Bird lore - Project Puffin

I30 Bird - Lore
o'clock on the 14th. The nicety with which matters had been so arranged that
the young Cowbird would have just a convenient start in life over its unfortu-
nate rival commanded at least my admiration if not my sympathy. Cowbirds
must indeed be sharp nest-finders to be able to discover at short notice not
only the nests of certain suitable kinds of birds, but even nests containing
eggs at a certain stage of incubation
!
"After the hatching of the eggs, I spent considerable time at the nest-side,
and observed with interest the many pretty little incidents of a bird's domestic
A NEST OF THE CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER
life—the constant and tender brooding of the newly hatched young by both
Warblers in turn; the never-ceasing search among the neighboring trees and
bushes for small caterpillars ; the delivery of the food by the male to the brood-
ing female, who, in turn, would raise herself and pass it to the young; the care-
ful cleansing of the nest; and many other intimate details of the birds' loving
and happy lives. When I drew aside the leaves that sheltered the nest and
allowed the sun to shine upon it for purposes of photography, the mother,
realizing with that wonderful instinct common to all birds which nest in the
shade, the fatal effect on her babies of the sun's direct rays, would take her
stand on the edge of the nest and with outstretched wings would form of her
own body a living shield for the comfort and protection of her young. Although
herself in evident distress from the heat, and with parted mandibles contin-
ually gasping for air, she would remain in this position as long as the sun shone
upon her, only stepping aside occasionally when a well-known signal announced
that her husband had arrived with a meal for the little ones. It was a beautiful
picture of parental devotion.