Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-08-29
This and That
By Charles E. TracetUell.
EVANSVILLE, MD.

II "A 1SV1LLE, NIL.
Dear Sir:
II read your column every night
since I, too, am nature lover and bird
feeder.
Il have never been able to decide
whether to save the cantaloupe and wa
termelon seeds for winter or feed them
now when the birds and squirrels both
seem to relish them fresh
But this Is what particularly want
to tell you about: Ten days ago when 1
was visiting Northeastern Pennsylvania,
Susquehanna County, observed large
flock of birds, about two dozen, on the
golf links bordering on lake.
They looked a bit like kildeer, but
had different call. having a single
clear voice. I also noted that they had
one black band about the throat and
thought l could see flashes of yellow
and white as they flew.
Il looked in my Birds of America
edited by Gilbert PEARSON, and have
decided they were semipalmated plover
What is your opinion?
THE book says about the call only
that it is distinctive. Can you tell me
more about it? About six years ago I
saw Two kildeer about miles from
there, but these were not kildeer.
Sincerely yours, c. B. A."
+ *
May Thatcher Cook says: 1.-THE Kill
deer Is common summer resident and
few usually winter in the Washington
area. Twenty-Five years ago this was
very rare species here, but has gradu-
ally increased. Nesting begins early in
April, il not before, for eggs have been
found April 3 to young just Matched,
April a."
OF the semipalmated plover, she says.
This is an irregular migrant, more
often reported in spring than in fall
Since the marshes have been more
carefully watched in late May, there has
been decided increase in the number
reported.
All early records are of only one or
two birds at time, but since 1928
f1ocks have several times been reported
usually in late May"
The word "semipalmate" refers to the
anterior toes joined only part way down
with a web. Anterior" in this sense,
ILeans the front toes.
Birds Of America" says more of this
birds cry than our correspondent gives
it credit for, to wit:
From the flats, before we discover
them, comes that singularly attractive
characteristic call which always makes
my pulses bound in response. When
they take to wing these notes are speeded
up and reiterated as the flock circles out
over the water and dashes past"
So real birdman, the great Herbert
K. Job, felt about the semipalmated
plover.
When your pulses bound at bird call,
you are elected to their eternal friend
ship.
The first wood thrush song in the
spring sends thousands of suburban
pulses bounding
This plover breeds as far north as the
Yukon, and spends its winters in Chile.
job writes: The breeding grounds
are mostly in the Far North, even be-
yond the Arctic circle.
The southernmost point where they
are known to breed is the Gulf of st.
Lawrence
There / have studied them, on the
Magdalen Islands, finding a scattered
colony on long sandfiat, bordering a
lagoon, that stretched for miles between
two OF the larger islands"
DIR. Job declares that in many cases
the young make the great southern
journey after most of the parents have
gone on before.
This observation seems to refute the
belief that experience has something to
do with the marvels OF migration.
The young semipalmated plovers take
to the air, and 60 in the right direction,
and keep on until they 60 tar enough,
How do they know?
The name .plover," by the way, means
rain bird. and comes to us from the
French pluvier, through the Latin word
for rain.