Evening star., 1944-04-20
This and That
By Charles E. Trucewell.

ALEXANDRIA, va.
"Dear Sir:
"A reader Of your delightful column
wishes to report from the western slopes
Of the nearby Potomac.
Prom odds and ends which I habit
ually collect, constructed bird feeder
which supplies a continuous flow of seeds
provided some one keeps the hopper
filled.
II am inclosing sketch of the feeder,
which started out with discarded glass
coffee maker and eventually grew into
a full blown feeder that has been highly
successful.
About five weeks ago flock of purple
finches came into the oak woods which
fringe the back yard of my house in the
Beverly Hills section of Alexandria, and
has been with us ever since.
The flock numbers not less than 25,
and 1t can eat its way through a pound
OF sunflower seeds In about one hour
fiat. Sunflower seeds, being scarce, and
now fairly expensive, and doled out at
the rate Of about pound q day because
this flock of cheerful little burglars
would consume not less than or
pounds per day If that amount was
given them.
'"They monopolize the feeder because
they have no fear. From two to eight
will sit, MUNICH and throw the shells
over the side, and between seeds peck
at one another, their dispositions being
far from amiable.
Il had supposed that the flock would
move northward but they seem we'll
satisfied and I see no lessening in num-
bers.
AT other stations around the yard
or back porch have suet arranged for
the members Of the feathered gentry,
such as chickadeeS, Southern downy
woodpecker, white-breasted nuthatch,
and rose breasted nuthatch, which are
not afraid of calories and expanding
waist lines.
When the ranks of the purple finches
thin out bit our old friend the tufted
titmouse and his tribe come in for sun
flower seeds. Bluebirds come and seem
to enjoy peanut hearts and peanut
butter along with little beef suet here
and there. From the spillover of the
sunfower seed feeder the cardinals and
those of the purple finch flock who
have been pushed out of the front line
at the feeder pick up the castoffs from
the ground.
"Sunfiower plants spring up in all
parts OF the grounds where birds have
dropped seeds in previous months. Last
summer pair Of goldf1nches had
delightful time eating their sunf1ower
seeds directly from the flower heads, so
this year I contemplate planting sun
flowers expressly for them.
Il am shortly leaving to take up resi-
IN, Dy,n rf0 l.
number of species is rather limited. I
am hopeful that I can build up as
pleasant group OF little neighbors as
now sing for us in our miniature sane
tuary in Alexandria.
Sincerely yours, G. F. c."
This correspondents feeder is a very
ingenious affair and we regret that we
cannot reproduce his sketch. The feeder
is suspended from a bracket made of
-quarter-inch curtain rod by q
length of No. 18 wire which runs down
through an inverted pieplate through
the glass coffee-maker top and through
the center of another piepan, right side
up, which receives the seed as it flows
through the opening at the bottom of
the glass.
The bottom lid, right side up, rests
on two crossing wood pieces, which,
extending out beyond the rim of the
piepan, act as perches.
Some distance beneath the bottom,
at the end of the wire hangs coconut
shell, with place followed out, and a
perch from which the birds can get at
the meat.
Thus far" notes Mr.. c. mo birds
seem interested in the coconut meat
(after two months useD"
We had the same experience with try
ing to feed the birds this substance.
1t was many weeks before anything
touched it.. In time, however, it was
all eaten, but we have forgotten by
which birds 1t was either nuthatches
or starlings.
The feeder is filled simply by sliding
the top pieplate up the wire: this gives
ready access to the glass hopper.
If any one has an old coffee-maker
top, 1t would be interesting to try this
scheme. The coconut, by the way, helps
prevent wind sway, according to the
originator.
He doesn't say thing about squirrel
sway"