30 years ago – July 26, 1985
By Esther Campbell: This summer I decided to keep the sunflower seed feeder full to see which birds would stay around. It has attracted a flock of pine siskins. These small (4 ½ inches in length) brown streaked birds show touches of yellow on their wings and rump when they move. Their beaks look so delicate I wonder how they crack the sunflower seeds. Watching closely it looks like they mostly pick up the pieces left by the other birds. They are so friendly and seem pleased with my feeder. I am delighted to have them as guests. That rufous hummingbird is back with a clear disdain for the dear little broad tailed hummingbirds that have been here for months. The rufous is also stunning with a copper colored back and an orange-red throat. Sylvia Brockner, in her book “Birds of Our Evergreen World,” calls the male a Lothario because as soon as courtship, mating, and nesting are finished, he leaves his plain mate to handle the incubation and feeding of the young by herself.
From the Publisher’s Corner: The Weekly Transcript (the “throwaway” most of us throw away each week) has now joined the Post in publishing a gross prevarication. On page 1, July 23, 1985 issue, column 3, line 4, a writer (?), Don Kunce, stated: “West founded the Colorado Transcript, Colorado’s second oldest newspaper, back in 1866.” This, of course, is absolutely untrue. The Register Call is Colorado’s second oldest newspaper (since July 1862) and is the oldest continuously published newspaper. I called the Transcript offices to contact Kunce and was informed that he was on vacation. I was affronted by some sniggering female who seemed to think it amusing that I had the temerity to question anything the Transcript had to say and ask for a retraction of this phony information. She made all sorts of flimsy wishy-washy excuses as to what Kunce’s statement meant, indicating to me that nothing would be done about it. The Transcript has stooped to a new low in journalism, putting itself on the level of the “yellow sheet.” –William C. Russell Jr.
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