Evening star., 1948-09-20
This and That
BIZ Charles E. Trace,Dell

Wholesale deaths Of migrating warblers in
some o. the largest cities of the Eastern sea-
boaru drew popular attention to the little
birds.
Peset by fog, they lost their way, and
plunged in mass flights into skyscrapers, at
trartcd by strong lights.
Every year several hundreds of these little
flyers strike the Washington Monument, but
not in great. numbers at time.
The untimely deaths call attention to the
way warbllrs migrate. Usually from hun
dred to several hundred come together in the
far North, and set out on the fight South in
each others company
There may be as many as half dozen diff
ferent species in each group. The birds find
the mass fight help, evidently, not only In
the flight, itself, but also at feeding time.
What one species of bird may find, in the
insect line, another may eat. Since these birds
eat mostly insects, seeds and other hard fare
are not for them
The dights are at night, the same way the
hummiagbirds cross the Gulf of Mexico,
1t is a common faacy that large birds do
not strike buildings.
II. The suburban sections, where there are
more birds some bird or other is always ram
mine itself into house.
We have seen partridges and bob-whites
killed In this way
Mostly such deaths leave no sign at all.
There is no blood, and no outward disturbance
of feathers. What happens, evidently, is some
rupture of an internal organ.
1t may be wondered why birds do this. Or
dinarlly they make their way around build
ings without any harm.
The attraction of lights to night-fiying birds
is shared by the moths and other insects.
But in tie day time why does bird ram
itself into house wall?
Perhaps birds have much right to have
their attention diverted, for fatal second, as
a human being.
: Also. they may misjudge distance, or miss
escaping danger at times by hairs breadth.
This may induce them to try 1t again, some
times with disastrous results.
We have watched male cardinals round
the corner of the house by inches
We were not surprised therefore, to see
one fly squarely into the house, one evening,
just as dusk was coming on.
The bird was dead when picked up.
There was no blood, no sign of possible
reason for death. All that was certain was
that the spark of life was gone
The red beauty lay still. What induced
him to strike the wall, rather than keep to
the safety OF the air, remained unknown
Warblers killed in New York included Cape
May warblers Tennessee warblers, oven birds,
Northern water thrush cheStnut-sided war
blers, bay-breasted warblers magnolia warblerS,
American redstart and Canadian warblers.
All of these and many more come through
the Washington section on the long trip
South.
Residents of nearby Maryland and Virginia
suburbs have the best chance of seeing war
blers, as they come through, especially If they
have bird baths in operation.
The glimpse of water, to a flying warbler,
seems irresistible
Food at bird feeding stations ordinarily
offers no attraction to them, but the CLINT
of water pulls them down.
Usually warblers stick pretty closely to
shrubbery when they alight. If the bath
is set close to bushes, it has better chance
to lure them.
The night flight of the warblers is one of
the great mysteries of nature. The latest
theory OF migration is that it goes back to
the days before the present continental land
masses "drifted" apart. The collective mass
mind Of the birds still knows nothing about
the result OF great changes, but forces the
bird wings and muscles to perform in the old
way, when 1t was necessary to fly thousands
of miles for food. Today II Is no longer
necessary, but the birds do not know it. And
never will.