IT’S FEEDER BIRD COUNTING TIME AGAIN! (1/18/02)

As I write this, it doesn’t seem at all like winter, although that could change before I reach the end of this article. Despite the warm weather that has been the hallmark of our winter so far, we have had many customers at our feeders. Our red-breasted nuthatch has not been as regular as he was in the fall, but he shows up every now and then, so we know he’s still in the area.

Sometimes we on the Cape feel cheated when we read of the greater diversity of birds on the mainland, but as there’s nothing we can do about it, we can only hope that all of a sudden we too will be hosting lots of crossbills, pine grosbeaks, more siskins and other northern birds that can make winter birding extremely exciting.

While it may not feel like winter on many days, nonetheless it is time for us to prepare for my annual feeder count. This year the dates will be starting February 9 and continuing through the 17th. I like to do an extended period, rather than just a weekend, so that there will be a better chance of snow and other weather that might bring more birds into our feeders. Besides, this gives more people an opportunity to participate. Details of the count and the checklist will appear in my next column.

Every year as part of the preparation from the count, I encourage participants to study their field guide sections on sparrows. Those who don’t use binoculars are at a great disadvantage since they may not be able to see the distinguishing features of the individual sparrows have. I will hope, though, that most folks either do have binos or that your feeders are close enough to your windows that the birds are easy to see.

Our most common year-around sparrow is the song sparrow. This endlessly busy bird almost always feeds on the ground or a platform feeder rather than coming to a hopper or hanging feeder. The streaking on both the male’s and female’s breasts is the best field mark to distinguish them from the other sparrows, and if you can see them well, most song sparrows show a dark spot on their breast. A very few folks might have a wintering fox sparrow, but they are quite scarce here. They, too, have streaked breasts, but they are noticeably larger than a song sparrow and are quite red on their wings, rump and tail.

The next most numerous of our sparrows are the white-throats. Although they can differ in plumage, I think most show enough of a white throat so that even if their head stripes show varying shades of tan to white, they are obviously not any other species. Their close cousins, the white-crowned, are generally very scarce on the Cape, so most of you won’t have to put them into your think thank.

If you live near open fields, you are quite likely to have tree sparrows visit your feeders. Their red caps and plain breasts with a dark spot in the middle make them a stand-out among the other feeder birds. They also are likely to sing all winter long, something most of the sparrows do not do until spring is much nearer.

Dark-eyed juncos are sparrows, although you’d not guess it from their name. Some folks have them every winter, while others never do. We had a few in November, but now they have moved on elsewhere. The males’ dark gray backs and throat, white bellies, yellow bills and conspicuous white outer tail feathers distinguish them from other sparrows. The females are brown instead of black. Old timers called juncos “dark skies above, white snow below.” I like that; don’t you?

Almost any other sparrow that you’ll find in your field guides is quite unlikely to be at your feeder, but you know how it is, there is always an exception to any strong statement. Rufous-sided towhees, although not sparrows, are similar in habits and closely related to sparrows and finches. A few lucky folks have one of these each winter.

Each year, I feel compelled to write on the subject of English or house sparrows. How many times have you read my words that these are not sparrows at all? They are numerous in almost everyone’s yard, they look like sparrows, they behave like sparrows, but they are truly not sparrows. They are not even native birds. They are a breed of weaver finch, introduced more than a hundred years ago into the North America, where they have thrived ever since.

The males have a gray crown, black bill, black chin and black upper breast. Does that sound like any other sparrow I have described? The female is a very bland looking bird, with just an unstreaked buffy breast and no distinguishing marks. She does, however, have a heavily streaked back, and is seen in the company of others of her kind. When you’ve ruled out the other species I described above, take a look in your field guide at the house sparrow.

So, everyone, get out your field guides and study your birds! I don’t want any comments about sparrows being too difficult to identify or too numerous to count. You can do both!

GRAPHIC: Female English/House Sparrow