Bird lore - Project Puffin

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Bird - Lore
field-glasses, took his place in the shade to learn some of the ins and outs of the
Chipping Sparrows' home-life. The young received their first food on the
morning of June 26, and the feeding was repeated about every half hour
throughout the day. The food consisted always, as far as could be determined,
of small green caterpillars taken from the larch or garden. The next few days
were mere repetitions of this one, except that the feeding-periods became far
more frequent,—one every
NEST OF CHIPPING SPARROW
seven minutes on the average
throughout the working day
of fifteen hours. Also, larger
morsels of food were added to
the menu. Sometimes an
insect proved to be too large;
then it was mauled on a limb
or picked to pieces before being
returned to the youngsters.
All seemed to go well until
the night of June 29, when a
bird tragedy was enacted re-
sulting in the death of one of
the young. The single remain-
ing offspring did not seem to
require care of both parents,
whereupon the female shirked
all responsibility and began
the construction of a new nest
in the opposite side of the tree.
The male was not discouraged
in the least, but went about
his duties with such renewed
vigor that his charge very
seldom called for food. Once
in a while it clamored for more
just as he left after feeding.
The female, on the other hand,
returned to the first nest very few times, and then without any apparent
interest in it. Likewise the male did not interfere with the operations in the
opposite side of the tree; but down in the garden, working over the lettuce
together, and in various other ways, it was plainly evident that they were
still mates.
The condition now existing in this bird family gave us an unusual oppor-
tunity to obtain data on the activities of a single adult and nestling. Conse-
quently these two were followed with much interest as long as the young re-