Evening star., 1948-01-31
This and That
By Charles +. TraceDell
ARLINGTON, Va.

Dear Sir: So . - ''" =
Your column in The Star is always very in
teresting, and I plan to read It every night.
Your advice to bird lovers is usually very good
but your way of handling the blue jay problem
does not seem to be so good, certainly not If you
have In mind the ordinary bird lovers financial
ability to, feed them all. s,-
IF the sunfloWer seeds are freely spread on
the window feeder, so that all the guests be
allowed to eat as they WILL the jays will gobble
up in an instant perhaps as many seeds as
will supply the nuthatches titmice, chickadees,
cardinals for some time.
THE cardinal patiently cracks his seeds one
at time, on the feeder; the nuthatch flies
with one to a distant branch; the titmouse
holds his seed with his claws on nearby
branch or fence rail to extract the meat; the
chickadee the same.
THE blue jay will gobble half a dozen or
more at one visit, and If frightened away, will
soon return for another scoop.
'"This may be all right, II the bird lovers
salary can stand it, but the writer is one who
can't And if seeds and other foods are sup
piled on your plan, where is the moneyed bird
lover who can be found to stand it? Especially
when a flock of 100 or more starlings come
hunting on your preserves.
81 have feeder with sloping roof feet long
and 10 inches wide with landing rail-
This Is fastened at the window sill, and re-
plenishing can be done from inside in winter.
Protected somewhat on the south side from
storm and north winds, and shaded in summer.
Covering the entire front Is inch-Wide
poultry netting, cut and bent back just enough
in two or three places to admit cardinals and
smaller birds-but not the jays and starlingsi
"a fair share of seeds is frequently scattered
nearby for the jays, but under this plan they
don't get it all. Often there will be a constant
procession or flight of Nae four kinds Of birds
cd ptil fbo bon of ic
MY plan is not perfect by any means, but
the supply of rather expensive feed Is under
control would be glad of your criticism.
Very truy yours, A. L. L"
This is a good plan, often adopted by those
who wish to confine their feeding to the smaller
bird species
Some little patience will have to be exerted,
to find the exact size of opening to permit the
easy ingress of the cardinals and others, and
at the same time to keep out the pigeons,
squirrels, jays and starlings.
It will be difficult to so adjust the size Of
opening that common sparrows may be kept
out, at the same time chickadees and others
freely admitted.
Many bird lovers will feel, at last, that it is
all too much trouble, and that the best way, at
least for them is to permit all to come, and
all to eat until all the food is gone.
Perhaps our correspondent Is one of those
who worries too much about the jays
After all, these fine fellows mainly come
only for few minutes every day.
At our own feeding stations the jays will
not total more than 20 minutes out of all the
daylight hours.
Though they do indeed, pack away much
food in their jaws, and take away some to
hide, all in all the amount they consume is
not enough to cause undue worry, no matter
what the income of the bird lover.
There are other ways to solve the problem:
One of them is to put out food at certain
times of the day, notably at breakfast, and
later at dusk. These are the times particularly
enjoyed by that favorite, the cardinal.
Squirrels, one may feel sure. will find a way
to circumvent our correspondents long feeding
tray; If in no other way, they will perch on the
roof lean over and rake out seed with that
marvellous paw.
Pigeons will eat what is knocked to the
ground-and so will the saucy blue jays So we
get around to the basic slogan of bird feeding,
that if one puts out free lunch, he should
not worry too much over the guests that come.
Let them all come, and let them all eat, and
both birds and the human element will feel
better in the cold.
Feeding the birds is, after all, more than Just
feeding the birds. 1t is an exercise in toll
erance; a good lesson in universal kindness,
not circumscribed kindness; an acceptance Of
the truth that We are all brothers beneath the
aktn-and feathefk