The American Midland Naturalist 



PUBLISHED BI-MONTHLY BY THE UNIVERSITY 

 OF NOTRE DAME, NOTRE DAME, INDIANA 



VOL. VI. JANUARY, 1919 NO. i. 



Birds of a Washington City Dooryard. 



BY HARRY C. OBERKOLSER. 



Attention has on a number of occasions been called to the fact 

 that even in the midst of a large city numerous opportunities for 

 out-of-door bird study exist. Aiany more birds than one might 

 think venture into the closely built-up portions of the city, par- 

 ticularly wherever any trees or shrubbery are to be found. The 

 writer has for a long time been interested in this phase of orni- 

 thology, especially to see what species come into our city of 

 Washington, D. C, and at what seasons of the year. 



From May 5 191 1, to May i, 191 8, we lived at No. 1444 Fair- 

 mont Street, N. W., and there, with a number of interruptions, 

 but, as opportunity permitted, more or less continuously, especially 

 during the past four years, made observations on birds. These 

 notes were taken of necessity incidentally, chiefly in the mornings 

 before 8 o'clock and in the evenings after 6, except on Sundays 

 and holidays, when, of course, more hours were available. 



The house in which we lived stands between 14th Street and 

 University Place, in a solid row; and the entire street on both 

 sides east to the next corner at 14th Street is entirely occupied by 

 dwellings. In front of the house there were two rows of small 

 tiees, one along each side of the street. At the western end of the 

 block are two or three large silver poplar trees, inside a yard. 

 The back yard of our house, together with those of several adjoin- 

 ing dwellings on the same street, and the large double yard of the 

 house just back of ours, which faces on Euclid Street (the first 

 street south), form a considerable open space divided only by low 

 fences. In this area there is considerable shrubbery, a few small 

 trees, and several large silver poplars, one of the latter being in 

 our own yard. This place is, consequently, a decided attraction 



