36 ] How to Understand the Birds 



eastern Central America. Even when they reach the northern 

 parts of South America they are not satisfied but continue until 

 they come to the wide open plains and marshes of southern Brazil 

 and northern Argentine. 



In contrast to these we have some birds that migrate for only 

 short distances. The chickadee is one; the crow is another. Such 

 birds may move southward from your community in the fall, only 

 to be replaced by other chickadees or crows moving down from 

 points farther north. Thus while you seem to have the same birds 

 the year round, they are actually different individuals. 



We can sum up some of the puzzling aspects of bird migration 

 by saying that in its simplest form, migration is merely a journey 

 away from, and back to, a nesting ground, and apparently made 

 without any relation to temperature. 



How TO KEEP A BIRD CALENDAR 



If you live in a region where the four seasons are clearly 

 defined by sharp weather contrasts, the study of bird migrations 

 will provide you with an especially enjoyable hobby. By keeping 

 a bird calendar you can note the comings, the goings, and the 

 passings through of different species. Your calendar can be quite 

 simple: a large ruled sheet of paper, divided into four columns. 

 Head the first column "Date," the second "Bird's Name," the 

 third "Where Seen," the fourth "Time of Day." You may simply 

 fill in information about birds that come near your home, but 

 the record becomes far more lively when you widen the range of 

 observation by means of bird walks. 



Some children enjoy such a project as an individual enterprise. 

 Others are more stimulated if the calendar is a family affair with 

 scope for friendly rivalry. Who will have the fun of recording 

 the first robin of spring? Who will see a bluebird this year? Who 

 will trace a song sparrow by its lilting melody or look for a hum- 

 mingbird near its nest? Interest becomes keener when you keep 

 calendars year after year, trying to better the record of observation 

 with each new calendar. 



