Date: Sun, 21 Apr 2002 15:29:32 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: rob gibbs Subject: Re: PRR 4/20 (a.m.) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Steve, Sounds like a white-breasted nuthatch. I've had them build nests in my flying squirrel boxes and they use lots of flat chips of bark as the base for the nest. Rob Gibbs Steve Noyes wrote: >Fellow birders, > >Purple martins have arrived at the North Tract Wildlife Viewing Area martin houses at the Patuxent Research Refuge. Two males were busily defending one house against a horde of tree swallows. Several females were feeding on the ground nearby. Barn and n.rough-wing swallows were also present; a barn swallow nest has been constructed under the eaves of the old range tower along with a phoebe nest. A spotted sandpiper was feeding on one of the islands on Merganser Pond and a Canada goose was nesting on the other. A pair of bluebirds were bringing nesting material to a nest box. > >One of the nest boxes I monitor had a strange nest being built (the box is quite near a wood's edge). Inside the box was a thick layer of pieces of bark (looked like pine) and then covered with long pieces of broad-leaf dry grass formed into a deep cup. Any ideas? I've been monitoring boxes there for 9 years and have never seen this nest construction. > > > >Steve Noyes, Volunteer Naturalist, Patuxent Research Refuge, Laurel MD > >noyessh@yahoo.com > > > > > >--------------------------------- >Do You Yahoo!? > >======================================================================= >To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com >with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey >======================================================================= >Yahoo! Games - play chess, backgammon, pool and more > ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================