Evening star., 1949-10-10
This and That
By Charles E. TracepeU
WINCHESTER, Va.

WINCHESTER, va.
Dear Sir:
"All last winter pair Of cardinals spent
q large part Of their time in my patio
under the windows OF my bedroom.
After we arranged q feeding tray on
one of the window sills, they came very
regularly to feed, at approximately II am,
2 pm. and again just before dusk
Last spring and early summer I was
confined to my room, due to an injury, so
could not get out into the garden where
there is quite lot of shrubbery which this
year has grown wild. providing ideal nest
ing sites.
II feel certain the cardinals nested near
by. probably in my own garden. In June
the feeding tray was moved into the garden
near the patio. In August I noted quite a
group Of small cardinals in the low shrubs
near the house. The birds were certainly
cardinals. Their markings and colorings
were so clearly defined that males and fe-
males could be readily identified. They were
quite at home, coming into the patio right
up to the living room windows until several
weeks ago. Since they they have disap-
peared and not one has been seen since.
There have been blue jays about all
summer. Recently they found the feeding
tray. Could it be that the jays have driven
the cardinals away?
Sincerely yours, H. H. Meg"
It is not likely that the jays have driven
the redbirds away.
Usually the two species get along very
we'll together.
Ordinarily, all smaller birds tend to give
the right Of way to the jays, since these
have reputation, evidently, in the bird
world.
But aside from moving back few feet,
on the entrance Of jay or two, most birds
are not in the least afraid Of them.
Blue jays 60 in small bands, consisting of
the parents and grown young. When such
group flies down into yard the members
take over feeding station for time, dur
Ing which the other birds may retire, some
OF them to other yards.
Jays never stay very long at any one place,
being ambitious, restless fellows with the
whole wide horizon their own.
Usually they remain not more than 20
minutes at time at any one place, no mat
ter how tempting the food displayed.
The interesting thing is that they are very
methodical in their visits.
They come to feeding place every morn
ing at about the same time, and remain for
approximately the same time
There Is legend that they are never
around on Friday.
Cardinals are seldom driven away by any
birds, except hawks, and then they come
back the next day.
It is a fact however, that no neighborhood
will have a static bird population, and espe-
cially a permanent cardinal population.
These birds tend to drift from one neigh
borhood to another.
Some years ago we had II pairs of cardi-
mails, making a perfect Christmas picture In
the snow.
The very next year we had two pairs.
And the next none at all.
Since then our cardinal population has
varied from three to one pair, with the food
and general conditions exactly the same
In speaking Of "a group of small cardinals" :"
our correspondent leads us to wonder If they
might not have been band of cedar wax
wings, which at a distance might have been
mistaken for small cardinals. There are no
small" cardinals. Even the babies are as
large as their parents. This is true OF almost
all BIRDS In some species, the babies are
larger than the old ones.
E.M.K. of Arlington wants to know what
bird some feathers are from.
It was wren.
There is no mistaking the even markings
Of the little feathers.