Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus streperus) - (5) - England, 1925

Willows, in thick willow, reed and yellow flag patch, near locks on bank of River Great Ouse. About 3ft from ground.

This is a very marshy patch of ground, and I found 2 other nests of reed warbler in it, one in willows and reeds with 5 eggs V.M.I. and one with one egg in willows alone.

River Great Ouse, between Great Barford and Willington, Bedfordshire, May 31st.

Green Woodpecker (Gecinus viridis) - (3) - England, 1925

Ash tree in hedgerow of elder, hawthorn, crab, hazel etc. About 12ft from ground.

This tree had been broken off some long time before, and the nesting hole was almost at the top where the break occurred. Hole was about 15 inches deep, and was commenced the end of April or beginning of May. Appears to be at least two pairs of birds round here. Tree 10 to 12 inches in diameter at nest. To get these eggs I measured the depth of the hole with a piece of wire, and then bored into the bottom of the nest with a brace and bit an inch in diameter, when I was able to roll out the eggs onto my hand with a piece of wire. I then plugged up the hole with a piece of wood, hoping the birds would use it again.

Coombes, Sundon, Bedfordshire, Chiltern Hills, May 24th.

Song Thrush (Turdus musicus) - (2) - England, 1925

Small elder bush among beech undergrowth. 4ft from ground.

These eggs are almost spot-less and formed part of a clutch of five, the other three being normal specimens, which I did not want. Beautiful warm sunny day, many butterflies, and woods almost at their best.

Markham Hills, Sundon, Bedfordshire, Chiltern Hills, May 17th.

Great Tit (Parus major) - (7) - England, 1925

Hole in elder on wooded hillside. 6ft from ground.

On May 10th I found this nest and could not tell whether it had eggs or not, owing to the hole not going straight down, but as there was a small hole at the base of the nest (by which I was able to find the nest), I pulled out the nest with a piece of wire made into a hook, thinking that I could get the eggs that way, but found that the bird had not yet laid, so put the nesting materials all back into the hole, hoping that the bird would not desert. As I secured these 7 eggs a week later, the tit must have laid on the disarranged nest the following morning. I had to bore a hole into the tree with a carpenter's brace and bit to get the eggs, one of which was a little broken.

Coombes, Sundon, Bedfordshire, Chiltern Hills, May 17th.

Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) - (5) - England, 1925

Old nest of magpie. Ash tree on hillside. 50ft from ground.

This nest was about on a level with the top of the hill on whose side the tree was situated. The neighbouring ash was tenanted by a magpie who had built again on the old structure. This kestrel had added no lining to the nest, and there were many castings in the nest. This hillside is thickly wooded with elder about the base of the tree on which was the nest and there were numerous fine cuckoo pints among the elder. Saw first butterfly of the year here, Orange Tip.

Coombes, Sundon, Bedfordshire, Chiltern Hills, May 10th.

Blackbird (Turdus merula) - (1) - England, 1925

Grassy bank. Valley on Harlington Hill. This nest was not near a bush at all, but just resting on the ground. As boys we used to call these "Bank Blackbirds", and believed them to be a different species. This egg was a heavily spotted specimen, one of five. The other four were normal.

Sundon, Bedfordshire, Chiltern Hills, May 3rd.

Jackdaw (Corvus monedula) - (4) - England, 1925

Belfry steps in tower of St Mary's Church.

This nest was built on the step opposite a loophole, and was a large pile of sticks and rubbish, dry grass etc. It was impossible to walk up the steps without treading on some of the nest. Lower down was another nest almost ready for eggs, which took up two steps altogether, and almost a third. The church is now unused and ruinous.

Sundon, Bedfordshire, April 19th.

Little Owl (Athene noctua) - (4) - England, 1925

Hollow sycamore tree by field gate leading from Sundon - Leagrave Road to Dane Field. 6ft high.

The first egg was laid on Easter Monday, April 13th and was taken, after which the other three were laid. These owls seem to feed on field mice and have bred in this tree for years. On two occasions I have found half-eaten mice in the hollow. One nest of young at Sundon some years ago must have subsisted mainly on skylarks, as the feet of many larks were found in the nest. I kept two of these owls for two or three years.

Sundon, Bedfordshire, April 19th.

Homing Pigeon - (1) - England, 1924

Luton, Bedfordshire, July