Evening star., 1945-07-20
This and That
BIZ Charles E. Trdce,oeH
"TAKOMA PARK.

1AhON1A FAfth.
Dear Sir:
Don't birds eat suet In the summer
time?
Recently put out feeding station
with prepared cake Of suet and mixed
seeds, berries and grains mixed in.
"None of my birds visited 1t.
"They kept right on eating at the old
place, where I have fed them for five
years, but not one visited the new
device.
'I am wondering if they will not eat
suet at all in hot weather. What has
amazed me Is that not single bird has
even pecked at the seeds in the suet.
YOU would think they would try, but
they fly by but do not stop. Do you
think the thing is the wrong color? 1t
is stained brown.
"If they do not pay any attention to
1t soon, am going to throw the thing
away. Very truly, M. j. P"
Our correspondent should not be i'm
patient.
Give the birds time, they will find
anything good to eat.
Habit is habit, with birds or men.
We all know how certain friends in
sist on going to certain restaurant for
coffee.
Not for anything would they visit the
place of our own choice. Our place Is
dirty" they say, but when We go with
them, their eating house strikes us as
even worse.
Habit is powerful Birds which have
become accustomed to eating at given
place, and of certain types of foods,
will not take kindly at first to a new
place or new foods.
In time, however, they will visit it.
The chickadee is often the leader.
He may not be seen around very often,
but just as sure as new feeding station
is put up he Is sure to arrive.
Catching him at 1t, of course, means
a good deal of watching.
Some persons who complain that birds
will not patronize a new feeding box
or platform do not spend enough time
watching it.
Maybe they haven't the time to spare,
but the chances are they have missed
the visits of titmice. chickadees and
nuthatches.
When the sparrows find it, however,
there is no difficulty in seeing them, since
they are there in numbers, and all the
time.
Sparrows are good feeders, as they
say in the country districts.
After a titmouse or a chickadee has
led the way to a new place, the spar
rows will take over, if you let them, and !.
we hope you let them. They are as
hungry as any.
good idea is to prime the new sta
ton With sunf1ower seed.
Usually there is some place it can
be put, just few Seeds or it can be
sprinkled on the top.
A trail of seed may be laid across
the yard from the old feeding station
to the new. In this way the feeders are
led by gentle steps to the desired posi-
tion
Often quirk plays part. There seems
to be no reason why they will not, visit
The new nlace-and there isn't any rea-
son.
Birds, like humans, have a right to
foible.
1t is part of life, and if they do not
care to eat at certain place, there is
not much to be done about it, But no
new feeding station should be given up
as bad job until it has been out at
least two weeks.
If the birds have not visited it then,
they are not likely to do so, although
we have known of feeding places which
were visited after three months delay.
Brightly painted stations are not good.
Sometimes birds seem to resent white
which Is too white. Even suet, at times,
Is rejected, even in winter, because of
this fault. Cottage cheese, or popcorn,
IL suddenly introduced will ACTUALLY
frighten birds away from previously
heavily patronized station. Suet is a
better winter diet, but some of it will
be eaten the year around by starlings,
woodpeckers and others.