Norwich bulletin., 1914-04-15
EXPERIENCES WITH COMMON

shelf was made ready one was there. It was soon followed by another and from that time they eoRfiHled to come
 Five days later, when the window was raised on d spool, one came six times and took bit from My hand, which l held on the window sill. The next day the sf xwere on the shelf together. After this enlY saw five and as- a ''bitcheT bird' was seen near by 1 suppose he may have caught the missing one. One was caught by eat and in about two weeks there were only three and instead of three tame enough to eat From my hand there was but one. 4 second ene became tame in aoout two weeks. The third one was very much afraid. probably because the pair were quite apt to drive 1t from the shelf. Soon one of the tame ones disappeared leaving but two of the six. One day in February 1 was de- lighted to See three new ores. I think these all learned to come to the shelf, but not to my hand Then the hawk mentioned above came around and soon there were but three again and for about two weeks there have been but two. It. is late in the season that the last one to go may have gone in search Of mHre, If SO I may see 1 it again later. I hope nothing will happen 10 the pair that is left They come to the window shelf many times l every day. but have been very timid | dDJOI ctAhAHS Io mana ever since 1 the hawk came to the window. One l day the gentle one ate twenty-four | bites from my hand in aS few minutes. | l thisk the other ventured once. The most interesting of the other | birds that come to the window shelf l are the nuthatches. Since my last
 report 'Nuttie" the first one that I 1 ever tanned and Lady his third mate. 1 have disappeared. Both were so fear 1 less that they would eat from my l I sal he win 1 dow and held out food. It was five ] years, ten months and eleven days | from the time that Nuttie first ven | tured to me for food until his disap- pearance. He became tame in early ] spring so he must have been at least l six years and about eight months old. His plumase was as glossy and perfect
 as young birds; if he showed any l sometime sseemed a little heavy in
 flying. Lady had been around almost 1 a year. The previous Summers they 1 brought three babies to the window
 shelf The young birds became tame l enough so that one could stand or sit
 beside the window and watch them. | but did not learn to eat from my hand
 as did the four in 1911
 The loss ow Nuttie and Lady left l but one nuthatch a very fearless fe-
 male, which had been coming to the
 window shelf for about three months. ! 'BluebeH.'' named because of her
 unusually bluish crown feathers. was
 joined after a few weeks by a male l They were daily visitors for nearly
 four weeks then the female came
 alone for nineteen days. She did not
 often eat from my hand as she had
 been in the habit of doing and the
 made never did, although he came 2 again the last part of April when
 BluebeH had been gone month. and | stayed until June. For the next sir
 months. one was occasionally seen or
 heard in the yard and a few times
 began coming daily to the window 1 shelf and by the end of the month the 1 male was very tame. By the middle of
 January the female began to be tame
 In less than a week she was missing
 and has never been back. I think | the male was the same one that was | here in the spring. If the female was . | BluebeH which l doubt. she was very | much darker since moulting. The male ] continues to come to the shelf for food 1 but since the loss of his mate has never taken a. bit from my hand and 1 is afraid if he sees anyone very near. On March z2nd a new female, which for over three weeks had been for food
 to a tree in the yard, came to the
 window. She seems smaller than the other and is much lighter colored. They come for food many times every day. but evidently do not wish for 1 any closer acquaintance
 l C. Ell Preston City. Conn. April :. 1914.