Evening star., 1946-07-16
This and That
Bu Charles E. Trace1UeH.
NATIONAL PRESS CLUB.

'NATIONAL PRESS CLUB.
Dear Sir:
Last night a group of us decided
the roof of the National Press Club
building would be good vantage point
from which to view the fireworks dis
play on the Monument grounds.
Shortly before the pyrotechnics be-
gan we were all amazed to see nine
very large white birds slowly flap their
way southeastward between the Monu-
ment and the place we were sitting.
They were flying in v formation and
approximately at the same height as
the Monument. The leader changed
several times before the group got OUT
of sight
None of us knew what they were,
but several thought they might be
swans; one observer suggested they
might be trumpeters, but AS far as
we could determine they were making
no sounds.
Il realize the above description Is
not a very good one, but maybe you
can tell us just what kind OF birds
would be making a mass flight like
that at that time of night I have
seen night flights of ducks and geese
many times when lived in Davenport,
Iowa, and on occasions when the
weather was stormy in the fall or
spring have heard their cries and OBJ
served them circling above the city
for many hours. I can understand
that, but this is not migration season
for this section of the country
will you please try to identify these
nine fowl for US? We are all very
much interested in knowing what they
are. Sincerely yours, r. E. Y"
These birds may have been little blue
heron in their white phase, on the
way to the river.
The National Geological Park has snow
geese, which are able to leave the
park and come back at will, but there
are only five of them.
Whistling swans are possibility. but
the nine birds seen were not likely
to have been these swans at this time
of year.
The little blue heron does not assume
the blue plumage until two years old,
but the young ones take on some of
the blue earlier. and when seen close
they show all stages of the change.
At distance, however, they would
look white enough.
The young ones in the white phase
of plumage go farther afield than the
old birds
When evening approaches they take
flight from feeding places, and fly
across country to favorite roosts, prob
ably on some island, of which there
are number in the Potomac.
These little blue heron-the "little"
is definite part of their ordinary
common name-are often mistaken for
egrets. In fact, popular name is
blue egret
These birds are about "A inches long,
The coloring is as follows: In the
adult, dark slate blue, bill black, feet
black, iris yellow; in the young, pure
white, but often showing traces of
blue on the end of the primaries
They live upon fish, water insects and
frogs. The flesh is fishy to the taste,
and this fact has saved them from
destruction. Their eggs, however, are
sometimes eaten.
They nest in trees or bushes over
sWamps. The nest is a crude platform
of sticks. like that of all herons, and
bit like the poorly made nest of our
turtle dove
The eggs are two to four, greenish-
blue
Sometimes, in considering our local
birds. people fail to take in the num-
Der of water fowl here.
We forget the Potomac River, with
its gulls and others, all living the
life for which nature designed them.
Many of these fowl visit the ponds
at the Zoo, settling down for a visit
with their relatives, most OF whose
wings are clipped.