Bird lore - Project Puffin

of the Michigan Audubon Society; A. C.
Webb, President of the Tennessee Orni-
thological Society; Dr. H. H. Covell, of
Rochester; John Lewis Childs, of Long
Island; Mrs. Winthrop Packard and
William P. Wharton, of Massachusetts;
Mr. and Miss Vibert, and Wilbur Smith,
of Connecticut; Prof. H. L. Madison,
President of the Rhode Island Audubon
The Audubon Societies 399
Society; Miss Gladys Gordon-Smith, of
New Jersey; B. S. Bowdish, Secretary of
the New Jersey Audubon Society; Miss
Frances A. Hurd, School Secretary of
the Connecticut Society; Dr. T. S. Pal-
mer, of Washington; Mrs. Alice Hall
Walter, of Rhode Island; Howard H.
Cleaves and Harold K. Decker, of Staten
Island.
A GROUND-NESTING FLICKER
In June, 1916, I received a letter from
one of the members of this Association,
Mr. Harry L. Ferguson, who is in business
in New York City, and who has a summer
home on Fisher's Island, off the eastern
end of Long Island. In this the writer
stated that he had found a Flicker nesting
on the ground, and the letter was accom-
panied by some photographs of the nest
and eggs. I at once wrote for further data
and asked him to keep a close watch on
developments. The following communi-
cation from Mr. Ferguson was written
under date of August 9, 1916:
"I promised that I would take more
pictures of the Flicker's nest and sur-
rounding country, so that you could see
the lay of the land, and am sending you a
full set.
"The nest was situated in such an open
spot that I could not get e picture of the
old bird on the eggs. I tried once making
a blind of bay-branches, but the bird was
so frightened that I moved away, as I
was afraid she would desert. The nearest
trees are about 150 feet away, but they
would not have been very suitable, and I
have not found any except green ones
there. On the opposite side of the nest
and still farther away are some small
fence-posts. The only bushes near the
nest are short bay-bushes and these
afforded no cover or shade for the nest.
"The nest was found by the family of
GROUND-BUILT NEST OF A FLICKER, ON I I II ISLAND, NEW YORK
Photographed by H. L Ferguson