Evening star., 1946-02-26
This and That
BY Charles z. TrGce,pell.
.E-g.x-9s - .HARIAN PLACE.
: ~ - lsisssss771.s5s a.
HARLAN PLACE.

f.-a1
Dear Sir:
so far / have attracted four different
kinds of woodpeckers with some suet
tidbits tied to limb to attract chick
adees. Il have one chickadee visitor, 50
far.
Through your column and my little
boys bird book, have identified three
of them as the hairy woodpecker, nut
hatch and downy woodpecker. The
fourth has me stumped. He has visited
us only once, but frisked up to the suet
as II he owned it, and though stood
at the window within six feet Of him, he
didn't give me a second glance.
HE Is a trifie larger than the hairy,
has . black skull cap with q narrow
white band, black stripe from his bill
to the back of his head, where he has q
fiery red spot. He fiufis up the red spot
when he is irritated or apprehensive.
His body is an even steel gray, with a
black dash on his throat and black
wings. He has white spots on his wings,
seven polka dots on his upwing and
larger white markings on lower wing.
Sincerely, E. A."
"P. S.-We have one neat light brown
sparrow with dark brown stripes all
over it. 1t has dark brown spot on
each side Of its throat, and one right
in the middle of its breast.
1--WE have several with gray breasts,
striped backs and two wide brown stripes
the length Of their heads.
I'VE also have two black varieties of
birds whom the mocking bird always
chases OF before can get good look.
One Is rather awkward looking bird
about robin size, with very short tail,
rather long beak and long legs. He is q
dull black, scattered with rough feathers.
The others, think, are starlings. They
are large glistening black birds"
Taking up the birds in the postscript
first, the neat light brown sparrow is
the song sparrow.
Those with gray breasts and two wide
brown stripes the length of the head
are probably white -throated sparrows.
Possibly a chipping sparrow.
As to the black varieties, the awkward
looking one is the starting, and the
large glistening black birds are grackles,
Now for the woodpecker which has
stumped our correspondent. The way 1t
is described stumps us, too We think
probably the correspondent may have
confused the yellow-bellied sapsucker
with the hairy woodpecker We be-
lieve that the bird which puzzles her
Is really the hairy woodpecker.
What she has thought was the hairy
woodpecker Is the sapsucker.
The nuthatch Is not q member of the
woodpecker family.
There are many subspecies of hairy
woodpecker, differing chiefly in size and
relative amounts of black and white, so
there is very good reason for any one to
be puzzled about some of them.
Our favorite woodpecker is the little
downy. He is the great suet eater. and
II you want him, put out suet, and you
probably will have him, sooner or later
The downy is very chummy, not only
with people but with chickadees. nut
matches and titmice. We have seen him
cumming around with brown creeper
on tree.
The downy woodpecker, especially the
female, looks rather blurry as to mark
ings when seen close at hand. It is not
as clear cut as when viewed at some
distance.
Any suet feeder hung on porch will
attract this fine bird.
He Is not timid, but will continue to
eat even when a window curtain il
brushed aside. Not all of our winter
birds will do that.
We once found downy woodpeckel
frozen to death though only = block
from literally supplied feeding stations
including plenty Of suet. It appeared to
be In perfect health.