The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-05-15
Nature Notes
From WoLcott
BY NELLIE THOMAS BADGER

the road n large gray SQulrrcl
watches me closely n she hunts for
last falls nuts under a hickory
tree. Just over the fence In the
meadow q male pheasant struts,
his colors brilliant In the sun.
Several pair Of Flckers feed and
fly, the red on their head and the
white rump spot showing plainly
us they fly low across the field.
A toWhee calls from n slump OF
wild cherry bushes and IN the
apple tree directly over my head
Chipping sparrow sounds like
an animated insect, Out OF sight
but plainly heard are meadow
larks.
A flock OF starlings, CHOSE So
cially minded birds who spend
their Winers in the city and visit
the country IN the summer and
who are unwanted one place as
much rs the other), settle and
rise as one bird.
We built our first bird house
for wrens. Each year the blue
birds, who arrive before the wrens,
would try 10 occupy the house.
Az the opening In wren house
h smaller than that Of the blue.
bird they were unable TO get Into
the house. SO we built o house
for the bluebirds.
No we have % pair Of swal-
lows, who come each year ana
try TO build In the blucbird house.
First the tree swallows will carry
nest mat. u lnt0t he house. Then
the blucbrds will come and drive
the swallows out. So far the
bluebirds have won the victory and
the house each year. After they
have finally taken possession they
carefully carry out everything the
swallows have carried In. Then
they begin carrying In small fine
twigs. II ~ interesting 10 see u
blueblrd fly 10 the opening with
n long twig evenly balanced IN Its
bill, then when II finds II can
not enter the opening that way
fly 10 the top Of the house and
pass the twig along In Its bill UNI
I'll u comes 10 the end. Then II
will fly again 10 the opening,
dragging the long twig through
behind II. After the house has
been nearly filled with twigs, the
nest proper IL built behind this
barracuda on the floor Of the
house. When the nest Is COM
pleted and the eggs laid, the male
bird from the top Of the house,
sings 10 Its mate the greater part
Of the day while she sits on the
nest inside.
Each year we have birds who
return TO the same nesting place.
The yellow warbler builds In the
lilac bush: the catbird nest In
the mock orange bush, the chip
ping sparrow build their nests
In the climbing rose and the cedar
trees In the garden. An old apple
tree which was blown down last
fall has for the past three years
been the nesting place Of the king
bird: the oriole swing their PEN
dulous nest from the branch OF
the Balm Gilead tree at the edge
of the pond. The Phoebe usually
begins and abandons several nests
but ends by plastering her nest
of mud and grass 10 a rafter In
the garage, directly over the car.
Each year the "Mr.." says ne will
see that doesn't happen again,
but each year the nest is there
all complete before we know 1t.
We have never found the nest
OF the Cedar Waxwing, but each
year they carry away their share
OF the bits of colored string which
we hang out for them and for the
oriole.
The queerest nest we have seen
was one made by robins In one Of
our apple trees. II was made en-
tirely OF paper drinking straws.
Have you ever worked In a gar
dren In the early morning, the
flowers you love growing all about
you; a snail on the ground before
you, his horned head moving about
as he slowly crawls along carry
ing his house on his back; a
Brown Thrasher singing his song
of ecstasy from the tree above you
and out on the water atop each
tiny ripple sparkle lighting up
the water like the reflection Of
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