Evening star., 1937-02-17

lows fight for positions on the feeder
platform.
This Is an experiment, however, we
would not advise. Attempts to draw
meat-eating birds to feeders is mistake,
for 1t may attract hawks. Also, ell space
should be given to food for the desirable
birds, as we say, such as the chickadees
and titmice and the bluebirds, many Of
which are Wintering in this vicinity,
owing to the comparatively mild weather
Many birds which normally do not re-
turn to Washington until early March
already have made their appearance in
some yards. Reports come in of fox
Sparrows. As yet we have not seen
those charming fellows, the purple
f1ncheS, which were present in numbers
last Winter in the cold.
There Is not much use trying to make
ground feeders take to feeding stations,
or to make birds which naturally prefer
to eat aloft take to the ground.
The nuthatch, for instance, will sidle
down tree trunk, if the feeder is placed
thereon, grab himself seed and fly away
with 1t.
That is one reason why every yard with
tree in it should have at least one
feeder on a trunk, for there are few
sights in bird watching more interesting
than that of the spiral trip of the nut
matches.
How he comes down the trunk, head
down, and how he creeps up and around
is sight well worth many minutes of
any ones time.
The titmouse has dipping, wavering
flight, seen at its best when this bird
flys to a feeder platform, seizes himself
seed and Immediately flys away with it.
You will never-well, hardly ever
see titmouse on the ground.
English sparrows have no preference,
but simply eat wherever the food is-a
very sensible proceeding, indeed
At every feeding station these capable
fellows will occupy the entire tray, and
their relatives will flock so close together
on the ground as to make soft brown
carpet to the eye.
Another correspondent wishes to know
the date of our first sparrow article"
Articles concerning Sparrows appeared
here in 1886 on April 16, August IL, Sep
tember 8, November 18, November l9
about Whitley, the semi -albino sparrow
December 10 and December 80. This year,
January 49, about the same Whitley, and
February Is.
y \
Noting the difference in habits of our
familiar birds is the most pleasure in
bird observation. Often we think we
know them, only to find out, on closer
observation, that we really do not.
How many persons know, offhand,
which of our Wintering birds are hop
pers' and which are walkers? This
is one of the easiest divisions of bird
life, yet if we have not thought about
1t, in our own watching, we cannot
classify even the commonest birds surely.
One must always keep in mind, too.
that there always are exceptions. The
birds which never get into feeder, but
invariably stay on the ground, in your
yard, may have relatives which do
just the opposite, upon occasion, in the
yard Of another watcher
These differences, however, will be
exceptions, and the other watcher ought
not to make the mistake of declaring,
just because he saw some specimen do
something out of the ordinary, that all
birds of the species do likewise.
Thus we saw an old startling, on a
snowy afternoon, get in a feeder plat
form and stay for four hours, keeping
all other birds out. He was not eating,
but simply doing against the elements.
We never saw one do this before and
never expect to see one do it again.