Norwich bulletin., 1911-03-15
\ FEW VILLAGE BIRDS
How They Fed and Famed The Variation of Chick adee Notes The Arrival of the Bluebirds and the Excitement of the Regular Winter Birds The chip- py Sparrow Easy Summer Bird to Tame

(Written Specially for The Bulletin.) Tn recent issue of The Bulletin I noticed few lines from the Norwich Town correspondent concerning the spring note of the cficlxadee, which resembles that of the phoebe suf- cientiy to sometimes deceive one. when heard at a little distance. think close attention will show that the phoebe repeats its own name as if it were speaking rather abruptly, while the chickadee whistles musical ly sbe- be, be-be.'' have heard their eral warm days 1 have heard them sing few low, sweet notes quite dif- forent from their ordinary cheery call of chickadee- dee-dee."
 . In June, 1908, one pair of chicka- dees. which I had tanned the previous winter. after being absent a month came back to the trees in the door yard with four babies. The adults carried food to them for four days. They then learned to follow the par- ents to the food on the window-sill would raise the screen enough to slip my hand. filled with soft crumbs, out on the sill, then the adults would fear lessly feed the little ones, which were not at all afraid of my hand, or of creeping under the screen as they bobbed against each other and called this same pIaintive note of "be-be, Dc~ bS. It -DOuAluSd Qultc klkG pdbuy, babyr At first they did not know how to feed themselves and when they began to learn they were about as slxillful as a human baby is, when it first tries to use it's hands. On the fourteenth day the adults went away. The nestIings, which had learned to eat, stayed eight days longer, then they, too, followed .gThe Call of the Wild..'
 About the middle of last April moved a very short distance and a1- tame chickadees during the winter, I did not see or hear one at the new home until the last day of July. In August they were rare visitors. In September, October and November they were were t to be seen or ,,s heard o. on tober two found food which had put out. On November IS four came to the feeding place on a pear tree. One of these lighted on my hand and took one piece of nut. After this saw three and heard another. One of these flew within q few inches of my hand twice, but lacked courage to light. By the middle of January two learned to come to a window s1Il where food is kept. On January 19 one lighted on my hand twice. Since then their pro- gross has been rapid. There are now
 
 lap. Some will come when call them. FreQuently fanere will be one on my head and one on each hand at the same time. If the food I offer is in very small pieces, one will sometimes ct sixty bites without flying away; but the feast is often interrupted by a waiting one, who thinks 1t is his turn. If they do not like what offer, they will sometimes pick 6t my fingers. If a bite is too large to swallow they fre- quently hold 1t under their claws and pick it to pieces on my hand. A fa- supply is abundant. is under the loose bark on the grape vine. They ask for food by 0uttering before a win dow, if they see anyone looking out. I have not taught them to take food held between the lips as I have in other winters. The lack of trees. the situa- ton of the yard near the street, and the fact that live upstairs makes the tanning of birds rather dif1cult Some times they will go to other people, but are more likely to be afraid. I think the first one that came to me was winter, as it learned more readily than do tho new ones. At my old home some came early in the winter to the window-sin where food had been kept for them in the past.
 Those who prefer warm weather for tanning birds will do well to try the chipping sparrow. It Is q dear lit tie bird and not difficult to tame suf- ficiently so that it will come to ones hand at the window. Last summer diI net spend time enough to tame them as I have in other years. They came to the window-sill for food from June 17 until almost the first of Sep tember. There were at least four adults and some nestlings. Sometimes the adults would feed a baby at the window. Once one came twice to my hand for crumbs which it cafried to a little one which was waiting close by. At another dime a baby ch1ppy sat on the l. roof while raised the window screen and held out food. It then came without fear and ate nineteen bites from my hand and picked up