Outdoors

Readers have certainly found
this an interesting spring for birds;
Ihave been unable to keep up with
the telephone calls. Many have
called about the black brant geese
in Bazan Bay and elsewhere.

Mrs. Hibberson, Bourne Terrace,
has seen her first towhee. Very
observant, she noted the black
head and neck, the white unde-
rparts, the black and white model-
ling in the wings, the chestnut
sides, the black beak and particu-
larly, the conspicuous red eye.
These birds prefer heavy cover
close to the ground. I have found
their nests only on the ground and
in dense thickets.

Mrs. Whitechurch, Lochside,
has a red shafted flicker woodpec-
ker nesting in a stub some 20 feet
from her front window. Fortun-
alely, this has given her visitors
from England their first opportu-
nity to study this species and at
very close range.

Mrs. Willson, Bradford, Sidney,
has had three very handsome
evening grosbeaks — two males

and a female at her feeding station
for most of a week. She had not
before seen these striking black,
white and yellow birds. They and
numerous redwings have been
devouring sunflower seeds at a,
great rate, three grosbeaks often all
in the feeder at the same time. She

also has a goodly number of grey,
streaked pine siskins and several
violet green swallows.

Mrs. Willson has had an unfor-
tunate experience with a pair of
chestnut-backed chickadees which

nested in one of her bird houses.
The sprightly, trusting little birds
had been around for some time
and she and her husband noticed
them entering and leaving the bird
house on several occasions.
Then, one moming they noticed
a house sparrow hanging, stuck in
the entrance to the same box. On
removing the sparrow, Mrs. Will-
son peeped into the box and saw a

The nest contained seven finy,
whife, sparingly-dotted eggs’

BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE — AT 1/5000

SECOND

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SKEPTICAL ABOUT YOUR OLD CONVENTIONAL-

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beautifully formed nest, con-
structed with a goodly comple-
Ment of soft feathers. The nest
contained seven tiny, white, spar-
ingly-dotted eggs. The chickadees
have not returned.

This is an interesting record in
that these birds tend to utilize a
natural cavity for nesting purposes.
Black-capped chickadees, boreal
chickadees, chestnut-backs, moun-
tain chickadees and nuthatches all
tend to peck out their nesting
Cavities in somewhat older, dying
or dead trees. A great many spe-
cies make use of abandoned woo-
dpecker cavities.

This is still another reason why
so much concern is currently
being expressed about the planned
decimation of so much of the
boreal forest in Alberta, Saskat-
chewan, Manitoba, Ontario and
Quebec for the purpose of produc-
ing pulp. I heard a superb address
by Mr. Edo Nyland a week ago
conceming the importance of the
old growth forest. Mr. Nyland was
concemed primarily with enlight-
ened management of the forest
complex during his address. He
did not have time to deal with the
vast numbers of birds and mam-
mals which require this type of
forest for essential habitat.

Another caller, I did not get her
name, phoned about a humming-
bird’s nest which had blown from
high up in a fir tree in the recent
gale. the nest contained two bee-
sized chicks which she has been
trying to feed upon sugar water.

2

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YEARS OF CAREFUL LANDSCAPING

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TheReview

Recent gale blows down hummingbird’s nest.

There seems no way of getting the
nest back in the tall fur tree. Where
was it located?

Susan Lapham has a pair of
house finches with young nesting
in a tangle of clematis. They have
been taking a great buffeting in the
strong wind but still survived. Ken
Dobson, Norris, has had a Bew-
ick’s wren attempting to build a

Wednesday, May 16,1990 — Al

nest on the battery of his garden
tractor!

Mrs Greenwood, Alec Rd., has
been watching a pair of hairy
woodpeckers feeding their brood
about 40 ft. up in a maple tree.
Lower down in a crevice, is a
nesting pair of chestnut-backed
chickadees. Black-throated gray
warblers are calling all around.

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656-113