students leave the experience with a grasp of what opportunities lie in their future and how to get there. The experiential activity gives students to opportunity to learn from technology professionals through small groups and ask questions.
Company Partners
Companies that support employee engagement through community volunteering find loyal and happy workers that experience a satisfaction knowing they are helping local students prepare for their careers. One proven method to interact with students is to host them on site at a company location. During the visit, students are introduced to what they company does, the industry they operate in and a few key occupations.
If you are interested in hosting, please contact email@example.com
Sponsored by:


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Our buyers"experienced players themselves"went to Paul's Maryland shop where they handpicked a group of knockout guitars with the most stunning tops, unusual appointments, and the lightest bodies. Th... Click To Read More About This Product
Find a similar product below or contact us for a recommendation of a great alternative.
Call: 866-498-7882 Email
Our buyers"experienced players themselves"went to Paul's Maryland shop where they handpicked a group of knockout guitars with the most stunning tops, unusual appointments, and the lightest bodies.
This unique Paul Reed Smith Custom 22 Electric Guitar has a gorgeous carved flame maple 10 top custom finished in stunning whale blue. The Custom 22 has a special 25" scale length coupled with a comfortable wide fat neck profile for exceptional playability. The 22-fret rosewood fingerboard and a natural maple body edge highlight the classic PRS double-cutaway guitar body.
The medium output on-board PRS Dragon II pickups boast alnico magnets for a unique tone that falls between vintage and modern pickup sounds. A 5-way rotary switch selects from multiple pickup coil combinations for an amazing variety of tones. All hardware is nickel including a PRS tremolo bridge, and Phase II locking mini tuners. The PRS Custom 22 is an electric guitar that is exciting to behold and exhilarating to play! PRS includes a hardshell case.
Reviewed by 2 customers
I love this gutiar, it is great. The price hurts. The SE 22 has close to equal tone not the quality but. This gutiar is not for a working class man. I guess all PRS has for me is an SE.I hope anyone who buys this gutiar can play it.For the money ill be making a down payment on a house not buying the 22.
Yes, this is an expensive guitar. But i do not regret buying it. I've had it for about 5 yrs. It has become one of my favorite guitars. As a matter of fact after getting it I've decided to get rid of some of my other guitars due to they won't be getting played as much anymore. this has become one of my 2 favorite guitars. Awesome woodwork, Flawless quilt top, great neck super comfortable to play and stays in tune after whatever you play on it, love the locking tuners and the tremolo system, simple and yet so effective. every time i say i'll play for a few minutes, a couple of hours go by Great guitar, only thing could be better would be a lower price
Our product catalog varies by country due to manufacturer restrictions. If you change the Ship-To country, some or all of the items in your cart may not ship to the new destination.


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Right now, a bunch of hobby industry professionals are in Hawaii talking about the business side of cards. For many, this is a trip to improve their business. Im sure there are many that need those lessons but cant go on an expensive trip. Let me tell you right now, the summit is all about lip service, and lip service helps no one. If you have read the recaps of the panels online, you will see that there isnt much offered there that cant be found online. I mean, you are reading a recap, right?
Dont get me wrong, networking is very important, but with every last person in the industry available on the internet to receive your questions and feedback, its not a big deal to talk to them face to face anymore. If you are personable online, many are more than willing to talk to you. I mean, is the Panini rep going to tell you something different just because you are in front of them? Guess what? The redemption program isnt going to change because you are there asking where your 2013 card is. Plus, if you really want to understand customers or talk to successful shops, there are thousands of potential customers and established retailers on twitter and facebook that can be engaged for feedback for free. No Hawaii trip required.
Moving on.
In my opinion, the population of individuals who visit hobby shops of any sort is dwindling. Not because of anything other than times are changing. The internet has changed the face of many hobbies to the point where they dont function anywhere close to the same as prior. The internet has changed our society, and that's some toothpaste you cant put back in the tube. So, the question becomes, are hobby shops still necessary to the fabric of the hobby? I think the answer is more complicated than you might expect.
Im not going to get into the ins and outs of why shops should or shouldnt exist, because honestly I dont know enough about the marketplace to understand the true ripple effects of the last hobby shop closing its doors. I want to say that shops continue to be an ambassador to returning customers to the hobby, but im curious if google is more of an ambassador than anyone these days. My gut says yes.
Also, I have to mention that I am lucky. One of the best hobby shops in the country sits mere miles from my house, and I am a bit spoiled by the atmosphere that is on display. Sports Cards Plus recently underwent a large renovation sponsored by Panini, and now looks even nicer than it did before. That being said, a nice look isnt the only thing that keeps customers coming back. The owner, Charlie, takes an enormous amount of pride in the way his shop is run, and he is a student of his customers. Its uncanny.
That being said, there are some major and simple things that a shop can do to improve their position in the hobby world.
Curb Appeal
I get it, not everyone can set up in an upscale shopping mall, and some cant even afford to set up in a run down shopping mall. Margins in the industry are thinner than ever, and with the card companies constantly closing out product to every distributor with a pulse, the margins arent getting bigger. That being said, there are a lot of ways that someone can make their store look nice, even without a nice location. Whether its proper signage, updated window displays, or even just a big window into a clean store, Curb appeal is a huge deal. Its hard to continue to walk into a store that looks like a front for a drug operation. Because shop owners have a lot of control over "random" packs in their store, I have to have a level of trust to buy anything. If the curb appeal looks like a disaster, its hard to want to go inside.
The first judgement a card customer will make is the organization of your store. If things are strewn about and completely messy, you are not going to look good to a crowd that meticulously keeps their own collection as organized as possible. I get it, maintaining a clean store isnt easy when you are the only staff member, but if you want to grow your business, the inside has to be spotless. Cards need to be in boxes, packs need to be in boxes or bins, and everything needs to be straightened, dusted and kept out of the UV light. If you have a bargain area, make sure it is clearly labeled and separated from your premium stuff. Singles should be on shelves in a way that make sense, and though display cases can be expensive, they need to be a part of your setup. The outside of your shop can be a train wreck due to the area, but the inside needs to be a haven.
Customer Service
If you got into owning a store because you loved cards, you probably made the wrong decision. If you got into owning a store because you loved cards, and you love to serve your customers, its a bit different. Being a customer service rep means putting on a show. You have to be the reason your customers want to continue to buy from you. Chances are, many cities only have one or two shops. That means that competition is dwindling in that respect. What it SURELY doesnt mean is that competition doesnt exist. If you atmosphere sucks, because you are a dick or you dont pay attention to your customer's needs, you will not get my business again. Ill just stay online. You are a facilitator and a salesperson, so you need to be exactly as available as I need you to be.
At a minimum:
- Greet every customer who comes in the door
- Be visible at all times – dont disappear into the back room
- Ask questions to determine what the purpose of my visit is
- Make suggestions
- Engage me in discussion / ask my opinion
- Show professional empathy and be respectful
- Dont sit on your computer
- Get feedback
- Dont treat me like a kid or a potential criminal
Customer service is an art, and if you are unable to come out of your introverted frame to really be "on" with your customers when they need it, good luck. The internet is not your biggest problem. Obviously, not every customer needs attention constantly, but you wont know the level they need until you talk to them. I cant count the number of times I walk into a store and see no one. No customers, no staff, nothing. Its tough to do everything by yourself, but that isnt always an excuse.
Setup of the Shop
Some shops are setup to be very pack and go. No areas to congregate, large rear of the shop to protect high value goods, and a lot of counters. Some stores are just small because they have to be. My personal preference is to have a display where wax and singles are available for purchase and an area to sit and hang out. The ONLY reason I go to a shop these days is to pass time, and the buying is almost secondary. I might go to buy, but I will buy more if I can stay longer and chill with people.
Have a TV on, have a breaking table, make your shop as much of a destination as possible. If that means sacrificing some storage space, it will be worth it. You would be surprised how much time we spend around the breaking table at my shop. Even when it was a smaller shop, the owner ALWAYS had a table set up with a bunch of chairs. There is nothing more enticing than watching someone break a box. Even if its bad, it wont matter. People want the experience, and they want people to watch. If your shop isnt conducive to that setup, you wont have me coming back.
Why do you think most Cigar shops have such an investment in a lounge area? Its because they want customers to see the product in action. They want their shop to be the place where people hang out. If they hang out, they buy.
Try to find a balance between retail areas and non retail areas, and be conscious that every inch you take up with a shelf, is an area that could be reserved for people to congregate. Its the only TRUE advantage you have over the internet. If your shelf doesnt get constant sales, is it really worth keeping there obstructing the flow of the shop?
Store Hours
I dont get why a shop would be open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm. That makes no sense. Your weekend needs to be different than your customer's weekend. Most of us have jobs, and we wont stop by when working hours are going on. Opening later in the morning to stay open later at night is a huge plus. I would be shocked if people roll out of bed on a Tuesday to open cards at 9am. Open at 11 and stay open until at least 8.
Similarly, your hours should be longest on Wednesday (product release day) and Friday (Payday). Sundays should be a big day too, and its best to make your shop a football factory during the season. 12-5 hours on Sunday would help a lot. Everyone is out of Church, and Football doesnt really go past that. You have to be available when your customers have free time. Closing on a Tuesday isnt a big deal when you can be open other times instead. No one said owning a business would be easy, and sacrifices have to be made.
Online Presence
Every shop needs a Twitter account. Every shop needs a facebook account. Every shop needs a website. This is non-negotiable. If you dont understand how to do any of this, im not sure how you are reading this post. If you own a store website, it needs to be updated frequently. A blog format is perfectly fine, and very easy to set up. Most community education centers have internet classes, or you can hire someone if you cant figure it out. Remember what I said before? Google is your best friend, and if customers cant see you before they come, its less likely that they will. Invest in your online presence. Make sure you stay up to date on Yelp comments, and other reviews from the crowd.
Twitter and Facebook have become hobby hubs, and having a persona is good. All the big shops have found time to make it work. It can be anything. Responding to card company posts, engaging with people in discussion (positivity only), and being a pillar there will earn you respect. With respect comes attention, and attention is good.
Similarly, doing something as simple as posting pictures of big hits pulled in the store can get you a lot of visibility. Even if customers dont open in the store, ask them to tweet pictures to you when they open at home. Give them a stage to show off their biggest wins. This hobby is one based in Vanity.
I run two websites that have minor followings. I post something for both sites multiple times per day. I also have a job that requires 60-80 hour work weeks. If I can find the time, so can you. My wife and two kids understand its something that is important to me.
Bottom line, if it shows YOU care, it will inspire your customers to continue coming back. You will not be able to compete with internet prices. Sometimes that's okay. If you provide the right destination for your customers, it wont matter that they can get it cheaper elsewhere. They will want the experience of a fun place that is supportive of their biggest passion. That passion runs both ways, and I guarantee that any investment you make will return 10 fold in that respect. If you can be creative and build from these things, you might be able to make a living selling cards. This is just the BASICS. No one ever becomes rich from doing what is expected of them. To succeed above and beyond, you need to go above and beyond.


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Dillon To Move To Sprint Cup Full Time In 2014
January 15th, 2013 | by Michael J Smith
Austin Dillon will move to the Sprint Cup Series full time in 2014, according to AutoWeek. Dillon is slated to
January 15th, 2013 | by Michael J Smith
Austin Dillon will move to the Sprint Cup Series full time in 2014, according to AutoWeek. Dillon is slated to
June 5th, 2012 | by Michael J Smith
Following Kurt Busch's suspension that will cause him to miss this weekend's Pocono 400 at Pocono Raceway, Tommy Baldwin Racing announced that David Reutimann will fill in for Busch in the No. 51 Phoenix Racing Chevy
February 28th, 2012 | by NASCAR Wire Service
Matt Kenseth held off Dale Earnhardt Jr to win a Daytona 500 that featured the first postponement in its history, and a bizarre accident that engulfed part of the track in flames
August 9th, 2010 | by Michael J Smith
Marcos Ambrose won his third consecutive Nationwide Series race at Watkins Glen International, dominating the Zippo 200, leading 60 of 82 laps, including the final 30 laps
June 20th, 2010 | by Michael J Smith
Carl Edwards won the NASCAR Nationwide Series Bucyrus 200 at Road America from the pole position to score his first victory of the season. Jacques Villeneuve took the lead with 12 laps to go. But, the caution flew, bunching up the field. Edwards passed Villeneuve with nine laps to go
May 10th, 2010 | by Michael J Smith
Denny Hamlin held off Kyle Busch on the final restart to win the Royal Purple 200 at Darlington Raceway. Busch managed to pull even with Hamlin to the inside entering Turn 1, but Hamlin used his momentum on the outside to pull ahead of Busch. Over the final five laps, he gradually opened a lead, winning by .625 seconds.
August 10th, 2009 | by Michael J Smith
Marcos Ambrose used a daring move entering the bus stop at Watkins Glen to pass Kyle Busch and win his second consecutive Zippo 200 at the Glen
April 25th, 2009 | by Michael J Smith
David Ragan passed Ryan Newman a few hundred feet from the start-finish line to win the Nationwide Series Aaron's 312
March 28th, 2009 | by Michael J Smith
NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying for the Goodys Fast Pain Relief 500 from Martinsville Speedway was set by owner's points due
February 28th, 2009 | by Michael J Smith
Kyle and Kurt Busch qualified first and second for the Shelby 427 from Las Vegas Motor Speedway. But, Kyle lost
© 2014 Lead-Lap.com


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THE nation's billion-dollar home loan war has intensified with HSBC slashing its variable rate to the lowest among the retail banks.
The cutting of their variable rate loan by 0.59 of a percentage point to 4.75 per cent days ahead of the Reserve Bank of Australia's first monthly meeting next Tuesday has signalled that the mortgage war is on.
The rate is the lowest of any branch-based retail bank.
Interest rates have remained at historically low levels and just last week one of the nation's biggest lenders, National Australia Bank, dropped its four-year fixed term home loan rate to its lowest level in 20 years – 5.44 per cent.
Financial comparison website Mozo's spokeswoman Kirsty Lamont said this latest move by HSBC showed the fight between financial institutions had geared up a notch.
"The year 2014 is really shaping up as the year of the borrower, there's some red-hot rates on the market right now," she said.
"There's signs that frenzy of competition that we are seeing right now could turn into a real prolonged home loan war."
"It's unusual when most commentators are predicting that the cash rate will remain fairly stable," she said.
"What we are also seeing is the big four banks are really fighting to retain their market share."
NAB and ANZ have the lowest standard variable rates among the big four banks at 5.88 per cent, followed by the Commonwealth Bank (5.9 per cent) and Westpac (5.98 per cent).
HSBC also dropped its two, three and four-year fixed rates by up to 70 basis points. Its one-year fixed rate is its lowest of any fixed terms at 4.49 per cent.
Head of mortgages for HSBC Australia, Alice Del Vecchio, said their move to slash rates was out of the ordinary.
"We've definitely gone out earlier than in previous years because our customers are telling us that they are taking the time to look at their loans and make sure they've got the best loan that they can possibly get," she said.
"We thought we'd head out this year and give customers and our competitors something to think about."
ANZ (Variable Rate Home Loan) 5.88% 6.4% -0.52%
Commonwealth (Standard Variable 5.9% 6.4% -0.5%
NAB (Tailored Home Loan) 5.88% 6.38% -0.5%
Westpac (Rocket Repay Home Loan) 5.98% 6.51% -0.53%


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Contributed by Winsor Marrett Tyler
[Published in 1940: Smithsonian Institution United States National Museum Bulletin 176: 163-183]
Almost every man, woman, and child living in the wide breeding range of the whippoorwill knows the bird by name. Those who once hear it singing, reiterating its name perhaps a hundred times or more without a pause, cannot fail to realize that they are listening to a whippoorwill, but how many of this multitude who know the whippoorwill's name ever saw the bird, or would recognize it if they did see it? Not, it may be presumed, one-tenth of 1 percent.
Yet, the whippoorwill lived many long years in denser obscurity still, for, playing a part behind the scenes, so to speak, its lines were ascribed to another actor in the play; it was not recognized as a bird at all until the early part of the last century. Prior to this time the whippoorwill was supposed to be nothing more than the voice of the nighthawk, and even now in many rural districts the two birds are not clearly distinguished from each other. William Brewster (1895) says: "They are still very generally regarded by country people throughout New England as one and the same bird."
Spring.--The whippoorwill starts northward from central Florida in the latter part of March. This northerly movement evidently represents a general migration from the southern and eastern Gulf States, and through them from points farther south. The bird arrives in the latitude of Boston, Mass., late in April or early in May, thus flying a distance of a thousand miles or more in 35 or 40 days--a migration that corresponds closely, both in time of year and in speed of travel, with that of the chimney swift. Of this journey Wilson (1831) says:
In their migrations north, and on their return, they probably stop a day or two at some of their former stages, and do not advance in one continued flight. The whip-poor-will was first heard this season [1811] on the 2nd day of May, in a corner of Mr. Bartram's woods, not far from the house, and for two or three mornings after in the same place, where I also saw it. From this time until the beginning of September, there were none of these birds to be found within at least one mile of the place; though I frequently made search for them. On the 4th of September the whip-poor-will was again heard for two evenings successively in the same part of the woods. I also heard several of them passing, within the same week, between dusk and nine o'clock at night, it being then clear moonlight. These repeated their notes three or four times, and were heard no more. It is highly probable that they migrate during the evening and night.
F. Seymour Hersey (1923) tells of a striking instance of nocturnal migration when a multitude of whippoorwills arrived suddenly at Lakeville, Mass., in the middle of the night.
In 1901 [he says], on the evening of May 4, about eight o'clock, a single bird was heard singing. This was the first arrival noted and no others were heard that evening. At two o'clock the following morning, six hours later, I was awakened by birds singing loudly everywhere. I dressed and went out and for more than an hour the chorus continued. There were numbers of birds about the house, on the door-step and ridge-pole, others singing in the road or from the stone walls along the road side, while still others could be heard down in the pastures--often eight or ten were singing at the same instant. I walked down the road for half a mile and the birds seemed equally as abundant on neighbors' farms. It seems probable that the migration takes place at night as these birds had just arrived.
Courtship.--Few observers have had the good fortune to watch the sexual activities of the whippoorwill. One must be very near the birds to see, in the semi darkness, the courtship in detail, and even should we catch sight of a courting pair--a rare happening--we may get but a glimpse of their actions, because, if they flit only a little way back into the gloom, they are lost to view, fading into the shadows.
Frank Bolles (1912) tells of the following experience. He was hidden under a "narrow fringe of spirea bushes, 2 1/2 ft. high only 3 ft. from the stone"--a stone on which a whippoorwill sang every evening. He says:
It uttered its note about twenty or thirty times when to my astonishment another whip, alighted near it, on the left (W.) end of the boulder. One or two sounds like the soft popping of corn came from the new arrival, and the first bird, which had ceased its call, faced west and began a strange, slow dance, advancing a step at a time towards its mate, raising its body to the full length of its legs at each step, thus making a sort of undulating approach. The other bird remained where it alit, but seemed to be moving its body up and down or else slowly pulsating its wings. The first bird, which I think was the male, seemed to continue its dance entirely around the female. As he passed her, indescribable purring and popping sounds were made and one of the birds flew lightly away--the female I think. The male resumed his first position and remained silent. Then he rose and circled in the air, catching an insect I thought, for he came back at once to the spot on the rock which he always covers. A moment later his mate seemed to call from below the house, near the lake, and he flew, his white feathers flashing as he spread his tail, and the strokes of his wings making a distinct and quite loud sound as he passed close above my head.
Henry K. Coale (1920) reporting the observation of his neighbor, Moritz Boehm, says:
On different occasions, while the male was calling, he saw the female going through some peculiar antics, but in the dusk could not make out just what she was doing. One evening, when he was sitting on the lower step, the birds came up and performed within ten feet of him. He kept perfectly quiet. The male called from a low branch overhead, while the female strutted on the gravel path below, with wings and tail outspread and head lowered, and side-stepped back and forth, half way around to the right, then to the left, all the time uttering a curious guttural chuckle. This performance was kept up for ten or fifteen minutes.
Bendire's (1895) account of the whippoorwill's courtship is the best in the literature; it has become almost a classic, and ornithologists still deplore the regrettable incident that interrupted the observation.
While on a collecting trip in Herkimer County, New York, with Dr. William L. Ralph, in June, 1893, I witnessed a most amusing performance, which one may see perhaps once in a lifetime. I happened to be in a little outbuilding, some 20 feet in the rear of the house at which we were stopping, early on the evening of the 24th, about half an hour after sundown, when I heard a peculiar, low, clucking noise outside, which was directly followed by the familiar call of the "whip-poor-will." . . . Directly alongside of the small outbuilding previously referred to, a barrel of sand and lime had been spilled, and from the numerous tracks of these birds, made by them nightly afterwards, it was evident that this spot was visited regularly, and was the trysting place of at least one pair. Looking through a small aperture, I saw one of the birds waddling about in a very excited manner over the sand-covered space, which was perhaps 2 by 3 feet square, and it was so much interested in its own performance that it did not notice me, although I made some noise trying to fight off a swarm of mosquitoes which assailed me from all sides. Its head appeared to be all mouth, and its notes were uttered so rapidly that, close as I was to the bird, they sounded like one long, continuous roll.
A few seconds after his first effort (it was the male) he was joined by his mate, and she at once commenced to respond with a peculiar, low, buzzing or grunting note, like "gaw-gaw-gaw," undoubtedly a note of approval or endearment. This evidently cost her considerable effort; her head almost touched the ground while uttering it, her plumage was relaxed, and her whole body seemed to be in a violent tremble. The male in the meantime had sidled up to her and touched her bill with his, which made her move slightly to one side, but so slowly that he easily kept close alongside her. These sidling movements were kept up for a minute or more each time; first one would move away, followed by the other, and then it was reversed; both were about equally bold and coy at the same time. Their entire love making looked exceedingly human, and the female acted as timid and bashful as many young maidens would when receiving the first declarations of their would-be lovers, while the lowering of her head might easily be interpreted as being done to hide her blushes. Just about the time I thought this courtship would reach its climax, a dog ran out of the house and caused both to take flight.
Nesting.--The whippoorwill lays its two eggs on dry, well-drained ground, generally near the edge of a wood of small mixed growth--oak, beech, pine--where the floor of the wood is clear of dense underbrush and where the trees are not crowded together, but spaced far enough apart to cast an uneven shadow. The eggs may lie on the open floor or under a small bush--not tucked away near the stems, but out in the shadow of its branches. The bird builds no nest, although a slight depression about the eggs may result from the presence of the parent there during incubation; for concealment it relies solely on the soft color of the fallen leaves and the flickering light of the woodland.
It is rare to find the eggs laid in a more open situation.
Lewis McI. Terrill, in a letter to Mr. Bent, gives in detail the results of remarkably close observations of the home life of a pair of whippoorwills and their brood. His observations were made near St. Lambert, Quebec, in 1933.
On May 14 Mr. Terrill came upon a pair of whippoorwills in a patch of deciduous trees, mainly young maple and birch. A week later he flushed the female "from a single egg lying on a bed of old leaves in a small glade" near the spot where he first saw the birds. "There was no depression whatever, and the egg appeared as if it had been casually dropped there." The second egg was not laid until the 23d, indicating "that egg deposition takes place on alternate days."
Invariably at his subsequent visits Mr. Terrill found the female incubating or brooding, but while the young birds remained in the vicinity of the nest he saw the male near it only once (June 20).
He says: "The male spent the day in a thicket over 400 yards away. I usually heard him singing from this direction in the early part of the evening; later he sang from a point nearer the nest; and finally from its immediate vicinity. I gather from this that he visited his family regularly at night.
"On May 27 the eggs were resting in a noticeable depression made by the pressure of the bird's body. One might almost call it a nest although no extraneous nesting material whatever had been added. The female was very consistent in her behavior, usually leaving the eggs when I was 10-15 feet away and flying to a dead branch 2 feet from the ground where she uttered a few protesting chucks, which resembled a call of the catbird and to a lesser extent the chuck of the hermit thrush.
"On the occasion of the male's visit (June 20) both birds were very worried, and their calls, especially that of the male resembled the whip note of his song, although much subdued. He sometimes called whip-will when excited by the distress calls of the young.
"When returning to the nest the female frequently hovered before alighting, often dropping to the ground a few feet from the nest. Even at that short distance she would not attempt to walk onto the eggs, but would fly up again, hover, and then alight directly on the nest.
"The nighthawk, we may note, progresses differently. To be sure, it occasionally flies short distances when approaching the nest, but the final approach is by walking, or perhaps I should say creeping in a Charlie Chaplin-like shuffle. The different methods of approach to the nest are, I think, indicative of the different habitats of two very similar birds. The woodland whippoorwill hops or flies to avoid obstructions, whereas the nighthawk can gain its objective without leaving the ground.
"The female whippoorwill was still incubating on June 10, but on the 11th there were two young in the nest. The incubation period for the last egg laid was, therefore, at least 19 days, and possibly nearer 20.
"The first definite movement away from the nest was noted on June 18, when the female was brooding the young 50 feet away. On the 19th and 20th she was respectively 70 and 85 feet from the nest. The female often alighted crosswise on a limb when excited, or for the purpose of facing me, but quickly assumed the lengthwise position.
"June 21-22--Female brooding young 100 feet from nest.
"June 25--One young bird flew 15 feet.
"June 26--Older chick flew 25 feet when female was flushed. Younger bird still jumped, then squatted, but when I placed it on a branch, it flew 15 feet. Both young always alighted on the ground, but perched readily. This was the last I saw of the family."
Mr. Terrill's report of this family of whippoorwills makes it clear that the male parent rarely came near the nest at the times he was watching it. For example, H. E. Tuttle (1911) says: "The male Whip-poor-will I saw only once, and that was after the young were fully grown. He was very conspicuous in the dusk as he sat on a log, uttering rasping sounds in his throat and opening and shutting his tail, brilliantly marked with white at the edges. It was only a day or so after seeing the male bird that I lost sight of the young birds altogether."
But why should we expect the male whippoorwill to come to the nest in the middle of the night--the whippoorwill's day? There is nothing to do there at night except to keep the eggs warm, or, after they hatch, to brood the young, and his mate can do that while she sleeps on the nest. So he sleeps a little way off. But when the dark comes--when his morning breaks--when the night insects begin to fly, and food abounds, and his hungry children cry, where is the male parent then? We do not know, but we may assume, as Mr. Terrill suggests, that he joins his family and aids in feeding the young.
When a female bird is approached while she is incubating (Bendire says: "I believe the female attends to this duty almost exclusively") the behavior varies a good deal in different individuals. In many accounts of her actions, she is reported to flop about on the ground, seemingly trying to lead the intruder away. Wilson (1831) reports that "in traversing the woods one day in the early part of June, along the brow of a rocky declivity, a whippoorwill rose from my feet, and fluttered along, sometimes prostrating herself, and beating the ground with her wings, as if just expiring." On the other hand, H. E. Tuttle (1911) speaks of a bird, brooding young, which was "very fearless, allowing me to touch her back and making it necessary for me to shove her gently off the young when I wanted a glimpse of them."
Arthur C. Bent, in his notes, says that late in May he "flushed a whippoorwill from near a woodland path, where it apparently had been roosting regularly as evidenced by its droppings." A few days later, not 25 yards from the path, he "flushed the whippoorwill from the ground and saw its single egg lying on the flat, bare oak leaves."
C. H. D. Clarke, writing to Mr. Bent from Ontario, Canada, points out how changes in the topography of a region may affect the local whippoorwills. He says: "The common denominator explaining the local distribution of this species is, I believe, to be found in its feeding and egg-laying habits. The whippoorwill feeds in the open, like the nighthawk, but unlike it, fairly near the ground. Although both birds lay their eggs on the ground, the nighthawk nests in the open, whereas the whippoorwill always nests among trees. Hence, as a breeding bird, it is found in glades and around the edges of woodlots. Many of the woodlots, however, in this vicinity are closely grazed by cattle at the present time, a condition that prevailed less commonly in the semi pioneering stage of our county. The whippoorwill does not tolerate this change; it will not breed in the grazed woodlots, and, as a consequence, has been reduced in numbers here. It also seems to avoid extensive areas of conifers, possibly because of the absence of hardwood litter on which to lay its eggs. The area at Frank's Bay, in which the bird breeds very commonly, is a sand plain that was burned over about 25 years ago and has since grown up in many places to dense stands of poplar from 15 to 20 feet high. Here the whippoorwill has plenty of shelter in the dense poplar woods, an abundance of hardwood litter, and may cruise about over the treetops not far above ground."
Eggs.--[AUTHOR'S NOTE: The two eggs of the whippoorwill are between oval and elliptical-oval in shape and become somewhat glossy when incubated. The ground color is usually pure white, but occasionally a faint creamy tint is perceptible. The markings consist of spots or small blotches of "pale Quaker drab" or "pallid Quaker drab," scattered over the eggs more or less irregularly; an occasional egg has large, irregular blotches of this color. Overlying these pale gray markings, or scattered among them, are often many small spots or fine dots of various browns, such as "cinnamon-brown," "tawny," or "tawny-olive." An occasional egg is almost immaculate.
The measurements of 50 eggs average 29.0 by 21.3 millimeters; the eggs showing the four extremes measure 31.5 by 21.0, 30.48 by 22.86, 20.48 by 21.34, and 28.45 by 20.07 millimeters.]
Young.--The little whippoorwill chick, hatching out from an invisible egg, finds itself lying on the ground, with dead leaves all about. The dead leaves look like the chick, and the chick looks like the dead leaves; no one can tell them apart; practically the chick is a dead leaf, and, although hatched, it is still invisible, just as it was when hidden in the egg.
Some birds depend on speed for safety, or on agility or strength, but the whippoorwill relies chiefly on not being seen. Safety comes to the whippoorwill in dim light, half shadows, and the faint, confusing obscurity of dusk, and among these, on the borderland of invisibility, the whippoorwill lives all its days.
Nests of the whippoorwill are found almost always by accident. The old bird starts up from near the observer's feet, a search--sometimes a long one--reveals the eggs or the young birds. For example, A. Dawes DuBois (1911) says:
The first nest was found on May 16, 1908, in a strip of woods of medium size trees, thickly undergrown, on a high bank of the Sangamon River [Illinois]. The ground was well carpeted with dried oak leaves. Our first intimation of Whippoorwills in this place was the sudden appearance of an adult bird fluttering along the ground in front of us, apparently with a broken wing. We stopped at once and while my companion stood to mark the place, I followed the bird a short distance. She fluttered along noiselessly, feigning serious injury and leading me away from the nest as rapidly as I could be induced to follow.
A search revealed the nest within a pace of the spot we had marked. It contained one egg and the broken shell of another which gave evidence of having hatched. Although I stooped to examine the broken shell I did not see the bird that had hatched from it until my companion called my attention to it. The little fellow was crouched, motionless, upon the brown leaves not six inches from the broken egg-shell.
H. E. Tuttle (1911) speaks thus of the young birds: "The newly hatched birds were very attractive-looking little chicks so long as they kept their mouths shut. They were a uniform buff color, which matched well with the leaves, and the instant their mother left them they ran in opposite directions and squatted. In this maneuver the old bird seemed to aid them materially by the vigorous flip which she gave them as she rose, often tumbling them over on their backs."
J. G. Suthard writes to Mr. Bent from Musekgon, Mich., as follows: "On June 14, 1936, I flushed a whippoorwill from an oak-leafed spot on a steep hillside overlooking a large timbered swamp. I shortly discovered two downy young with their eyes only partly opened. They made no effort to escape and were silent when handled. The parent flew around several times, uttering a whup-whup-whur note, and then perched on a dead limb of a nearby tree. One of the eggshells was about 6 feet below the nest on the hillside, and the feces of the young had not been moved by the parents. As this nest was only about 30 yards from the main highway, I returned several times between this date and June 24 to see if, owing to my disturbance of the young, the parents would move them. Each time I visited the nest the parent was brooding the young in practically the same spot."
Lewis McI. Terrill, in his study of nest life, quoted under "Nesting," says that on June 12, before the young birds were two days old, "whenever the female was flushed, the nestlings hopped or jumped several inches with the suddenness and unexpected agility of 'jumping beans,' then squatted in hiding posture in the manner of woodcock chicks. The entire movement was so rapid that it almost escaped notice." He continues:
"From the 13th to the 16th the female was brooding the young either on the nest or in the shade 2 or 3 feet away. On the latter date I heard one of the nestlings give a weak, complaining whip, which was answered by the mother 20 feet away. It attempted to follow her, progressing by little hops, but was in difficulty when it encountered heavy undergrowth where it was unable to hop. The smaller of the nestlings remained in the nest.
"June 26--The older bird when placed lengthwise on a limb quickly turned about and perched crosswise, demonstrating youth's objection to slavish custom! The older bird now frequently used the whip note, which appears to be the chief motif in the whippoorwill vocabulary. The younger bird still called in wheezy tones that I readily imitated by sucking my finger--so well that the mother bird frequently responded by flying to me and fluttering at my feet. The young at this date, nearly 16 days old, closely resembled their parents."
Terrill definitely established the incubation period of one of the eggs in the nest he observed as not less than 19 days, "and possibly nearer 20." Burns (1915) gives the incubation period as 17 days, and Audubon (1840) gives it as 14 days.
Plumages.--[AUTHOR'S NOTE: The downy young whippoorwill is thickly covered with long, soft, silky down, shading in color from "cinnamon" on the back to "pinkish cinnamon" on the chest, and to "light pinkish cinnamon" on the crown and abdomen; it matches the dead leaves on which it is hatched.
The juvenal plumage begins to grow at an early age. Ridgway (1914) says that the young male is "similar to the adult male in 'pattern' and coloration of lateral rectrices, as well as of primaries and primary coverts, but rest of plumage quite different, the wing-coverts and scapulars deep brownish buff or clay color, the former with coarse and irregular small spots of black, the latter with very large irregular spots of black, and under parts barred with dusky on a brownish buffy ground and, like most of the upper parts, without fine vermiculations, the pilieum spotted instead of streaked with black, and the band across lower throat indistinct, more or less broken by dusky barring, and buffy instead of white." The young female, he says, is "similar to the young male, but three lateral rectrices broadly tipped with ochraceous-buffy instead of having a large white distal area."
A young bird in juvenal plumage, nearly grown, collected in Massachusetts in July, is like the young male described above, except that the feathers of the interscapular region and the median wing coverts are from "ochraceous-buff" to "light ochraceous-buff," with a narrow shaft streak and a conspicuous subterminal small spot of black.
During July and August the juvenal contour plumage is shed, the juvenal wings and tail being retained, and a first winter plumage is acquired, in which the contour plumage closely resembles that of the adult. This is worn until the following summer, when a complete molt produces the fully adult plumage. Both young and old birds have a complete annual molt between July and September.]
Food.--The earliest report on the food of the whippoorwill is that of Wilson (1831), who was the first writer to show that the whippoorwill and the nighthawk are different birds. He says: "Their food appears to be large moths, grasshoppers, pismires, and such insects as frequent the bark of old rotten and decaying timber. They are also expert in darting after winged insects."
Knight (1908) puts the following items on the whippoorwill's bill of fare: "Their diet," he says, "would seem to be entirely insectivorous moths of various species, Actias luna, Samia cecropia, Samia columbia, Telea polyphemus, and a great variety of species of Noctuidae, also grasshoppers, crickets, mosquitoes, caddis flies, and in fact almost any sort of insect available."
Bendire (1895) reports that "in the Western States, which are sometimes overrun by swarms of Rocky Mountain Locusts, it also feeds largely on these when abundant."
Forbush (1927) tells of the whippoorwill the following story which will endear the bird to all mosquito haters. He says: "While I slept unsheltered nightly for a week in the Concord woods, rolled in my blanket, with only a head-net hung to a branch overhead to protect me from mosquitoes, I noticed each morning upon awaking just before daylight that something fluttered softly about my head. The sound was like that produced by a large night-moth, but soon I heard something strike the ground a few feet away, and then a well-known cluck convinced me that my visitor was a Whip-poor-will. The bird came nightly while I remained in the woods, and each morning before daylight it flew around my head-net until it had caught all the mosquitoes there."
Eaton (1914) says: "I have taken 36 full-grown moths from the stomach of a single Whippoorwill which was killed early in the evening, indicating that within an hour and a half he had killed and devoured these full-grown moths, each one of which contained hundreds of eggs."
Whippoorwills secure a large part of their food by capturing night-flying insects on the wing, but Ernest Ingersoll (1920) states that they also "have a way of balancing themselves near a tree-trunk or barn-wall, picking ants and other small provender off the bark; and even hunt for worms and beetles on the ground, turning over the leaves to root them out."
Francis H. Allen says: "One evening I saw one take off from the branch of an oak for what was probably its first feeding flight of the night. It opened its mouth wide before launching into the air."
Behavior.--In order to study the whippoorwill at short range it is well to visit its haunts for a few evenings and learn how the bird we are to watch behaves when it wakes from its day's sleep. Whippoorwills move about over a considerable territory when they come into the open for their daily session of singing and feeding, they follow a route, evening after evening, that varies little, and on the circuit are stations--a stone wall, a low branch, or a certain spot on the ground--where they are almost sure to stop and sing for a while.
If we seat ourselves near one of these stations where the light, which will be almost gone when the bird arrives, will favor our view, and where a dark background will obscure us from the bird, we shall be able to see the whippoorwill at short range, for if we sit motionless (no easy task, for mosquitoes will torture us) the bird will pay little attention to us. We must sit quiet and wait, following the song as it swings around the circuit, and we must watch the spot where the bird is about to alight, for, although in flight it looms big even in the dusk, when it comes to rest, with a flip of wings it becomes a bit of dead wood, a clod of earth, or vanishes altogether.
On several evenings late in May 1914, at Wilton, N.H., I visited what appeared to be the whippoorwill headquarters--a dry wood of small deciduous growth bordering a sloping field, on one of which was a moist alder run that ran down to the edge of the wood. When I arrived, between sunset and dark, wood thrushes and veeries were singing, but before they quieted down for the night, the whippoorwills (from one bird to two or three) began to sing, always from the dry wood. They sang intermittently, and generally after each series of whip-poor-wills their voices came from a different part of the wood. By the time the light was becoming uncertain (when one would have difficulty reading print) one bird, leaving the wood, worked up the slope, passing the field either by way of the alder run or by a wood of larger growth and an apple orchard that bordered the higher sides of the field.
On each of the first evenings when I visited the ground, one bird paused in the corner of the field where it joined the alder run, and sang a few times, and on two of these evenings I was able to approach the bird but not near enough to see it. The next evening, therefore, as soon as the bird that was singing in the wood began to change his position, I retired to this corner of the field to await him and sat down on a bank where my figure would not show against the sky. That evening was unusually dark and cloudy. The bird left the wood by the lower side, and at 7:50 I heard the song coming nearer and nearer through the alders behind me. Then, two minutes later, it came with startling suddenness from almost at my side. The bird sat on the bare ground at the foot of the bank not 6 yards from where I sat. In bringing my glass to bear upon him, I disturbed him, I think, for he flew silently away. He alighted, however, on a rock and began to sing. He was now 12 yards from me and on a level with my eyes. His side was toward me, and he faced nearly in the direction from which he had just flown. He sat flat on the stone with his head thrown slightly backward and upward and, on alighting, immediately began to sing.
The song at close range sounded like cuck-rhip-oor-ree, the final note accented and held longer than the other three, although the rhip was louder and longer than the oor. The song was remarkably regular; twice, however, the bird increased the tempo, and once he doubled one note--either the rhip or the oor. After a pause the cuck was invariably the first note given when he continued his song.
Even in the dim light the band of white across the throat was clearly visible, and twice during each repetition of the cuck-rhip-oor-ree this band was drawn backward--slightly at the cuck, markedly during the final ree, when, I think, the beak was open wide. Later, when the bird more nearly faced me, these movements of the white band were less noticeable. The bird sat on the rock for three or four minutes, singing almost continuously. He sat absolutely still for the most part, but twice he moved backward about an inch, as if each time he took a single backward step. His departure, with no apparent cause, was noiseless and abrupt, breaking the song at oor.
F. Seymour Hersey (1923), who watched with great care the whippoorwill making its nightly round, says: "The time taken to make this circuit varied from 25 to 30 minutes. I watched this bird from several places of concealment and ascertained to my satisfaction that it was the same individual that visited each of these places and that the order given above was not varied. The spot from which he sang was, in all cases, nearly the same, i.e., within a very few feet of the place where he was seen on a previous evening."
Frank Bolles (1912) gives a remarkable picture, seen from almost within arm's reach, of a singing whippoorwill. Mr. Bolles, who was hidden near a stone to which the whippoorwill came nightly, says:
Suddenly I hear a rather feeble whip, 12 times S. of me, then silence and then a bird flies to the stone in front of my face, coming low over the bushes and alighting with its tail towards me. It squeaks or clicks three times, and I fear it suspects me and is giving a slight alarm note, but the next moment it begins the piercing 'quip o'rip' slightly raising its head and dipping its tail each time it makes the sound. The head rises on the 'quip' and falls on the 'rip.' The wings do not move, nor the body save by a slight tipping. I could see the bird's outline perfectly against the white background of the shingled barn on which the moonlight fell fully.
When the whippoorwill comes out in the dusk for its evening round, alighting on a stone wall, on the ground, or on a big horizontal branch high in a tall tree, we may sometimes catch sight of it against the sky, as it flies from one station to another. In the air the whippoorwill does not resemble the nighthawk at all. Its wings are broad and, compared to those of the nighthawk, short, and it moves them with an easy sweep, with none of the nighthawk's jerkiness. When we see it flying steadily across an open field, it suggests an owl moving through the gloom on its broad, silent wings.
Taverner and Swales (1907) give a remarkable description of the flight of a whippoorwill seen under such circumstances at Point Pelee, Ontario. They say:
One evening, just as the dusk was darkening into night, a Whip-poor-will was heard near the camp. We stole out, and the bird was located on a large bare walnut tree in the open bush where, looking up against the still faintly illuminated sky, it could be plainly made out, sitting lengthwise, as is their fashion, on a rather large and almost horizontal branch. It remained perfectly motionless except for an occasional jerk of its white blotched tail, when it gave vent intermittently to a guttural "gluck." These notes were repeated at irregular intervals of perhaps half a minute, several times and then, without start or warning, it launched away into the air, starting off immediately at full speed, with a drop that carried it in a large, even circle half way to the ground, and then up on the same curve, to vanish in the gloom of the trees. Then it appeared on the other side, swinging down on fixed wings in great elliptical curves as though whirled from the end of a cord, perfectly silent in flight and threading the dusky mazes of the tree tops with the utmost confidence and precision. Here and there it rapidly wheeled, without an apparent stroke of the wing, now coming into view in the lower arc of its great circling, and then vanishing silently again on the upward sweep on the other side. As suddenly as it started, it ceased in the middle of a swing and, while the eyes vainly searched for the dark object along the continuation of its course, it was seated again on the branch from which it first sprang, silent and still. This was repeated several times, and then it was joined by another, and the two circled about like great soft, gliding bats until the sky above grew so dark that their movements could no longer be watched.
Several writers mention the fearlessness of the whippoorwill, or perhaps its failure to recognize man as a danger. For example, Bendire (1895) quotes E. A. McIlhenny, who says: "These birds are very tame, for on two occasions, while sitting still in the twilight to observe the movements of some Owls, I have had them come so close that I could have caught them. On one occasion one lit on my knee, and another on my foot as it was extended before me." And H. E. Tuttle (1911) says: "Once I watched two males fighting and singing at intervals on a fallen birch sapling. I was quite close to them--within a yard--but they did not seem to regard me as dangerous, and when I tired to imitate the guttural noises they were making, they circled round my head so closely that one touched me with his wings. In the darkness I was probably no more than a charred stump."
C. W. G. Eifrig (1919) mentions "a unique experience" with a whippoorwill, which, displaying unexpected aggressiveness, darted repeatedly at his head.
It has been surmised that the whippoorwill uses its capacious mouth to carry its eggs, and even its young, out of danger when its nest has been discovered. There is no satisfactory evidence that the bird employs its mouth in this way, but it has been seen, on two occasions at least, carrying a young bird through the air held between its legs. J. H. Bowles (1895) says: "I flushed a whippoorwill that rose with a baby bird clutched between her thighs," and Bendire (1895) quotes H. W. Flint as follows: "I once, and only once, saw a female (the male is never present at the nest) carry a young bird about a rod, but cannot say she used her bill, and don't think she did, but I am almost sure the claws and legs only were used, as the young was hugged close to the body."
The whippoorwill is fond of taking dust baths. When driving after dark we sometimes catch sight of one as it starts up from its bath on a country road, and, as it flies off and our headlights pick it up, the white tail feathers, if the bird is a male, shine out for an instant. Forbush (1927) says: "Mr. Stanley H. Bromley of Southbridge, Massachusetts, tells me that a farmer there placed a large tray of dry wood ashes on the ground, and whippoorwills came there at night to dust in it."
Wilson (1831) states: "The inner edge of the middle claw is pectinated, and, from the circumstances of its being frequently found with small portions of down adhering to the teeth, is probably employed as a comb to rid the plumage of its head of vermin."
Voice.--If the whippoorwill "should sing by day, when every goose is cackling," the song might lose some of its witchery; we do not know; the bird sings in the dark, or when darkness is coming on fast, and the singer is invisible or almost invisible among the shadows. The song at a little distance comes to the ear as a penetrating whisper of the bird's name, repeated perfectly regularly, time after time with scarcely a pause between, at a rather rapid rate--about once a second. The fourth note, a cluck before the whip-poor-will, is heard usually only when the bird is fairly near us, although we may hear it at a distance of 200 yards under favorable circumstances. The syllable will carries farthest of all the syllables.
It is rare to hear any material variation in the song, but there are individual birds that regularly sing an unusual form, and sometimes a bird will introduce occasionally one abnormal phrase into his singing.
Simeon Pease Cheney (1891), speaking from the point of view of music, says: "In the courageous repetition of his name he accents the first and last syllables, the last most; always measuring his song with the same rhythm, while very considerably varying the melody--which latter fact is discovered only by most careful attention. Plain, simple, and stereotyped as his song appears, marked variations are introduced in the course of it. The whippoorwill uses nearly all the intervals in the natural scale, even the octave. I have never detected a chromatic tone." Describing altercations between two or more birds, he says:
These altercations are sometimes very amusing. Three whippoorwills, two males and a female, indulged in them for several evenings one season, in my garden. They came just at dark, and very soon a spirited contest began. Frequently they flew directly upward, one at a time. Occasionally one flew down into the patch near me, put out his wings, opened his big mouth, and hissed like a goose disturbed in the dark. But, the most peculiar, the astonishing feature of the contention was the finale. Toward the close of the trial of speed and power, the unwieldy name was dropped, and they rattled on freely with the same rhythm that the name would have required, alternating in their rushing triplets, going faster and faster, louder and louder, to the end.
The bird is remarkable on account of the regularity of its song and the great number of times it repeats the whip-poor-will without a pause. From 50 to 100 repetitions are not uncommon. Forbush (1927) says: "John Burroughs, however, made a count which so far as I know exceeds all others. He records that he heard a bird 'lay upon the back of poor will' 1088 blows with only a rarely perceptible pause here and there, as if to take breath."
F. Seymour Hersey (1923) writes: "The Whip-poor-will sings most continuously from dusk till about 9:30 p.m. and from 2:00 a.m. till dawn. During the intervening hours only an occasional song is heard. The song season lasts from their arrival in spring until late July or early August. Then there is a marked falling off in the number of singing birds heard until toward the end of August or early in September an increase in the number of singers is again noted. The songs of these late birds often lack the energy that characterizes the spring performance but a good many continue to sing until they leave for the south. My latest singing bird was noted September 24, 1901." These dates refer to eastern Massachusetts.
Of the possibility of the female singing, he says "June 15 a Whip-poor-will alighted on the fence and uttered its 'chuck' note, which usually precedes the regular song, repeating it a number of times but not giving a note of the usual 'Whip-poor-will' call. It also did the same while on the wing. This bird was supposed to be a female as no conspicuous light area was visible on the tail. If so, she was capable of singing the same as the male for I later heard and saw her sing, both from the fence and while on the ground in the middle of the road. She finally flew and was followed by another bird which may have been her mate."
Of the whippoorwill's minor notes, we have seen above that the growling gr-gr-gr or gaw-gaw-gaw is presumably associated with courtship. I have never heard the note except when two (or more) birds were together, on or near the ground. This note suggests a little a note of the female woodcock, which is used under similar circumstances. The whirring whup-whup-whirr is evidently an alarm note.
A. Dawes DuBois (1911) mentions two other notes, evidently of alarm. He says: "She fluttered from the spot as she had done the previous day, but this time uttering a very low hissing or 'soughing' sound," and again, "She kept vigilant watch, however, at a short distance, moving about near the ground with a remarkably noiseless flight but uttering a 'chip' or 'whit' similar or that of a domestic chick."
If we are outdoors at the end of the day, when the sun has gone down and all the ways are darkened, if we are walking along a quiet country road fringed by woods and open fields, or, in a canoe, are drifting down a stream flowing softly past farmland--pastures, stone walls, or orchards--and if we listen, what do we hear? If it is summer, the bird songs are gradually fading away as the birds fall asleep, the robin chorus lessens when the light grows dim, and when it is almost dark a field sparrow may sing for the last time before night comes. If it is autumn we hear little bird song, only a short period of chipping and clucking before the birds settle for the night and after that only the insects that will sing the night through. But let us listen. Was that a whippoorwill? Do we hear a whippoorwill, or do we imagine we hear one because the scene has changed to a world of shadows--the whippoorwill's world--and association has brought the bird to our mind; and its song has come to our ears! The song is faint and comes from far away. Perhaps we did not hear it; perhaps there was no song to hear.
This is a peculiarity of the whippoorwill's song; it is so bound up with association that we are sometimes misled. It is the same with the bluebird when we listen for its song over the brown fields of March.
Field marks.--The whippoorwill and the nighthawk appear very much alike when sitting either on the ground or along a horizontal branch of a tree, for in such situations it is difficult to see the points where the two birds differ. The whippoorwill is bristly about the mouth; the nighthawk is not. The tips of the whippoorwill's folded wings do not come to the end of the rounded tail, whereas the nighthawk's wings project beyond the forked tail. The whippoorwill has a narrow line of white on the upper breast. The corresponding mark on the nighthawk is broader and includes the throat. Perhaps the best mark for diagnosis is the pale, barred sides of the nighthawk. For purposes of field identification this part of the whippoorwill may be said to be unbarred.
In the air the distinguishing mark of the nighthawk is the conspicuous spot of white in the wing. The whippoorwill lacks this mark. The flight of the two birds (see above) is very different and identifies them at a glance.
The chuck-will's widow, although similar to the whippoorwill in plumage, is a much larger bird.
Enemies.--The clearing away of a large part of the North American wilderness during the past two centuries or so has not materially affected the whippoorwill; it drove the bird back from the settlements a little way, farther and farther as the towns grew in extent and became the great cities of today, but at the present time, not far beyond the city limits, whippoorwills find miles of country wild and secluded enough for their breeding purposes. Fifteen miles from the city of Boston, Mass., for example, as well as within a mile or two of many small towns in the state, the bird is still abundant, nesting on the dry wooded ridges and eskers.
This ability to flourish as man advanced into the country, when so many birds failed to hold their own, may be accounted for by the habits and equipment of the whippoorwill, which, when it moves about, is "bescreened in night" and is so obscurely colored that we may say "the mask of night is on its face" even in the daytime, as it lies motionless on a carpet of dead leaves.
If the bird should be discovered and attacked, we may imagine how often the whippoorwill, with its marvelous powers of flight, may escape hawk, owl, or fox.
Fall.--We rarely see whippoorwills in autumn, but as we hear them sing not infrequently at this season we know that they sometimes linger in New England almost to the end of September. A time when hard frosts are at hand, which will either kill the insects or hasten them into retirement.
Taverner and Swales (1907) report an unusual gathering of whippoorwills on Point Pelee, Ontario. They say: "In our various September visits we have usually found them more or less common, but at that season they are much quieter, and seldom do more than call a few times in the early evening and then cease. Sometimes one will be heard again through the night, but more often not. September, 1905, beginning the 4th, we saw from one to six until the 13th, when a great flight of them appeared on the Point. That day, in the red cedar thickets near the extremity of the Point, we flushed thirty between twelve and half-past one in the afternoon."
Winter.--George Nelson, who has known the whippoorwill for years in its winter quarters on the east coast of Florida, tells me that the bird is pretty evenly distributed in the country about Sebastian, frequenting chiefly the ridges and hammocks where, during the day, it rests on the ground or on the trunk of a fallen tree. Not infrequently, as Mr. Nelson has been driving after dark along U.S. Route 1, a bird has started up from almost beneath the wheels of his car and has flown off in the glare of the headlights. He says that the bird is not in song during winter, but just before it starts northward, late in March, it sings for a few evenings, and that its departure invariably coincides with the arrival of the chuck-will's-widow.
Each evening during my stay at Sebastian with Mr. Nelson in mid-February 1931, just as it was beginning to grow dark, a whippoorwill appeared in the dooryard, a clearing in a dense hammock on the shore of the Indian River. The bird perched lengthwise here and there on the thick limbs of a live oak, well up in the big tree, but clearly visible from the ground, and made frequent sallies out into the air, sometimes sweeping clear away from the tree, sometimes only flitting among its branches, returning either to the perch from which it had flown, or to another one. Presumably these sallies were made in pursuit of flying insects--there was a businesslike air in the bird's behavior--but there was no sound of any snapping of the beak audible to me as I stood near the foot of the tree. Our first intimation that the bird had arrived from its day's seclusion was the sound of a low chuck repeated at short intervals. The bird gave this note from its perch and from the air; it was very similar to the introductory note in the whippoorwill song, but a little sharper. As the bird flew about, it sailed a good deal, wheeling around with some tilting from one side to the other, the wings held out straight and flat from the body with no, or very little, bend at the wrist joint. I was strangely reminded of the flight of a shearwater--the whippoorwill seeming to avoid the branches as the shearwater avoids the tops of the waves, tilting over them as it sails.
This was when the bird was moving slowly, but at times it increased its speed and executed the most intricate maneuvers, appearing and disappearing among the branches, ever changing its direction, either sailing or flapping its wings, swerving sharply from side to side, heeling over till one wing pointed nearly to the zenith and the other to the earth, then snapping back to an even keel. It shot straight upward, dived head downward, and doubled back, twisting and gyrating with such rapidity that it seemed to be tumbling about in the air. The turns were so quick and the pace so reckless that the bird appeared in a frenzy and in danger of dashing itself against a limb of the tree, yet from the midst of these complicated evolutions it instantly righted itself and, with a flash of wings, settled flat and motionless on its perch.
Although there was the appearance of a lack of caution in these mad dashes among the network of branches, we were convinced, as we watched, that the bird governed its movements with perfect precision, with the acme of coordination.
The flight seemed silent; even when the bird passed within a few feet of my head, I heard no sound. It appeared to be alone, and after remaining for ten minutes or so, it flew off, and we heard or saw no more of it until the next evening.
When we flashed a light on it, the eye gleamed back a bright orange.
Mr. Nelson said that earlier in the winter the behavior of the bird had been different. It came about the house every evening for a while, visiting a small tree (Assonia) to which insects were attracted by big clusters of open flowers. This tree was about 10 feet tall with large leaves but plenty of open space between the branches. The bird went to the ground after each flight into the tree, and it appeared to Mr. Nelson that the insects, as they flew among the flowers, could best be seen against the sky from this point. The bird did not return to this tree after the flowers had faded.
During a second visit to Florida, more than a month later, I
saw, presumably, the same bird again. It acted exactly as it had
before, perching, indeed, on the identical spot on the limb of the
live oak that had been a favorite perch in February. On this
occasion also only one bird visited the tree, and while feeding
was silent except for the low chuck. On March 24, after the
bird had been to the tree and had gone away, I heard him singing
off in the hammock. This singing on his winter quarters indicated
that he felt spring was here, and it was time to leave for his
summer home in the north.
Whip-poor-will* Caprimulgus vociferus [Eastern Whippoorwill]
*Original Source: Bent, Arthur Cleveland. 1940. Smithsonian Institution United States National Museum Bulletin 176: 163-183. United States Government Printing Office


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