Some Experiences in Attracting Birds — The Nesting 

 of a Red-breasted Nuthatch 



By HENRY S. SHA-W, Jr. 



IN THE fall of 19 14 I began feeding the birds at my home in Dover, Massa- 

 chusetts. There was nothing elaborate or unusual in the apparatus em- 

 ployed, which consisted chiefly of a window-shelf, a weather-cock feeding- 

 house, several wire suet-baskets and a shallow pan for water. The feeding- 

 house and suet-baskets were obtained from the Dover bird-warden. After 

 some months I discontinued the use of the weathercock house (except during 

 snowstorms), preferring to have the birds come to the shelf, where they could 

 be more easily observed. The suet-holders were put where they could be readily 

 seen from our windows, and three out of four were placed on pitch pines, whose 

 rough bark seemed attractive to Nuthatches and Woodpeckers. 



During the winter the shelf was visited most regularly by Chickadees and 

 Red-breasted Nuthatches, with an occasional White-breasted Nuthatch and 

 Junco. In the early spring a number of Purple Finches appeared, and later on 

 Chipping Sparrows were occasionally seen. But the most unexpected visitor 

 was a female Pine Warbler, which came to the shelf many times each day for 

 two or three weeks. She kept busy while on the shelf picking up small 

 particles of seeds, etc., especially bits of sunflower seeds left by the Purple 

 Finches. One of the photographs shows the Warbler perched on the edge of 

 the shelf. 



There is nothing of particular interest about the shelf itself except, per- 

 haps, the fact that it is easily removed for cleaning, and has rather high sides, 

 to lessen the hkelihood of the contents blowing off. I used sunflower seeds, 

 hemp seeds, crumbs, and sometimes chopped nuts. 



At the present time the bark of a pitch pine which stands near the shelf is 

 quite thickly studded with the shells of sunflower seeds which have been wedged 

 into the crevices by White-breasted Nuthatches. It is interesting to watch one 

 of these birds take a sunflower seed from the shelf, fly with it to the tree, and 

 then climb up and down the trunk until a crack in the bark is found which will 

 hold the seed securely. Then the bird, generally head downward, hammers the 

 seed vigorously with its bill and easily extracts the kernel. The little Chicka- 

 dees also open the sunflower seeds by hammering on them with their bills, and 

 they are able to deliver blows of considerable strength, the seed being held be- 

 tween the bird's feet, either on a small branch or on the edge of the shelf. In 

 the latter case the noise of the pounding can easfly be heard in the house, 

 even in an upstairs room. The Purple Finches, on the other hand, can readfly 

 crush the seeds with their powerful bills and do not have to resort to any 

 hammering. 



The pan of water proved an attraction even in winter, and although the 

 water often froze at night, it was an easy matter to knock out the ice in the 



(166) 



