Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1916-12-26

II
TER.
The 1915 bird count based on S15 re
ports from different sections received by
the Biological Survey shows that tht
average bird population on the farms oi
the United States can be largely increas
ed by protection in furnishing food and
shelter.
Several instances of numerous bird
population following we'll. l.directed ef
forts for its increase are reported. A
farm of 65 acres near Westerville, Ohio,
comprising plowed land 2S acres, hay
land 22 acres, pasture acres, orchard !
acres, house and garden plot 2 acres, and
swamp and wooded creek borders s
acres, showed a population of 10 pairs
of native birds and 25 pairs of English
sparrows, or about double the average
for the state. A farm of Is acres near
Strssburg, Ohio, with about the same
proportion of the different fields, had
126 pairs of native birds and pairs OF
English sparrows, also about double the
average. A farm of 40 acres near
Middletown, Conn, containing 10 acres
of plowed land, 8 acres of woodland,
acres of pasture, II acres of orchard, and
20 acres of meadow, had bird popula-
tion of 165 pairs of native birds, s pairs
of English sparrows, and Is pairs of
stsrlings; total Of 1888 pairs, or more
than four times the average. A farm of
40 acres at New Hope, Pa, called "The
Hedges" from its numerous Usage
orange hedges, and divided into plowed
land Is acres, woodland 2 acres, orchard
acres, and grassland Is acres, support
ed bird population of 1856 pairs of
native birds, II of English sparrows, and
| / startling; a total of about four times
the average.
These examples are all of farms that
are used for ordinary farming purposes,
and where no attempt has been made to
attract an extra number of birds by win
ter feeding or by putting up nesting
boxes. The large bird population Is due
solely to absolute protection and to leav-
| ing abundant chances for favorable nest
ing sites.
Y Eight acres of land at Olney, H., de-.
voted to birds, planted with shrubbery
that supplies food and shelter, equipped
with nesting boxes, and made very at
tractive by an abundant supply of food
and water throughout the year, became
the home of 20 pairs of native birds of 81
species. The experimenter who con-
Quoted this refuge had some difficulty
with certain kinds of birds. A single
pair of red-headed woodpeckers were
selfish and aggressive and prevented any
other woodpeckers from nesting in the
| boxes. The house wren was equally
tyrannical and prevented several pairs OF
| chickadees and tufted titmice from occu-
| pying vacant boxes. The blue jays and
| grackles, however, proved the most
| troublesome. The blue jays destroyed
fully 80 per cent of the eggs in the hrst.
built nests and killed and devoured
half-grown young of the mourning dove.
1t became necessary to discourage
some 15 pairs of grackles and 80 pairs OF
blue jays before the smaller birds had
fair chance of existence.
| The Surveys observations on the
grounds of the department in Washing
ton seem to confirm this experience, as
srackles have been known to feed upon
newly Matched English sparrows. Fish
crows, on the other hand, attacked the
young of grackles and even to q greater
extent the nestlings of English spar
rows.
ATTRACTING BIRDS UNDER SUBURBAN
| CONDITIONS.
The owner of q summer home in Mary
land a few miles from Washington, how
ever, did not have the same trouble with
house wrens. As q result OF several
years. endeavors, he has a colony oil
house wrens which in 1915 numbered l9
pairs. all in boxes put up for them in the
Immediate ghborhood of the house,
and vet other birds also were numerous,
and in the acres surrounding the house
there nested in 1915 total of "a species
and 135 pairs.
The report of the 1914 bird counts
credited Chevy Chase, Md, as having
the highest record for that year. This
same area in 1915 showed q satisfactory
increase in the number of nesting birds,
the total being reported as 40 species
and 1S9 pairs on % acres. half-acre
lot in this area was the home during
1915 of 20 pairs of birds representing IA
different species, 4 wood thrush nests
being the greatest number OF any one
kind.
A few miles from indianapolis, Ind.,
ia a tract of A acres known as Wooden's
Garden. set aside in 1897 as bird sane
tuary. one of the first, if not the first, OF
the kind in the United States. In 1903
this was decided to the city of Indianapolis
to be maintained perpetually as puolic
park where bird life should be carefully
protected. 1t consists of IL acres Oh
cleared and cultivated land and the re-
mainder of heavily wooded hills and "a,
vines. The 1915 counts showed that o2
different kinds of birds, represented oy
1893 nesting pairs, had their homes IN
this area. :.
/ In Aiken, s. c., the owners OF two city
blocks. 10 acres in all, for many years
liberally supplied the birds Win 1000
and water. In the summer OF 1910 tne
counts showed 10 species and % nestne
pairs Oh this area. These consisted OF
the following species: Blue JAY, ii;
red headed woodpecker, IL; mockine
bird, 8; brown thrssher, 8; catbird, .;
cardinal, 6; wood thrush, 4; orchard
oriole, 1; c6swink, L; English sparrow, 4
Two of the reports received, one from
Woodstock, VT, and the other from
lViresco, Va, gave interesting data as 70
variations In bird life from year to- year
The Woodstock tract contains 92 acres
I2O Of which are in woodland, the balance
. devoted to pasture and usual crops.
The conditions on the farm have
scarcely changed during the eight years
and the bird life has not much altered
"a pairs of birds In 1915 as compared
With 81 pairs In 19OS-bus it Is interest
, mo 20 note tho wide variation In both
kinds and numbers of each registered II
the annual counts.
The total number of species nesting
nm The place in the eight years sggre
oates 40. while the highest number II
sny one year 10 A and the lowest 30,
range of from 90 percent to u percent O
the total. The average number Of nest
inc pairs per year Is 81, with variation
from n to 81, or an average variation 0
la nercsnt and . maximum variation o
only 8 percent. These variations nav
hssn attributed chiefly to the depreda
tions of hawks. 3,
The tract at viresco, Va, contains o
acres. consistipg Of woodland, 81 acres
nloved land, 5 acres; permanent pasture
i5 acres: and the remainder, o acre,
!. hrnshv land along stream and on NIL
> s;ds In 1907 much Of the land not u
2 Is,a. had lately ceased to be cultivatet