The New York Times NEW YORK, SUNDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1969 60c beyond 50-mile zone from New York City. Island. 75c beyond 200-mile radius. Higher in air'd 24 D TALLY MADE WHITE HOUSE ued From Page 1, Col. 6 e grounds with his bin- s. More than half—85— starlings, a European im- ot observed in Washing- til 1916. Evenden, one of only 30 bird-watchers in the na- ho have observed more 00 of the 700 American in their natural habitats, ed off 69 house spar- an abundant pest in Pres- Roosevelt's day; three f mockingbirds, three s, one blue jay, one one robin that should wn South long ago and crow. The last "doesn't caw," said Dr. Even- t has kind of a nasal er Bird-Watchers so heard the call of a d woodpecker. Pressed e or describe its sound, den fidgeted and then to his "Birds of North" book. "It's low, sharp e. Also a rattle," he The New York Times (by George Tames) D-COUNTING: Dr. Fred G. Evenden, executive director of The Wildlife Society, ing the census on the White House lawn yesterday. He spotted only nine varieties. Fewer Birds Visiting White House By NAN ROBERTSON Special to The New York Times WASHINGTON, Dec. 27— covered snow blanketed White House grounds, a 30-mile-an-hour north- t wind snapped the flag mansion's roof, but Birdman of the White e pressed on today, ing beaks and leaving 14 footprints behind him. red G. Evenden, executive c tor of The Wildlife Soci- ety, was making the first official bird count ever taken at the White House and the first census of species there since March 27, 1908. The man who made the last and perhaps only other such list- ing 61 years ago was Presi- dent Theodore Roosevelt, a naturalist and ornithologist. Mr. Roosevelt found 56 kinds of birds on the man- sion's 16 acres of grounds while he lived there, includ- ing sparrow hawks, a screech owl and notable numbers of warblers. Sixteen kinds were named as nesting near the mansion. But Dr. Evenden discovered today that the White House is no longer a popular spot for birds. Crestfallen, he reported that he had spotted only nine varieties in a total of 167 birds after an hour of prowl- Continued on Page 24, Column 1 He recalled that a couple of years ago, the Washington count also took place in a 30- mile wind, "but the tempera- ture was 18 or 20 degrees" instead of in the 30's. "It was snowing and just plain miser- able. But the birds were still there and you've got to ferret them out," he said. They Stay Put Dr. Evenden, a wildlife biolo- gist, said he did not think he had counted the same birds more than once because most of them stay where they are, especially in high wind such as today's. In President Theodore Roose- vett's list, which he says was doubtless incomplete—"I have seen others that I have forgot- ten"—he mentions a pair of sparrow hawks that had spent the previous two winters on the White House grounds. They fed, he wrote, "on the sparrows —largely, thank heavens, on English sparrows." These are now commonly called house sparrows. Next noted are a screech owl ("steady resident on White House grounds," President Roosevelt wrote) and a saw- whet owl ("a pair spent several weeks by the south portion of the White House in June, 1905"). President Roosevelt also spotted no fewer than 21 kinds of warbler and other small birds, including the bluebird and golden-crowned kinglet, around the executive mansion. bird-watchers were ever Washington today ea's annual Christmas is. The National count by the National Au- ciety in cooperation Interior Department's Sport Fisheries and akes place every year -week period around t days in the period ated for each area ion. This will be the census. Counts are n annually during spring migration and the bird- breeding period in late May and early June. For the historic White House sorties, all six feet six inches of Dr. Evenden was snuggled up in warm clothing, including long underwear and a knitted cap. "We've got to go out on the designated day, come heck or high water," he said.