The Chat BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BIRD CLUB VOL VIII JANUARY, 1944 No. I PUBLISHED BY THE NORTH CAROLINA BIRD CLUB At State College Station Raleigh. N. C. The Chat BULLtTlX OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BiRD ClUB JOHN GREY, JR., Editor C. S. BRIMLEY, Associate Editor State College Station N. C. Department of Agriculture Raleigh, N. 0. Raleigh, N. C. “North Carolina was the first of the Southern States to take an active stand in the matter of preserving its wild bird and animal resources.” Entered as second-class matter April 8, 1941 at the post office Raleigh, North Carolina, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Published five times a year on the fifteenth of January, March, May, September, and November as the official organ of the North Carolina Bird Club. Articles for publication should reach the Editor by the first of the month in which the issue is published. Notifi- cation of change of address or of lost copies should also be sent to the Editor. Price of the bulletin, fifty cents per annum. P'lfty cents of the annual membership dues is paid as a year’s subscription to THE CHAT. VoL. VIII JANUARY, 1944 No. 1 CONTENTS 1943 Christmas Bird Count Christmas Census, 1943 The Crow The Right Homes for the Right Birds A Visitor in the Night Albinism Sometimes Due to Injuries-- More Sanctuaries The Eggs of Birds In Memoriam New Members Officers of N. C. Bird Club Local Clubs and 'Llieir Officers PAGE 1 2 5 7 9 11 11 13 16 16 Inside Back Cover Inside Back Cover THE NORTH CAROLINA BIRD CLUB Headquarters in the North Carolina State Museum, Raleigh. Organized March 6, 1937, for the study and protection of our birds. Member- ship is open to those interested in this work, and is divided into four classes : Members, who pay dues of $1.00 per year ; Sustaining Members, dues of $5.00 a year ; Contributing Members, dues of $26.00 a year ; Life Members, one lump sum of $100.00. Nominations ami applications for meml>ership should be sent to the Treas- urer: Mr.s. Margaret Y. Wall. G Springdale Court, Greensboro. The 1943 Christmas Bird Count Reports from ten localities total 97 species reported for North Carolina. though this is the lowest number of species reported for the past four years, we have had a good census in which counts of the more common species give us a fair picture of the bird life present. There are at least three reasons for the small number of species: (1 ) Reports from the eastern part of the State are scarce, only Raleigh, Hender- son, and Mattamuskeet-Pea Island alone would have added ten to twenty species. (2) Bad weather in most cases hindered observation, especially the ice on ponds causing waterfowl to go farther south. (3) Most of the observers were on foot, and while this makes a better count it does stop us from the old habit of racing about in the car during the afternoon to pick up species that were missed in the morning. Good counts were made on hawks, woodpeckers, Cardinals, Mocking- birds, and sparrows, and even on ducks considering the ice. Mattamuskeet was low on ducks in spite of clear water. Cardinals total 550 as against 350 last year, when there was one more report than this year. Mocking- birds are about 150 this year to 100 last. Robins are scarce in land, each report giving less than last year except Mattamuskeet which had twice as many Robins as tlie total number reported last year. Warblei's are quite scarce: Palms absent entirely. Pine not reported by many and then only in limited numbers, and Myrtles almost rare except at Mattamuskeet, where we expect to find them common in early winter before they move inland. One would have expected Wilson’s Snipe and Horned Larks, and possibly some of the birds which are irregularly inland : Horned Grebe, Shoveller, Canvas-back, Golden-eye, Maryland Yellowthroat, and at Mattamuskeet some Tree Swallows. Unusual species reported are: Pine Siskin and Red-breasted Nuthatch, \\'hich appear to be having a flight year; Raven, Snow Goose, Turkey, and Woodcock, all of which are scarce enough to be interesting any time; Gadwalls at Chapel Hill make a second appearance for their list, though they are not rare at Raleigh, also the record of gulls at Chapel Hill is worth noting, for they are scarce inland even as far as Rocky Mount. Chipping Sparrows in winter are good records, particularly wdien it comes from the Smokies. Bewick’s Wren is not reported often enough to be monotonous, but we confess our ignorance as to its status in the mountains. Reported from only one locality: Whistling Swan, Canada and Snow Geese, Ruddy Duck, Red-breasted Merganser, Bald Eagle, Ring-billed Gull, Screech-Great Horned, and Barred Owls, Black-capped Chickadees, Bewick’s Wren, Catbird, Pipits, Rusty Blackbird, and Cowbirds. Chapel Hill has the most species with 72, which is only 3 below the best for the State, which they also made, and Mattamuskeet tops all with 7,590 individuals. Credit is due to the three enthusiasts from Windom who put in 15 hours and walked 15 miles in bad weather in a county where it is hard to get a big list. 1 THE CHAT 2 Christmas Census, 1943 Grebe. Pied- billed Heron, Great Blue Swan, Whistling Goose, Canada Goose, Snow Mallard Duck, Bl.ack Gadwall Ilaldpate J’intail Teal, Green -winged Duck, Wood Duck, King-necked Duck, Desser Scaup Buffle-head Duck, Ruddy •Merganser, Hooded Merganser, American ■Merganser, Red-breasted . Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Black Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, P,ed-shouldered Eagle, Bald Hawk, Marsh Hawk, Sparrow Grouse. Ruffed Bob-white Pheasant. Ring-necked Turkey 7 7 26 3 2 12 7 28 11 1 2 1 1 2 2 5 1 8 It; 5 12 51 S 109 13 5 17 46 157 87 49 30 35 250 115 5 5 14 30 I 144 11 6 73 47 3 147 19 t: 21 23 11 52 12 12 104 11 9 6 1 3 15 9 22 2 8 3 4 3 102 6 <) i. 3 3 5 2 1 2 5 2 4 4 12 4 1 13 2 4 6 1 10 22 IS 21 3 30 22 5 55 6 4 14 6 14 7 33 3 54- 12 3 2 1 2 :t IS 299 2 O c> 2 2 6 c 2 o 24 1 1 3 30 22 54 67 10 119 26 Winston-Salem 1' H E C H A T 3 Kinglet, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned , Pipit, American Waxwing, Cedar Shrike Starling Warbler, Myrtle Warbler, Pine Sparrow, English Meadowlark Red-wing Blackbird, Rusty Grackle, Purple Cowbird Cardinal Finch, Purple Siskin, Pine Goldfinch Towhee Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Vesper Junco Sparrow, Chipping .Sparrow, Field •Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Swamp •Sparrow, Song o CO CO o g c/7 Cl a> O' X CO D £ c-i U, o (V 6 ^ o 3 0) u, CC xa QQ oa (SQ P5Q 31 76 25 1 3 1 9 40 1 3 4 89 37 1180 3 2 IS 7 417 1 2 2 111 121 284 26 19 12 106 17 27 796 204 8 11 297 1 5 46 123 48 1 3 9 90 41 1 60 74 14 26 5 15 2 11 4 40 253 314 264 1 15 3 163 79 2 37 39 7 2 264 2 70 4 r> 2 IS 22 130 273 32 32 47 66 45 296 1156 1736 4693 7590 c^l Chapel Hill Dec. 2 2 5?! O ;•.. O To fS crj t o States Deo. 2 Wind. Dec. 2 Green Dec. 2 65 9 218 30 33 4 44 9 14 95 4 1 1 43 7 165 43 5 13 3 9 12 3 13 1 40 11 248 74 127 22 1 9 3 260 3 14 55 69 6 128 59 10 10 46 3 210 15 53 16 28 16 54 •> 3 2 2 120 495 12 945 366 1 40 39 8 49 120 83 250 218 70 16 3 16 4 20 130 10 72 60 44 72 11 57 39 1360 2002 326 1084 Henderson. (Area within a ten-mile diameter and included Fox’s Pond, Ruin Creek, field and pine woods adjacent to cemetery, and the Rose sanctuary.) Dec. 19 — 8:30 a.m. to 10:15 a,m. and 12:00 noon to 5:30 p.m. Clear; no wind; temp. 30° min. and 53° max. Four observers. Total hours afield, 734- (6^ afoot — 5^ miles afoot.) Mariel Gary, Hazel Rose (Mrs. G. E.), Claudia Hunter, B. H. Perry, Jr. Durham. (Northwest of town 4 miles along Hillsboro Road; 5 miles west on Erwin Road; area near Duke University; open fields 40%, mixed pine and hardwoods 25%, pinewoods 20%, marsh 10%, town suburbs 5%.) Dec. 19 — Clear; temp. 15° to 44° F. ; no wind; ponds frozen. Ten observers in 3 parties. Total hours, 15 on foot; total miles, 20 on foot. M. W. Johnson, F. W. Constant, P. J. Kramer, Bertha Hopkins, P. R. Eastman, S. L. Gaillard, T. H. Wetmore, Virginia Ward, R. P. Sherman, Dan Williams. Great Smoky .Mountains National Park, Tenn. (Same area as in past 6 years; circle of 7^4 miles radius centering on Bull Head of Mt. LeConte ; including a section of the Tennessee-North Carolina divide from near Clingman’s Dome to the Sawteeth ; towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge ; spruce-fir forests 25%, stream courses 20%, deciduous forests 15%, aban- doned fields 15%, open farm land 10%, towns and suburbs 10%, pine forests 5%.) Dec. 19 — Fair; temp. 15° to 55° F. ; wind variable, 1-12 m.p.h. ; ground bare ; streams frozen over in mountains, open in lowlands. Altitude range 1,200 to 6,300 feet. Twenty-four observers in seven parties. 4 THE CHAT 1 otal hours afield, 50; total miles (on foot), 65. Claire Barrett, James Bumgarner, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Howard W. Goodhue, Mr. and Mrs. Albert E. Hyder, Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Isenberg, Elizabeth Johnson, James Johnson, Robert Johnson, W. M. Johnson, Emerson Kemsies, Dr. Henry Meyer, Robert Monroe, Elise Morrell, Capt. and Mrs. P. E. O’Meara, W. F. Pearson, Chester M. Shafter, Dr. Dorothy E. Williams. Paul \ ambert (members and guests of East Tennessee Ornithological Society), Mary Ruth Chiles, Arthur Stupka (National Park Service). Raleigh. (Practically same area as previous counts; lakes and small ponds 40%, mixed pine and deciduous woodland 15%, deciduous woodland 25%, pine woodland 10%, open fields 10%. ) Dec. 21 — Cloudy until 11 a.m. ; wind S.W. varying from 13-20-8 m.p.h. ; temp. 25° to 59° F. ; snow on ground in shady places ; small ponds covered with ice, larger lakes and ponds two-thirds covered with ice. Fifteen observers in five parties. Total hours, 26; total miles, 35, 27 on foot, 8 by car. C. S. Brimley, Bill Craft, John Coffey, Jr., Teddy Davis, G. M. Garren, Robert Gibbs, Mr. and Mrs. R. W. Green, John H. Grey, Douglas Jones, Norman McCulloch, Jr., Robert Overing, Mrs. R. C. Simpson, D. L. Wray, Tom Zaph. Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge, New Holland. (Same area as 1940 and subsequent counts, also on public road across lake ; marsh 40%, shore and open water 20%, fields and thickets 30%, pine and cypress woods 10%. ) Dec. 22 — 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Clear; ground bare except for patches of snow; wind S.W., approx. 5 m.p.h.; temp. 40°-59° F. Three observers, mostly together. Total hours afield, 9; total miles, 11 (by car), 4 (on foot). Samuel H. Lamb, M. S. Johnson, W. G. Cahoon. Statesville {Iredell County). (Oakwood Cemetery Sanctuary 25%, mixed woodlands 25%, farm 35%, section of Third Creek 15%. ) Dec. 22 — 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Clear, light southwest wind for 2 hours; temp, at start 35°; woodland stream partly frozen; ground bare; four observers together; one, other territory. Total hours, 7^2 on foot; total miles, 3 on foot. Jane Eliason, Nancy Eliason, Sarah Nooe, Grace Anderson, W. G. Templeton. Chapel Hill. (University Lake; Eastwood Lake; Odum Farm; Mor- gan’s Creek; Mason Farm; Strowd’s Lowground ; Campus; water and mixed shore 40%), upland deciduous woods 15%, pine forest and sedge fields 5%, pasture and open farm land 25%, lowland thickets, rushes, and lake marsh 10%, town 5%.) Dec. 22 — Fair; temp. 28° to 44° E. ; wind N.W., 1-7 m.p.h.; ground bare; lake frozen. Seven observers in four parties. Total hours, 18 on foot; total miles, 15 on foot. Mrs. O. F. Jensen, H. T. Odum, Lindsey Olive, Phillips Russell, David Sharpe, G. F. Shepherd, Jr., Mrs. Harold Walters. (Chapel Hill Bird Club.) Windoni. (Mrs. C. P. Gibson’s farm; two miles of Crabtree Creek; Bear Wallow Branch; woodland 10%, grown-up pasture 60%, open farm land 15%, stream 15%.) Dec. 22 — Almost fair, thin fleecy clouds; temp. 40° to 50° F. ; wind E.N.E. veering to W., 19-24 m.p.h. Three observers : a party of two, one alone. I'otal hours, 15; total miles. 15 (all on foot). T ME chat:' 5 James Hutchins, member of N. A. S. ; Mrs. C. P. Gibson, Bettie Sue Gibson, local bird enthusiasts. Greensboro. (Section 15 miles across, includinj^ Pinecroft, Starmount, the Richardson estate, Greensboro country park, and Lakes Philadelphia, Buf¥alo, Scales, Sharpe, and Brandt; deciduous and mixed woodland 30%, open fields 20%, cattail marsh and thicket 15%, small freshwater lakes 35%. ) Dec. 27 — 6:16 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. Weather fair; temp. 42° to 55° F. ; lakes, recently nearly frozen over entirely, still with a third or more of their surface ice-covered ; heavy rains on Dec. 26 had melted the heavy sleet which had lasted two days. Twenty-four observers, mostly in 5 parties. Total hours, 47; total miles, 40 (37 by foot, 3 by power boat). Miss Maude Adams, Mrs. Nellie Blackburn, Miss Inez Coldwell, Bill Craft, Larry Crawford, Miss Helen Cutting, Mrs. J. A. Goodwin, Doug- las Haislip, Miss Mae Hardin, C. A. Holland, Miss Sidney Holmes, Raymond Kaighn, Mr. and Mrs. George Perrett, Miss Etta Schiffman, Mrs. Edith Settan, Dr. A. D. Shaftesbury, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Swart, Mr. and Mrs. M. S. Tate, Dr. Wesley Tajdor, Mrs. Nina Tyner, Tom Zaph (members and guests of the Piedmont Bird Club). Winston-Snlejn. (One-third same area 1942 count, 2 city parks, 2 creek valleys; 77% wooded, 23% farmed land.) Jan. 2, 1944 — Overcast, inter- mittent sleet 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., rain to 4:45 p.m. Temp. hi. 51°, lo. 32° F. Observers, 1 lone, 2 groups 5 and 2. Total hours afoot, 7^; total miles afoot, 15. Jim Stephenson alone. Rev. Douglass Rights and 4 Boy Scouts, Dennis Byerly, Jr., Hershel King, J. D. Gardner, Burton Rights; and M rs. Leo Mehler and Henry Magie. The Crow Edi>ie W. Wilson, Cary What is more challenging on a gray day than the call of a crow? Its voice may seem harsh and raucous to some folks, but to me its note of greeting is singularly cheerful and wholesome. I love its repetitious “Caw” as it flaps by overhead or perches on a tree in the near-by woods. I find joy in its impudence, its spirit of bravado. This oscine friend gives me courage; and, as one writer has said, “Courage is the one thing needful.” On the other hand, many things have been broadcast against this friend of mine. In the main, I consider them unjust. However, we must admit that it is needful, now and then, to control tlie number of birds in some localities. We find that the principal charges against the crow are its depredations on sprouting grain, especially corn, and the molesting of domestic fowls. V'et may not a scarecrow and proper screening often serve effectively against these? I recently heard of a new type of scarecrow which has proved sue- 6 THE C H A 1 cessful : a piece of bright tin or a mirror hung from a pole so that it will swing with the wind and reflect the sunlight. Yet careful e.xaminations of crows’ stomachs have shown that these so-called marauders prefer acorns and animal life for food, that one-fifth of their diet consists of such insects as grasshoppers, May beetles and their larvae (or white grubs), caterpillars, weevils, and wireworms. They like to feast upon mice and other small rodents, spiders, crawfish, mollusks, toads, salamanders, frogs, and snakes. As a carrion eater, the crow renders important service. Audubon, recognizing the value of crows, says in his Episodes: “Honest farmer! Why did you kill so many crows last winter? . . . You have killed your own friend, the poor crow.” This great ornithologist made frequent other references to the crow in his writings. 1 like his description of an evening in Kentucky: “The heavens have already opened their twinkling eyes although the orb of day has scarcely withdrawn itself from our view. How calm is the air! The nocturnal insects and quadrupeds are abroad ; the Bear is moving through the dark cane-brake, the land Crows are flying towards their roosts . . . the Squirrel is barking his adieu and the Barred Owl glides silently and swiftly from his retreat to seize upon the gay and noisy animal.” Audubon, in describing a “fine sugar camp” belonging to the Fox Indians of the Missuri River country, says that the Indians “had killed many Wild Turkeys, Geese, and Crows, all of which they eat.” But this was quite exceptional as the early Indian tribes held the crow in high esteem. Roger Williams tells us in his Key into the Lauguaye of America, 1643, that the New England tribes would not kill crows even though they damaged the corn because it was their belief that these birds had brought them their first grain and vegetables, carrying a grain of corn in one ear and a bean in the other “from the happy spirit world where dwell the gods and the souls of the great and good.” And speaking of the crow in association with these early American peoples, 1 have found in my ethnological studies that the bird figured prominently in Indian warfare, religion, and the hunt. It was used as a design in art, Iroquois clay pipes having been shaped in the form of a crow. The crow feather signified death among the ancient Creeks and was used in war because its color is a reminder of death and the shadow- land. The crow was prominent in the buffalo hunt. For instance, when the Omahas saw crows hovering over a certain spot or soaring widely they knew that a large herd of animals was near. This characteristic action of the crow prompted the priests to give this bird a place in the buffalo hunting rite. And the crow was the sacred bird of the Ghost Dance of the Arapaho, Sioux, and Cheyenne. This was a religious dance whose object was to bring back the buffalo to the Plains ; here the crow was the directing messenger. Crows of the long ago and crows of the present — both fascinate me. M.ay there continue to be crows all along the way! '1' H E C H A T / The Right Homes For The Right Birds G. F. Shepherd and Phillips Uusskix, ChaiKd Hill [‘•Porbaps you could furnish us under your department Qticxtionx hI AnawcrH with tlie information as to just what type of lU'sting boxes should he provided for the dilferent birds. I find that most of us like to mak(‘ (uir own boxes, hut few of us have the knowledge of the dimensions required.” Capt. W. A. Angwin, U.S.N. (M.C-. ). U. S. Naval Convalescent Hospital, Asheville.] When we recall seeing some of the very flimsy and crude facilities used by birds in their natural surroundings we may conclude that the actual needs are few^ It is very easy for us to meet those needs with small ex- penditure of time and work. To make the offered shelters safer, and perhaps more comfortable for the occupants, there are certain principles of design, construction, and location that should be observed. A well-built bird house ought to be rainproof, durable, ventilated, and readily accessible for cleaning. Also it is well to bear in mind that high standards of neatness and rustic beauty may not only serve their utilitarian purpose but lend an attractive touch to the dooryard. Materials. For anyone wishing to make his owm bird houses, ivood is the best material. Metal gets too hot in the sun. Pottery is all right, but it is not so easily made at home. In the choice of wood, get something that is easily workable, such as pine, cypress, or poplar. Rough slabs right from the sawmill are excellent cheap. The wood may be painted without objection to the tenant, and it makes a more durable house. Houses that are much in the sun, such as those for martins, should be painted white in order to reflect the heat ; otherwise, shades of brown, gray, or green are generally preferred. Protection from rain. Roofs should be made with pitch great enough to shed water readily. If a flat, cap-like roof is used cut a groove across the overhanging part to prevent drainage to the interior of the house. Th.e r overhang should project two to three inches in order to protect the entrance- way from driving rain. Protection from heat. Don’t construct an oven. The hearty nestlings raise the inside temperature greatly. Bore a few one-eighth inch holes in the bottom and in the sides, up under the overhang. However, don’t bore holes in martin houses in such a way as to create drafts through tlie low- entrance hole. If possible, make the roof double thick wu'th an air space between. Accessibility. All bird boxes should be built and placed so that they ma\ be easily opened and cleaned. The opening may be adapted for observing the family inside from time to time. A hinged roof, or bottom, is a very good arrangement, or a hinged opening may be provided. Entrances. PTr all except martins, the hole should be made near the top. The surface inside should then be roughened in order to assist the young in reaching the entrance. Perches at the entrance in most cases mean an aid to the enemy and not to the occupant. 8 THE C H A 1 Location of house. The fact that a bird house is not used the first season it is put up is not necessarily an indication that it is improperly built or placed. There may be more nesting facilities than the resident bird popu- lation can occupy. To be easily accessible, the box should not be placed beyond the reach of a ladder, or it will be neglected in cleaning. Houses on poles seem most acceptable — perhaps as a matter of safety. Except for martins, they should not be too high. Avoid dense and shadowy woods. Except for colony birds, don’t put houses too close together. A pair of birds will insist on territorial rights. Competition and conliict will bring failure. One of the chief enemies of bo.x-nesting birds is the sinuous black snake. Squirrels from near-by woods may be also troublesome. Therefore, set and protect the box so as to keep out these enemies. Anyone living close to a forest, wood, or grove of trees will find that nature has already provided a series of bird boxes for him, and tliat all he has to do is to cut them into proper lengths and scoop out an entrance. These nature-made boxes consist of hollow trunks or tree limbs that can be found wherever trees have grown to a diameter of four inches or more. Birds often seem to prefer such liouses to more elaborate or store-bought dwellings. It must be admitted, however, that these houses are not as ornate as the manufactured structures and do not always accord with carefidly shaven lawns and barbered grounds. The seeker only has to advance with his weapons, an axe and a saw. into the woods and locate a hollow by observation or by watching the movements of woodpeckers, flickers, bluebirds, titmice, and chickadees. Sometimes such birds can be found inspecting sites for the ensuing season’s homes. Suitable hollows can be found in dogwoods, poplars or tulip trees, oaks, and maples ; in fact, in almost any tree in which the cambium layer has been bruised or broken into. A few strokes of the axe or saw will sever the hollow place. The top and bottom may be closed simply by tacking on a piece of slab or a section sawed from a plank and painted. Keep the entrance holes small if you want chickadees, larger if you want bluebirds, titmice, and wrens. The holes can be made with a chisel. As to setting your sawed hollow, place it in a fairly open spot sheltered by a bit of sliade and protected from snakes. To place it in the edge of the woods is only to invite squirrels, grey and flying, to take possession. Keep out English Sparrores and Starlings by showing them they are not wanted ; if necessary, use a ride. One great advantage of the sawed hollow is that it is cooler than the manufactured box. The birds often prefer it to any other. A most practical and handy guide will be found in the following twenty- four page pamphlet: Kalmbach, E. R., and McAtee, W. L., Homes for IVirds. ( U. S. De- partment of the Interior. Eish and ^Vildlife Service. Conservation Bul- letin 14.) W'^ashington, 1942. 1' H E C H A T 9 Borrow it from your nearest librar\' or purchase it from the Superin- tendent of Documents, Washington, D. C., for ten cents. Table of dimensions of nesting boxes for various species that will use them in this region : PUi trance Diameter Height Floor of Dvijth of a bo ce of ah ore cavitu caoitg floor entrance ground Species I nche.'i /ac/ic.v Inches Inche.'< Feet LUuebird ... 5 X "> 8 0 1% 5-10 Robin ... Ox S 8 (1) (1) 0-15 Chickadee ... 4x 4 8-10 0- 8 IVh 0-15 Titmouse ... 4x 4 8-10 0- 8 iVi 0-15 Nuthatch ... 4x 4 8-10 0- 8 IVa 12-20 House Wren ... 4x 4 6- 8 1- 0 1-m 0-10 Carolina Wren ... 4x 4 G- S 1- 0 11/2 0-10 Purple Martin ... 6x0 0 1 21/0 15-20 Starling ... Ox 0 10-18 14-10 2 10-25 Phoebe ... Ox 0 0 (1) (1) 8-12 Crested Flycatcher ... (>x 0 8-10 6- 8 •> 8-20 Flicker ... 7 X 7 10-18 14-10 2V> 0-20 Red-headed Woodpecker. ...Ox 0 12-15 9-12 2 12-20 Downy Woodpecker ... 4x 4 8-10 6- 8 1% 6-20 Hairy Woodpecker ...Ox 0 12-15 9-12 1% 12-20 Screech Owl ... 8x S 12-15 9-12 3 10-30 Sparrow Hawk ... 8x8 12-15 9-12 3 10-30 Wood Duck ...10 X 18 10-24 12-16 4 10-20 (1) — One or more skies op(‘n to form a shelf effect. A Visitor in the Night Nell E. Sheli., Royal Pines, Arden When we moved into our own special S kangri La, on the side of Blake Mountain in Royal Pines, our hearts were very soon filled to overflowing with joy in the natural beauty which surrounded us. There was hardly a moment during the day when a very real and deep sense of contentment was not with us. From earliest dawn to earliest dawn ... in spring, summer, fall and winter, the woods were filled with ever-changing delights and surprises. Even in the dead of night, we often awoke and heard the little chirping voice of some small bird, as he reassured and comforted his mate, in the ivy on the wall near our windows. And there were other times, in the subdued light of early dawn, when we awoke just as the tree-tops seemed to come alive with many little feathered creatures, whose soft trills and chirps, trembled through the branches; and we lay there, listening, with indescribable peace in our souls, as their voices filled the air with ever-increasing volume and tempo . . . until the sun rose higher in the heavens to pour its golden light upon the earth, and the woods, everywhere about us, became a gold-and-green filigreed cathedral full of bird-song. . . No orchestra of highest quality has ever thrilled its audience any more 10 THE CHAT than those little bursting throats have thrilled us on many a summer morn ! But there was one feathered inhabitant of Bird Kingdom whose eerie voice invariably brought goose-pimply chills to our spines, whenever we heard his call ; and I think he must have known it, because, one night, he seemed to have suddenly decided to do something about it. Always, in the middle of the night, when his spine-tingling screech came to our ears, a certain delightful shivery sense of uneasiness would take hold of us, and make us want to duck our heads under our pillows and draw the covers up close to our chins — just as we had done when we were children, and nurse had sent chills to our bones with tales of the vicious attacks which nesting Screech Owls sometimes made upon human beings who ap- proached too near to their young. Even in our adult minds, we still felt a certain childhood delight in the experience ; because it brought a particu- larly happy consciousness of our own security in our rooms. Let Mr. Screech Owl screech ! He could never reach us, so snugly tucked in our beds behind our window screens. It was after such a night that I opened my eyes one morning and saw. upon the back of a chair near my bed. His Honor, Mr. Screech Owl, him- self ... in all his solemn dignity . . . blinking down upon me. He must have been accustomed to the sight of me . . . and, also, to the sound of my voice ; because he sat perfectly still and quiet when 1 called to my husband . . . quite loudly . . . trying very hard not to sound too terribly excited. . . . He must, also, have been acquainted with my husband ; because he re- mained very calm and trusting as he approached him, lifted him from his perch on the chair and placed him on the window sill. . . where workmen, who had been there the day before, had neglected to replace the screen. Even after he had been placed in the window, he seemed in no hurry to make his departure, but went about the business of taking off as deliber- ately as if he had been accustomed to such procedure every day of his life. . . . Thus, through the tact of one sedate and unobtrusive caller, our preju- dice concerning Screech Owls has been successfully dispelled : but, we find ourselves, now, wondering what Mr. Owl might be thinking of us! Whether his family’s meat ration was running so dangerously low that he was forced to come through our window, in search of an errant mouse or chipmunk, 1 do not know. . . . Whether he had followed some prey, which had slipped in through the window . . . just as he, himself, had done . . . and had successfully captured and carried it away to his young, to return and wait for more, I cannot say. . . . Whether he thought that we, in our beds, were some peculiar new kind of giant rodent . . . per- haps, even, black market . . . remains a moot question. . . . But, 1 do sincerely hope that the gentleman in question is as firmly convinced of our harmlessness as we are, now, of his. 1' HE C H A 1' 11 Albinism Sometimes Due To Injuries C. S. Bkimley, Raleigh Some fiftj' years ago 1 skinned a partial albino male Red-wing that had been brought in for mounting. This bird had a large white patch of feathers on one side of the breast, the right if I remember correctly, and some white secondaries on the right wing, and there may have been other smaller patches of white elsewhere, but I am not sure. Under the white patch on the breast was an old shot wound where a single shot had ploughed through the flesh and left a furrow, on each side of which the flesh was discolored and almost gangrened in appearance. 1 do not remember whether the wing under the white secondaries showed any wound or not, but they were presumably due to the same charge of shot. I have seen partial albino Field Sparrows a number of times, most often with some of the tail feathers only white, and these usually on one side only, which suggests to me that the original feathers might have been pulled out by some predator making a grab at the bird and only succeeding in violently wrenching some of its tail feathers loose, causing the next ones to be white from the rough usage. 1 also once handled a Swift with one white feather on the top of the head, which caused me to wonder if a single shot might not have torn away its predecessor and injured the skin enough to destroy the pigment in that one spot only. Besides the preceding, I have seen albinos, or the State Museum has records of such of the following: Red-tailed Hawk, Bob-white, Dove, Crow, Blue Jay, Winter Wren, Mockingbird, Thrasher, Robin, Gold- crowned Kinglet, Cardinal, Song, White-throated, and English Sparrow. It may be noted that all except the Swift are either residents or winter birds, none being summer visitors or transients except the Swift, and that, having only a single white feather, can hardly be counted as an albino. More Bird Sanctuaries Henry Magie, Winston-Salem “Keep ’em fed, keep ’em flying’’ is today’s slogan for bird lovers to adopt In this war-torn world, so consider my outline of North Carolina’s need for more organized effort to increase the welfare of our songbirds by means of more bird sanctuaries. We certainly have made a fine start in our 14 counties with our 17 bird sanctuaries, embracing 220,000 acres, variously owned and operated by Federal, State, municipal, and private interests, but that achievement is not the goal to be gained, rather it is a challenge to all of us to increased effort to attract, befriend, defend our songbirds, one of North Carolina’s natural resources; also, our songbirds are the first line of defense against the countless hordes of insect pests that damage our growing food and the noxious weeds that damage our growing food. 12 THE CHAT Well, folks, that’s our need briefly stated. Read on, sense the cost and the effect. The major cost is clear thinking and manful, honest effort. The outlay in money will differ with conditions and size. My experience with a 400-acre bird sanctuary shows the capital outlay to be $200 for 10 feeding stations, 100 nesting boxes, 5 bird baths, 3 highway signs desig- nating name and purpose of the sanctuary, and $40 annual operating expense for bird feed. How to start? Our beloved Tar Heel birdman, Dr. T. Gilbert Pear- son, told me, “All man can do is to furnish the protection and the birds will respond and do the rest.” That is your chart and compass. First explore your section, the improv^ed estates, golf courses, city parks, city water sheds, orphanages, college campuses. Five to 5,000 acres is suggested size range for your study. Essential conditions are: woods, thickets, wild land, cultivated land, lawns, slirubbery ^vith winter-bearing berries. A stream or lake is desirable. In general, find conditions that supply the natural food and support for your songbirds, the all-year resident, summer nesting, winter visiting and migrating species. Your next step, confer with the owner of the selected sanctuary, explain its purpose, cost, effect — and don’t surrender at the first brush-off, but arrange a further conference by owner and your State Biologist for your district. Your letter to John D. Findlay, Assistant Commissioner, N. C. Department of Conservation and Development, Raleigh, will bring you this invaluable service gratis. This second conference will fully develop the co-operating plan in our State Conservation by their 5-year agreement with owner and your bird club or group of citizens as sponsor. Your study will be wisely guided by your writing to the Department of the Interior, Washington, D. C., for Bureau of Biological Survey Bulletin No. 1, “Attracting Birds”; also Bulletin No. 1456, “Homes for Birds”; Bulletin 7, “Local Bird Refuges.” With your sanctuary launched, build and install your feeding stations, bird baths, highway signs and nesting boxes and PLEASE build sensible nesting boxes, with nest area, diameter and height of hole especially suited and erected for certain species. Bluebird, Wren, Chickadee, Purple Mar- tin, Woodpecker, etc., because, ornamental, fancy, just “bird boxes” are pure bunk and worse than useless. Don’t forget the sheet metal guards on your post or tree supporting your feeders to safeguard your birds from cats, snakes, squirrels. Fix the responsibility for your year-round feed supply. Feeding once begun must never slacken when there is need, especially during storms, snow, sleet, ice, when the birds’ natural food on the ground is denied them. Food is simple, easy to get. Chick feed, cracked grains, shelled and broken peanuts, sunflower seed, cornbread, bread crumbs, fresh and dried fruits, crushed dog biscuit, all are an accepted menu for many of j^our songbirds, with shredded meat and suet mixture for your insect eating species and for all species the entree, the meat course, the dessert is, and don’t neglect it, a lump of raw beef suet. THE CHAT 13 Now, you have my outline of the need and the cost. Who can tell you the effect. My assurance is that the sanctuary area will be freer from insect pests and weeds. My fixed belief is that the bird population will steadily increase. Certainly a widened, deepened interest among children and adults and their understanding and appreciation of our songbirds, and, undeniably the greatest reward from attracting, feeding, befriending your songbirds will be the warm, human enjoyment of their beauty, colors, flight, song, nesting habits, their soul-satisfying companionship. Accept my challenge, folk from Hatteras to the Smokies, for more bird sanctuaries. Yours is the opportunity; seize it, and remember, “mistakes are the steps by which higher men rise, and they’re always the proof of the fellow who tries.” The Eggs of Birds C. S. Beimley, Raleigh The very mention of eggs, of course, brings up at once the old question, “Which comes first, the hen or the egg?” which any zoologist can at once answer. The egg comes first, for the ancestors of hens laid eggs of the same general type as at the present time, long before they evoluted into hens, but were still nothing but plain ordinary reptiles. As reptiles are the original layers of the type of eggs of which those of birds are the highest development, it may be well to consider the characters of their eggs as distinguished from those of birds. In the first place, their eggs are usually covered with a flexible skin : only a few of the turtles lay eggs having hard shells. Secondly, thej'^ are naturally white and never have any distinct markings ; and thirdly, there is no big end and no little end, both ends are alike. Now reptiles’ eggs are always laid in a hole in the ground dug by the parent, or under some kind of shelter, never in the open air, so there is no need of any markings to help break the solid white color, as they are not exposed to the eyes of any creature that might wish to devour them, and consequently they need no protective coloration. The eggs of birds, how- ever, are most often laid in open nests, and consequently need some sort of protective color or markings to make them less conspicuous to the eyes of hungry prowlers. Hence, in the course of ages they have mostly developed either a protective color or some sort of darker markings on a paler ground. Unfortunately for anyone who tries to make generalized statements on the subject, many groups of birds most evidently have become “set in their ways” in the matter of egg-laying, coloration and other matters concerning their eggs. Thus the hummingbirds, which number some 600 species, all lay two white eggs to the set, and these eggs have no perceptible larger end, they are equal-ended like those of reptiles. Members of another fam- ily, the doves, also usually lay two white eggs to the set, although some 14 THE CHAT species lay only one. Woodpeckers also lay white eggs, but they do not confine themselves to as small a number as two in a set. The color of these last can be accounted for by the fact they lay, and probably have always laid, their eggs in holes excavated in trees, but this does not account for the white eggs of doves and hummers. Many of the primitive groups of birds produce eggs that are plainly colored, not by any means always white, but often buff or olive-green, or even darker, as in the ducks, or sometimes covered with a chalky crust, as in the cormorants, or even if white when laid get so quickly stained by damp vegetation of which the nest is composed that they are quite inconspicuous. However, the eggs of the higher birds, especially the Perchers and the Shore-bird-Gull-Auk group, almost always lay eggs with markings, although some such as the thrushes often lay unmarked blue or greenish-blue eggs ; the birds of these two orders either laying their eggs on the bare ground in exposed situa- tions, as in the latter group, or open nests, as in the former group. In the latter group the heavy markings make the egg harmonize with its surroundings, as anyone who has tried to find the eggs of a tern or a plover can testify, and as a further protection in this group the eggs are conspicu- ously pear-shaped with a pronounced big and little end, so that the egg, if disturbed, tends to rotate in a circle rather than to roll away in any direction. The egg-laying habits of the woodpeckers deserve notice. They lay pure white eggs nearly spherical in shape and make no nests, but simply dig a hole in a tree, usually a dead one, and deposit the eggs on the bare wood at the bottom, quite a reptilian sort of habit, the chief difference being that the bird broods its eggs while the reptile usually does not; but even in this respect the difference is not so absolute as it would seem, as we now know that some snakes and lizards do brood on their eggs to some extent. Owls, which also use hollows, or the discarded nests of other birds, also lay white eggs ; but certain other birds which use hollows, such as the Crested Flycatcher, the Titmice and the Nuthatches, lay spotted eggs. Why? The answer probably is that with the owls and woodpeckers the use of hollows is an old hereditary trait, while in the other cases it is a recently adopted one. In this case of the titmice it may be noted that the California Bush Tit, and the English Long-tailed Tit both build covered nests, show- ing that the use of hollows is not universal in the family, while the Crested Flycatcher is an exception in its family, which seems to be unsettled as to the nesting habits of its members. It may be concluded, therefore, that the possession of spotted eggs by these birds is inherited from the days when they all built nests. In the opposite case, where white eggs are laid in open nests, as, for instance, among the hummingbirds and doves, it would seem that for some reason they have never acquired the spotted egg habit, and this is strength- ened by the fact that the number of eggs in these two groups is also a group habit, the number not exceeding two in either. 1' H E CHAT 15 Certain groups of birds that nest on the ground lay an unusually large number of eggs to the set, about a dozen in most cases, as, for instance, the rails, gallinules, ducks and gallinaceous birds, while other ground nesting birds, such as the whole charadriiform group (sandpipers-gulls-auks) lay not more than four to the set, and yet hold their own just as well. I am sorry to say I cannot answer this question. However, one can be certain that no matter how few or how many eggs are laid to the set, nor how many broods are raised in the season, the total will be just about the right number to make up for the seasonal loss of the population of the particular species involved. In size, birds’ eggs vary from those of the tiny hummingbird, only about half an inch long and a third of an inch wide, to those of the huge Aepyor- nis or Roc-bird of Madagascar, that is now extinct but lived until com- paratively recent times, and laid eggs that Vt^ere sometimes over 13 inches long. This would mean an egg that weighed some 25 or 30 pounds and had a capacity of some 2 or 3 gallons. The largest laid by any living bird are those of the African Ostrich, which are some 6 inches long, weigh nearly 3 pounds, and equal in bulk about 2 dozen hens’ eggs. Another point may be noticed and that is, what is the survival value, if any, of large sets of eggs, and of several broods to the season, instead of small sets and single broods. Tbe answer seems to be that taking the bird world as a whole there does not seem to be any, but that there doubtless is in the case of each species in its particular niche of life. All birds’ nests are subject to casualties from prowling predators, whether cats, jaj^s, or boys, to destruction by storms, through accidents to their owners, and so on. Years ago we found out by chance that when the eggs and nest of a bird were taken, it would immediately start building another nest, and would have another full set of eggs in that nest in almost exactly two weeks time. This, of course, applies to the small passerine birds. This would be repeated if the second nest was taken, and some- times at least when the third was, and this was true of birds that naturally laid only one set in the season. Birds that nest on low sandy islands, such as the gulls and terns, sometimes have the whole season’s batch of eggs all washed away by unusually high tides, but as soon as the storm is over they start all over again. Probably the two or three brooded habit arose in just this way, but whether it did or not it does not seem to give the species that raise more than one brood any advantage over those that raise only one. As already noted, most birds’ eggs have a little end and a big end, and this has two purposes, first, the eggs lay more snugly in the nest, and secondly, in the case of those birds that do not build a nest but lay their eggs in a simple depression in the ground, it prevents them from rolling about in any direction when disturbed. Birds brood, or sit on, their eggs in order to incubate them, and during the incubation period they turn the eggs at intervals, for the reason that if they are left in the same position all the time they will not hatch. Now 16 THE CHAT there is a curious difference in this respect with regard to the eggs of some kinds of turtles. The eggs are laid in a hollow dug in the ground and then covered up. As soon as the eggs are laid the embryo assumes a certain position in the egg and if the position of the egg is changed the embryo dies. Consequently, collected eggs of most turtles can be depended on not to hatch. The eggs are incubated, as a general rule, by the mother bird ; however, in some cases both sexes share in the incubation, and occasionally only the male performs that duty. Only one group of birds, so far as I know, do not incubate their eggs, these being the Mound Builders or Brush Turkeys of Australasia, which heap up a pile of vegetable matter, in other words, make a hotbed in which several hens lay their eggs and leave them to be hatched by the heat of the fermenting mass. The young hatch with wing quills well developed and at once fly out of the nest heap and go about their individual activities. IN MEMORIAM George Seth Guion, charter member of the North Carolina Bird Club, died in his home city of New Orleans in July, 1943, and was interred in Materie Cemetery there. He was a lawyer and also an ardent bird-lover and conservationist. One of his hobbies was collecting ornithological periodicals, of which he had an excellent library, including a complete copy of The Chat. New Members Americiui Red Cross, Moore General Hospital, Swannanoa, N. C. Mrs. A. W. Baclimau, Corbit Apts., Henderson, N. C. Mrs. Norman B. Beecher, 6 Lone Pine Road, Baltimore, Md. Miss Irene Boliek, 530 W. College Ave.. Tallahassee, Fla. Miss Ruth Bryant, Lake View, S. C. Miss Amy V. Caldwell, 521 Htirling St., Greensboro, N. C. Chicago Academy of Sciences, Chi- cago, 111. Mrs. George Cobh, Lexington. N. (1 Miss .Tacqneline Collie, Bailey, N. C. Bill Croft. 214 Piedmont Bldg.. Greensboro, N. C. Perrin Gower, .Tr., 1917 Reid St., Ra- leigh. N. C. Miss IMae Hardin, ,307 Tate St., Green.shoro. N. C. Mrs. D. .1. Lyhrook, Advance, N. C. Miss .Teanette McGregor, Tryon, N. C. Mr. Tommy Pearsall, Box 1099, Rocky Mount, N. C. Mrs. H. F. Prytherch, Biological Lab- oratory, Beaufort, N. C. Miss May Puett, 512 W. Harper Ave.. Lenoir, N. G. Mr. D. Hiden Ramsey, 104 Woodward Ave., Asheville, N. C. Miss Annie Rankin, Montreat, N. C. Mrs. G. C. Rousseau, Salisbury, N. C., Rt. 5. .Mrs. L. C. Rux, Henderson, N. C. George Schneller, 310 Bessemer Ave., Greensboro, N. C. David .T. Sharpe. Chapel Hill, N. C. Mr. Pickens B. Watson, Box 434, Gaff- ney. S. C. Mrs. George L. Weeks, 907 Hill St., Rocky Mount, N. C. Miss Pearl 'Wyche, 824 Walker Ave., Greensboro, N. C. Officers of The North Carolina Bird Club President — H. H. Brimley, State Museum, Raleigh. Eastern Vice-President — Miss Clara Hearne, Roanoke Rapids. Central Vice-President — Mrs. O. F. Jensen, Chapel Hill. Western Vice-President — Henry Magie, Winston-Salem. Secretary — Mrs. Roxie C. Simpson, State Museum, Raleigh. Treasurer — Mrs. Margaret Y. Wall, 6 Springdale Court, Greensboro. Executive Committeemen — Mrs. Edwin O. Clarkson, 248 Ridgewood Ave., Charlotte. A. D. Shaftesbury, Woman's College, U. N. C., Greensboro. Editor — John Grey, State College Station, Raleigh. Local Clubs and Their Officers Arden, Rosscraggon Wood, Inc.: P — Major V. M. Shell, Arden; V-P — Mrs. H. B. Swope, Skyland ; S-T — H. B. Swope, Skyland. Blowing Rock, Blowing Rock Audubon Club. Boone Bird Club: P— J. Hall Smith; V-P— Mrs. W. M. Burwell and Mr. Norton; S-T — Mrs. J. Hall Smith. Chapel Hill Bird Club: P — Fremont Shepherd; V-P — Phillips Russell; S-T — Mrs. O. F. Jensen. Charlotte, Mecklenburg Audubon Club: P — O. L. Barringer, Charlotte; V-P — W. T. Hopkins; S — Mrs. Richard Myers; T — Charles Wal- ker, Jr. Concord, Rex Brasher Bird Club. Durham, Duke-Durham Bird Club: P — Miss Bertha Hopkins; S-T — Mrs. M. W. Johnson. Greensboro, Piedmont Bird Club: P — Mrs. Chas. M. Smart; V-P — Mrs. Edith Settan and Mrs. George Perrett ; Rec. S — Miss Etta Schiff- man ; Cor. S — Miss Evelyn Cook ; T — J. E. Maxey. Henderson Bird Club: P — Mrs. G. E. Rose; V-P — Mrs. E. B. Flanagan; S-T— W. B. Daniel. Hickory Bird Club: P — Dr. H. A. Althouse; V-P — Weston Clinard; S-T — Mrs. George E. Bisanar. Lenoir Audubon Club: P — Miss Helen M3’ers; V-P — Geo. F. Harper; S — Mrs. R. T. Greer. Raleigh Bird Club: P — Robert Overing ; V-P — Miss Margaret Habel; S-T — Mrs. R. C. Simpson. Salisbury Bird Club. Southern Pines Bird Club: P — Mary Keller Wintyen ; V-P & S — Miss Louise Haynes; T & Rec. Sec. — Miss Norma Shiring. Statesville Audubon Club: P— Mrs. Bonner Knox; V-P — Mrs. G. M. Tuten, Miss Rosamond Clark; S — Mrs. Earl Davis; T — Mrs. R. E. Stett. Tryon Bird Club: P — G. H. Holmes; S-T — Katherine D. Hamilton. Washington, Bughouse Laboratory: P — Sally Bogart; S-T — Elizabeth Shelton; Director, Joe Biggs. Winston-Salem Bird Club: P — James Stephenson; V-P — William H. Chance; S — Bill Anderson; Asst. S — Henry Magie. I ixi r 01 S - Spring Planting Follow Suggestions of "List of Native Plants and Shrubs That Can Be Planted for Bird Food” Zara S. Jensen See The Chat, September, 1943 Reprints of this list may be obtained free of charge on request from STATE MUSEUM Raleigh, N. C. The Chat BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BIRD CLUB VOL VIII MARCH, 1944 No. 2 PUBLISHED BY THE NORTH CAROLINA BIRD CLUB At State College Station Raleigh, N. C. The Chat Bulletin of the North Carolina Bird Club JOHN GREY, JR., Editor C. S. BRIMLEY, Associate Editor State College Station N. C. Department of Agriculture Raleigh, N. C. Raleigh, N. C. “North Carolina was the first of the Southern States to take an active stand in the matter of preserving its wild bird and animal resources.” Entered as second-class matter April 8, 1941 at the post office Raleigh, North Carolina, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Published five times a year on the fifteenth of January, March, May, September, and November as the official organ of the North Carolina Bird Club. Articles for publication should reach the Editor by the first of the month in which the issue is published. Notifi- cation of change of address or of lost copies should also be sent to the Editor. Price of the bulletin, fifty cents per annum. Fifty cents of the annual membership dues is paid as a year’s subscription to THE CHAT. VoL. VIII MARCH, 1944 No. 2 CONTENTS PAGE My Sanctuary 17 Tommy Bluebird Clarkson 19 The Moore General Hospital Bird Sanctuary 20 Some Notes on Bird Nesting 21 1944 Meeting of the N. C. Bird Club 23 Questions and Answers 24 Notes on the Time of Incubation of Certain Birds 26 Geese on the Yadkin 27 In Memoriam 28 Wings at Winghaven 29 Local Names of Birds Wanted 30 News and Notes 30 News of Clubs from Other States 32 Officers of N. C. Bird Club Inside back cover Local Clubs and Their Officers Inside back cover THE NORTH CAROLINA BIRD CIjUB Headquarters in the North Carolina State Museum, Raleigh. Organized March 6, 1937, for the study and protection of our birds. Member- ship is open to those interested in this work, and is divided into four classes : Members, who pay dues of $1.00 per year; Sustaining Members, dues of $."».00 a year; Contributing Members, dues of $LJC.OO a year; Life Members, one lump sum of $100.00. Nominations and applications for memher.ship should be sent to the Treas- urer: Mrs. Margaret Y. Wall, 6 Springdale Court, Greenshoro. My Sanctuary Mrs. G. E. Charles The story of my sanctuary is not being offered because it is considered worthy of space in The Chat, but simply because the Editor has asked for it. It is true, the birds have done their part to make this a place of interest to all bird-minded people, but many times have they had to stand aside for man to have his own way and promote his own interests. But the birds have done great things on this little spot of ground in the eight years of my observations on the bird life here, not because of what man has done to attract them, but in spite of what he has done to drive them away. Our house is on a hillside. Our lot of about three-quarters of an acre slopes down to a wooded area which is owned by other parties. When we bought our home and came here to live in 1925, this wooded area was mainly an impenetrable swamp and swarmed with birds. In winter and early spring the reports of shotguns and the rattle of shot on our metal roof were almost unbearable. In 1935 the undergrowth was cut and the place ditched and drained by some sort of relief workers. It was about this time that I was struggling slowly back to health from a long illness and casting about for something to fill the great aching void that my separation from the busy world had brought about. It was then I found the birds which had been so long with me, yet I had not known them. Feeding shelves were erected in the yard and gradually moved a little nearer until finally the wild, shy creatures were brought to the window at my very elbow! When physical strength permitted there were strolls day after day in the woods. But it was not until 1939 that I learned how to find nests. By that time my strength had come back to a great degree ; the elder bushes and blackberry briers had grown up again from their cutting in 1935, and they, with the wild cherries, mulberries, hackberries, and black- gums, furnished a year-around supply of food. A stream of fresh water ran the entire length of the area. Some bird houses had been erected on our lot and the feeding shelves in the j^ard were kept supplied the year around. But the shooting still went on. Working alone on these three or four acres in 1939, I found 65 nests of 13 species of native birds. They were: Bluebird, 3; Brown Thrasher, 4; Blue Jay, 1; Cardinal, 4; Catbird, 26; Carolina Wren, 3; Crested Fly- catcher, 1 ; Flicker, 1 ; Crackle, 9 ; Mockingbird, 1 ; Mourning Dove, 1 ; Orchard Oriole, 5 ; Wood Thrush, 3 ; and unidentified, 3. One of the nests of 1939 was built in an old shoe under our house. In it a pair of Carolina Wrens raised a brood of five young. One day my daughter and I watched the nest from daylight to dark and found the parents came with food to the young 205 times. I wrote the story of this family of Wrens and offered it to The State, Columbia’s leading daily 17 18 THE CHAT newspaper. This one called for more and more, and the published articles spurred some Columbians to action which led to the posting of the place as a State Sanctuary in 1941. This was a long step forward, but still the place does not have the pro- tection it needs. It is not in the city. The county game warden lives twelve miles away and has a big county to look after. West Columbia is not a part of Columbia, or even in the same county. By 1942 the ditches had filled up and the place was getting swampy with many water holes. To protect tlie soldiers in near-by camps from malaria, the State Board of Health sent over a crew of men in late April to cut and burn the undergrowth and spray for mosquitoes. Bird nesting had already begun and many nests went up in flames. After it was all over and my eyes had cleared up from tears and smoke, I walked out to see what the birds were going to do about it. On a little hillside where the sanctuary cornered against my chicken yard and the road, a sparse growth of bushes had been spared. There I found a pair of cat- birds building in a Chinaberry bush ; a pair of orchard orioles carrying nest material to a black gum ; a pair of doves building on a pine limb ; and a pair of cardinals nesting in a vine-covered bush by the road. And so it went on and on. At the end of the season I had found 69 nests by 15 species. This was about the usual number, though a larger territory had been covered. The cutting had opened the way for me to go farther down stream into where had been impenetrable thickets. And through the kindness of some neigh- bors, a gate had been opened into a cow pasture and that added to my sanctuary. So the area is now seven acres, which is about twice what it was before the cuttings began in 1942. Other than a strip along the hillside, the undergrowth has been cut twice each of the last two years. Each of the last five )'ears 60-odd nests have been found here. Nesting species other than those mentioned have been : Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, Field Sparrow, Red-headed Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow- throated Vireo, Screech Owl, and Yellowthroat. There has been some shifting of nesting species due to the cuttings. For instance, nesting Yellow- throats are out for the duration, and Field Sparrows just came in last season. Beginning with 1939, in this small area I have found around 350 nests by 20 species of native birds. Beginning October, 1935, I have identified here 94 species, among them such rare ones as the Rose-breasted Grosbeak and the Blue-winged Warbler, and many have gone by unidentified. And beyond our lot, nothing has been done to attract the birds. West Columbia, S. C. 1' H E CHAT 19 TOMMY BLUEBIRD CLARKSON April 25, 1936, to December II, 1943 Elizabeth Barnhill Clarkson Tommy no longer charms his family and friends with Bluebird conver- sation and flash of blue wing in the flesh, but always “in that inward eye that is the bliss of solitude” he lives and greets those that love him. H is friends will rejoice to know that he died quickly, apparently pain- lessly, and in his mistress’ hand. Tommy was in his prime and lived a happy, healthy, useful life to the very last moment. It was useful in that he gave happiness not only to his intimate friends but to hundreds of chil- dren and grown-ups who came to see him and to hundreds more who only heard about him. Who could ask more of life? The past year he had eaten, on an average, 1,000 of the largest size meal worms every fifteen days, besides the grasshoppers, grubs, moths, etc., which he used as “fillers.” The meal worms were ordered regularly from Kansas and kept alive for his use. Yes, Tommy was definitely a luxury, but what a luxury! How else could one huy so much absorbing interest and pleasure and companionship, for Tommy was nothing if not companionable. He showed in hundreds of Bluebird ways that we were his family. He tried to feed us choice tidbits of spiders and worms which he had daintily pre- pared for us, and we never came home without being greeted enthusiasti- cally. He preferred any room where we were to all others, and showed his affection by snuggling down on us and wanting to be stroked and petted. His helpful ministrations when his mistress combs her hair are sorely missed, for he always playfully considered himself custodian of her hair- pins and defended his right to carry them to the four corners of his world. When Mrs. Simpson came to Charlotte last October to talk to the Meck- lenburg Audubon Club she came to see Tommy and he liked her as much as she liked him. In fact, he sat on her head while she drank her tea. She said that if anything ever happened she would like to mount him, little thinking that the time would come so soon. So now Tommy is ready to he taken to his many friends. Before, he could never travel because he did not know the meaning of a cage or of a restraint of any kind upon his freedom. H is first trip after the one to Raleigh to the State Museum will he to Greensboro to his friends in the Piedmont Bird Club on March 16. Tommy ruled over Wing Haven for nearly eight years right royally and his loyal subjects were rich in his reign. They will always be enriched by the knowledge he gave them of birds in general and of Bluebirds in par- ticular, and all who enter Wing Haven must feel the happiness that Blue- birds always bring. 20 THE CHAT The Moore General Hospital Bird Sanctuary Grace Anderson The North Carolina Bird Club has given the birds about Swannanoa, N. C., an invitation to board and keep on the grounds of the Moore Gen- eral Hospital there. Last fall, through a donation from the Conservation Department of the Statesville Community Club, and permission from the Field Director of the American Red Cross at the Hospital, the Club began to build up a Bird Sanctuary for the patients, returned overseas men. With the assistance of Miss Parrish, Field Director of the Red Cross, plans were begun. A visit to the grounds showed Sanctuary building would be slow as, except for one small group of trees, there is not a twig for a bird to perch on. Simultaneously with the Sanctuary, a Bird Club was started among the patients. The foundation stone was laid with the gift of two copies of Birds of North Carolina, presented by Mr. H. H. Brimley and the States- ville Audubon Club. The donation was followed by subscriptions to The Chat and to the Audubon Magazine; the Cornell University bird records of seventy-two bird songs ; a number of feeding stations furnished with seed cakes; the National Audubon Society’s complete set of bird charts, and over a hundred pieces of shrubbery, mostly berried varieties, to provide bird food. The Manual Training Department of the Swannanoa Farm School is reproducing the bird houses and stations given the Sanctuary, the lumber for the same being purchased by funds from the donation check. Twenty- five pounds of bird seed opened the inns to feathered guests. Letters were sent to North Carolina Bird Club members in the vicinity, requesting their assistance in helping the new club at the Moore in beginning its study. Friendly gestures were made the North Carolina Bird Club and the Sanctuary from many sources. The Massachusetts Audubon Society sent a parcel of literature on birds and bird house construction, with the assur- ance that a like situation had been met at their Sanctuary at the Lovell General Hospital, Fort Devens, “After the feeders were up, the birds began arriving.” The Welles Feeding Company gave a generous discount on the purchase of feeding stations. Mr. Carl W. Buchheister, Assistant Director of the National Audubon Society, sent many valuable gifts accompanied with helpful and delightful letters. He gave, through the Society, a quantity of literature on birds, a bird house and a feeder and over seven hundred bird cards to assist with the rehabilitation work among the patients. Nothing can exceed Mr. Buchheister’s most recent contribution, a lecture by Dr. Alexander Sprunt, Jr., at the Hospital in the early summer. THE CHAT 21 There is a park in connection with the Moore General Hospital, covered with trees and watered by small streams, but since the patients on crutches cannot get so far afield the Sanctuary work is being concentrated about the Hospital grounds, where the long buildings form oblong courts in which the berried shrubs will be massed and feeding stations centered. The most popular court with the patients is beside the Library, and it is here that a bird bath will be set in the spring, and it is hoped flowers can be added. The most decorative feeding station with part-glass shields, a gift of the Massachusetts Audubon Society, is also in this yard. Perhaps at some future time a nature wild flower-shrub-tree collection can be planted to give greater interest to everybody. The Stage is under construction for the Drama of Birds. Long ago ornithologists made Swannanoa famous with rare records. We throw down bird seed and challenge winged denizens and winged travelers to appear on the scene of the Moore General Hospital Bird Sanctuary. Every one in the North Carolina Bird Club is invited to help in making this Sanc- tuary a success. Some Notes on Bird Nesting D. L. Wray, Raleigh, N. C. One of the most interesting and important parts of “birding” is the seeking of bird nests from early spring up into summer. It has always been to me a pleasant experience to find a bird’s nest and observe the activities of the birds making the nest or taking care of the young. There is a need for more information on bird nesting as data on certain birds is very meager. Traveling over the State, I have observed nests of various species in various situations'^ and will mention some of the more outstanding ones here. A few years ago I happened to be at Reynolda in their nursery in which was planted a half acre of English laurel, most of which was about 3 to 4 feet in height and planted rather close together so as to form quite a thicket. As I was walking through I began to notice many chipping sparrows flying from bush to bush and soon found nests in these shrubs. So I decided to go over the shrubs row by row and to make a count of the nests found. Carry- ing out a systematic search, 15 nests were found. All of these were of different ages, that is, some had one, some two, some three eggs, etc. Even there were young in some. Most of the nests were about 28 to 36 inches from the ground and composed of the usual material. Chipping sparrow nests were mostly found in such shrubs as Irish juni- per, arbor vitae, English laurel, thick vines, etc. Here are some of the places other chipping sparrow nests were found: ( 1 ) on July 30, 1943, at Montlawn, Raleigh, N. C., nest in cherry laurel shrub, one foot up from ground, three eggs, old bird flew off; (2) on August 4, 1943, Candler, N. C., nest with 3 eggs, 18 inches from ground in a pyramidal arbor vitae; (3) in July, 1942, Union Grove, N. C., nest with 4 eggs, 2 feet up from 22 THE CHAT ground in a tree rose bush, old bird flew off; (4) in July, 1942, Mount Airy, N. C., nest with 3 eggs, 3 feet up from ground, well concealed inside of an Irish juniper in garden (this nest was one of the best concealed nests I have ever found, and was found only after the old bird flew out) ; (5) in July, 1943, Pilot Mountain, N. C., nest with 3 eggs, 3 feet up from ground in Irish juniper shrub in old abandoned nursery and quite some distance from dwellings. Most of the nesting material of the chipping sparrow nests found consisted of rootlets, grasses, or very small stems. Sometimes the inner lining was of horse hair, but in a great many cases very small rootlets served just as well. Dove Nesting Notes and Antics: I have observed doves nesting in many situations for a number of years, but last summer one of the most strange sights in nesting dove antics met my eyes at Shelby, N. C. On August 20 I was walking through the West View Nursery, which is located about 4 miles west of Shelby, where they had about a dozen long rows of sugar maple trees. As we walked down these rows of trees suddenly I heard a very loud fluttering among the branches just ahead of us (perhaps 25 feet distant), and saw a dove flutter- ing and apparently falling to the ground as if struck by a load of birdshot. Naturally I quickened my pace — but to my surprise as I advanced — the dove began fluttering along the ground and always about the same distance ahead — thus keeping me walking or rather running gradually away from the tree where I first saw the disturbance. She kept fluttering and making a noise as she went along away from the tree for perhaps 200 feet or more and then she finally took wing and went up into a large tall oak tree in the yard. I retraced my steps to the sugar maple tree and soon found the nest, which contained 2 young half-grown doves, and I readily saw why the mother dove was making such antics. The nest was about 6 feet up from the ground in the forks of the tree. Other dove nests found were in the following situations : ( 1 ) last year ( 1942) a pair of doves nested in a pine tree just outside my kitchen window about 20 feet from the house and up perhaps 25 feet out on a horizontal limb 5-6 feet from the trunk; (2) on July 1, 1943, Pilot Mountain, N. C., nest with one egg, only 5 feet up in a small white pine tree, the nest was made of weeds, rootlets, twigs, etc., the old bird flew off as I approached the tree calling my attention to its location; (3) on August 26, 1943, Hickory, N. C., nest with 2 eggs in a small willow oak tree, 6 feet up from ground out on a horizontal limb, the old bird flew off calling my attention to its location. Other cases of bird antics and their efforts to detract attention from their nest concealment were observed at other places in the following cases: On June 25, 1943, at Pineola, N. C., I was in a large nursery where they grow many acres of native trees and shrubs, as rhododendron, kalmia, white pine and many others, and as I walked through a space where per- haps a dozen small white pine trees were scattered about among the kalmia, THE CHAT 23 I passed a small white pine tree and then a brown thrasher flew out and over perhaps 30 feet away and began to chatter and make a noise, and then keeping this up she flitted about over the white pine she was perched in, thus trying to draw my attention away from the tree just in front of me. Naturally, by her antics I decided the nest must be in the pine I was stand- ing by, so parting the branches I began to look for the nest, but this caused the storm to break loose. The old bird dive-bombed me and made such a fuss that my attention was more on her than on the nest just seen with 3 young, not completely feathered birds in it. She was even brave enough to fly right on top of my hat. Here again is evidence of nesting bird antics in trying to conceal the nest location. Another case of antics in nest concealment is the following of a Towhee nest found on June 25, 1943, at Pineola, N. C., near Grandfather Moun- tain. On this day I was walking through another large planting of azaleas, kalmia, and rhododendron and the mother Towhee flew out of a dumb of kalmia and azaleas just 20 feet ahead of me. She flew up into some white pine trees along the border perhaps a hundred feet away and started making all kinds of noise and within a minute the male started in to increase the din. By this I suspected the nest being near where I was, but there were so many clumps of azaleas and kalmia around that it took me 15 or 20 min- utes before I finally found the nest. It contained 3 eggs and was on the ground, snuggled under a clump of azaleas and kalmia about 2 feet in height. The nest consisted of grass and rootlets and was well concealed. I came back the next day and had about as hard time finding the location as I did that day, but the old birds went through the same antics. Another case was of a mockingbird which built her nest in a pyracantha shrub about 5 feet up from the ground and which contained one almost grown baby bird. This nest was found July 14, 1943, at Charlotte, N. C. She made somewhat similar antics, but not so profusely. The type of thorny shrub may have been felt sufficient protection to intruders, which afterwards I believed myself. 1944 Meeting of the North Carolina Bird Club The spring meeting of the North Carolina Bird Club will be held in Raleigh, Saturday, May 13, with the Raleigh Bird Club as host. Registration will be in Hall 1 of the State Museum and the morning session will be held in the Board Room of the Agricultural Building at 10:00 a.m. Luncheon will be at the S & W Cafeteria, in Room 3, at 1 :00 p.m. An afternoon session will be held in the Board Room at 3 :00 p.m. The meeting has been planned for only one day, but a Sunday morning field trip will be taken by those who desire to participate. Mrs. Roxie Collie Simpson, Secretary, N. C. Bird Club. 24 THE CHAT Questions and Answers G. Fremont Shepherd and Phillips Russell hat books are recommended for a young person in high school, fust developing an interest hi birdsf The following is a brief and very selective list, with some annotations : Allen, Arthur A. The Book of Bird Life. D. Van Nostrand Co., 1930, $3.50. Designed for young students. About one-half of the book is devoted to how birds live. Chapters include history, classification, distribution, communities, migration, courtship, home life, adaptation, coloration and economics. The second half describes methods of studying birds, bird walks, calendars, banding, bird nests, attracting birds, observation blinds, bird photography, bird songs, and bird pets. The author, long a professor of ornithology at Cornell University, is one of America’s best bird photog- raphers. Technical subjects are discussed with simplicity and naturalness. Chapman, Frank M. Bird Life, A Guide to the Study of Our Common Birds. Appleton-Century, 1924, $5.00. The descriptions are clear, non- technical and in narrative form, intended for amateurs. Less comprehen- sive and less like a scientific manual than the author’s “Handbook of Birds of Eastern North America.” DuPuy, William Atherton. Our Bird Friends and Foes. Foreword by PF . L. McAtee, introduction by Robert Ridgway, illustrated by G. Al. Sutton. (Romance of Science Series, 1940, 80c.) The family life of birds with what appears to be a fair presentation of the question as to whether certain birds, such as the crow, do more harm than good. Carefully re- viewed by government and museum specialists. Edey, Maitland Armstrong. American Song Birds. Random House, 1940, $1.00. Descriptions of over 100 of the more common American song- birds, accompanied by 28 plates in color by Louis Agassiz Fuertes. Hickey, Joseph L. A Guide to Bird PV atching; with Illustrations by Francis Lee Jacques, and Bird Tracks by Charles A. Urner. Oxford, 1943, $3.50. The underlying theme of the book is that it is possible for amateur naturalists to explore many aspects of bird life. Its simple, non-technical language will have a special appeal for beginners in bird study. National Geographic Society, Washington, D. C. Book of Birds, 2 vols., 1939, $5.00. Recommended to all beginners who do not find colored plates in their regional books. Short biographies cover 633 species. The chief value of the book is its extensive series of color plates (mostly by Major Allen Brooks, the noted Canadian illustrator. The book is useful anywhere in the United States. It must be ordered direct from the Society. Pearson, T. Gilbert, and C. S. and H. H. Brimley. Birds of North Carolina. State Museum, 1942, $3.50. In this greatly revised edition, the distribution of 396 species and subspecies is given, along with a general statement of habits, vernacular names, and dates of occurrence. There are THE CHAT 25 a number of plates by Roger T. Peterson, similar to those in his “Field Guide to the Birds.” Peterson, Roger Tory. A. Field Guide to the Birds, Giving Field Marks of All Species Found East of the Rockies. Houghton, 1939, $2.75. A handy, easy to use volume with good plates and descriptions of field mark- ings. Sawyer, Edmund Joseph. Bird Houses, Baths and Feeding Stations; Hoiv to Make and PFhere to Place Them. Cranbrok, 1940, 20c, pam- phlet. Suggestions for making nesting boxes suitable for various kinds of birds, with some notes on the species and habits of the tenants. United States, Superintendent of Documents. Birds and Wild Animals, price list No. 39 (free). Lists many valuable publications on birds that may be obtained at small cost from the Superintendent of Documents. H as several on attracting birds and on their relation to agriculture. How do you make a Feeding Trayf If it is put on a post near a window, should it have rooff If it is a flat slab, should it have a rim around the shelf? What sort of food do you put on it? Such a tray might be made of boards, tin or metal mounted on a post so as to be window high, or nailed to the window ledge with a support beneath. A roof will keep off rain and snow in winter. The shelf should have a rim to keep the food from being knocked or blown off. The food might be bread crumbs, suet or other fats, grain, chopped nuts, cornbread or chicken feed. And don’t forget a shallow bowl of water for drinking and bathing. Has any other bird a similar note to the flying “tip” of a Purple Finch? Not that we know. C. S. Brimley also thinks not. But certain chirps of the Pine Siskin are rather like the Purple Finch’s. How many clubs have monthly lists of what an average bird lover may expect to see near-by during each month of the year? A few may have the information, but not many, if any, have the lists. The best guide of the kind known to us is in the back of “Birds of North Carolina,” as prepared by the Brimley brothers, but it is seasonal rather than monthly. All regional lists ought to be as complete as possible. Here is something for local bird clubs to work on. 26 THE CHAT Notes on the Time of Incubation of Certain Birds C. S. Brimley [Note : These are copied from nesting record cards sent in by members of the State Bird Clnb. It may be noted that records of the time spent in incu- bation, and the time the young birds remain in the nest, are quite scant, even for our common birds. — Ed.] Turkey Vulture. Orange County, May 18, 1941, adult incubating two ; June 8, two white young; July 27, two young still in barn, white gone except from around head and tail. H. Thomas Odum. Hawk, thought to be Red-shouldered. Granville County, eggs hatched between May 5 and 11, 1941 ; nest with two eggs found about three weeks earlier. L. Eaton, Oxford, N. C. Bob-white. Orange County, August 7, 1941, 5 eggs; August 7-17, one egg laid each day about 10 a.m. ; August 18, female incubating all day to September 9, but left nest for a short time about noon ; eggs hatched about September 9 or 10. H. Thomas Odum, Chapel Hill, N. C. Bob-white. Wake County, nest with 17 eggs found June 9, 1931 ; on June 25, all eggs had hatched and the young were gone. C. S. Brimley. Red-bellied Woodpecker. Orange County, May 20, 1941, parents around hole; June 22, birds feeding noisy young. H. Thomas Odum, Chapel Hill. Raven. Avery County, nest with four young in cavity in side of cliff on Grandfather Mountain, which contained 4 young, apparently about two weeks old ; the young left the nest May 5. Elmer E. Brown, Davidson College, N. C. Carolina Chickadee. Orange Count}^, April 6, 1941, birds carrying nest- ing material; April 12, nest finished; April 19, five eggs; May 3, two young, three eggs; May 18, two j^oung left nest, three unhatched eggs still left. H. Thomas Odum, Chapel Hill. Carolina Chickadee. April 27, 1941, bird on five eggs; May 8, two young, three eggs; May 30, birds long flown. H. T. Odum. White-breasted Nuthatch. March 21, 1941, discovered pair building May 14, four young noted in nest; May 28, young left nest. Mrs. O. F. Jensen, Chapel Hill. Brown-headed Nuthatch. Orange County, April 13, bird discovered digging cavity; May 10, incubating four eggs; May 20, pair feeding four young (pin feathers not out) ; June 10, gone. H. T. Odum. Brown 'Ehrasher. Orange County, April 28, four young; May 8, birds have flown; May 22 (second hrood), two eggs; June 1, still 2 eggs; June 8, one young. H. T. Odum. Robin. Orange County, April 19, three eggs; April 29, three young; May 10, birds have flown. H. T. Odum. THE CHAT 27 Wood Thrush. Moore County, observed building May 31 ; female on nest June 2; three babies, June 22. Mrs. Wm. Kissinger, Southern Pines. Cardinal. Moore County, observed building April 5 ; female on nest April 12; two babies April 26. Mrs. Wm. Kissinger. Cardinal. Orange County, nest with three eggs; June 7, evacuated. H. T. Odum. Geese on the Yadkin Henry Magie, Winston-Salem Near us the muddy Yadkin flows lazily to the sea, through some six miles of river bottoms on either side, these being the farm lands of city men who find respite communing with old Mom Nature. Will Reynolds “Tangle- wood,” Clay Williams’ “Wilthire Lodge,” Ed Lasater’s “Forrest Flill,” and D. J. Lybrook’s “Advance.” No printed sanctuary sign marks this dot on the thousands of miles flyway of migrating water fowl, but our wise old geese are well versed in Dr. Rines’ extra sensory perception, radar locating sense and miraculous vision. Six years ago, during a heavy snowstorm, a flock of Canada Geese alighted on these shores, recognizing a natural refuge. This rare sight appealed to the hospitable landlords who spread many bushels of grain on the shore for the geese and yearly continued this catering to friends in need. Clear weather, “Honk, honk, good-bye and thanks, we are off for the Argentine.” Remembered were these handsome guests, delighted were the landlords the following fall to again welcome their visitors. Again ample grain, protection against marauders and notice to the public that this area was a private refuge for waterfowl. Since then every fall many thousands of Canada Geese alight and feed bountifully unmolested. Some winters, spending the entire season here, flying away north, fat, contented, apprecia- tive. Limited hunting is permitted in open seasons. Last February these geese ate clean to the roots 62 acres of winter oats on their befriending hosts’ farms. Crossing our Yadkin, midway between these farms, is the State Highway bridge from which in the fall many motorists stop, watch the geese, wonder why, miss seeing the grain, unable to read the signs of unshaken hospitality. Into this bird Eden enters the villain. Last December four low-flying planes, identity unknown, saw the geese, swooped low, circled again, scared away all the thousands of geese from two miles of water. Cautiously next day the scouters returned, increasing daily until today the usual number appear to be contentedly feeding and again ravaging the near-by grain, seeming to say, “You invited us, well do you ken what husky appetites we geese have, we know the open season dates and what use have you of all this green succulent grass in the dead of winter.” 28 THE CHAT 3it mpmnrtarn CHURCHILL BRAGAW Most members of the North Carolina Bird Club who knew Churchill Bragaw appropriately associated him with the sturdy moss-hung oaks and the colonial hospitality of Orton Plantation by our lower Cape Fear River. Bird studies were part of his life. Others knew him earlier as the vigorous and forthright son of Col. and Mrs. H. C. Bragaw, leader among the youth of his native Washington, N. C. He was one of the quartet of youngsters who became absorbingly interested in local natural history, collected rare specimens under hazardous conditions, and gave to their community the Bughouse Laboratory or Wash- ington Field Museum. Seeking further afield, Churchill entered State College, browsed in many sciences and specialized in forestry and botany. His sterling qualities brought him leadership among the students and keen admiration from the faculty. He won a grim fight with a desperate illness, and his energy and unselfishness won him high place in the College R. O. T. C. When he took over the management of Orton Plantation in 1937 he met head-on the challenge and opportunity he wished, his initiative and energies were devoted to landscaping, forest management and plant breeding. His work in the last of these received national recognition. He was being recognized for his field studies of every form of our flora and fauna. Withal here was a southern gentleman who was doing work to justify the broad term “Naturalist” or “Natural Philosopher.” Came December 7, 1941, and the ogre of War. Churchill volunteered as Second Lieutenant of Infantry in 1942. 1943 found him overseas. In December war correspondents featured Lieutenant Henry C. Bragaw, and a Texas colleague, for their heroic work in the bloody battle of San Pietro, Italy, against the efficient German fighting machine. Both these men received battlefield citations and promotions to the rank of Captain. On Christmas Day, 1943, Churchill received a slight wound and was hospitalized. Anxious to share the work of his fellows, he rejoined them on January 4. Came more desperate fighting and he gave his life on January 22, 1944. This passing of a wholesome forthright Soul tugs at our heartstrings, but there is the consolation that the world profited greatly in the all-too-brief career of Churchill Bragaw. THE CHAT 29 Wings at Winghaven (Charlotte, N. C.) Elizabeth Barnhill Clarkson After seeing them all this winter, I am still wondering at the abundance of Pine Siskins, flocks of them in the garden every day still. Never in all my life have I seen so many. Two mornings in succession Eddie almost stepped on one before it flew up from the same spot, so the next morning I watched the spot before we walked by and there he was again feeding on the green chickweed seeds. The Cedar Waxwings have not been so abun- dant with me as last year, due, I suppose, to the failure of some of my berries from last year’s late spring freezes. There have been a few Purple Finches off and on all winter and spring. Chipping Sparrows were here on February 17. The first White-eyed Vireos came in on March 27, and the first Blue-gray Gnatcatcher on the 29th. The first Maryland Yellow- throat so far as I know on April 4, about the same time they usually come back, the occasional early ones pass on perhaps. The first male Hummingbird came in today, April 12; also the first House Wren. The Wrens have come back several years on this date, though others report them earlier this year, on the 8th. The first Whippoor- wills have been reported to me by two different people on the same day, the 8th, but last year and year before they came on the 2nd, I believe. Several pairs of Catbirds breed on the place and almost every year they came back on the 19th, but last year, one came in the 10th and this year on the 11th (yesterday). He came for the cheese when I threw it to him, and today his mate was here and she came, both oldtimers (as new birds are wary of things thrown in their direction), then they came immediately to my upstairs window sill for food. A male Scarlet Tanager on the 8th, but not in my garden. The male Hummingbird was one of our old customers, as he flew to each of us this morning and made himself as much at home as if he had never left us last September. The Brown Thrashers began to build February 27, only one egg hatched and something happened to that, probably the exceptionally cold, rainy spell. I took the nest and three eggs in for record after they had begun to sit on their new eggs in a Chinese Flowering Crab, first found her sitting on the new eggs April 9. The first Robins began to build March 17th and now there are two nests where I can see them and several other pairs that I do not know where their nests are. I have only seen one Cardinal building though several pairs are constantly in the garden and they usually begin in March. The baby Carolina Wrens left the nest yesterday, the nest was in my neighbor’s garage, and the parents brought them over the wall into my garden to raise. I saw the first Chimney Swifts on the 8th. Two people have reported Phoebe’s nests with four eggs each also on the 8th. Saw a female Hooded Warbler today, my earliest date for them. Doves have been very plentiful 30 THE CHAT all winter and we have counted as many as 39 and 40 around our pool at one time. They are still plentiful and I see from six to twelve at the pool every morning and many on the highways when I get out, I believe the later hunting season has been one large factor and then the scarcity of ammuni- tion I suppose, but they are at times still in the nest in October in Meck- lenburg County, and the later hunting season is certainly reasonable in their case. Local Names of Birds Wanted Mr. W. L. McAtee, Technical Adviser, Fish and Wildlife Service, United States Department of the Interior, Chicago, 111., writes The Chat as follows : “Organization of the material collected during more than 30 years for a ‘Dictionary of Vernacular Names of North American Birds’ is in progress. In order that the work may be as complete as possible, the compiler appeals to you as Editor of a regional ornithological magazine to run a request for contributions of local or otherwise unusual vernacular names of birds. Your co-operation will be much appreciated.” (So, if any of our readers know of any unusual local names of birds, or even of usual ones other than the accepted “book” ones, they would do us a favor by sending them in to The Chat, whenever they know or hear of any. Many, of course, will be well known to Mr. McAtee, as he has been collecting these names for many years, but there is always the chance that something new may turn up. — Ed.) News and Notes HICKORY. Tender the sponsorship of the Hickory Bird Club, the Junior Bird Club was organized Thursday night, March 16. consisting of boys and girls of 12 to 15 years of age with the following boys and girls becoming mem- bers: Joanne Floyd. Helen Setzcr, Alex Warlick, Jr., Bobbie Erwin, Robert Shores, Leslie Fox, Forney Hoke, Philys Matheson, IMary Sue Sigmon, Harvey Geitner, and Joe Davidson. Sallie Ann Sigmon attended the meeting as a guest. The group elected Alex lYarlick, Jr., president; Robert Shores, vice-presi- dent; and Philys Matheson, secretary-treasurer. It was agreed to meet on Wednesday evenings every two weeks. As an entertainment feature. Dr. Althouse asked bird riddles. Robert Shores explained the requirements of the Boy Scouts to acquire a merit badge in bird study. The organization meeting, which was held in the Brotherhood Room at the Reformed Church parsonage, was supervised by Dr. Harry Althouse, president, and Weston Clinard, vice-president, of the Hickory Bird Club. The next meeting will be held on Wednesday evening. March 2nth, at 7:00 o’clock in the Boy Scout room of the Corinth Refonned Church. Leslie Pox, Harvey Geitner, and Joanne Floyd were assigned the English Sparrow, Song Sparrow, and White-throated Sparrow, respectively, to discuss at the meeting. Charts which have been ordered by the Hickory Bird Club from the National Audubon Society will be studied also. J. W. Clinard, Vice-President, Uickorj/ Bird, Glut). THE CHAT 31 STATESVILLE : A uest of the American Goldfinch was found here on August 15, containing three eggs. It was in a small maple tree about 12 feet from the ground. Grace Anderson. BOONE. The Boone Junior Bird Club met with Mrs. W. M. Burwell, February 19, at 4:00 p.m., for the purpose of reorganizing. Mrs. Bunvell called the meeting to order on motion of Johnny Barnett, the Club voted to change its name to the Junior Nature Club, and the following officers were elected : President, Donael Warman ; First Vice-President, Jo Ann Brinkley ; Second Vice-President, Estelle Grubbs; Publicity, Isabel Eggers ; Secretary, Reba Smith; Treasurer, Gordon Hartzog; Bird Calendar Committee, Johnny Barnett, Gordon Hartzog ; Membership Chairman, Mary Smith ; Program Com- mittee, Mrs. W. G. Hartzog, Mrs. W. M. Burwell ; Adviser, Mrs. W. M. Burwell ; Mascot, Beth Eggers. The Club voted to meet twice a month, having one field trip and one program meeting in homes. A fine of ten cents was voted as penalty for not notifying the hostess when a member cannot be present. The members voted to have guest si>eakers and other interesting features through- out the year and the Club expects to become a member of the National Audu- bon Society. The members voted to take the names of birds by which to answer the roll. They were also very much interested in Mrs. Burwell’s feed- ing tray. Donael Warman told of seeing 54 kinds of birds in January. The next meeting will be a field trip on March 4. Meeting place and time to be announced later. Reba Smith, Secretary. NEW LONDON. I was watching a Louisiana Water Thrush the other day and noticed that he would catch an insect, dip it into the water and then eat it. I saw him do this several times as if he was washing it. John Trott, Jr., June 30, 1943. CHARLOTTE. About a dozen cardinals make their home around our place ; one of them got his leg bi’oken recently ; he would sit on the lawn most of the time, for it was difficult for him to balance himself on a perch or twig. This afternoon when I fed them, he immediately flew into the feeding sta- tion ; now, it is the habit of our cardinals to more or less take turns in the feeding station. One after another they swoop down onto the station, and the one in the station usually flies away when the next one swoops down onto its rim. I watched them today for many minutes after feeding them, and while they swooped in as usual, not one of them bothered the crippled member of their flock. One fellow who must not have known of the accident to his fellow- member, swooped down to within a couple of feet of the feeding station, then realizing the condition of his friend, abruptly turned and fed on the ground until the crippled rUember voluntarily flew away from the station. A beautiful example of tribal consideration ! Charles H. Stone. A NOTE ON WILD PIGEONS. The last time that my mother, who is now 81 years old, saw North Carolina Wild Pigeons in groat numbers, she tells me was late in the afternoon on a spring day in 1870. She was then living on the campus of Davidson College. The birds came in a great cloud from the south, making a noise “like the roar of an approaching train.” There seemed to be millions of them. They settled in a grove of oaks breaking limbs with their 32 THE CHAT weight. Men and boys killed them with sticks, filling bags and baskets with them, or tying them in long strings. Dr. K. P. Battle made a record of the last time he saw Wild Pigeons in numbers at Chapel Hill. It was in the spring of 1878. The birds passed over the eastern edge of the village in a long, straggling cloud but did not stop to roost. Phillips Russell. SNOW BUNTING. On February 3, 1940, a fiock of over twenty were seen near Pinehurst on the Carthage Road, and on February 27, 1944, I saw one Snow Bunting at Southern Pines. Miss Louise M. Haynes. News of Clubs From Other States GEORGIA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY : Continues to edit its bulletin. The Oriole, under its new Editor, J. Fred Denton, of Augusta. The Society plans a spring meeting in Atlanta, April 29-30, as guests of the Atlanta Bird Club, with Alex Sprunt as guest speaker. Dr. Eugene P. Odum, of Chapel Hill fame, recently published in The Oriole an interesting article on “Technics in Life History Study.” Reprints of the paper, bound in an attractive cover, may be had for ten cents from the author — Department of Zoology, University of Georgia, Athens. TENNESSEE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY: No recent news of this group or its many active local clubs. Their Migrant was one of the best state bulletins and we hope it will continue to appear. VIRGINIA SOCIETY OP ORNITHOLOGY : Has not missed an issue of The Raven under the able editorship of the Rev. J. J. Murray, of Lexington. Though the membership of the VSO is small, they do excellent work. Tenta- tive plans are being made for an annual meeting this spring for the first time in two years. MASSACHUSETTS AUDUBON SOCIETY : Added more than one thou- sand new members last year and expects to equal this during 1944 under a new Membership Chairman, who is a busy head of a large corporation. C. Russell IMasoii. 1.1.5 Newbury St., Boston, is full-time Secretary of the Society. A field trip is planned for January 23 at Newport, members being invited to come by train, bring their own lunch, and contribute a nominal sum for guides. Each member is asked to keep a checklist of all birds seen within the State during each year, sending in the list to headquarters each January, and from these is compiled a total list from the State. The report for 1940 had 26 lists of over 200 species with Ludlow Griscom leading with 293. The Society also maintains an educational program including : bi-weekly classes in nature lore in schools; training of youth leaders for summer camps; .seven public lectures by noted authorities; illustrated talks to coa.st guards- men; Junior Audubon Clubs; field trips; distribution of materials on birds and nature; furnishing to teachers and group leaders— without cost— six lectures on bird life. Officers of The North Carolina Bird Club President — H. H. Brimley, State Museum, Raleigh. Eastern Vice-President — Miss Clara Hearne, Roanoke Rapids. Central Vice-President— ^Irs. O. F. Jensen, Chapel Flill. Western Vice-President — Henry Magie, Winston-Salem. Secretary — Mrs. Roxie C. Simpson, State Museum, Raleigh. Treasurer — Mrs. Margaret Y. Wall, 6 Springdale Court, Greensboro. Executive Committeemen — Mrs. Edwin O. Clarkson, 248 Ridgewood Ave., Charlotte. A. D. Shaftesbury, Woman’s College, U. N. C., Greensboro. Editor — John Grey, State College Station, Raleigh. Local Clubs and Their Officers Arden, Rosscraggon Wood, Inc.: P — Major V. M. Shell, Arden; V-P — Mrs. H. B. Swope, Skyland; S-T — H. B. Swope, Skyland. Blowing Rock, Blowing Rock Audubon Club. Boone Bird Club: P — J. Hall Smith; V-P — Mrs. W. M. Burwell and Mr. Norton; S-T — Mrs. J. Hall Smith. Chapel Hill Bird Club: P — Fremont Shepherd; V-P — Phillips Russell; S-T — Mrs. O. F. Jensen. Charlotte, Mecklenburg Audubon Club : P — O. L. Barringer, Charlotte ; V-P — W. T. Hopkins; S — Mrs. Richard Myers; T— Charles Wal- ker, Jr. Concord, Rex Brasher Bird Club. Durham, Duke-Durham Bird Club: P — Miss Bertha Hopkins; S-T — Mrs. M. W. Johnson. Greensboro, Piedmont Bird Club: P — Mrs. Chas. M. Smart; V-P — Mrs. Edith Settan and Mrs. George Perrett ; Rec. S — Miss Etta Schiff- man ; Cor. S — Miss Evelyn Cook ; T — J. E. Maxey. Henderson Bird Club: P — Mrs. G. E. Rose; V-P — Mrs. E. B. Flanagan; S-T— W. B. Daniel. Hickory Bird Club: P — Dr. H. A. Althouse; V-P — Weston Clinard; S-T — Mrs. George E. Bisanar. Lenoir Audubon Club: P — Miss Helen Myers; V-P — Geo. F. Harper; S — Mrs. R. T. Greer. Raleigh Bird Club: P — D. L. Wray; V-P — J. H. Slaughter; S — Harry 1'. Davis. Salisbury Bird Club. Southern Pines Bird Club: P — Mary Keller Wintyen ; V-P & S — Miss Louise Haynes ; T & Rec. Sec. — Miss Norma Shiring. Statesville Audubon Club: P — Mrs. Bonner Knox; V-P — Mrs. G. M. Tuten, Miss Rosamond Clark; S — Mrs. Earl Davis; T — Mrs. R. E. Stett. Tryon Bird Club: P — G. H. Holmes; S-T — Katherine D. Hamilton. Washington, Bughouse Laboratory: P — Sally Bogart; S 7' — Elizabeth Shelton; Director, Joe Biggs. Winston-Salem Bird Club: P — James Stephenson; V-P — William H. Chance; S — Bill Anderson; Asst. S — Henry Magie. A MEMBERSHIP is always a Welcome Gift Share your joy in birds by giving a friend, or relative, a year’s membership in the North Carolina Bird Club. The Chat will be a constant reminder of your thoughtfulness. We will mail a gift card with membership card to the recipient. ROXIE COLLIE SIMPSON, Secretary STATE MUSEUM Raleigh, N. C. The Chat BULLETIN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BIRD CLUB VOL VIII MAY, 1944 No. 3 PUBLISHED BY THE NORTH CAROLINA BIRD CLUB At State College Station Raleigh, N. C. The Chat » • Bulletin of the North Carolina Bird Club Archie D. SiiAprESBiTRY, Editor, Woman’s College of University of North Carolina, Greensboro, N. C. “North Carolina was the first of the Southern States to take an active stand in the matter of preserving its wild bird and animal resources.” Entered as second-class matter April 8, 1941 at the post office Raleigh, North Carolina, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Published five times a year on the fifteenth of January, March, May, September, and November as the official organ of the North Carolina Bird Club. Articles for publication should roach the Editor by the first of the month in which the Issue Is published. Notifi- cation of change of address or of lost copies should also be sent to the Editor. Price of the bulletin, fifty cents per .annum. Fifty cents of the annual membership dues is paid as a year’s subscription to THE CHAT. VoL. VIII MAY, 1944 No. 3 CONTENTS PAGE Spring Meeting of the North Carolina Bird Club 33 Some Unusual Bird Records for Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge, Hyde County, N. C 35 Nesting of Nuthatches and Tits at Raleigh. C. S. Brimley 36 Change of Editors 39 North Carolina Academy of Science Essay Contest 40 Bird Behavior at the Nest. John Trott, Jr. 40 Some Notes on Gilbert White’s “Natural History of Selborne,” Part I. IJ. H. Brimley 43 Some Corrections 47 Lost Glasses 47 Notes and News 47 Officers of N. C. Bird Club Inside Back Cover Local Clubs and Officers Inside Back Cover THE NOKTH CAROLINA BIRD CLUB Organized March 6, 1937, for the study and prote.00 a year; Contributing Members, dues of $25.00 a year; Life Members, one lump sum of $100.00. Nominations and applications for memliership should be sent to the Treas- iXrs. Margaret Y. Wall, 6 Spring