Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1916-01-22

Virginia School Journal published at
Charleston, under the title of The
Birds in January" Rev. Earl A.
Brooks, of Weston. w. Va, contrib.
utes the following interesting and val
able article on our winged songsters,
that is worthy not only of reading and
careful thought, but preservation for
reference in after years-it is a story
gem on the life of our smaller, feath-
e,ed wild fowl:
From month to month our bird life
varies in an interesting, Kaleidoscope
fashion. At some seasons the birds are
'ubilant in song, while at other times
they are silent; in some months the
migration wanderlust seems to be up.
permost in their instincts, while in
others the birds are settled and stead
fast in the duties of home and habi-
tat; in the late spring and early sum
mer months most birds are giving all
their time and their wonderful pow
ers of endurance to carrying out that
command of nature and of God, BE
fruitful, and multiply. and fill the wa
tiers in the seas, and let birds multi
ply on the earth" while at other sea
sons each bird goes its way with self
interest and in self-protection. Each
month presents some new problem in
bird life, and each season brings its
new species from north or south, its
stragglers from far away, its rare
breeders. or its unsolved questions in
ornithology. II is the purpose OF this
series of papers to give some OF the
interesting facts of bird life in a sort
of calendar fashion, that those who
teach and those who study may have
some suggestions in the seasonal stud
les of the birds.
Cold January comes first. The cas-
usl observer would not expect to find
many living things in that month of
snow, yet one can go out on cold
morning in January and find evidences
that many living things have been
abroad by day and in the night Here
are some pellets elected from the
throat of a Barred Owl; here are the
dainty tracks of a flock of Bobwhites
in the snow; along the old fence-row
are the scattered bulls of weed seeds
on which numbers of Juncos and
Tree Sparrows have been feeding;
by the side of an old stump or de.
aayea tree are the chips of that car
renter OF the woods. the Woodpeek-
er that have been dropped by a
Downy, a Hairy or great Northern
piieated as he has chiseled away dill
gently for sore lurking larva of
wondering beetle; in the edge of the
@oods is the story Of nocturnal
tragedy plainly written in the snow,
for here a Great Horned Owl has
pounced upon a Mearn's Cotton-tail
orr common rabbit and has Destroy
e. his life and Toasted or his flesh
ara TIE roOgtin gp'aees Of a
cor, any Of Ruffad Grouse and
ere in the dry snow are the wing
arks Of birl that has suddenly
sken flight On every hand are TIE
MS Of life and one does not need
20 far, if his eyes are keen, with
finding many evidences of the
fact that many birds may be found
en- in January.
1t may be well to mention some of
our winter species, though only few
of the large number of winter resident
birds can be named here. number OF
Woodpeckers stay with us during the
cold days Of the year. and a January
walk will disclose the whereabouts of
many of them. Feeding as they do on
larvae and on the eggs and adults of
various insects that remain about the
bark and wood of trees, the food sup
ply is abundant all the winter long. In
company with the Woodpeckers may
be found the Whitebreasted Nuthatch,
often called "Sapsucker," and, rare
ly, his dainty cousin, the Redbreasted
Nuthatch. The latter is bird of the
north and is found in the hill region
Of the state only in migration or in
the winter, though high in the Allie
gheny mountains this species oeca-
sionally breeds. In company with
these birds may be found the elusive
Brown Creeper, crawling in mouse
ike fashion up the tree trunks, the
Carolina Chickadee and his mountain
congener, the Chickadee. The Tuft-
ed Titmouse and few other species
fall into the same flock, and, together
with the Golden-crested Kinglet, form
a lively company as they fly from
limb to- limb among the forest trees.
Alone nur larUar rivnrs an nppqGiOu-