Evening star., 1946-12-12
This and That
By Charles E. TraceweH.
Va.

Dear Sir:
while driving along the highway en-
route to Mount Vernon recently we not
ed three buzzards perched on q high
dead tree SO yards or so of the road.
'One Of the birds was posing, with
back to the sun, wings outspread and
holding that motionless position for
fully a minute. s
.Was the bird just summing itself, or
courting one of the other buxzarcs?
Sincerely. l.. F. 81
4+*
The bird simply was taking > sun
bath. & $50
4. This Is { common trait Of ,yulturss OF
all sorts, according to Zoo of1icials. Ia
1t is not connected with sex in any
way. !
These creatures, ugly In the face, but
marvellous flying things, developed, this
habit centuries ago.
It is seen at its best among the Cali
fornia condors.
Long before human beings got the idea
of sun bathing, these big birds were
doing it.
The instinct for doing the right
health thing seems marvelously de-
yeloped among the creatures OF nature.
1t cannot be said that they intel
1ectually understand the necessity for
. taking q sun bath, but many Of them
do it, just the same
We all know how dogs and cats like
to sun themselves.
Bird watchers have seen robins and
others lie on the ground in the sun with
the wings outspread.
Songbirds seldom stand as the bug
yards do however, with wings taking
in the sun.
Buzzard summing is q spectacle which
may be seen almost any sunny after
noon on the top of the rear tower of a
certain white apartment building on
Connecticut avenue just west Of the
Geological Park.
There these birds often pose as many
as 40 at a time. Usually there will be
at least one or two standing motionless,
with wings outspread.
Just why the birds do this is un-
known, but it is suspected that nature
is taking care of them, being as they
are eaters of carrion.
Their resistance to microbes of putre-
faction is extremely high. along with
their eye sight.
Many observers of the buzzards on
the white towers do not know what the
birds are doing there.
While perhaps they get some heat
from the building, there real reason Is
to keep watch on the buffalo pens down
on the Zoo grounds.
Near these pens is the burying pit
for the bones left over from the lion
and tiger dinners.
Bits of meat still cling to the bones.
ALI such leftovers are supposed to be
buried, but it may be realized that IN
the rush Of caring for all the hundreds
of animals and birds in the park some-
times the job OF bone-burying gets left
undone for time.
This gives the buzzards their chance.
Able to see a mouse at distance OF
two miles, they spot the bones easily,
and fly down to enjoy them on the spot.
The fine filaments OF the buzzard
wings, as they stand outspread, must
be able to take in lot Of light to help
the big birds build up their resistance
to germs.
They also may need to elevate the
wings to get more heat directly on the
bodies.
At any rate, they make q picturesque
sight in this position. The turkey vul-
ture is one of natures original gliders.
1t may be seen in operation almost any
day over the Rock Greek Valley, espe-
cialy from the Calvert Street Bridge
north.
The buzzards can glide for hours with
scarcely perceptible motion of the
wings. They take advantage OF every
current, only Tapping their wings at
long intervals.
No beauties, yet they are intelligent
enough to know the value OF sun bath
ing, although with them it is certainly
no beauty treatment.