Evening star., 1936-03-17
:. THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES e. TRACEWELL.

A plea to those who have FED the wild
birds all Winter to continue to do so In
modified form all Summer Is contained
in letter just received as follows:
MY Dear Bird Friend: Our place
is in the woods, just spot cleared out
for house and small garden. Along one
edge Of the garden is privet hedge, be-
yond that many dogwoods.
THE hedge collects leaves all Fall and
Winter that are blown by the wind, and
in that collection of leaves there are
always a few dogwood berries to be
found. Three or four fox sparrows in
there raise such q rumpus scratching
that I often look out to see what the
noise is all about.
They scratch as hard as chickens.
He is the first bird to arrive at the feed
ing station. I throw seed around large
ounce bush in the side yard. They all
like the food on the ground near q bush.
The ounce is especially good because
it spreads so and is sturdy like the
branches Of tree, and they like some
thing to fly into at any sound or move
ment from the house or dogs.
n
"The fox sparrow-to get back to my
story-is the first to come for food. I
used to think the cardinal was, until I
got UP early several times to watch. But
the cardinal is not long after him.
II usually throw food out the last
thing before I 60 to bed. Fox arrives
without song. He eats heartily, then
gets in the bush and sings his head of.
His song is strong and clear and very
musical. He has only been singing for
a week or so, but he keeps it up long
after the other birds have stopped sing
ing. Like the cardinal-you know he
sings until November almost.
Il think they are the only two birds
we have that sing late in the Fall. Most
only sing during the mating season.
After the fox sparrow has filled him.
self and sung, he scratches most of the
rest of the day. He very seldom sings
after the sun comes up.
X X
do not stop putting food out, even
when these Winter birds (seed eaters)
leave. The junco, chickadee, titmouse
and finch will leave, but fox sparrow
and cardinal will stay if you keep just
a little food there.
II cut down to two handfuls after
buds come and weeds grow.
THAT is plenty, for they like other
things better, but the cardinal, especially,
will depend on you for his first few bites
early and late, and on stormy days.
IF you do this, you will be rewarded
by seeing him raise his family. They
come July or August (the young). The
young ones are as big nearly as their
parents and are the color Of the mother,
olive-gray green call it. Their bills are
grayish looking. There is no red breast
on the male at first-no maroon on the
wings of the female, just little maroon
on the tails
They will want a dogwood or good
strong bush near the feeding place. The
father and mother bring them to the
bush. The young cannot crack the seeds
for about two weeks. The father does
most of the feeding. He picks out a
choice seed. cracks it, and puts it into
the baby's bill, and it twitters and shivers
all over.
Its great sight, so keep little food
there all year.
"They feed their young for only a
few weeks, about four: then you will
miss them for about month. They
evidently fly away and leave their
young, for they come back alone. It's
probably some such reason as why we
humans don't marry cousins. They
separate somehow.
$50 If you keep too much food at the
station for them, they will only feed
the young from there. Whereas If you
do not give them too much they will
have to show their young other ways of