BIRD DAY

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 29, 3 August 1923, Page 4

BIRD DAY

RESULTS IN QUEENSLAND.

Bird Day, which the' New Zealand Native Bird Protection Society is endeavouring to introduce into New Zealand schools, has attained marvellous results in America and Australia. The movement was first started in the latter country about twelve years ago. To-day tha Gould League of Bird Lovers has about 225,000 members, mostly school children. The interest taken, by children in bird life, as the result of Bird Day, and the efforts of the Gould League of Bird Lovers can best be shown by the following letter, oiie of many received in connection with the movement, from Eolleston, North Queensland:—"We have grown, over 90 trees in the school ground, of which 60 are fit for birds to build their nests in. During the last eighteen eight bircis built in them. At "the present time we have finches buildir.Jg, flower peckers rearing their young, and parrakeets, martins and willie wagtails (fantails) with their full-grown young in the school ground. At the schoolmaster's residence chestnut-eared finches have built their nests in each, of the four corners of the verandah, and reared their young during the last two seasons. In this district birds have increased in numbers considerably during the past two years. With the. exception of canaries, wo are pleased to say there arc no caged birds about the school district. "In tho Mackay district it is a common occurrence to see several birds walking in and out of a group of children, eating the crumbs dropped at lunchtime. In the Coogar district tho children are so unanimous in their desire to protect the birds, and in the Crow's Nest district flocks of wrens and other small birds are always around the school, heedless to say, thero is not an insect hit M^e^ psf busheSj provine what a beiient the birds are. These results should convince the most sceptical upon the value of this bird protec ion movement, and that New Zealand should make all haste to get up to date in this .vital matter P