Evening star., 1949-01-04
This and That
By Charles E. Trace1Uell
SILVER SPRING, MD.

Dear Sir:
II read the article on the turkey vultures and
noticed you said they went to Great Falls to
nest
Il live several miles out from Silver Spring
and have had the good fortune to find buz-
zard nest which is used every year.
This particular nest was in a dead tree
hollow and over a stream.
These buzzards laid two eggs a few days
apart in the spring. These eggs were about
the size of duck egg and were speckleo
with lavender color.
The young buZzards are white and horrd
looking little creatures. When first discovered
them in 1947 walked the log and heard the
Kissing which I thought was snakes.
Il am Is years old and am very much in
terested in natural history. but have trouble
getting good books at inexpensive prices.
have small bird feeding station Among
birds have noticed was winter wren and a
tree sparrow.
i have had many pets among these being
a red fox. gray fox chipmunk, squirrel
pheasants and a great blue heron which is
no" IN the Zoo Sincerely yours, B. r."
We would advise this young reader who finds
books too expensive to make more use of the
Washington Public Library main building.
Ihere ne Will f1nd many volumes, and earn
est people anxious to help him.
BY reading these books as much as he can.
he will acquire taste for the best in this
sort OF writing, and thus not onlv will gain
pleasure and additional information, but form
standard Of taste which will lead him to the
best in natural writing.
some OF the older books are still very good
and may be found, now and then. at second
hand book stores. Nature study has been going
on long time. Even that old classic. Wood S
Natural History" has place on any shelf
No amount of library books. of course can
quite take the place of ones ou;n voJupoac
is where a wide reading comes n 1t will en-
able one to make better selections so that the
amount of money available can be spent to
the best advantage.
Turkey vultures or buzzards, as they are
commonly called, really build no nests.
They Just lay one. two or three eggs in rock
cavltleS, caves, hollow trees or Stumps or
sometimes on the ground
Eggs are sometime greenish usually white,
with or without marking. The young are naked
when Matched, but soon acquire the white
sometimes buff. down. At every stage they are
extremely ugly, a trait to be theirs through life
There is no ugly ducking" stage for these
birds. They are born ugly and remain ugly.
Repulsive is another word for it.
Buzzards will roost in company, as to the
westsof Connecticut avenue below Klingle val
ley, but cannot be regarded as gregarious birds
Pet buzzards have been known Actually,
these awful looking birds are rather on the
affectionate side. for birds
Their gigantic cousin, the Californian vul-
ture. was said to be extremely gentle even af-
fectionate.
Our own turkey vultures are two and half
feet long. with wing spread of feet but the
California buzzard, sooty black, is four and
hall feet long, with a wing spread of from 9
to IL feet. Very few of them are still alive.
1t was said at one time that there were almost
twice as many eggs of the extinct great aux
in museums as eggs of the California vulture.
really a condor
We will have to be satisfied with the ordi-
nary turkey buzZard In this vicinity and that
Is not hard to do because it is both useful
and picturesque bird, at least at a distance 1t
does no harm, but great deal of good as
scavenger, and has the distinction of having
the greatest wing spread of any bird in this
area excepting only the bald eagle often
seen over the Potomac, which has spread of
between 6 and almost 8 feet, with the young
possessing wing spread of as much as foot
longer. 1t was these immature birds that de-
ceived Audubon into thinking them a distinct
species. He called them birds of Washington" Z"
Actually, they were just baby" bald eagles.
Vi