--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Unknown collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 30 number: 2 published: 1926-12 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: "Unknown, “The Water Ouzel,” *Improvement Era* 30, no. 2 (December 1926): 127–129." source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera3002unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera3002unse start_page: 127 end_page: 129 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1926-12) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera3002unse publication_year: 1926 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1926, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # The Water Ouzel THE WATER OUZEL 127 feet high that tumbled over a rocky ledge of travertine into a deep pool of clear water surrounded by perpendicular rocks which were covered with moss and lichens and overhanging dogwood. Suddenly there was a noisy squeal of young birds above the roar of the cataract, but it was not until some minutes later, when the mother bird came again to feed her offspring, that we caught the flash of her bullet-like flight. We sat as| if we had been turned to stone for in the next five minutes the young birds were fed five times, and in the twenty minutes that followed, sixteen times. It seemed a continuous performance for the parent birds never tarried but continued to fly back and forth, m Ik <** -v;,^ ^2s* *C :$3S&*^#'Ci **■ **30m i Photo by Author More than a score of tumbling cataracts like the above in a 'half mile of a mountain stream located within the confines of Camp Kiesel, Ogden's Boy Scout Camp, make it an ideal location for the Winter and Summer abiding place of the wonderful and interesting little western bird, the Water Ouzel. always bringing their beaks full pf food, either caddis or mayflies' or other water insects. To us it was marvelous. It did not seem possible that under that torrent of water there could be a nest, although we had surmised there would be a vacant place under the 'falls. It would be a real task to find out, and an adventure we did not want to miss. After talking the matter over at some length we decided that we must see the nest at all hazards and set the following morning as the most appropriate time for the thrill. 128 IMPROVEMENT ERA Photo by the Author. One of the characteristic poses of the Water Ouzel above the falls that concealed and protected its home. Here in the faint light of the breaking day could be heard its clear, vivacious melody, distinct and in perfect harmony with the rushing mountain stream. I ; It was a little past daylight the following morning when we parted the bushes forty feet below the fall, for another peek. Above the roar of the cataract we heard the most beautiful song of clear, viva- cious notes, a melody that would rival that of the Meadowlark, the cadence being in harmony with the song of the stream. Again and again we heard the exquisite song and sat enthralled while the music rose and fell to the tune of the dashing current. The Dipper sat teetering up and down on a half-submerged rock plainly visible below the falls. Again we heard its song and saw it fly to another rock in the middle of the stream. There it dipped once or twice and then deliberately dived into the clear, cold water and disappeared. It remained hidden for several seconds; then we caught a glimpse of this intrepid creature using its wings to propel itself against the current. It rose straight out of the water and flew directly to the nest back of the falls. It was an opportune moment. The time had come. We slid down the steep embankment to the edge of the stream and started to make our way upward. After wading, splashing and fighting against the current, getting drenched by the dashing spray of the falls, we entered the domain of the Water Ouzel beyond the falls; and THE WATER OUZEL 129 there, sure enough, about six feet from us, was the nest. Such a sight! It thrilled us through and through. It was worth the effort, time and again, for it is only once in a lifetime that man gets the thrill that we got that morning. Fastened on a small ledge or shelf back of the roaring cascade was the most beautiful, artistic, classic, wild home we had ever seen. We could not but gush over its fine architecture, its graceful symmetry and perfect lines, blending so harmoniously with its surroundings. On casual observation it appeared to be just a large, green ball, but as our eyes became accustomed to the dim light we saw it had an opening on one side. It was constructed of living, growing moss, roomy and dry on the inside, yet placed within two feet of the dashing spray, watered and kept green by it. It was like a rare piece of art created by a master hand. It was like a delicate bric-a-brac, an object of curiosity or something just to use for a decoration, yet we knew it was built substantially. Crowding ourselves back against the dark roots and rocks we waited. We saw the dark object of the mother bird enter through th: mist of the falls and alight on the edge of the nest. Her beak was full of food. Immediately there was a noisy squeal of the young birds and four hungry mouths were thrust upward, nearly crowding the mother from her perch. She divided the food among them, remaining just long enough to fill their gaping beaks, then she left. We approached quite close to the nest. One of the young, well fledged Water Ouzels fluttered from the opening of the nest, flew through the edge of the misty spray and down into the clear pool be- low the falls where it immediately dived and swam for several feet under the surface of the water. As it came out of the water it used its stubby wings to propel itself. The quick,' sharp strokes enabled it to ride on the surface of the riffles and it disappeared down the stream. A few moments later another until the nest was empty, each one took its initial dip into the foaming spray of the mountain stream. We were just simply thrilled, for we had made a great discovery, we had seen, as it were, the hand of the great Creator himself. Several days later we again visited the falls, the old nest had been thoroughly cleaned and renovated, and was still being used. As we traveled down stream we heard the clear melody of this wonderful bird that takes its all from the three elements: air, land and water. Ogden, Utah