Henderson daily dispatch., 1938-12-23
Bird Corner
Conducted by the Henderson
Bird Club
BY MISS GARNETT MYERS

Have you ever decorated a Christ
mas tree for the birds? A small ce-
dar tree placed near the bird bath
or where your favorite birds will be
sure to see it would be a most well
come and beneficial Christmas gift
for the song birds. Have on it few
green cornucopias filled with grain
o. cracked nuts tied close on to the
twigs and a string of popcorn. These
give the tree festive air. Tie on the
tree generous pieces of suet and half
shells of English walnuts filled with
the nut meats. Hang punches OF
raisins or grapes and quartered ap-
pies and little punches of holly and
hedge privet berries. Many other
things may be used and this is a
splendid way to begin your bird-feed-
ing program for the winter.
AS we have stated before, artificial
feeding is very necessary during the
critical period from January to
March. Bad weather may soon set in
end the birds around Henderson will
suffer if we do not provide for them.
Don't become discouraged if the
birds do not Immediately flock, to
their Christmas tree. They are shy
creatures and very careful in choos-
ing a safe place. They will first find
out if it is safe to visit this new tree.
So you must be sure to make it cat
proof. You should keep away from
the tree too, except when you replen-
ish the food containers. Be sure to
keep food there continuously. And
don't neglect the bird BATH Clean
it out and put fresh water in it.
Break the ice when necessary. When
the birds find that they can depend
on this spot for a supply of food and
water they will come again and again.
If later you wish to remove the
Christmas tree, place some kind of a
feeder in it's place. You must not fail
to keep food there all winter.
There are many kinds of feeders. A
very satisfactory one can be made
very much like a bird house with a
porch and suspended from a limb by
a wire. Suet may be tackled to the
outside and grain placed inside.
Why not have feeding tray made
for your window? You will enioy
watching the birds feeding so close
after they become accustomed to the
place.
An attractive way of feeding suet
to the birds is from a pine cone SUI
spended from stick nailed just out
side your window. Get large we'll
open cone and stuff it with pieces of
suet and watch the pine warblers get
K. Suet may also be tackled on trees
in the yard. Free birds love it.
Feeding shelters for small birds
may constitute attractive features of
the lawn or orchard; they may be
elaborate or simple as taste and time
dictate. A rough board shelter in
some quiet place protected by shrub
berry and trees will attract juncos, tree
sparrows, pine grOsbeaKs, cardinals
titmice, blue jays, creepers, wood
peckers, and other winter birds.
When big snow comes and you
want to give the birds more food
than usual, the snow should be brush
ed from the ground in well protected
spots in the thicket areas, and the
grain placed on these bare spots. This
will enable the birds to feed in SAT-
ETY.. Placing the food in brush piles
and honeysuckle thickets is another
excellent method.
The following is a list of some very
excellent bird foods:
Suet, bread scraps, scratch feed,
sunflower seeds, quartered apples,
soaked raisins. partially dried grapes,
poppy seeds, bird seed, chaff, hay
screenings, lettuce scraps, alfalfa, leaf
meal.
Suet is the principal attraction for
birds of carnivorous tastes, such as
the woodpeckers, creepers, nuthat-
ches, and chickadees; and bread
scraps, scratch feed and sunflower
and other seeds for the granivorous
birds, including juncos, song spar
rows, finches, siskins and many 9TH
crs. Fruit eaters are cedar waxwings
3rosbeaks, starlings, hooking birds,
and others.
Now, wouldn't you like to have bird
visitors for the holidays? If so, make
the hird,o christmas tree rOu, T+,c