The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1936-11-13
GAME WARDEN
RELATES HABITS
OF MANY BIRDS
SAYS SOME OF FEATHERED
FAMILY ARE SMARTER
THAN PEOPLE; KNOW WHEN
BAD WEATHER is COMING
Especial to The Citizen)

MIAMI, Fla, Nov. 13.-Bird!
are smarter than people, some
times.
That is the opinion of Jim Dur
den, game warden for the Bio
logical Survey, who lives the life
of a hermit among the native
birds down at Buttonwood key, in
Florida bay.
Jim Burdens territory cover:
that area within the Everglade:
National Park project on the Key
West road, from Homestead tt
Camp Supply, Homestead to Cape
Sable and the territory between
"If the people down on the key:
mad watched the birds and follow
ed them before the Labor Day
storm of 1885, there would have
been fewer lives lost" is his firm
conviction.
Just before dawn, Labor
Day." he relates, "a flock of
some 200 man-of-war birds
flew over my camp. The same
flock was seen a little later
over Card Sound bridge, still
flying out of the storm area.
There's another funny
thing about BIRDS" he says.
Seems like old Mother Ma
cure takes care of things her.
self, because always after
many have been killed in a
big storm there is an increase
in the breeding and raising of
young"
Jim burden hasn't always beer
4 game warden.
Before Mr.. burden receiv.
ed his appointment last May
ne had spent many years in the
,eys IS a charter boatmen until
hat trade fell off. But he has
always lived among the birds and
studied their manners and their
ways, and among them has "many
friends"
Birds in the keys are coming
back and increasing in great num-
oers under the protection of state
game laws, he reports, and it is
MS belief it will be only a few
short years until they are seer
again in numbers equal to those
before the days when the white
man invaded their natural reser.
vations and shot them for food and
plumage.
People don't mean to fragrant
Iy violate the law against killing
birds, he believes, and he find:
through friendship with the PEG.
pie and by informing them of the
law he prevents many infringe
ments.
Flamingoes Sighted
Flamingoes, he reports, are
reappearing in that re
gion. They left when the railroad
right-of-way brought fills which in
terrupted the natural water cur
rents, killing sponges and 2craw
fish, their food. With the open
ing of the waters between % tn,
keys by the Labor Day storm the
tide rise has been increased 'eight
inches, and with the two bridges
out at Whale Harbor and Indiar
Key draw, there will be still great
err circulation, he believes. This
he says, will bring birds, fish
turtles, sponges, crawfish anC
stone crabs back in normal mum
befs.
The first flamingoes in
several years were sighted last
April flying east at Flam-
ingoe bay by one of the Rob-
eps family who live down
there. The last two previous
ly seen were in 1893. In
1884 one used the mud banks
between West Key and Torrey
Key. In May of this year
two more were seen flying
south at Mud Bay and on
September 20 one was seen on
the middle ground between
Trout Greek and Snipe Point.
On September 80 another was
sighted at Mud channel and
on October 2 one was seen fly
ing north at Mosquito point
and another October IL at
Mud channel.
Jim burden has particular
friends among birds that come
around his lonely camp. "Joe,'
an osprey, perches in trees nearby
but ventures no nearer, and 'Lone
JOHN" a great blue heron, strut:
round and round the camp keep
ing a safe so feet away.
AEMPER VEG TIL