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Although the had failed twice, they started building another nest on the other side of the rafter. Three eggs were laid, but almost a week afterward, there were no eggs or lining in the nest. A small rodent had apparently scratched out the lining and eaten the eggs.

After failing three times, the swal¬ lows decided to give one more try. They repaired the first nest again and laid three eggs. These eggs all hatched

Photo by W. Yanchinski and on September 3, the three young Barn brood in nest left the nest and were seen hawking insects with their parents. Thus, due to their determination and persever¬ ance the swallows were able to raise a brood, but it had taken them four A DETERMINED attempts to do so. These four attempts by Bohdan Pylypec, Yellow Creek to raise a brood were made over a period of approximately 80 days. At least 30 visits were made by us to the In the late spring, I found a Barn nesting site, three-quarters of a mile Swallow nest in an abandoned gran¬ from our home. ary. This nest was built of mud and was lined with grass and feathers. It was on a rafter six feet above the ground. The nest was probably used in the previous year since it had to INTERSPECIFIC NESTING be repaired. By June 20, five eggs were laid but a few days later, only ASSOCIATIONS OF SOME four remained. One egg was found ARCTIC broken on the floor. About a week later, a heavy rain fell and the rain by Spencer G. Sealy, Battleford seeped through the roof. The nest became soggy and the bottom of the nest with the eggs and the lining fell During the period July 8 to August on the floor. The swallows started re¬ 12, 1965, the writer had the pleasure pairing the nest, but instead of plast¬ of assisting J. P. Ryder in Canadian ering the hole in the bottom of the Wildlife Service studies of Ross’ nest, they merely put more mud on Goose (Anser rossii) in the Perry the top and covered the hole with a River region, Northwest Territories. lining of grass and feathers. My Incidental observations of the avi¬ father, who continued the observa¬ fauna of the area were made. The tions on the nest while I was absent topography of this region is aptly from home, saw that the nest wouldn’t summarized in the following excerpt hold. Therefore, the next day he from Hanson, Queneau and Scott brought some mud to plaster the hole (1956. The geography, birds and and a piece of board which was to mammals of the Perry River region. hold the nest securely to the rafter. Arctic Inst. N. Am. Sp. Pub. 3) : A metal sheet was also put on the “Glaciation and differential erosion roof so that the rain wouldn’t seep have frequently produced a banded through. He came too late, for the topography of parallel ridges separ¬ swallow had already laid an egg, and ated by elongated roughly parallel the egg, with the lining, fell through lake or river courses.” These hills or the hole in the bottom of the nest. outcroppings rise to an altitude not 169

exceeding 200 feet (Ryder, J. P. 1964. (Calcarius lapponicus) and Horned A preliminary study of the breeding Lark (Eremophila alpestris) were biology of the Ross’ Goose. Wildf. common in the area and in one in¬ Trust 15th Ann. Rep.). This note stance the former was taken by the describes the importance of one of Rough - legged Hawks for food for these “Arctic hills” to some of the their young. breeding birds of this area in 1965. While traveling down the Perry River on July 14, 1965, J. Ryder, Sam BIRDS FEEDING AT SAPSUCKER Emingak, a Kogmiut Eskimo, and TREES myself stopped to check the eyrie of a by Robert W. Nero, Regina Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) on the side of an outcropping on the Records of several species of insects southeastern side of Lee Island (67° and birds feeding at holes drilled in 36' N, 102° 5' W). The eyrie, found trees by the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker to be active, was inaccessible at this were recently reported by Walter P. time. While looking for a way to ap¬ Nickell (1965. Birds and insects feed proach the eyrie, we found a female at sapsucker trees. -Banding, 36: Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 192-193). These were summer obser¬ incubating four eggs in an abandoned vations of the following birds: Ruby- throated (for which nest of a Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus) about 40 feet above the this habit is well known, as pointed out by Nickell — and see Blue Jay, rocks. The nest was less than 15 feet 23:80-81), Hairy Woodpecker, Downy from the falcon eyrie. A short while Woodpecker, Black-and-white Warb¬ later on the summit of the same hill, ler, Black-throated Green Warbler, we found a nest of the American and Baltimore Oriole. Pipit (Anthus spinoletta) containing four newly-hatched young and one This fall I observed four additional egg, in the grass amid rocks. Mean¬ warbler species drinking sap at a sap¬ while, a pair of Rough-legged Hawks sucker tree. A migrant immature was vociferously defending a terri¬ Yellow-bellied Sapsucker drilled holes tory that appeared to be the same in a mature Chinese Elm (Ulmus hill; however, the nest was not found pumila) in our yard, for the first time, on this date. on September 22, 1965. Late that eve¬ ning I watched a tardy Myrtle Warb¬ On July 25 the Rough-legged Hawk ler and a Palm Warbler feeding on nest containing three young about sap at the newly opened holes. The three weeks old was found on the sapsucker remained for a few days, south end of this hill about 300 yards opening new holes daily in the main from the Peregrine Falcon eyrie. The trunk of the tree from about one to Canada Goose nest was found de¬ three feet above the ground. On the stroyed at this time, but information evening of September 26, I saw a regarding time or cause of failure is Myrtle Warbler again, plus an lacking. The falcon eyrie, reached Orange-crowned Warbler and a Black- July 31 by means of ropes, contained poll Warbler, visiting the sapsucker one young and one egg containing a tree. On these unseasonably cold and dead embryo. windy days the warblers, their plu¬ Thus, four species representing mage all awry, clung with difficulty three families nested on the same out¬ to the bare tree trunk while drinking cropping within 300 yards of each from the holes, and it looked as if other. Interspecific aggression among they were drawing upon a familiar the breeding birds was not observed; emergency food source. Sapsucker it is not known if the goose nesting trees may provide an important sup¬ failure was due to the raptors. The plementary food supply for a variety other three nests were successful up of fall migrants, as well as for sum¬ to the time we left. Lapland Longspur mer breeding ground associates.