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February 18, 1962 - Birding With ChildrenBirding with children Exclusive Sunday Review Sketch by Dennis Puleston of Brookhaven Focus on Nature by Paul Stoutenburgh Mrs' Ruth Porter of Center Moriches has often participated in our Christmas Count a n d now for the first time has con- sented to do an article for us. To me this is very heartening for it is my contention t h at there are many other corre- spondents among you who can add much to our column. p.s. 1 BIRDIN'G WITH CHILDREN 1 By Mrs Ruth L Porter There are two hobbies which go together e:tceptionally well — an interest in birds and an in- terest in children. "Girding" grows on us, once we get started. There is a thrill and a satisfaction 'in discovering a new bird and identifying it ac- curately from a good book — Peterson, for instance. I began birding as a serious hobby ten years ago. It grew on me — in spite of the fun poked at me by both my son and my husband. Gradually they became mildly interested also. The children on our s t r e e t range from babies to fifteen year olds. All of them bring their bird problems down the street to me. Sometimes it is a matter of iden- tification. Sometimes it is a dead bird, over which they are much concerned. One summer day two I i t t I e girls appeared at my door with • dead Cardinal. This was indeed • tragedy to all of us. T h e r e seemed no clue to the cause of death. We buried it in the com- post heap — and I explained why it was such a tragedy for a Mother or Father bird to die when they had young babies. There would be no one to feed the babies so they would die also. Another day Susan appeared with a nearly dead bird. "Oh, Aunt Ruth! I took this away from Christmas "' (her own cat), "Do you think we can save it ?" The bird was beyond saving — but we had a long talk about birds and cats. We ,decided it was wise to keep cats Inside at night, so they would not lurk under bushes and catch the unwary, hungry birds of early morning. With young children real pro- gress is slow but satisfying. It makes a point of contact between old and young. We have a com- mon interest — we are friends. Our own grandchildren are too far away to have the day - to-day contacts of interesting b i r ding. However, I gave them bird books as early as they could use them intelligently. Our letters always includes some special bird items. When we visited them in Hawaii, I added several new birds to my Life List. They are now in Duluth . where we have visited twice and had some interesting birding with the boys. The two grandsons are now quite avid birders. As children reach Scout a g e, many come for help in identifying the fifteen required birds f o r earning a Scout badge. Some of the older children go with us in our boat — they learn some of the water birds, and some of the mysteries and tragedies of nest- ing. They learn that high tides are disasterous to nests built too near the shore line. By walking with us over the dunes and shoals they learn of the high mortality rate in water birds. One day Rickey, then q u i t e young, brought me a beautiful young oriole. He had found it in the village, near his f'ather's store. He said that it could not fly and was hopping in the street. It would surely be run over by • car. He had brought it to me, • mile away — carefully carried in a shoe box. I tried to explain that t h e mother bird would take b e t t e r care of the baby than we could. He said, "But there was no mother in sight and I couldn't leave it to get run over." I con- sented to keep it a little while until it had rested and could per- haps fly a little. We put it in a deep box with a tiny dish of water and covered the box with a large apron. This I left in the kitchen while I went to the village. When I reached home, t h e young adventurer had flown out of the box and into the h a I 1 where it was calling piteously for its mother. I caught it, fed it water then decided the safest thing was to let it go outside. It immediately flew into a low tree, still chirping. We hoped, but never knew, that the m o t h e r would find it. It seemed ' almost ready to care for itself. Rickey was happy. We had done what we could. Most important of all, I feel that these many children a r e ]earning the beauty, the joy and the mystery of one phase of Na- ture Study. They are absorbing it as part of the fun of living — not something that they have to learn and "pass" for "credit ". All this has been a happy experience for me — watching children grow both physically and mentally as we have shared this common interest — this learning together — for I am s t i 11 an amateur. Isn't there some hobby y o u could share with the children of your neighborhood? You w o u l d have more pleasure from the ex- perience than you can imagine. FIELD OBSERVATIONS Gilbert Raynor reports Riverhead — February 10 Grackle Calverton — February 10 Horned Lark (175) Riverhead — February 11 Vesper Sparrow (5) Dennis Puleston reports: Brookhaven — February 10 Long -eared Owl (4) Rough - legged Hawk (2) Bald Eagle Red - tailed Hawk Screech Owl Golden- crowned Kinglet Brookhaven — February 11 Short -eared Owl (4) The Loesges report: Goose Creek, Southold — Feb 12 Woodcock (2) Mrs Ruth L Porter reports: Sedgemere Drive Creek — Feb 4 Kingfisher Black- crowned Night Heron Center Moriches — February 8 Robin Mockingbird* Cedar Waxwing* (9 to 16) Center Moriches — February 12 American Goldfinch (5) These birds have been frequent visitors through the winter at Mrs Porter's electrically heated bird bath as well as a pair of cardinals that come every day. L R Ernest reports: Southampton — February 12 Fox Sparrow (2) Quail (30) West Mecox — February 13 Black- crowned Night Heron Sagaponack — February 13 Horned Lark (100) , Wainscott — February 13 Red - breasted Nuthatch Natures Trail — East Hampton Woodcock East Hampton -- February 13 Short -eared Owl Sagaponack Hundreds of geese and widgeon Roy Latham reports: Orient — Feb 8 Towhee (6), Cardinal (4) Pine Siskin (large flock) Orient — Feb 12 Redpoll Emory Tuthill reports: Cutchogue — Feb 12 Screech Owl Please send all comments and observations to Paul Stouten- burgh, Bay Avenue, RD No 1, Box 105, Cutchogue, New York.