Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-11-24
One Bird Lover
Solves q Problem
BIZ Frederic J. Hdsktn.

Gus business even under most favorable
soft earth of summer into granite hard
ness and chilly blasts cut through bare
trees, the struggle Of the feathered
creatures for existence becomes a life
and-death game. This being so, 1t is
a comfort to know that VIXEN snow falls
this winter the birds Of at least one
section of the country will not have TO
worry about their next meal
Mrs. Ada Chaplain Govan of Lexing-
ton, Mass, has seen to that. This
winter, as in several years past, she is
providing free lunches for the hundreds
of bird visitors that are already familiar
with her 8-acre sanctuary which she
has developed for them, and which has
become nationally known.
The story of Mrs. Govan's woodland
bird sanctuary is an unusual one. Ten
years ago she knew no more about
birds than does the average person. At
that time, as a result of an accident
which closely followed long period OF
ill health, Mrs. Govan was a house.
bound invalid. One bleak day in De-
cember, 1885, she was sitting in her
chair by the window. when she saw
something outside which arrested her
attention. A blizzard was raging-ths
kind that sends even the stoutest-heart-
ed scurrying for shelter. Yet, there on
her piazza railing sat tiny chickadee,
clinging tenaciously to its perch despits
the buffeting of the gale, and taking
the storm with philosophic calm while
it cheerfully piped familiar song
"chickadee- dee-dee"-over and over.
Struck by the little creatures courage,
and realizing that it was probably
hungry as well as cold, Mrs. Govan
managed to get to the door and tossed
the bird a handful of crumbs. The
chickadee pecked at them avdly for 4
minute or two, and then disappeared.
She did not expect to see it again, but
presently the chickadee came back, and
not alone This little member Of the
feathery tribe had apparently rounded
up all its friends and relatives in the
neighborhood and informed them Of the
free lunch counter down the street.
Every morning after that there was an
aggregation of hungry birds waiting for
Mrs. Govan when she took her place at
the window With quickening interest
in her new friends, she fed them and
gradually became intensely interested in
their welfare.
The Govans had very little money
but they managed to lay aside few
cents occasionally for suet and bird
seed. They saved the leftovers from
their dining table for the birds, and
Mrs. Govan's young son, David, built
some birdhouses and placed them on
the lot at the rear of the family dwell
| ing. Before a year had passed the
Goyan premises had become q welcome
haven for hundreds of birds OF all
kinds.
AS the number Of their feathered Wis
itors grew, the problem of providing fer
them became very real. Sometimes the
bill for the birds winter rations ran as
high as $50, and the Govans did not
have that much money to spare. One
particularly hard winter, when Mr..
Govan was unemployed and i'll. the
situation became desperate. At one
! time the family cash had dwindled to
| $40. and it looked as though the birds
would have to go hungry.
1t was then that Mrs. Govan decided
to write some stories about her birds in
an effort to earn money which would
enable her to continue caring for the
creatures that had come to depend upon
her. To her delight the stories sold.
and for one whole winter the birds not
only paid for their own board but paid
for the Govans' food as well.
The most important factor in attract
ing birds to the neighborhood in which
the Govans lived was an s-acre tract
Of orchard and woodland which
stretched beyond the northern boundary
of the Govan yard, and in which birds
nested in large numbers. One day, six
or seven years after Mrs. Govan had
fed her first >chickadee, she heard the
sound OF an ak in that wooded area
Until that time she had taken the
woodland more or less for granted, but
now she suddenly realized that If the
trees were felled, if the piece of land
was spoiled for the birds, she would
lose forever the hundreds of feathered
friends she had made and which had
come to form her chief interest In life.
Moreover, many Of the birds might per-
ish.
Investigation confirmed Mrs. Govsrs
worst fears. The land was TO be cleared
and subdivided into lots. In desper-
alton she sent her husband to the
owner of the land to see If something
could be done to save the woodland
The owner stated a sum for which he
would be willing to lease the land for
year, which would give the birds and
Mrs. Govan a breathing space at any
rate. Raising that sum meant drawing
on savings definitely reserved for taxes
and other essentials. However, the
Govans decided to take the chance.
Then Mrs. Govan again busted herself |
with her pen. In letters to the editor
of q column about birds In q Boston
newspaper, and in an article in Nature
Magazine, she told the story of her
sanctuary and Of the fate that threat.
ened IL Immediately came Ojfte -