Evening star., 1948-07-12
This and That
By Charles Z. Trdce,peu
"INGOMAR. PLACE


Dear Sir:
II have question would like to have you
consider
1--WE recently had some experience with
cardinals building q nest right on the side of
the porch of our next door neighbors in a
climbing rose bush.
THE young Matched out and the parents
seemed quite contented to have the birds so
close to people.
Then almost over night all Of the birds
disappeared.
I'VE have wondered If the parent birds are
able to move their young. Or what could
have happened to them?
Sincerely, W. J. A."
When young birds suddenly disappear from
nest, usually one of two things has hap
pened:
Either they have flown away on their own
power, or some mauraudng animal has caught
them.
It often is the case that observers do not
know exactly when the birds were Matched
out, or just how long 1t is necessary for them
to be in the nest before flying.
The latter differs with the species. It usually
is from two to three weeks, with four neces-
Sary in some cases.
Usually If cats have taken the young birds,
some signs of disaster will be left behind,
but not always.
Sometimes grackles get to a nest and bite
of the legs and heads of young cardinals
It is not often that parent bird Is able to
move baby birds, but here again the capacities
of individual specimens differ; We have heard
of bluejay parents who have been able to move
their babies.
Sometimes pigeons have been reported to
have done So
AS rule, however. a parent bird simply is
helpless when a baby falls out of . nest.
If some human being does not rescue 1t,
are able to feed it, and it, at the same time
does not die from assault from dog or cat.
Many kind hearted persons do not seem to
realize that dog will worry q baby bird quite
as badly as a cat.
We several years ago watched q pair Of
bluejays feed a baby which had fallen into
a window well.
They made no effort whatever to rescue it.,
either by attempting to induce 1t to fly, or
by bodily seizing it in the bill and carrying
it back to the nest.
In most cases, If baby birds disappear before
they are able to fly, it may be assumed that
tragedy has happened.
But one must be sure that one knows If
they were able to fly or not.
An Arlington, Va, bird lover reports the
building Of a nest in a clothes bag hung on
the back porch.
House wrens often select such places.
1t is more or less common for them to put
a nest in coat sleeve.
Just why they select such sites Is q mystery.
1t would be difhcult to believe that they do
it for shelter for the nest. Most Of these
little birds are perfectly ready to take over
house in a shrub or tree.
Often they choose a site on porch just over
a door. and then remain constantly harassed,
more or less. by the people going in and out.
Robins, too, select such places. We have
told the story of one mother robin who built
her nest in the cavity designed for the medi-
cine cabinet.
When the builder saw this, ha deferred
putting in the cabinet until the baby robins
were Matched and brought to the flying stage.
When birds build close to houses. they give
grand stand seats for observation. But at the
same time one may wonder why they do 1t,
since their chances for being annoyed or even
harmed are increased many fold.