Evening star., 1948-01-07
This and That
Bu Charles Z. TrdceUeH

II am another one Of your fans and enjoy
your column very much. We also enjoy tne
numerous birds in our yard OF this SUBURBAN
home In which we have lived many years, nut
we never had an experience like one OF tne
last few days. ..@ ~ 49,.
"one very cold day last week the birds were
CONSPICUOUS for their absence and I noticed
a rather large bird in the yard, and knowing
he must not bs . friend Of our birds got out
nv bird book and discovered 1t was sparrow
hawk
TT was late afternoon before any birds came
back to the feeding station. The hawk sat Tor
one hour on limb, waiting, put tney WeFe ooo
clever for him.
IF had had rifle I am afraid I should
have forgotten about the District code about
shooting things. do hope our bird enthusiasts
will remember to put out some bird gravel on
snowy days when they cannot get 1t from the
too. yours truly, L. P. s"
The sparrow hawk is one Of the most beau-
tiful of our local birds. >,
No doubt sparrows and others, on which 1t
sometimes feeds, have other thoughts about It,
Cruel, mean crafty, despicable- would
be applied to this hawk by the smaller song
birds.
The sparrow hawk is the smallest and most
social Of all the hawks, coming into barn
Yards and sometimes nesting In dead trees.
It belongs to the falcon family, famous the
world around.
Therefore. when you have one you have
both beauty and history IN one featnereo
package.
Tt is a great insect and mouse destroyer and
these habits are regarded by It's friends as iar
outweighing the fact that 1t takes small oiro
now and then.
Usually its depredations against the song
birds that winter with us are committed IN
yery cold weather, especially when snow Is on
the ground.
habits:
"At times it attacks small birds and young
chickens, but these Irregularities are so In
frequent that they are more than outweighed
by its good services in destroying insects and
mice.
"Grasshoppers, crickets and other insects
form its principal food during the warm
months, while mice predominate during the
rest Of the year.
terrestrial caterpillars, beetles and spiders
also are eaten to q considerable extent. AS
might be expected, large proportion OF the
birds captured are taken during the nesting
season, the hawks then having less time to
procure their favorite food.
1T is at this time also that they commit
depredations In poultry yards. During late 1all
and winter meadow mice and house mice form
a large part Of their food. the former being
taken in fields and meadows and the latter
around corn stacks and about barns and out
buildings"
DR.. A. K Fisher, who wrote the above, knew
about all there was to be known Of the food
habits of the hawks and owls in his day, but
now q new factor has been added:
Bird feeding in city and suburban yards.
This attracts thousands Of small song birds,
and unfortunately affords a concentration OF
them easily seen by a sharp hawk eye.
It is for this reason that those who feed
the winter birds should keep an eagle eye open
for hawks, and try to chase them away, 30
that they will not make habit Of coming to
any old place.
In our own yard recently a sparrow hawk
had taken two sparrows and was waiting for
q third. This in . period Of about two weeks.
Shooting is never advised. Only two or three
Of the larger hawks deserve death, and GER
tainly not the beautiful little sparrow hawk
sometimes called the windhover.
sudden flight from the feeding station, the
sight of q larger bird in the yard-these must
be watched for, and instantly the householder
must 60 outdoors.
Persistence In this will discourage the little
hawks and protect the smaller birds. It must
never be forgotten that hawks and songbirds
have lived together for centuries. In the main
they eet along together.