Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-01-29
This and That
By Charles E. Tracewell

Va
yours is the first item we read nightly In
The Evening Star. May. we thank you for all
the interesting notes and comments you afford?
Our biggest winter pastime is watching the
birds. Today in the next cornfield we saw two
huge black birds. On the ground they seemed
the size of ducks. I think they were too large
for crows. Could they have been ravens?
For some time we have seen small olive
green bird, light green beneath, with black and
white wing bars. It never sits still moment
but it is constantly twtching and moving
Could it be kinglet? We have never seen
any patch on its head
THE day after Christmas when it showed
we saw huge bird on our side gate He was
about IA to 16 inches long, had yellow eyes,
short black bill, curved, brown back with white
spots, long tail with tan and brown bands, tan
and dull white spotted breast.
HE was wet and cold and kept standing first
on one foot, then the other.
I'VE picked him out for Cooper's hawk
HE stayed awhile and then flew away. The
next day he was back again. and we thought
he had seen the other birds at the feeding
station. He flew to the next yard and settled
under the shrubbery.
mo birds were in sight Suddenly female
cardinal few around the corner of the house
and into our plum tree. Immediately the big
bird flew out and started to chase her. She
AlQGICACA dA0 SLl pCu UQt SGdycu Ill Vic Tree,
and after short time the big bird settled up
in the top and paid no more attention to her
"He soon came down and ate some bread
flew down to the bird bath for a drink, and
then off to the woods. Several times since,
when the birds have suddenly disappeared we
have looked for him but we have not seen him
Isn't it unusual for these birds to come so
near civilization? Or was it the cold weather
that brought him looking for food?
I'VE had also thrown peanuts in the shell
out for the squirrels and noted that they dis
appeared very quickly. I was positive the
squirrels were not getting them all. Deter
mined to solve the mystery, I stood by the
down and pick up this huge peanut but a
titmouse
eve have also noted the bluejays examining
their bills with food and then burying it under
some leaves. We have a family of seven and
one will come and spot the food and call the
rest, for long time, before he goes down to
eat. If there are too many birds around the
jay calls out and they all fly of, then comes
down and has the whole place to himself
---. Sincerely yours, W. B. j."
X u X
GEORGETOWN, Md.
Dear ii:
Lately I've seen good many birds that are
about the size and shape of starlings but their
backs are striped very distinctly with tan and
DldCk OH DTOWL. 1ucy HdFe UldCh UIpS dLu very
bright yellow stomachs. neighbor said they
are quail, but I'm sure the quail we see around
here each summer are much more drab.
TN the summer we also have birds with
similar colorings to those described, but they're
not so plump and their legs are longer. They
walk so fast you can't see their legs and when
they fly you can see flashes of white. Their
wings are v shaped and their cry is quite shrill.
We live on Chesapeake Bay, so could they be q
type of small sea gull or perhaps ssndpipers?
Your column Is never-ending source Of
pleasure to me.
Sincerely, D. E."
Our first correspondents birds are the kinglet,
probably the ruby crowned and the Cooper's
hawk.
Our second correspondents first bird must be
the Eastern meadow lark and the second bird
probably one Of the sandpipers
Sandpipers hereabout in migration include
the semipalmated, the red backed, the least
sandpiper. the uninterrupted (rare), the pee
torai sandpiper and the silt sandpiper.
The two huge black birds" of our first cor
respondent may have been buzzards.