Evening star., 1946-02-01
This and That
By Charles E. Trace,DeH.
BETHESDA, Md.
Dear Sir:

Lear ST.
Il saw small brown bird yesterday.
do not know what it is, and wonder
II you could tell me. It was on a tree
trunk just outside my window, and
watched 1t for some time, but couldn't
place 1t as any sort of sparrow, in fact,
can say definitely that it wasn't any
sort OF sparrow, but something else
can't name. All I can say in description
is that it was brown, and that isn't say
Ing very much, but know you can tell
me if anybody can.
Thanking you, am
Sincerely, H. J. L."
The bird was the brown creeper.
This is splendid visitor to any yard,
since he is not only interesting to watch,
but he does a great deal of good work
on trees.
1t is most heartening, to see one of
these small fellows-and he is only 53z
inches long-creep around over a tree
trunk, searching for something to eat.
All that he finds is grist to his mill,
and also accounts for some inimical in
sect, larva or egg which might hurt the
tree
He is no sparrow, certainly.
He belongs to the classification of nut
matches and creepers. They are few in
number, and are classed as songbirds,
although none of them really sings, in
any real sense.
This classification includes most of our
birds, because all of them have vocal
organs so made that they could sing,
II they wanted to-and most of them do,
and nicely, thank you.
1t is difficult to understand what some
OF the bird books mean by saying that
the brown creeper is "uninteresting. If
he is, it is only because the observer will
not watch him. Or because he expects
all birds to be as colorful as cardinals,
or as jaunty as blue jays.
Rightly considered, the brown creeper
is lulu, as the expression has it. He
is always on the go, is in fine feather,
and has good long tail, which he holds
so that it places him firmly on the tree
trunk.
He never walks upside down, as does
his cousin, the ite-breasted nuthatch,
Like a sensible fellow, he prefers to go
head up. But he often pals around with
the nuthatch.
The best view we ever got of one of
these creepers was on tree feet from
our own front door. This is a large
locust, a beautiful tree, and a favorite
for many species.
The creeper was doing his character
istic creeping in company with a downy
woodpecker this time. The two of them
went up and down, and around now one
being in sight, now the other, and some
times both at once.
The downy drilled in his best style.
and the creeper crept, and between the
two we had about as pretty a bird pic
ture as one might expect on raw wintry
day.
A characteristic action of the bird is
to leave the tree, about halfway up the
trunk, and fly, down to the base again,
or even to the base of nearby tree
Its food is mainly insects and insect
eggs, and preferably very small insects
and their eggs. This makes him of pecu-
liar value, since he is able to get at
inimical specimens overlooked even by
nuthatches and other insect-eating birds.
1t also eats cocoons of certain moths,
wasps, ants. plant lice and the small
caterpillars. alternating insects and
their eggs, and spiders and spider eggs
also come within its food take.
1t may be realized that here we have
very fine and useful bird, one which
only obtuseness or following the books
too closely would call uninteresting. If
any one finds the brown creeper unin-
teresting, he should keep on watching
1t until he begins to like it. Then he will
have friend for life, for birds never
60 back on you.