7 o 



BRITISH NESTING BIRDS 



the early Spring the utterances of this bird cannot fail to 



attract attention. 

 Chief Features. — The Nuthatch 

 probably pairs for life, as 

 male and female keep 

 together all the year round. 

 A common bird wherever 

 there are suitable woods 

 and parks, but requires 

 looking for. Exclusively 

 arboreal in habits. Comes 

 down a tree head foremost. 

 Note the strong beak and 

 short tail. Inserts nuts in 

 bark of trees during Winter, 

 and extracts kernels as 

 required. Does not split 

 shell asunder, but scoops 

 out contents by making a 

 small hole in same way as 

 the bank-vole. 

 Plumage. — Bluish-grey above ; 

 eye streak black; white 

 cheeks and throat; buff breast and belly; chestnut-red flanks 

 and lower tail-coverts; black on outer tail-feathers, with a 

 little white near the extremity tipped with grey, the two central 

 ones grey ; bluish-black beak, white at the base of the lower 

 mandible; light-brown feet. Length. — Five inches and a half. 



OSPREY (Pandion haliaetus) 



Local Names. — Bald Buzzard, Eagle Fisher, Fishing Eagle, Fishing 



Hawk, Mullet-Hawk, Sea Eagle (young). 

 Haunt. — An island on a large sheet of water in the North, and also 



moors and the coast. 

 Nesting Period. — May and June. 

 Site of Nest. — Trees, and I have known the nest to be placed on the 



top of some old ruins. 

 Materials Used. — A pile of seaweed, grass, turf, sticks, etc. The 



same nest is resorted to each year after undergoing repair. 

 Eggs. — Three. Yellowish-white in ground colour, strongly marked 



with rich brown towards the larger end. 

 Food. — Fish, especially mullets. 



Voice. — A harsh alarm-note; call-note likened to "k, k, k." 

 Chief Features. — Belongs to the same order of birds as the Eagles, 



