Bird Notes, Part 6, v663
Page 187
Image from the Biodiversity Heritage Library. Contributed by Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley. | www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Transcription
March 28th. The sun rose in a cloudless sky. At 7:30 A.M. Rhody was not in his roost, but at 7:45, as Brownie was getting worms from me for his brood, Rhody's whine was heard and he came from the north to join us. B, again, was a little "stiff". (It will be recalled that B was seen to chase R out of his nest twice last year and this may have some bearing upon his selection of another site this year, though I doubt it, as his first choice this year (though later abandoned) was in the old oak). Rhody carried his mouse to the mirror. I then went in to breakfast. In a few minutes R began his song from the top of the observatory, keeping it up for a few minutes only, then remaining silent, lying down with the mouse in his bill until 9:20 when he came down (without it) and began cutting capers along the north fence. By this time, also, B was back for more worms, eating most of them himself. The last three or four were prepared and carried off with "blue-bird" calls. At 10 A.M. Rhody was sitting in the cork-elm off to the north. At 1:30 P.M. I found him working on nest 3-37 (near the glade) but he soon decided to follow to the tool-house for a mouse. He followed me along the driveway to the west to the point where the lower road joins it. There he took the latter, carried the mouse to the Scamell window, thence to their car. The hub-caps were a disappointment, because mud had been splashed on them, so he reached as high as he could and pressed the mouse against the rear bumpers. He then took it to nest 4-37 (house in the roost tree) and ate it. At 4:30 I was working in the shop. R found me there, was given a mouse and the previous procedure was followed in exact detail up to the point where he started for the roost tree with it. I left then. Brownie, during the day, made several visits to me for food for his distant brood, just as he has always done when he nested at home. He still seems to expect to find his young near at hand and searches for them nearby before making his final take-off. March 29th. Rhody had two mice today. He was not seen to work at any of his nests. Brownie continued to come to me for worms for his nestlings and still seems to think that they should be somewhere about this place. March 30th. Rhody was not in his roost tree at 7:45 A.M., but as I approached, his wooh, wooh, weo-o-e- was heard nearby and he came out of the thicket and followed me all the way home for his mouse. When he had about 50 feet more to go a hawk dashed out of the bushes about 10 feet from him and headed toward him (I do not know whether or not it was an attack) and he fled precipitately. I found him looking very meek and subdued under a bush in the glade.