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Show Migratory Birds Change Their HabitsWhen HabitsWhen Habits HabitsWhen When They Take Up Quarters in South Change at of habitat frequently frequentlybrmgs frequentlybrings frequentlybrings brmgs brings changes m in the actions and andfood andfood andfood food habits of migratory birds Some Somethat Somethat Somethat that we consider desirable and en entertammg entertammg entertaming tertammg summer residents are arelooked arelooked arelooked looked upon as obnoxious when they theyreach theyreach theyreach reach they their southern range They Theymay Theymay Theymay may be weed seed and insect msect de destroyers destroyers destroyers stroyers while they remain remam with us usthereby usthereby usthereby thereby establishing estabhshmg their economic economicImportance economicimportance economicimportance Importance to agriculture in the theNorth theNorth theNorth North but when they reach the theSouth theSouth theSouth South they become crop destroyersThis destroyersThis destroyers destroyersThis This is apparently what happens happenswith happenswith happenswith with the colorful red winged wmged black blackbird blackbird blackbird bird of our marshes and swales swaleswrites swaleswrites swaleswrites writes Albert Stoll Jr in m the De Detrolt Detroit Detroil trolt troit News Wh While e it may eat some somegrain somegrain somegrain grain in farmers fields during the thesprmg thespring thespring sprmg spring and summer by far its great greatest greatest greatest est diet consist of insects and weed weedseeds weedseeds weedseeds seeds found near its marsh home homeThis homeThis homeThis This is the principal prmclpal reason federal federalofficials federalofficials federalofficials officials placed the blackbird on the theI1st thelist thelist I1st list of protected birds by a II special specialorder specialorder specialorder specialorderHowever order orderHowever However when this species mi ml migrates mlgrates mlgrates grates to the South and takes up upIts upits upits Its winter wmter residence in Louisiana and andTexas andTexas andTexas Texas it becomes a d different Ierent bird m in mfood infood infood food habits It has proved so mjurlous infurious in m , jurious jurlous furious to rice fields that the gov i eminent ernment after exhaustive mvestlga investiga mvestlgatlon investigation mvestigation , tlon tion has found it necessary to allow allowrice allowrice allowrice rice growers to lull kill the birds by the thethousands thethousands thethousands thousands In . the South they dls dis dlsplay display display play nomadic habits They make makeda makedaily makedaily da daily y trips to the rice fields feedingon feedmgon feedmg feeding on the shocked gram in m flocks fiocks of ofmany ofmany ofmany many thousands and return to their theirMarsh theirmarsh theirmarsh Marsh homes to roost at mghtHere nightHere night mght nightHere Here is one illustration 1I1ustrahon of the de destructlveness destructiveness destructiveness structlveness structiveness of the red wing wmg in the theSouth theSouth theSouth South One rice farmer with 230 230acres 230acres 230acres acres of stacked sheaves used 4 500 500shot 500shot 500shot keepI shot gun shells costing costmg S135 $135 135 $ in m keep keepmg keeping keeping I mg ing the birds out of his fields This Thisexpense Thisexpense Thisexpense expense with labor involved mvolved in m pa patrolling patrolling patrolling trolling was necessary to protect a acrop acrop acrop crop of 2 600 sacks of rice Judgmg Judging Judgmgby Judgingby Judgingby by experience this th1s farmer estunated estimated estunatedthat estimatedthat estimatedthat that his crop would not have ex exceeded exseeded exceeded ceeded seeded I 1 000 sacks if the birds had hadnot hadnot hadnot not been controlled and driven from fromthe fromthe fromthe the fields He estimated bis his total totalexpense totalexpense totalexpense expense at $250 250 $ tor for control work workbut workbut workbut but was able to save rice worth more morethan morethan morethan than $ $7 7 $ 800SunJIar 800Similar 800 800Similar Similar SunJIar experiences are recorded recordedamong recordedamong recordedamong among other rice growers and they theywere theywere theywere were able to convince convmce the govern government government government ment that control measures were werenecessary werenecessary werenecessary necessary if they were to remain remam m in mbusmess inbusiness inbusiness busmess business |