Evening star., 1946-03-09
This and That
By Charles Z. TracepeU.
"TWENTY-EIGHTH STREET.

OtdI olT.
1t occurs to me that you NAV be
interested to know that the evening
grosoeaks have visited this portion of
Georgetown which to me is not onlv
thrilling as wild bird enthusiast but
also remarkable, as we are so far of
the beaten path and have very little
natural attractions for bird life. There
are few trees and many homeless cats.
On February 9 our feeder was visited
by three grosbeaks, of which, one was
a beautifully plumaged male. They
arrived at l2:45 pm.
On the 11th we were honored nv
Tour OF these handsome visitors-all
females; then on the 18th we had
Tour more arrivals consisting of two
young males and two females. They
arrived at about the same time of dav
at each visit, remained for about one
nall hour and confined their feeding to
sunnoWer seed when these last visitors
le1t. Nothing more was seen of them
until yesterday, when two females came
into the garden at about $50 am.
remained about one-half hour and then
lett hurriedly. The reason being the
daily visit OF mocker of which we are
quite fond. hope these unusual visitors
Will return but If not 1 feel highly
honored at having played host to them
upon occasion. I may add that these
visitors constituted the 10th variety of
wild birds that have honored my window
sill feeder since its establishment in
October, As.
sincerely yours, H. P. W."
+ * x
Bird uafcbprc ero ,
grosbeaks from the Middle West to New
York
Some enthusiasts have even gone so
far as to dub them mysterious golden
BIRDS, but there is nothing mysterious
about them at all.
They are simply birds out of their
normal Canadian winter haunts. 1t is
believed that their invasion of the East
this winter was caused by shortage of
pine and spruce and other seeds in the
Canadian woods. Unusual calls for
lumber may have been a factor.
Their periodicity has been noted here
since they were first seen several months
ago. band will come to a yard at
certain time each day. One yard will
have them at noon, and another at 2
o'clock. They will come for a week or
two, until they have stripped every bit
OF food from the trees they like, then
they will come no more
Sunflower seed has attracted them to
feeding stations in this vicinity. 1t is
the best single item to put out for them.
AT times they will eat oats, but they
much prefer the sunflower seed.
At one time in their history it was
believed that this bird sang only in the
evening, hence the name, which, like
so many common bird names, is some
thing OF miSnomer.
1t is believed that these birds have
an East and West migration, rather than
North and South.
Out in Ohio one professor has become
so enamored of following the travels of
these birds that it is said he travels 800
miles each week on his spare time, try
ing to keep up with them. There is an
enthusiast!
The grosbeaks may stay around Wash
ington through March and April, after
which they will disappear as suddenly
as they came.
They will go to the Canadian woods,
where they build nests In the top of
conifers, sometimes as high as so feet.
The nest is saucer shaped, made of
grass, roots. and strips of bark, lined
with rootlets and horse hair, II obtain
able.
The eggs are three or four in number,
of a clear green blotched with pale
brown. 1t has never been definitely
ascertained, either for this or any other
species, what purpose the blotching
serves, if any.
The years 1911 and 1916 were previous
times of Eastern migration for this bird.
1t Is an American relative of the
English hawfinch. famed in song and
story.