Evening star., 1948-01-28
This and That
. By Charles +. Tyace,pell

A correspondent laments the fact that he
cannot tell enviable tales about the 10 species
of birds that come to his feeding station "all
at once"
No one else can, either: that is the joke of
the matter. If they do, they are just putting
on for the sake of the neighbors.
Birds do not come that way.
The go or TO species spoken of will be seen
during the course of a few years, more or less,
but not all at once in any yard.
He or she who tries to give the impression
that all 10 of the wintering species are to be
seen every day in the home yard is just doing
a little harmless Dragging
Harmless, that is, II telling an untruth can
ever be called harmless.
II 4
The fun and charm Of watching the birds
at home lies In the very fact that the birds
do not visit one In group.
1t is day-by-d affair, with few standard
species all the time, and then a new one, every
now and then.
Two years ago it was the evening grosbeak,
driven in from the West by inimical food con-
ditions.
This winter it is the myrtle warbler, sent to
the District of Columbia and environs by the
deep SHOWS and extra cold of New England.
In the everyday local garden, in the winter,
one will have plenty of common sparrows, some
starlings, cardinals, titmice, chickadees song
sparrows, jays, juncos and few Others from
time to time
These are what might be called the backbone
birds of every local winter garden.
Let no one sneer at any of them, even the
humblest, for they all have their parts to play.
AS the season advances the wrens will come
in, with spring, along with the bluebirds, then
the whole avalanche Of the migrators from the
South.
During the summer many another species
h,,$ haci,
should expect to see so or go or 10 species IN
his yard every day, or even year.
For instance, in our own garden, we had
purple finches fly in every February for as
long as 10 years, but during the past five years
we have not had a one Of these beauties.
We have failed to see the fox sparrows for
at least eight years.
All Of these, however, properly go IN our own
list of birds seen in the garden"
Our own list totals about IS species.
That at the Chevy Chase Club, two blocks
to the west totals about 10 species, we believe,
at the last count.
Keeping a list in this manner is a good thing.
1t is always a red letter day In the life of
the home bird watcher when he adds a new
one"
This is matter for the entire family.
Any one who has actually seen new one
puts 1t on the list, no matter II others have
seen 1t or not.
correspondent wants to know why birds
always fly away from a feeding station just
outside the kitchen window If they see any one
inside
1--WE don't move or wink an eye, but they
fly away when they see u.s.
These good people are trying too hard. and
communicating some of their strain to the
birds.
Forget about the brides, for time, and then
some day you will be surprised, on looking up,
to see that the songsters have forgotten about
you!
After all, those inside the window are only
images, to them. What they are interested
in mainly in the cold is food, and plenty of it.
In the meantime, it might help to place q
curtain of some very sheer material over the
panes, or over at least part Of them.
Soaping the windows lightly, but leaving q
good-sized square, Like O televtsion screen
Just In front Of the feeder, ID another method
that may b tried.