The Warblers of Central New York 



85 



I lifted the whole thing and lumbered slowly down the path to within six 

 feet of the nest. She would have let me come closer but the nest was on a side 

 hill and this was as close as I could get and still view the nest. Apparently she 

 was accustomed to having cows grazing about her, for she paid no attention to 

 any of the sounds coming from the blind. After making several exposures, I 

 decided to leave without disturbing her and come back again after the eggs had 

 hatched and family life had become more interesting. Instead of moving back 

 up the path the way I had come, I whistled for my companion, thinking that if 

 the bird were frightened from the nest by someone else, she would not suspect 

 the blind of being anything but an inoffensive cow. It was a fatal mistake. My 



A WOODLAND RESTAURANT 



\\ liilc llic Hlack-throiiled Hluu Warbler fed its young on my knee, the deer-llies and mos(iuitocs fed on my 



hand. The one made up for the other 



com])ani()n had to approach very close to the bush l^eforc the i)ir(l would lca\c, 

 in fact almost touch it. The bird left with considerable alarm and to the best of 

 my knowledge never came back. We removed the blind but when we came 

 again, a week later, the eggs were cold and the birds were calling about another 

 thicket lower down the hill where we did not disturb them. 



The other nest we discovered when the young were about to lea\e, and, 

 since the old bird never left the side of the nest, I assume she thought herself 

 undiscovered. The next day, before we went near the nest, we carefully con- 

 cealed the camera in a box close to the ground, focusing it uj)on a prepared 

 perih. The old l)ird was not near when we approached the nest but all of tlic 



