Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-08-10
This and That
BIZ Charles E. TrGceUeH.
TWENTY EIGHTH STREET.

NV EN- l Y -E1GHIH STREET,.
Dear Sir:
Il have lived near the Zoo most of my
life and in recent years ! have gotten
quite interested in birds. I have had
crow and a sparrow hawk as pets. My
crow proved quite nuisance. He would
begin cawing at 6 in the morning and we
got many complaints from the neigh
borS. He was finally hit by truck while
walking in the alley.
Recently I noticed many different
birds around my house, which is more or
less far into the city for birds of that
type. I have seen crows in great
abundance, sparrow hawks and occa-
sionally Coopers hawk and dozens of
turkey vultures, screeCh owls and even
barred owls
During May we discovered a sparrow
hawks nest IN the attic of very large
apartment house. These sparrow hawks
are the largest have ever SEEN about a
fifth larger than ordinary sparrow
hawks. They seem slightly different in
markings. The female has only few
or no spots on her back. On most
sparrow hawks I have seen. the back is
thickly spotted with black The castings
of these sparrow hawks show that they
feed almost entirely on birds instead of
the usual insects. We have found
sparrow and starting bills under their
favorite roost
yours truly, D. c."
It IS most unusual for sparrow hawk
to live exclusively on birds. In the
main, they eat insects and mice, and are
regarded as among the most beneficial
hawks on this account.
There is a chance that the hawks in
the attic might have been the female of
pigeon hawk, or the immature form of
the sharp-shinned hawk. Both of these
are about 2 inches longer than the
sparrow hawk
There is always chance that a pair
of sparrow hawks would live up to their
name and eat birds. Mostly they con-
sumo lesser fare. although taking a
sparrow now and then, We recall seeing
one fly into a group of sparrows at a
feeding station This station was i'm
mediately in front of a large Van Fleet
rose on fence When the hawk tried
to fly away with his prey he got i'm
meShed in the vine and could not get
loose at first. Shortly he managed to
extricate himself
The neighborhood of the National
Geological Park is good one for bird
study Not only are song birds attracted
by the trees of the Zoo and adjacent
ROCK Creek Park, but they come for the
food to be found both in and out>of the
cages.
English sparroWs often are seen feast
Ing IN the hay and other fodder. Pic
mixers
ana these, too, 60 down the hungry
maws of the birds.
Mice ard other rodents also are at
uacted by the food, and these in their
turn draw the turkey vultures, or buzz
zards, as they are often incorrectly
called
The turkey 'buzZards" often rest on
the main tower of the Kennedy Warren
apartment. AS far as we know, no
photograph has ever been taken of this
slght. but 1t remains good one, though
difficult shot to get, no doubt.
sometimes the vultures rest with both
wings outspread Then again a row of
Ihem VIII be seated carefully side by
SIDE. their ugly but marvellous ewes
keeping watch for the crawling of some
mouse or rat
~ 40 ooid Iildt Olle Oh JneSe VultureS
can see mouse at distance of miles
Pretty good eyesight, that.
Nothing is more intriguing to a bird
student than to stand on the Calvert
Street Bridge and watch these large
birds soar
They are gliders whose ability to take
advantage Of air currents might be
studied by the foremost human aviators
sometimes common pigeon will be
seen flying swiftly across the valley.
Inc observer will think back to the days
OF the great Audubon, who watched
fiocks OF billion passenger pigeons f1y
by in three hours on the Green River in
Kentucky. He estimated that it would
require 100000 bushels of food for one
Gays feeding. And that just for one
group passing in three hours! The very
air smelled of pigeons after they had
flown by. At night the f1ocks occupied
an area by 40 miles and the ejecta
covered the ground like snow.