Evening star., 1928-06-10
6>he BOYS and
GIRLS PAGE
District Attracts Nations Birds

TIME IliaIfict or Columbia III
unique role, that Of one of the
worlds finest bird sanctuaries,
l. has become the mecca of bird
lovers and students More spe-
cies of birds can be found In the Ma
tional Capital than In any other part
| Of North America, and the bird pop-
ulation here Is tho denseSt ever found.
/ Nearly 100 species Of birds may be
counted In the District In single day
| in the Spring of tho year and a list
| compiled by DIR. g. W. Richmond, who
! Is I'm charge Of the bird collection of
| the Smithsonian Institution shows that
there are records of POI distinct spe-
cies having been observed In the Dis
| trict.
Actual bird census counts show that,
while bird residents in the agricultural
| sections In the Northeastern United
States average only about one pair to
the acre. and while the number in
parts of the West dwindles to an
average OF half a pair, or even less, to
the acre, the densest bird population
ever recorded, on the suburban estate
of Gilbert Grosvernor, was 1856 pairs.
of 40 different species, on five acres!
No other part of the continent can
even remotely approach this record,
census figures of the Audubon Society
show. The second densest bird popu-
lation of the nation was found in two
city blocks in Aiken, S. c., unusually
well supplied with trees, which har-
bored 65 pairs on ten acres.
The District, because of its rigid
laws against hunting of any kind. has
become one of the most important bird
refugees of the nation, and Is one of
the few such refugees in the Eastern
United States
There are now II national bird reser-
vations In the United States, the first
Of which, on Pelican Island, Fla, was
established in 1903. In addition there
are bird refugees in the National Bison
Range. Mont. Sullys Hill Game Pre-
serve. North Dakota. and the Elk
Refuge. Wyoming. The Yale Cor
poration has recently set aside
200 acres of the Ray Tompkins
golf course, as a preserve for the native
plant, bird and wild life Of the region.
The National Association of Audubon
Societies has designated 80 bird reserva-
tions. the only one of them In the
vicinity Of Washington being at Cobb
Island. Va
Actual bird counts show that the
robin, official harbinger of Spring, is
the most abundant species in the East
ern United States, with the English
sparrow running second Following these
In abundance are the song sparrow,
chipping sparrow, meadowlark and cat
bird, in the order named.
It is natural that the District, with
its amazingly abundant bird life, should
be the Nations focal point for bird
study. Through the activities Of tie
District of Columbia Audubon Society,
Which is the parent bird lovers society
Of the Nation, and governmental agen-
cies, information has been disseminated
and love of birds implanted In the
hearts of many of our public school
teachers and thousands Of school chill
dren
Regular bird study classes are con-
Quoted in the schools and community
centers. and Spring and Autumn bird
walks" which take hundreds Of adults
and children into the fields and woods
TO study the birds in their native llaunts,
have become regular feature of Dis
trict life.
This Spring the District Audubon
Society has sponsored six bird walks,
each Of which has been attended by so
TO rs bird students. On one trip. from
Little Hunting Greek 10 Mount Vernon,
i03 species Of birds were observed. the
largess number seen in q single day
this year. A party OF rs teachers and