THE NESTING HABITS OF SOME BIRDS 



In the study of bird life there is noth- 

 ing more interesting or instructive than 

 the consideration, by careful observa- 

 tions, of their mating and nesting hab- 

 its. The only persons, however, who will^ 

 be successful in this study, are those who 

 have learned to be quiet and patient and 

 never make sudden or nervous motions 

 or use their voices when near an occu- 

 pied nest. Then, too, ''the birds' true 

 homes are in the green fields, the hedges, 

 and the woodlands of the country, and 

 the bird-student is fortunate whose lines 

 are cast in such pleasant places through- 

 out the entire year." In such localities, 

 if the student is patient and careful in 

 his observations he cannot fail to learn 

 much not only regarding the habits of 

 birds, but also of the elements of nature 

 which may be found in the vicinity of 

 their homes. But we must not forget 

 that some of the birds do not utterly neg- 

 lect their city friends and may build their 

 nests in the trees of gardens, roadsides 

 and orchards. In the well chosen words 

 of Mr. Dugmore such a study should 

 be conducted in such a manner as to 

 obtain a ''closer glimpse of the birds 

 in their roles as heads of a family ; to 

 study their wonderfully adapted nests 

 and beautiful eggs as manifestations of 

 that bird nature which is so charmingly 

 varied and so endlessly interesting." But 

 we should never forget while pursuing 

 this study that we are in the presence 

 of parent birds and their homes. We 

 ^should be patient, quiet and unobtrusive 

 so that we may in no way annoy the 

 birds which are so sensitive and easily 

 disturbed during the period of nesting 

 and raising their young. 



As our illustration shows the eggs of 

 ten different birds it would be well for 

 us to consider their nesting habits. 



One of the most common, most famil- 

 iar and most widely distributed of our 

 shore birds is the Spotted Sandpiper 

 (Actitis macularia). While it frequents 

 the shores of our streams, it may be quite 



frequently seen in dry places and wooded 

 slopes. So peculiar are some of its hab- 

 its that it has been given a number of 

 popular names, such as Teeter-tail, Sand 

 Lark, Tip-up, and because of its notes, 

 it is sometimes called Peet-weet. It fre- 

 quents the banks of streams through- 

 out North America as far northward as. 

 Hudson Bay, and its winters southward 

 through Central America to Brazil. Its 

 breeding range is nearly the same as 

 its range in North America. Its nest 

 is simply a depression in the soil and 

 may or may not be lined with dry grass 

 or moss. The nesting site is usually quite 

 near to water, though at times it is not. 

 The four eggs lie in the nest with the 

 small ends together. 



The Bartramian Sandpiper (Bartra- 

 mia longicauda) , an illustration of which 

 also occurs in this magazine, has an 

 extensive nesting range. It is much 

 less aquatic than are most of the sand- 

 pipers and seems to prefer meadows, 

 pastures and higher land for its nesting 

 sites. Even old fields and open prairies 

 are often selected. The nest is a mere 

 depression in the ground which is lined 

 with a small quantity of dry grass. The 

 four or five creamy-buff or clay-colored 

 eggs are spotted with a darker or lighter 

 shade of brown, chiefly toward the 

 larger end. 



The Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa) 

 is, with one exception, the largest of the 

 shore birds, and it is commonly called 

 the Marlin. Its range covers temperate 

 North America, and it breeds in the in- 

 terior, chiefly from Iowa and Nebraska 

 northward to the Saskatchawan region. 

 These birds exhibit a deep devotion to 

 their companions, and w^hen one of their 

 number has been wounded seem unwil- 

 ling to leave the spot, and for a time for- 

 get their fear of the hunter and his 

 weapon. Their nests, while usually 

 near water, are not always so placed, for 

 in certain localities they have been found 

 upon rather dry prairies. The nests are 



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