Familiar Sparrows - Part 2

     My earlier post regarding some of our familiar sparrows has generated quite a bit of interest and I am pleased to present another group, which I hope you will enjoy equally.

Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)

     If you have never had the pleasure of examining the plumage of a Swamp Sparrow in detail, then you have missed one of life's great pleasures! If that sentence is not spoken like a true bird lover I don't know what is!

      This individual spent the winter at Riverside Park in 2018 and was never reluctant to come to feed with other birds on the rail along the boardwalk where food was strewn by humans.

     You will note the diagnostic rusty crown, grey face, dark line extending from the back of the eye, and the vibrant rusty scapulars and wings. The back is broadly streaked with black.

     It is not generally found at bird feeders, but as is illustrated above, it is quick to take advantage of anthropogenic food sources when the opportunity presents itself.

     This species nests in cattails or shrubs over water, or in sedge tussocks, generally in northerly locations, or at high elevation on mountain lakes and ponds.

     In southern Ontario it is most likely to be seen in migration, but in northern Ontario, or in states such as Minnesota and North Dakota, it may be found as a breeding species. 

Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla)

     This is an exceptionally delicate-appearing little sparrow, somewhat easy to find in the right habitat, and always a cause for intense pleasure on discovering one.

     It is quite plain for the most part and the rusty crown is nowhere near as vivid as on other species. Immediately on seeing a Field Sparrow one is drawn to its pink bill, sometimes referred to as bubblegum pink, and its pinkish/yellow legs.

     Generally, it is uncommon at bird feeders, but once it discovers and habituates to a favourite feeding station, it is prone to become a regular visitor. It shows a preference for feeding on the ground on seed spilled by other birds.

     In the breeding season look for it in old fields or abandoned orchards. The male sings persistently from an exposed perch and is not easily put to flight while protecting territory and seeking a mate.

White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys)

     White-crowned Sparrow is a very handsome sparrow indeed, and one that we look forward to seeing in spring and fall as it passes through southern Ontario on migration.

     Nothing is ever guaranteed in the world of birding, but the fact that White-crowned Sparrows will show up in our backyard is as close as one can get to a guarantee. We have lived here for sixteen years and they have not failed us yet.

    The shot above is taken on a moss-covered rock against our back fence.

     Zonotrichia sparrows are quite large, and this species is unlikely to be confused with any other, by the crisp black and white head.

     When freshly moulted the intensity of the colours, and the contrast between black and white is breathtaking. 

     Enjoy this sparkling individual up against Jack Frost (Brunnera macrophyla) in our garden.

     White-crowned Sparrows breed in the far north, in land dominated by Dwarf Spruce (Picea glauca) and Tamarack (Larix laricina).

     The following picture of an adult with young of the year was taken at Colonel Samuel Smith Park in Toronto, ON.

White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)

     Our second Zonotrichia sparrow is, if anything, even more appealing than the one presented above.

     It is characterized by a vivid white throat patch and a prominent yellow spot in front of the eye.

     If there were such a thing as a "Canadian" sparrow, White-throated Sparrow would be it. It has a plaintive whistled song, instantly recognizable, beginning with two clear leisurely notes, followed by a three-note phrase, repeated two or three times, and widely interpreted as I love Canada, Canada, Canada.

     While primarily migratory, a few birds spend the winter here, as befits a bird that claims to love Canada, I suppose!

     

     Riverside Park in Cambridge is a reliable location for winter residents, and in the following shot you can see White-throated Sparrow sharing food left by humans with American Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea) and Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis), two species covered in my original post.

Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus)

     Here in southern Ontario Lark Sparrow is a rarity, and the first two pictures were taken at a feeder in Fort Erie where a bird spent the winter of 2013/2014, and the owner of the property was very welcoming of visiting birders, keen to see this uncommon visitor.

      It is a very distinctive sparrow, with a striped face that needs little more description, since it is quite different from any other sparrow, except, (vaguely I might add), the much rarer Sage Sparrow (Amphispiza nevadensis).  The habitat preferences of these two species do not overlap to a great extent, so it is unlikely that you will find them together.

     Lark Sparrow breeds over much of the continental United States and is found in the southwest year round. The bird seen below was photographed in southeast Arizona at the foot of the Chiricahua Mountains.

     Be sure to keep an open eye for this wonderfully attractive bird.

      I hope you have enjoyed getting to know five other sparrows and will take up the challenge of identifying them. 

     Let me know what you find in your area.   

    

Banding Episode No. 7

02 October 2016

SpruceHaven, St. Agatha, ON

     Our regularly scheduled banding stint was to take place yesterday, but there was a constant drizzle in the morning, and we had to call it off.

     I had many other things to do at SpruceHaven, viz cleaning out all the nest boxes, installing a new box for American Kestrel, two new chickadee boxes and four new bluebird houses. So, ably assisted by John Lichty, I stayed there until mid afternoon. We were also joined by a group of students from the environmental studies programme at the University of Waterloo who, under the capable leadership of Josh Pickering, came out to help Sandy with planting a whole new bunch of native trees and shrubs (in total they planted one hundred and twenty-five) as well as about ten native perennials. 

     This also gave me the chance to involve some of them in the avian aspects of SpruceHaven and we all enjoyed a fine time together. These students worked hard, and willingly, and are a credit to young people everywhere. 

     Sandy served homemade, fresh off the barbecue hamburgers for lunch, and they were absolutely delicious. 

     When I got home mid afternoon, Miriam told me that Kevin had called to say that if the weather looked more promising the following day he would go out to SpruceHaven and open up the nets. I was obviously keen to join him, so I was up this morning dark and early, but it was raining, and I quickly put out of my mind any possibility that we would be banding birds. I was just stepping out of the shower when Miriam came to tell me that Dave had called to say that Kevin was raring to go, the weather had changed for the better, and he was about to open the nets. I quickly dressed and left for SpruceHaven.

     Thank goodness I did and kudos to Kevin for his dogged determination. Even though we started banding later than usual we wound up having our best day ever.

     It is becoming very interesting to observe the flight paths of various migrants at SpruceHaven and I am sure that over time we will be able to correlate it with vegetational structure and other factors. We caught and banded our first two Lincoln's Sparrows Melospiza lincolnii of the fall, single captures each time, but both in the same net.

     The six nets we have in operation (it will be seven next week) are situated in different sections of the property and it is quite remarkable that many individuals of the same species have been ensnared in the same net, obviously indicating a preference for the specific conditions found there and probably reflecting the fact that they are travelling in flocks.

     We were delighted to capture our first Philadelphia Vireo Vireo philadelphicus of the fall, resplendent with its yellow breast.

     One of the interesting characters of this species is that the P10 primary feather is shorter than the adjacent greater coverts. Here are the two pages from "Pyle" contrasting the wings structure of Philadelphia Vireo and Warbling Vireo Vireo gilvus.

     By verifying this feature alone one can separate the two species one from the other.

     We were able to net our first two Field Sparrows Spizella pusilla with their bubblegum pink bill and legs, and unstreaked breast.

     Palm Warbler Setophaga palmarum is quite variable in plumage, with the so-called Yellow Palm Warbler being considerably brighter than the standard variant caught in our nets today. This morph is sometimes referred to as Western Palm Warbler. We trapped three individuals of this species, all in the same net.

     In the fall Blue Jays Cyanocitta cristata migrate in huge concentrations, with some flocks numbering several thousand. Populations from father north leapfrog over our resident birds and it will be interesting to see whether this bird extracted from our nets is migratory or sedentary.

     Myrtle Warblers Setophaga coronata seemed to be everywhere we looked this morning and it was surprising that we caught only two.

     I have only seen one Savannah Sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis while birding at Sprucehaven, since we do not yet have ideal habitat for this species, so it was satisfying to trap this individual migrating through. This perhaps reinforces the fact that if we create the right conditions we can encourage this grassland species to breed with us.

     Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens is a common resident bird; perhaps we will see this male at our feeders during the winter.

     A Golden-crowned Kinglet Regulus satrapa is a tiny little gem, barely bigger than a hummingbird. It is incredible that these diminutive creatures weighing just a few grams can survive our northern winters. I would recommend to anyone Winter by that consummate biologist and author, Bernd Heinrich, where he studies a population of Golden-crowned Kinglets in Maine, where winter temperatures sometimes dip below minus forty, but these birds survive through it all to breed the following spring.

     As always, to spend the morning with Kevin, and to be joined by Sandy and Dave at the banding station, is an exercise in sheer delight. Next Saturday can't come soon enough for me.

All species banded 02 October: Downy Woodpecker (1), Blue Jay (1), Philadelphia Vireo (1), Black-capped Chickadee (6), Golden-crowned Kinglet (1), Ruby-crowned Kinglet (2), American Goldfinch (3), Tennessee Warbler (1), Nashville Warbler (1), Palm Warbler (3) Myrtle Warbler (2), Black-throated Green Warbler (1), Song Sparrow (12), Lincoln's Sparrow (2), Swamp Sparrow (1), Savannah Sparrow (1), Field Sparrow (2).

Total individuals: 41