THE COTTAGE SEASON JUST PAST by Marguerite Wheatley

As early as I can make my first visit to my cottage on Rustico Bay, which
is usually about mid-April, my heart lifts to hear the welcoming trill of the
song sparrow who has been a longtime resident there.

This year I was eagerly awaiting any arrival at my bird nesting box, as it
was home to two species last season 7138), namely, tree swallows first, and
after the young were fledged and the family vacated it, the box was taken over
by a pair of tree sparrows. The nests those parents prepared for their broods
were indeed works of art.

I was very fortunate this spring to be there
when a male tree swallow flew in, giving every
appearance of former ownership. Hard on his heals came
a cocky tree sparrow, the male of the '88's tenants,
also acting as though he had "squatter's rights".
Without batting an eyelash, the brave tree swallow
went into action, even grappling with his adversary as
they tumbled to the ground at one point. I can't tell
what language was used during the skirmish, suffice it
to say it ended very quickly with the tree swallows
being the nest's occupants this summer.

Quite early in our season there, I was shown a bird's nest in a most
unusual choice of location. The nest had four beautiful eggs in it, which were
easy to see since the nest was on the ground. The eggs were quite large: I
would liken them in size to a small pullet egg. All four eggs lay with their
small, tapered ends pointing toward the centre of the nest. Have you guessed
the bird? At first, all was quiet as my friend led me to the spot just in front
of her cottage. Suddenly, across the road and immediately opposite, a pair of
killdeer set up a loud, agitated crying, the while giving a wonderful "inured
wing" performance. I say wonderful because the spreading and fluttering of
their wings allows a clear view of the bright variety of colours in the
feathers. I judged the nest, there in a slight depression on the lawn, to be
around 3 to 4 yards from the edge of the roadway. As my cottage is some
distance from where the killdeer were nested, I was unable to watch to see what
the outcome was. I regret to say the eggs were likely stolen, for I later saw
an adult pair of killdeer along the shore acting as though they were brooding
young nearby.

Every summer one sees a number of bank swallows along our shore where
their sprighty comings and goings in producing and caring for their broods add
much pleasure to those people who are interested and take time to observe.

For the first time in recent years,
I noticed several large holes high in
the banks, as I walked the beach area. I
was mystified, wondering who could use
such a large entrance/exit cavity. True,
I'd seen the occasional kingfisher over
past summers, yet not a sign of one in
recent residence. This year though, a
few pairs were sharing those banks with
the familiar swallows.

One pair of kingfishers nested adjacent to my bank, and were wont to perch
on the top rail of my stair, giving onto the shore proper. There he/she would

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