St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1896-09-12
WILD BIRDS ON HIGH ROOFS.



eage's ShyseraDesa
The nat roofs Of ten and fifteen story
buildings may eeem queer places for
. colony Of wild birds to choose for nest
ing purposes, especially when those
birds have been accustomed to nest n
open fields ever since the first pair were
let out of the ark, but that is just what
has occurred to \ big flock Of night
hawks that can be seen every evening
high in the air over the downtown dis
trict.
Whether the gravel roofs are 50 thick
that the queer bird has mistaken them
for real fields, or whether their great
height and their inaccessibility to small
boys were the inducements, it is never
theless true that almost every sky
scraper in the city in the downtown
district is just now lodging family Of
tenants on its roof who do not pay rent.
In his natural haunts the nighthawk,
who is the first cousin Of whippoorwill,
and member Of the goat-sucker fam
lily. lays its two odd looking eggs on the
bare ground in an open field. It makes
no nest whatever. and that 10 the rea-
son why egg collectors find it 50 hard
to discover. The eggs are 20 thickly
covered with dirty brown spots that
when the bird has risen the eggs are
frequently stepped on before they are
seen. 1t may Be this that has driven the
flock Of birds to raise their families
where nobody ever steps except the JAM
itor, who is commonly supposed never
to see anything.
The nighthawks are not very partio-
ular what part they choose for a nest
ing site, and it is as common to find
them in the middle Of the roof exposed
to the rain and storm, Is in the shelter
Of = chimney projecting wall. II
il all the same to the bird whether it
rains or shines, for his plumage il 20
thick that water funs on his back Just
as it does from . duck, and the mother
bird frequently leaves her eggs uncov-
cred when the day il warm for long i'm
tervals without any serious damage.
The color of the bird is 30 nearly like
that Of the spot where the eggs are
placed that . person with more than an
average sharp sight may stand within
three feet Of the sitting bird and not
see it. When one Of the birds il flushed
from . roof, however. there IN surprise
party for the husher, for at the first
note which the bird utters after rising,
every bird within hearing distance il
up and away. and il il usually several
hours before they will return to their
hauDts no matter how slight the orig
inal disturbance may have been. Usu-
ally only one family occupies the eame
roof, but 1t in surprising how many
birds may be flushed In this way. On
any cloudy evening the cries of fifty Of
these strange birds may be heard by
standing on any corner of the down
town streets.
Nobody has ever found out how the
birds are taught to ny from the top Of
. fifteen story building, but it seems
probable that their first. lessons consist
Of short trips within the boundaries
Of the gravel roof where they were
hntched.
During the hottest part of the sum-
mer days the birds who have NO families
Of their own to take care Of sit with
their big black eyes half closed ON the
edge Of some projecting wall, ready to
launch themselves OF into space ut the
first alarm. Unlike other birds the
nighthawk never roosts crosswise Of
limb or branch. but perches parallel
with ii, probably because its feet are
not strong enough to hold ON tightly.
The nighthawk, like the whippoor-
will, does not rest until late, and il
is now the height Of the nesting season
for the flock which has taken up Its res
idence in Chicago. Thus far only few
nests have been disturbed by the egg
collector, and rs the janitors Of tail
buildings are not disposed to let med
dlesome boys upon the roofs where the
birds are it is quite probable that most
Of the young birds which are just now
coming from the eggs will grow to be
useful members Of Chicago bird society.
Chicago Tribune.