The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1908-07-03
SONG BIRD COLONY GROWS
q. 3. sALrER FINDS NORFOLK HAS
MORE SONG BIRDS.
GOSSIP IN NORFOLK BIRD LAND
Year Shows Increase In Song Birds
Nesting In Norfolk-Wrens That Eat
And Drink From Mr.. Salter's

ANU C'lHN fToH WE SaNe'
Hand.
There Is a marked increase over
previous years in the number OF song
birds In and about Norfolk this year"
So G. b. Salter, who is an authority
on birds and their habits and who
is, incidently a member OF the Ne
braska Ornithology Union, says:
This increase" Mr.. Salter continued,
lis due to the growth OF our shade
trees and the attention given the birds
by many of our citizens in providing
nesting places and protecting from
ignorant boys and domestic cats. The
greatest enemy to our song birds is
the domestic cat The cat, not being
properly fed at home, begins to prey
upon the helpless birds and will in a
short time kill an exceedingly large
number of them. l wish every citizen
of this city would take an interest in
the welfare of birds and do what he
can toward their protection as they
contribute largely toward the benefit
of humanity"
Mr.. Salter has awakened of a morn.
ing and looking from his bedroom
window has recognized six different
species of birds, while within hearing
distance he could distinguish the calls
of several others. He takes great de-
light in watching the birds build their
nests and, with his guide book and
field glass, can readily classify most
of the birds of this community.
He finds the most interesting bird
to be the ."chick-a-dee," which makes
sound like "Pee-wee" when calling
its mate They can be watched in both
winter and summer and their nests
easily found in the larger trees.
On the porch of Mr.. Salter's home
is the nest of two wrens, which,
through the kind treatment Of their
host, have become tame. He can feed
and water them from his hand. He
has often watched the birds bathing
while he was watering the lawn, and
noted with interest how clean they
kept themselves.
The Veery or Wilson thrush is one
of the choicest birds known. It has
a wired, plantive call which can be
heard toward evening. 1t builds it's
nest on the ground among the leaves,
in hemlocks or in tangled masses of
brier.
Birds food consists mainly of in
sects, bugs, and worms. Their eating
seems to be abnormal. An incident
illustrates this. Some bronze crack
les which made their home in one Of
Mr.. Fridays trees, flew to Mr. Salter's
yard one morning and devoured from
sixty to seventy grub worms in the
few moments they were being watched.
The blue jay is pretty bird but is
an enemy to most of the others, be-
cause it preys upon their eggs.
At the corner of Ninth street and
Koenigstein avenue in Mr.. Valentines
yard a bird built peculiar nest within
arms reach of one standing on the
porch. No one seemed familiar with
the specie of the bird, so Mr.. Salter
was called and he identified it as a
"Vireo." This bird builds a pendant
nest, similar to the Baltimore oriole.
1t is well woven and often composed
of thirteen or fourteen hundred pieces
of materials. 1t takes the birds about
three days to build such nest. These
particular birds were watched closely,
but their nest must have been dis
turbed for they soon left. No bird will
remain where its nest has been
touched in any way.
The bird that is apparently useless
and a great pest is the English spar
row, which is multiplying rapidly.
Their food consists mainly of grain.
They should be exterminated and the
only conceivable manner to accomplish
this, Mr.. Salter says, Is by the con-
centrated efforts Of the citizens to
prevent their building nests on their
premises.
There are four hundred species Of
birds in the state, most of which can
be found in or about Norfolk. This
state has such a variety on account Of
its central location.
Mr.. Salter sincerely hopes that the
citizens of this city will encourage
the song birds by permitting them to
nest in and about their yards, unmo-
Tested.
The following is list of the more
common birds which frequent this
vicinity:
Ring-billed gull, blue winded teal,
green heron, solitary sand piper, bob
white, dove, blue jay, swamp sparrow,
towhee, cardinal, dickcissel, grosbeak,
vireo, lark, grackle, oriole, king bird,
goldfinch, sparrow, black bird. crow,
COW bird thrush, wren. cat bird and
blue bird.
Hoskjna