Bird-Lore: Published for the Audubon Societies

Nature > Animals > Birds > Birdwatching Guides

Description

by Various
Edited by Frank M. Chapman

The World’s Record for Density of Bird Population

By GILBERT H. GROSVENOR

Editor of the National Geographic Magazine

With photographs by the author

In the winter of 1913, our family bought a farm of one hundred acres, fifty acres in forest and fifty in fields, in Montgomery County, Maryland, about ten miles from Washington. We moved out in April. At the time, no members of the family, including my wife, six children, and myself, could name more than three birds—the Crow, the Robin, and the Turkey Buzzard. We had, however, become interested in birds, owing to our friendship for the Editor of Bird-Lore, and for other Audubon workers, and determined to see what we could do to get birds around the home, which we named ‘Wild Acres.’

The house is a typical old farmhouse, surrounded by an old apple and pear orchard, with vegetable garden and hedges, and open fields beyond. Surrounding the fields is a tract of fifty acres in woods, with a beautiful stream, and several springs scattered around in the fields and woods.

The first thing we did was to drive away the English Sparrows which had possession of the place. We got small shot-guns, and, whenever a Sparrow appeared, shot him. It wasn’t long before those that were not shot, left. We then made houses for Martins, Wrens, Bluebirds and Flickers, some of which were immediately occupied. We had such success that in the winters of 1914 and 1915 we put up more houses, and in the spring of 1915 had attracted so many birds around the house that Dr. H. W. Henshaw, the Chief of the U. S. Biological Survey of the Department of Agriculture, became interested, and delegated Dr. Wells W. Cooke to visit our place. Dr. Cooke was so impressed by the number of feathered friends that we had gathered around us that he urged me to make a census of the birds living on an acre or two adjacent to the house, as he thought it probable that a count would bring us a world record. The record up to this time was held by a family in Chevy Chase, Maryland, who had attracted thirteen pairs of birds to one half-acre.

Read More or Buy it Now!   

Posted in: Nature