MAKE YOUR GROUNDS AN ATTRACTIVE WINTER REFUGE FOR THE BIRDS THAT BRAVE THE 
COLD—ESTABLISHING THE OPEN AIR LUNCH COUNTER AND HOW TO IDENTIFY ITS PATRONS 
by Howard H. Cleaves 
Photographs by the Author 
ETHER your home is in the 
city, suburb or country it lies 
within your power to estab¬ 
lish a free lunch counter for 
the benefit of the feathered 
folk that brave the winter 
storms. In a certain section 
of Central Park, in the heart 
of New York City, there are 
several feeding stations for 
winter birds. Suet, crumbs 
and seeds are placed here 
daily during the cold months 
by a kind lady who lives near 
the park and as a result chick¬ 
adees and nuthatches have be¬ 
come so tame as to feed from 
the hand. Shy birds like the 
brown creeper and red-breast¬ 
ed nuthatch regale themselves 
on suet while dozens of per¬ 
sons throng the walks only a few yards off. Juncos or snowbirds, 
white-throated sparrows and downy woodpeckers are regular 
patrons—the first two gleaning crumbs from the ground; the 
latter favoring the suet that is bound to the tree trunks. If such 
are the possibilities in the midst of a great city what could not 
be accomplished with moderate effort in small towns and in the 
open country? 
Let us suppose that your house and garden are in a suburban 
locality and not too far from fields and woodlands—what, then, 
can you do to attract the winter birds? The two chief things 
that make it possible for birds to pass the winter in northern lati¬ 
tudes are shelter and food supply, and if these be created and 
maintained on your suburban or country place you may be cer¬ 
tain of the regular visitations of hosts of feathered folk. Many 
a person who lacks a knowledge of bird life offers the excuse that 
his time is occupied with other things and that he is denied the 
privilege of going afield as the naturalists do. But who cannot 
spare a few moments each day for the purpose of placing crumbs, 
seeds and the like on a window ledge or food counter? And 
once the custom is established you may stay at home and study 
many of the birds, for they will come to you instead of your go¬ 
ing to them. 
If you are thinking of setting fire to that pile of trimmed-off 
branches beside the chopping block near the woodshed defer the 
burning until next spring, for during the snowy months a couple 
of song sparrows and possibly a winter wren may find it a good 
resting-place at night and a shelter from the cutting winds 
through the day. And by way of expressing their gratitude the 
song sparrows will commence singing as early as the middle of 
February and about the first of May will have a nest in the border 
of your garden. The winter wren may not sing for you, but he 
will entertain with his acrobatic movements, whisking about 
among the twigs in the brush heap and becoming so bold in his 
search for the grubs as they fall from the wood you are splitting 
that he may perch on the handle of your axe even while it rests 
in your hand.; There will not be the least difficulty in identifying 
the winter wren with his scant four inches of length, his exceed¬ 
ingly short tail that is pointed straight over his back most of the 
time and his coat of very dark brown feathers. Once you have 
seen the winter wren you will never forget him. And as for rec¬ 
ognizing the song sparrow, that too should present no difficulty. 
A brownish bird narrowly marked on the back with black, breast 
light, streaked with dark brown and usually marked in the cen¬ 
ter with a blotch of the same color, as if the streaks had melted 
A house sparrow perching on the chickens’ food box, awaits the hen’s 
departure 
(36o) 
