Evening star., 1947-01-20
This and That
By Charles E. Trace,DeH.

BETHESDA, Md.
do you know any reason why. the
birds would not come to my yard on
Sunday?
This has been occurring for a long
time, and worries me considerably, so
thought at last would ask you about it..
Maybe there is some reason, but If so
don't know what it can be. But every
Sunday, fair or foul, few birds show up.
1T is quieter, if anything, on Sundays
than on weekdays. There are no NOV
ing beings to bother them, and nothing
else that. can see.
Il have scanned the sky for hawks,
owls, buzzards, but have yet to see a
thing that could frighten them, but not
one comes, even though I put out
extra food.
'It has become so bad recently that
have decided to put out no food at
all on Saturday night, If they don't
want to eat on Sunday.
"Is this sort of fast for them?
Sincerely yours, M. J. E."
Sunday absence from well stocked
feeding stations is phenomenon Of
bird life known only to those who watch
intensely. -
Others, even those who sometimes
regard themselves as great bird friends,
fail to notice this habit because they
do not watch things closely enough.
The person who goes "all out" as the
saying has it, in the combined indoor
outdoor sport of feeding the wintering
wildbirds, knows that this correspond
ent's observations is true one.
ut often happens, for no apparent
reason, and so mystifiess the beholder.
In most cases, Sunday is the one day
in the week when the presence Of many
species is desirable, because the human
element in the scene then has the time
to spend on them.
Yet for some perverse reason, appar-
emily Cor for several reasons), the birds
fail to come on this one day, after
being present in large numbers on all
the other days
1t is perplexing. to say the least
Perhaps the solution is very simple
one.
1t may be nothing more than the fact
that there are many people home on
Sundays, and that these people throw
out bread for the birds.
Thus the wintering songsters are
lured from the regularly established
feeding places, where mostly seed, grains
and suet are put out for them.
AS much as the birds love these
regular places, they partake OF the
universal interest in novelty.
Men and beasts, perhaps even insects,
oc,1 oiroct ho
regular.
Novelty is the spice of all life.
The men of Athens, st. Paul told US,
were forever seeking some new thing
or topic of conversation.
The birds of the air, flying to regu-
larly established feeding station, which
they know well, see large slices of bread
on new lawn.
whats this?" inquired Johnny Spar
row. II never saw anything to eat there
before!"
And forgetting all about the. well
stocked feeding station, toward which
he was heading, he flies down, to flnd
most of his friends and companions
already partaking.
1t may be, too, that many persons
who more or less feed the birds regular
ly, never get around to putting out food
except on Sunday.
Though a neighborhood may not look
to be any noisier on this day than Others,
the chances probably are that there are
more persons moving around in more
gardens on Sunday than ON any other
day.
We believe, however, that the placing
of foods In prOftlSiOn on Sundays Is
probably the solution of this problem,
and that no one need worry too much
over the matter. We advise our cor
RESPONDENT to try putting out bit Of
bread, moistened with water or milk.