Evening star., 1947-05-14
This and That
By Charles Z. TracetDeH.
"ToRT ToTTEN DRIVE.


Dear Sir:
1--WE use the gently sloping roof Of the garage
for feeder for birds. There have been ever 50
many even when there was yet snow, blue
gray birds with a saucy tuft on the head, light
gray underneath with pinkish orange under
each wing Smaller than the catbird, but with
the same beady eye, and now he has very
nice whistle something like bluebird.
What Is its name? ....
'"Ihis morning we had two partrtdgeS, not on
the garage, but beside 1t. Also there is a
mourning dove. Other springs there were two
and they brought small one.
do they hatch just one at a setting?
"A robin has her nest in the lilac bush and
doesn't fly Off even If part the bush and look
at her A catbird has built in box IN the
forSythia bush.
'sDo they generally build in provided box?
1.-THE robins nest is of twigs, but when was
child seems as though the robins nests were
of mud.
"My daughter and differ on the song Of =
bird which think is the wood thrush and she
thinks is the brown thrasher.
Gould you describe both and the song, 50
we may know If it is the thrush that sings as
sweetly as the mockingbird.
What is hermit thrush?
"And what is a vesper sparrow?
Some years ago there was bird something
like sparrow that sung so sweetly.
I'VE also have sparrows with white stripes
along the sides Of their heads.
"A pair of wrens have used the same house
for years. It is getting so old it will have to BE-
replaced.
There was stranger today. too. He was
very wary. Didn't stay long enough quiet TO
get good look. Seemed to be grayish with
black band. little yellow about the throat
Haven't seen Maryland yellow-throats for two
years now.
I'm the very early spring there was chunky
brown bird with a bill like the catbird. Even
when 1t was cold 1t would sing. It wasn't
too-beautiful song, but very cheerful Wasn't
bit afraid.
.The beautiful towhee is here, too, but I
can't decide whether the chewink' Is his call
or not
"At one time saw bird and think it must
have had all the colors of the rainbow on 1t.
There is a little fellow, blue gray, with
black cap; has call that somehow puts me
in mind of wren.
What might his name be?
"Will be very grateful II you can answer
some of these questions.
Have pictures of birds and descriptions but
they differ so much until 1t Is quite confusing.
Sincerely yours, M. e. S"
X Il
The little bird with the orange under his
wing is the titmouse.
Doves lay one or two eggs at time. They
have two.and sometimes three broods a season.
Robins build their nests OF twigs, and then
line this with mud, getting into the nest and
turning around and around smoothing out the
mud with breast and tail. In this way often
the underlying sticks are hidden.
If the brown bird with light breast and white
spots sings "as sweetly as the mockingbird"
then it must be thrasher, for he too. belongs
to the mockingbird family, and sings very
much like the mocker.
The thrush is small, the thrasher large.
Sometimes people call the thrasher the large
thrush" but 1t is not thrush at all.
The wood thrush song Is composed OF four
groups Of three notes each. The song has none
Of the flowing. keep-on character Of the thrash
er song.
A hermit thrush is near relative of the
wood thrush. In recent years, as during Civil
War days, some have been seen near Wash
ington.
The yesper sparrow is small singing sparrow
most esteemed by bird lovers.
Another sweet singing sparrow is the song
sparrow.
SparroHs with white on sides of head prob
ably were white -throated sparrows.
The bird with the black cap was the chick
Adee.