Evening star., 1947-06-09
This and That
Bu Charles E. Trdce1peu.


Dear Sir:
Il en- ioy your column every day in The Star
so now please tell me what is wrong-for several
years I have had a feeding tray outside my
living room window and had a fine lot of visit
ing birds The cardinal. mockingbird. blue jay
titmouse, chickadee, white throat sparrow and
others.
"I give them commercial bird seed. peanut
butter and rasins suet bread crumbs and fresh
water. and often I sit by the window to eat
breakfast or lunch and the birds eat at the
same time and we sll enjoy it.
~ am nurse and was on duty for two
months at our local hospital. During that
time the birds we're fed. but no one sat near
the window and now whenever I sit there or
walk nearby they all fly away, seem so timld
and scary.
What is wrong? What can I do to make
them tame again? I feed them summer and
winter and love them and want them to know
me and love me- too.
~ ~ Sincerely, E. F, T"
UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY.
Dear Sir:
orioles were not goldfnches, but evening
grosbeaks?
"I had the great good fortune to see them
in Arlington in April and May, last year :.
I'VE had blue grosbeak here in Annapolis
early in May. ~.
-
"A STREET NE.
Dear Sir:
"T must tell YOU about the battle which took
place this morning in my front yard
"A blue iay that almost always drives the
other birds away was after beautiful reddlsh-
brown bird with red bill; then he drove the
robin away-and then a startling pounced down
and ran the jay off.
81 never saw the jay again but IN lew
minutes the pretty reddish bird helped hlmseH
to the water. Then my robins had their turn
then several starlngs.
Tt was dry this morning and nave the
only bird bath within blocks. so my feathereo
friends visit me when 1t is dry
THE robins are very tame and come close
to nv basement kitchen window apparently 10
listen to me when talk to them and When
have my kitchen radio on.
Sometimes a black bird drives the starlings
and all the other birds away and takes very
extended bath. He usually brings large piece
of bread and leaves some OF 1t IN the oath.
Next to the radio the birds are my greatest
pleasure
You see I am IS years old and am alone
In my home in the day. I hope this letter
has not tired you.
sincerely yours, G. c."
The birds of our first correspondent simply
got used to nobody watching them, while. she
gone.
likes and dislikes and form habits Downtown
birds will eat off the sidewalk practically under
vo,lr feet but in the suburbs, in gardens where
there is not much activity, they fly up into
the bushes and remain as quiet as mice when
somebody walks along the path.
The thing to do is to subject them again TO
the old ways and in time they will become
accustomed to having some one watch them
1t must be kept in mind that these are intensely
high-strung nervous creatures. They wear
their hearts on their feathers, almost and this
is for their good, since it often enables them TO
escape danger.
AS To the orioIe- -eoldfinch grosbeak puzzle, as
it is coming to be. we rejected the latter birds
since few of them were seen hereabout this
wear We note that our second correspondent
saw evening grosbeaks in Arlington last year
not this We doubt Is of them being seen to-
gether any place in this vicinity this spring
and certainly not in the heart of the city
We still stand on IS godhnches.
AS for the "reddish-brown bird with a red
bill" of our third friendly letter writer, we
wonder il she could mean a female cardinal?
She later speaks of it merely as reddish bird,
which unmstakably would be the redbird
Birds love to listen to radio. Song sparrows,
| in particular get great kick out OF classical
music: but we believe those in our own yard
prefer Latin-American rumbas, sambas, congas
and tangos.