Evening star., 1945-03-17
This and That
Charles E. TrdcetDeU.
NEW CANAAN. Conn

Dear Sir:
Although I live in Connecticut, I am
an enthusiastic reader of your column
on my frequent visits to Washington.
While you have some magnificent native
birds which we hardly ever see, the game
of bird feeding is fascinating hobby
in almost any locality. I deeply sympa-
thize with those of your correspondents
who have had squirrel or blue jay trou-
BILE Personally am very fond of both
these genial bandits and like to count
them among my customers. However,
when they hog the whole show and eat
me out of house and home, feel it is
time to put limit on their activities
and teach them to share the wealth in
true democratic fashion. Your readers
may be interested in knowing how I
have solved the problem.
THE feeder consists Of a platform
about 2 feet square at a height of
feet or more on top of an iron pipe set
in the ground. Mr.. Squirrel can climb
up this pipe and even greasing it won't
keep him down. but if you set 3-foot
length of 6-inch stove pipe around it
at the top, under the platform, it battles
him. The theory is simple. Any boy
can shin up a small tree but he can't
get his arms and legs around a big
trunk. Neither can the squirrel get
grip on a big pipe!
"Sunf1ower seeds are in a container
made from ginger cookie tin inches
in diameter by or 8 inches high. A
hacksaw cut l inch from the bottom
with the upper part of the tin bent in
makes it self-feeding, while a eenical
cover made from tarpaper makes it look
like miniature silo. The silo is set
between two braced uprights of board
about inches square. Over these is a
1-inch mesh wire screen whose bottom
edges are bent around iron straps set
11s inches above the top surface of the
platform. This enables the chickadees
and nuthatches, my best customers, to
get at the sunf1ower seeds and keeps
the blue jays out. Suet is kept in a
suet feeder of 12-inch mesh wire,
patronized by downy woodpeckers and
hairy woodpeckers as we'll as my good
friends previously mentioned Juncos
tree, song and white-throated sparrows
come to their repast on the ground, and
I find that they as well as the jays and
squirrels are glad to partake of chick
feed and bread crumbs costing fraction
as much as sunf1ower seeds. The only
customer for which the above arrange
ment does not provide is the purple
finch, but as he is comparatively rare
visitor I have decided to cater to the
majority.
THE feeder is set near the dining
room window where it provides constant
interest during daylight meals. How
ever, 1t can be put near any window
which does not face north.
Yours sincerely, r. B. S."
There is great deal to be said for
placing bird feeding station where it
can be looked at naturally in the daily
course of events
This means that there is, ordinarily,
no better place than just outside a
dining room window, as our correspond
ent suggests.
Here it may be seen at all meals,
and since many families use their dining
rooms as living rooms, too, the birds are
on display the Whole day through.
All in all, this Is one Of the very best
placements, always to be recommended
even when the dining room is on the
north.
fernapS IN New England the north
side OF the house is not SO desirable,
but in and around the National Capital
1t make no difference.
There will be no dearth of birds on the
north side of the house, provided the
feeding station is kept filled. Birds are
practical fellows. They will not come
to any empty feeder. even to see if it
is filled; their sharp little eyes tell them
from afar.
The use of an old piece of discarded
stove pipe, as suggested, is novel way
to keep squirrels out. 1t is added to
past notes about greasing the upright
and placing funnel of tin beneath the
platform. It sounds as If it would be
the most successful Of the three.