THE OSPREY. 



An IlUistrfritecl IVIa^axine of F*optjilar Ornithology. 



Published |S/Ionthlv. 



VOIATMK IV. 



FEBRUARY, 1900. 



Number 6. 



Original Articles. 



BIRDS OF THE ROAD. 

 Rv Pait, Baktsch. WashiiiKtoii. D. C. 



2. Jani'Aky- Fkbkiakv. 



Since my last notes in the Ospkkv we have had 

 real Washing-ton winter weather, I say Wash- 

 inf^ton winter weather because the Metropolis 

 seems to have a climate peculiarly its own. One 

 day brig-ht and cheery as if promising- the 

 return of the fair days 01 December followed 

 mockingly the next, by ice and snow and a blast 

 which makes one wish for Eskimo robes. 

 Washington weather is ver\' uncertain, and 

 you can no more rely upon the signs of nature, 

 than the weather map itself, as to what tomor- 

 row will be. 



I have certainly felt sorry for the poor birds 

 this month — and yet thej' are much better off 

 tha]i they were a year ag-o, when the blizzard 

 held us all confined. Then manj- of our winter 

 visitors came to the citj'. to feed upon the refuse 

 matter in the streets. Continual snow-fall had 

 buried the tops of the weeds, and stored their 

 food beyond reach. 



I remember taking a trip on February 12, in- 

 tending to visit Soldiers' Home, swing over to 

 Benning, thence down to Anacostia. I started 

 across country, from Le Droit Park, wading 

 through about 1<S inches of snow. It seemed a 

 delightful pastime to plough through the little 

 packed mantle of Heecy flakes. Before I had 

 covered the first half mile, I began to be less 

 enthusiastic, the more so, since many of the 

 birds which I had expected, (northern visitors, 

 forced south by the severe cold) were nowhere 

 apparent. After crossing First street, continu- 

 ing in the direction of Prospect Hill Cemetery, 

 I decided to shorten the course, by leaving- 

 Soldiers" Home to the left and making a straight 

 line towards Benning. I followed the new cut 

 which was being made to extend North Capitol 

 street to the Home, and found I was quite will- 

 ing to rest on an old wagon which I bared from 

 snow, by forcible contact after sliding- down an 

 embankment, hidden b^- a drift. This was 

 at the southern end of the cut. I had been 

 working- very hard trj'ing to get to where I 

 mig-ht see rare winter visitors and was quite ex- 



hausted. While seated here allowing my pulse 

 to come some where near its normal, I heard 



a faint peep — peep peep, the welcome note 



of a northern friend, the Horned Lark. Look- 

 ing about. I soon discovered him in his wavA- 

 llight. He alighted on a nearby hill-side, and 

 my glasses showed him busih' working- the few 

 tops of the few bunches of weeds which were 

 tall enoug-h to keep their heads above the snow. 

 The poor fellow was hungry, and seemed to be 

 half frozen. He appeared to have a hard time 

 gleaning the little seeds from their capsules. 

 While seated here I also noted several Snow-birds 

 coming from the evergreens of the cemetery, 

 Hying across the cut. Thej' too appeared to be 

 suffering- from cold and hung-er. as did some 

 Tree Sparrows which were in their company. 

 These were hard times for the birds, particu- 

 larly those which winter here everA' year and 

 are not accustomed to be placed in such straits. 

 I remember how sad it all appeared. There was 

 little gladness in their little bodies that day. A 

 Downy however, was the exception and the onU' 

 one. He joined the band of Juncos and Tree 

 Sparrows, but was unable to call any more satis- 

 faction from them by his encouraging notes 

 than the mere whimpering under-tone conver- 

 sation, every note of which seemed to speak of 

 hunger and cold. This is not all these little 

 feathered bodies are exposed to, for while I was 

 here a swift winged Cooper's Hawk sallied 

 amongst them but failed, thanks to the writer, 

 to cari-y off" any member of that little band, just 

 then. He also was hungry. 



I finally made my wa^- to Lincoln avenue and 

 returned to the city abandoning- the original 

 plan. The birds too had come to the city, for at 

 the intersection of Florida avenue and North 

 Capitol street, I met a flock of Horned Larks 

 contesting with the English Sparrows, for the 

 droppings in the street. Thej' appeared to be 

 tumbling rather than walking. Hunger and 

 cold had made them so fearless, that I was able 

 to approach them almost close enough to touch 

 them with mv feet. 



