8 THE sA°U,D*U"BO N*'-B UD eae 
Mr. Highhouse “missed” one bluebird box and hence the four eggs laid 
there were not sprayed. In this box, all four young died before reaching 
maturity. 
Another reason for success of the 1962 nesting of bluebirds in Penn- 
sylvania was that approximately 80% of the birds used the boxes for both 
their first and second broods. In the previous five years, an average of only 
50% of the bluebirds used the boxes for two nestings. Perhaps the excellent 
local weather in May, June, and July was a factor, as food was abundant 
for the bluebirds at the right time 
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Birds of Our Back Yard 
By Mrs. Harry Spitzer 
I ONCE READ THAT the number of birds seen in one’s yard is in direct 
ratio to the amount of time spent watching them. Since then I have been 
somewhat reluctant to brag about MY yard, fearing the reflection on my 
housekeeping, but I do wonder how it compares with those of other members. 
Most of our half acre is visible from a picture window in the dining area, 
and our northern property line is at the base of the hill which surrounds 
a private fishing club. 
In 1962 we identified 84 “yard birds,” i. e., any bird seen in, from, or 
flying over our yard; and our “life list’? for the yard numbers 116. Among 
our prizes for 1962 were a Great Horned Owl, on a sunny, frigid morning, 
and a Long-eared Owl which came one noon and remained until dusk. 
(All the family saw him.) If we were quicker at identification on the wing, 
we could add some gulls, sandpipers, and ducks which fly to the lakes 
behind us. We have seen kingfishers at the club, and long for the time 
one of them selects our back trees as his lookout post. The “Big Day” for 
the yard was May 15, 1961, when I counted 35 species including 10 warblers. 
Every spring we are visited by lovely, familiar birds — tanagers, orioles, 
towhees, and all the thrushes except the Wood Thrush. This past summer 
a Mockingbird visited us several times and the Yellow-billed and Black- 
billed Cuckoos were seen almost daily. 
Our winter free-loaders this year include two Blue Jays who love 
cheese — however dry or moldy — and because they are so big and flashy, 
they console us for the White-breasted Nuthatch which did not return this 
winter. We are also visited daily by Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers, Tree 
Sparrows, Chickadees, Juncoes, and Cardinals. 
In addition to a window-sill feeder which is my pride and joy, we 
have other feeding stations and bird baths. However, only about one-fourth 
of our yard birds eat the food we provide. The main attraction seems to 
be the trees and bushes of different heights, together with a good deal 
of untended area. 
1776 Roger Avenue, Glenview, Illinois 
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