Evening star., 1945-03-27
This and That
By Charles E. Trdce,UeH.
"THIRTY-FIRST STREET


Dear Sir:
"A pair Of cardinals nested under
the roof OF our porch last spring, but
appeared to have been frightened away
before the little birds were able to fly.
We found two dead birds on the lawn,
but how they got there we do not know.
All winter a pair of cardinals have
been roosting at night under the same
porch roof the male on the right-hand
side, the female on the left.
Il believe they are the same pair
that nested there last spring. but of
course cannot be sure.
Il am wondering If cardinals usually
stay together over one nesting season,
and If so, for how long.
rs 1t likely that this pair will mate
with each other this season or will they
probably pick new mates?
Il take a great interest in your
column and look forward so much to
reading it. Yours truly, I. L."
+
Cardinals are homogeneous.
They stay mated for life, and stick
together over the winter.
Our correspondents birds are likely
to be the same pair as that of last
winter, and probably will set up house
keeping again.
We are interested in hearing where
they roasted in the cold, since all IL
pairs In our yard fly away for the
night.
We have never been able to see
where one of these birds sleep. As
matter OF fact, it is not easy to determine
where any birds roost, except by chance
Efyor ~.
quarters to many. Birds sleep snugly
in the cold, provided they have had
plenty OF food during the day.
This is where bird feeding comes in
A real service is done our wintering
species by all persons who put out food
They are provided with the overcoat of
fat which alone preserves their life.
Not only have they this coating, but
they also have the heat which their
life processes extract from carbonaceous
foods. The temperature of birds at all
times Is between 100 and ITO degrees.
The normal temperature of starting,
for instance, is 103 degrees. It can be
seen that startling is a sort of heat
machine, and that when its tempera-
ture sinks below 100 degrees, which
would be high for us, 1t Is in danger of
- SS1AAA6 W ACotAl. AA1lo ID WHY LIlcSG
wise birds seek the ledges and window
sills of downtown buildings, where some
heat is likely to be kept all night,
This means the difference between life
and death to them. If we keep this
in mind, we cannot find much fault
with them for this habit.
Cardinals come about as near to
meeting the human ideal of welded bliss
as any bird.
They are faithful to each other. He
often finds tidbitS for her, and usually
treats her very well, indeed
Sometimes the male will refuse to
permit his mate to eat until he has
finished, but this, too, is typical of
certain brand Of human
All In all, these birds offer pretty
picture, not only in their colors and
shapes, but also in their daily actions.
|, They are splendid parents, sharing this
with most birds. Only the cowbird
fails to take care of its own young.
1t is pleasure to watch the cardi-
mails bring their babies to saucer OF
ground meat. 1t must be remembered
that insects and worms are the baby
food" Of all species, whether seed or
insect eaters. Here again the wisdom
OF nature makes sure the young will
get enough protein for growth. Pro-
teins, of course, are the only building
materials Of growth and repair
The male cardinal takes all the care
Of the first brood while she is setting
| on the eggs Of the second brood.
They are as faithful to their home
territory as to each other, in this
respect somewhat resembling tabby cats
As regards the destruction of the two
young instanced, the act was probably
done by grackles, whose cruel yellow
eyes venomously follow all baby birds
except their own.