Brown - But Not Boring

White-throated Sparrow

 In a post on my blog some time ago, I made a passing comment that European birds are dull. My comment prompted an e-mail from a British birder: You have obviously never felt the numinous awe when in the presence of a Garden Warbler in full nuptial splendour! Some would say that they even surpass Warbling Vireos in their sheer, beautiousness.”

It was a busy time, and it took a while for my mental processor to register the comparison to our Warbling Vireo. Our Warbling Vireo is a dull gray bird with no distinguishing characteristics except its musical warble. Then I checked my European bird guide, which describes the Garden Warbler as “Anonymous appearance ... with no obvious features.”

Song Sparrow - the "default sparrow"

The Brits take their birds seriously. Even so (their testiness not withstanding) common European birds are a rather dull lot. I had a pair of Brits (not British birders) stay with me. They were charmed by the chickadees at the bird table, stunned by the sartorial splendor of the Blue Jays, and departed speechless when a male Northern Cardinal visited on their last morning, all experiences nearly unknown on the other side of the pond.

Even so, I can imagine some readers might be saying that in today’s world we Americans have few friends, so we ought not insult the ones we do have. “Dear British friends,” they might say, “we have our share of dull, brown, nondescript sparrows and finches.”

And yes, we do have lots of little little brown birds which are often difficult to tell apart. I watched them at my feeders as I ate breakfast, a milling mass scratching the ground and covering the feeders. There were juveniles in the mix, and many of them lack the handsomeness that characterizes the adults. The plumage of adults is worn from a summer of child-rearing and has lost its crispness, but this is also a defensive tactic designed to camouflage them from predators during the winter ahead.

Most of the sparrows and finches have been around all summer, but the migrants are also beginning to make their appearance. Generally, they move in fits and starts, and no further than is necessary to get plenty of food, either for further flight or against the cold. They are opportunistic foragers drawn to the bounty of bird feeders. They hang around, and so give us a good opportunity to study them, distinguish them, and enjoy their variety. With a good bird guide nearby, late September through mid-November is a perfect time to dispel the notion that all sparrows and finches are dull brown birds that look alike.

Here is a quick run-through of the most common “little brown birds” which frequent my feeders during the Fall.

Purple Finch - female

Lining the perches of the sunflower feeder are Purple Finches. The females are plain, dull streaky brown and white birds, but the males still sport their wine red plumage, though it is faded. Occasionally an even duller brown, more finely streaked female House Finch will appear, perhaps with a faded red male, but these are more common in the towns.

Littering the ground and blending in with the fading green grass are American Goldfinches. An occasional male still shows some remains of his sunburst-yellow breeding plumage, but most - males, females and juveniles - are in their drab olive green plumage. They are so well camouflaged on the ground that I am often unaware of how many there are until they burst into flight. The finches - gold, purple, and house - may be “dull” this time of year, but in breeding plumage the males are stunning.

Chipping Sparrow

Chipping Sparrows use the bird feeders. Adults have the deep brownish red cap outlined by a white eye stripe and with a dark line through the eye. Necks and chest are white, fading to gray along the sides. Juveniles are plainer, with only hints of the red cap and white stripe, but they are usually present with adults and size and shape all say, “Chippy.”

On the ground, seven species of sparrows are often scratching for food. The common Song Sparrow,  often referred to as the “default sparrow,” has bold brown streaking on a white breast, often with a prominent brown “stick pin” in the middle of its breast. Uncommon at the feeders is the slimmer Savannah Sparrow. Compared to the Song Sparrow, the Savannah Sparrow is usually paler, more finely streaked, lacks the “stick pin,” sometimes has some yellow in front of the eye, and has a notched tail.

The White-throated Sparrow is a bit larger, often has yellow spots in front of the eyes (very faded in the Fall and Winter) and a white throat. It has moved down from the higher elevations where it nests, and some will stay all winter if there is food available.

White-crowned Sparrow - juvenile. Insert - adult

Juvenile White-crowned Sparrows usually appear in mid-October, migrating from the north of Canada. These juveniles can be confused with the American Tree Sparrow (which doesn’t show up until November); the tree sparrow also has an unstreaked breast and buffy sides, but it sports a “stick pin” in the middle of its breast. The young White-crowned Sparrow has brownish and buffy head stripes which hint at the bold black and white stripes of the slim and handsome adults.

Dark-eyed Juncos, gray and white “snow birds” come down from the mountains and are gathering in their nomadic flocks for the Winter. There is great variation in the shades of gray on the juncos, ranging from near black to very pale gray. Occasionally the western race with rusty sides, known as “Oregon Juncos,” will appear in our neighborhoods as well.

Fox Sparrow (in background, White-throated Sparrow)

In late October, the large, deeply rufous-colored Fox Sparrow can be expected. It looks like an especially robust and handsome Song Sparrow.

Becoming familiar with these common sparrows will also enable you to pick up the rare vagrant that will make you the envy of the local birding community. Some years ago an observer in Putney noticed a “mutant” sparrow among the half dozen species feeding outside of his living room window. It was a juvenile Harris’ Sparrow and was only the second confirmed sighting of this species in Vermont.

The little brown birds that frequent our feeders are dull and drab only when we are bored and inattentive. They great variety and give us lots of opportunities to hone our observational skills.

More Spring !!

I continue to be delighted that Evening Grosbeaks have returned to the vicinity after disappearing in the aftermath of last year's hurricane and flooding. At least two pair seem to be courting and hopefully will nest nearby.

Evening Grosbeak - male

Evening Grosbeak - female (background: Red-winged Blackbird female)

This has been an abundant year for American Goldfinches. Their cousins, the Pine Siskins, have also been common at the feeders, sometimes as many as a dozen or more ...

American Goldfinch

Pine Siskin

Chipping Sparrows returned two weeks ago. A few morning I have heard their vocal dueling through the bedroom window as early as 5 am.

Chipping Sparrow

The White-throated Sparrow in the bird bath is one of those "just because I like it" photos ...

White-throated Sparrow - white morph

With the females returning, the Red-winged Blackbirds are no longer hiding their epaulets, but are "singing," displaying, and chasing rivals with vigor ...

Red-winged Blackbird

... and finally, for the last month I have been trying to get photos of the Tree Swallow in flight, with several hundred failures. Then a few days ago, I had several credible successes. Here is one ...

Tree Swallow

Good Birding!!

The Morning Duel

Last Saturday it snowed in my yard, as it did in many of your yards. Heavy wet snow slid off the metal roof through the day with the schlump, schlump, schlump sound that I am accustomed to hearing through the dark winter months. But this was the third week in April. Those schlumps of snow fell on yellow daffodils, and lavender and purple crocus.

The day was all wrong. The day should of been one of raking leaves from garden beds, cleaning yard debris, cutting back dry canes, and complaining about the aches caused by sudden muscular activity after months of winter idleness. I could not muster the old-timers’ philosophical resignation: “This is Vermont, after all. Got to expect weather like this any time.” I coped with the disconcerting, out-of-season snow by drawing the blinds.

I did made regular journeys to the kitchen for coffee and tea. The birds in the back seemed bedraggled as they scratched the fallen bird seed from between clods of snow. The business of eating was their only activity. Most appeared to have suspended their most important activity during a normal third week in April. They were not doing much singing and very little displaying. Occasionally a cowbird would posture, but nobody seemed to care much.

I may be projecting my mood onto the birds. Once their gonads begin to increase many fold sending hormones through their system, the life of birds is directed toward reproduction. It is a powerful force that controls their activity for several months during the year. A Spring snow is a mere bump in the road, one that may be a final natural selection which removes those who don’t really have the moxie to breed. These are the bird which just barely survived winter.

That said, I still feel like anthropomorphizing the birds during last Saturday’s snow. Some looked as though they were completely baffled by the weather. Chipping Sparrows had a nonplussed appearance. Three to five Chippys mingled on the platform feeder, occasionally pecking at a seed, but mostly milling around as though they were wondering what had happened to the party they had come for and what should they do next.

Chipping Sparrows winter in our southern states. They do not have nearly as long a migration as the tropical species (the warblers, for example). They arrive in mid-April. Probably the males come first, each with the compulsive intention of claiming the best territory, and then claiming the best female with whom to breed and raise young.

Having to scratch through snow to get the seed on the platform was not on their agenda. As one of the other columnists in this paper likes to ask, “What the hell’s up with that?”

But, it is time to move away from the rant. The snow is gone. Snow out in my yard was on Tuesday, the latest date since I have lived here. Spring has resumed its staggering journey toward full blossom.

The birds are back on track as well, if they ever really got off track. Those Chipping Sparrows did not continue long in bafflement. “Battle” better defines their activity in the Spring, and they are in full battle mode. I heard the end of one day’s battle on a drippy morning this week.

Edward Forbush, the Massachusetts ornithologist, was a remarkable observer and chronicler of New England bird life. I read his species accounts with pleasure. But this week I found a nit to pick with him. He describes the song of the Chipping Sparrow as a “simple monotonous series of dry ‘chips,’ rapidly repeated.”

That is not what I heard at 6:30 am. I heard four distinct songs from four different males. One produced clear, slowly-paced, distinct, whistled chips. Another produced slurred whistles. Another offered dry and mechanical chips. The clear whistler sang his song solo. A second male broke the brief silence. Two birds sang together, until silenced by the power of the clear whistler.

When I stir into my morning semi-consciousness, the first bird I hear singing is usually the robin. I have slept too late. Chipping Sparrows begin their musical duel before dawn and conclude the battle when most of us are just waking up.

Donald Kroodsma (The Singing Life of Birds, 2005) describes his study in a Massachusetts cemetery of the early morning song duels in which Chipping Sparrows engage. The study required that he be on the battle ground by 4:00 am. The sparring begins around 4:30. Here is a part of Kroodsma’s description:

“Bird D now sings from the cul-de-sac, also sputtering brief songs from the ground, but then I hear him just to my right, the bird in the cul-de-sac now silent. He’s moved. A is to my left, B in front of me, and D to my right, all three singing phantoms within five yards of me, all unseen, all on the ground or a gravestone, each sputtering his distinctive song. B delivers, but he’s cut off by D, whose song in turn is overlapped by A. Sometimes they alternate, sometimes overlap, but I cannot keep track of who plays what role in this game.”

Eventually the birds move from the ground to the trees. Paired males are mostly silent during the day. Bachelors keep singing. Kroodsma again: “If territories are widely disperse, it seems that the males still convene at a traditional location, sparring there even if some of the males don’t own territories that border that place. The older, dominant males begin the dawn singing on any given morning, and an older bird more often overlaps the songs of a submissive or younger neighbor, rather than the other way around. To interrupt a singer, to cut him off, is a strong, aggressive message.”

The Chipping Sparrow is one of those birds that many would describe as “sweet,” or even “cute.” It is a handsome little bird, especially in the Spring when it returns in crisp, fresh plumage: a clean, gray breast, rusty red cap, white stripe above the eye, black stripe behind the eye. It does not bully other birds. If anything, it is bullied by other birds. It is not noisy. It goes about its own business, and minds its own business.

The males on the snowy platform feeder were only momentarily quiet. The bafflement I saw in their postures was almost certainly my projection of my mental state unto them. During this time of the year, the Chipping Sparrow’s mental state is focused on one thing. Sex.

If the weather stays warm and I can finally get outdoors, the Chipping Sparrows’ mental state will mean one thing to me. Good birding!

LBJs - IDs for Exercises 9 & 10

If you are following these LBJ posts, I hope they are getting easier for you. Exercise 9 was posted last Thursday. Exercise 10 was posted Sunday.

#41 - American Tree Sparrow - similar to juvenile White-crowned and juvenile Chipping. Note warm wash on sides, sometimes a breast spot. Study the bird guides for differences in size and shape

#42 - Chipping Sparrow

#43 - Indigo Bunting, female - Note traces of blue on the wings, finch-like beak

#44 - House Finch, female

#45 - Swamp Sparrow

#46 - Rose-breasted Grosbeak, female

#47 - Savannah Sparrow

#48 - Song Sparrow

#49 - Song Sparrow - See! You don't need to see the breast spot to ID this sparrow.

#50 - Pine Siskin







Good Birding!!

LBJs - IDs for 3 & 4

Little Brown Jobs - Here's the IDs on the Sunday and Tuesday posts. Scroll down for last week's IDs, or go further to see Quiz 1 & 2. Thanks for dropping by.

#11 - Chipping Sparrow, non-breeding adult, late October. The cap is not the deep red of a breeding adult, but still very rufous, more so than that of the juvenile. In late summer and early fall, the juveniles I see in the yard are even plainer than this bird, which leads me to say this is an adult. Note the clean, grayish breast -  an important field mark so as not to confuse this sparrow with a similar winter sparrow.

#12 - House Sparrow, female - A bird that birders love to hate, although that is not fair to the handsome male, and the fact that in NA this bird has adapted to harsh environments, such as inner cities. She is dingy brown, but lighter stripe behind her head is a good field mark. Also, a big head, stout bill.

#13 - Lincoln's Sparrow - Looking at the head, one might think Song Sparrow, but the supercilium is a much broader gray, the streaking on the breast is crisp and thinner, and the breast is buffy. It is smaller than the Song, more delicate; its beak is more pointed. Even so, this is a difficult bird for me, because I do not see it often. Even when I chased down breeding Lincoln's in the Green Mountains this past June, this shy sparrow gave few good looks. It is always something of a surprise to see one in my neighborhoods, though I suspect I may be overlooking it because I don't expect it.

#14 - Purple Finch, female - Quite a contrast to the deep, red wine color of the male. She is similar to the female House Finch, but stouter, more heavily streaked. The stripe above the eye is a good field mark. I sometimes think of her as a scaled down version of the female Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Her finch beak is larger that the House Finch; Pine Siskin beak is smaller and pointed.

#15 - Brown-headed Cowbird, female - Larger than most LBJs, this blackbird is another bird that birders love to hate, which is unfair because she finds so many more nests to drop her eggs into due to our radical alteration of the landscape. She is a dirty brown-gray, or gray-brown. I photographed this bird on the back of a horse. She was in a mixed flock of female cowbirds and female House Sparrows; it was a flock of nondescript birds. Either species could have been overlooked in the colorless plumage and songless calls.

#16 -  American Tree Sparrow - Very similar to the non-breeding and juvenile Chipping Sparrow, but considerably larger, with a bi-color bill, a warm tan wash along the flanks, and a distinct, isolated dark spot on the breast

#17 - Chipping Sparrow, fledgling - This was a very young bird just recently out of the nest, photographed in mid-August. It was being fed by parents. Even without those helps, the strong, dark eye-line remains a good clue to ID.

#18 -  House Sparrow, male - Putting aside prejudice, this introduced species is handsome, and the black bib and bold pattern is distinctive.

#19 -  Pine Siskin - goldfinch in disguise. Pointed beak, strong streaking, and hints of yellow in the wings, set this finch apart from other finches.

#20 - Purple Finch, female - Note the strong brown and white pattern on the head, and large finch beak.

LBJs - IDs for 1 & 2

These exercises on Little Brown Jobs (LBJs) is more for my benefit than as a quiz or test for readers (though I hope a few people will be bold and do the IDs). As I come to the ID posts and give some field marks and GISS (general impression size shape) for the IDs, I am trying to write what I “know” or sense. I am already finding it a difficult task.

My apologies for the northeastern North American bias, but that is where I live and these are the LBJs I see most often. For readers in other parts of the world, I hope you find some amusement of some sort.

From Monday, Dec 6

#1 - Song Sparrow - the default sparrow - in the east, this is a dull brown and gray sparrow with a heavily streaked breast which merges to a breast spot or stick pin. But it is not necessary to see the spot. The lateral throat stripes, the brown and gray stripes and pattern on the head, and the behavior - a poor, jumpy and usually short flight - betray its identity. Not much of a looker, but I have to like a bird that will hang around all year and will sing as soon as the winter sun appears and the temperature ticks up a degree or two.

#2 - Field Sparrow - light, warm coloring; patterned on the head something like the Song Sparrow, but more gentle; pink bill and legs; a spring and summer resident in grassy fields, and rather scarce in Vermont as forest reclaims the open space.

#3 - White-throated Sparrow - I should have held this photo until later. You can just see the white throat under the bowed head, but the yellow lores are absent in the photo. However, the tannish head stripes, dark bill and chunkiness give it away. Juvenile White-crowned Sparrow has warmer head coloring, while adult is white.

#4 - Song Sparrow - no breast spot is visible, but the gray and brown pattern on the head, throat stripe, and evidence of heavy streaking on breast give away the identiy.

#5 - Savannah Sparrow - something of a slim and lighter Song Sparrow. Sometimes this sparrow shows hints of yellow lores (never as prominent as the White-throated) and yellow along the eye line. Usually less streaking than Song; sometimes there are hints of a breast spot. The adult Ipswich is most common in the east which is good for me; when I look at field guides, some of the other subspecies look much more like the Song Sparrow.

From Wednesday, Dec 8

#6 - Chipping Sparrow - adult breeding - when this little sparrow shows up at the feeders, I know Winter is definitely on the run. The strong black eye line, white stripe, rusty red cap, and clean, unstreaked breast make this almost unmistakable. Nonbreeding and juveniles can be another matter.

#7 - Fox Sparrow - probably my favorite sparrow, this large junky sparrow is patterned like a Song Sparrow on steroids. In the east, the red (Taiga) is the brightest of the sparrows. A few visit my feeders most years during early Spring and late Fall. When I miss them, I feel a void in the season.

#8 - Pine Siskin - Pete Dunne calls this bird a goldfinch in disguise. About the same size as an American Goldfinch, it often travels with them, and if it is a small minority in a finch flock, it can be overlooked. The beak is thin and pointed, unlike the finch beak of the goldfinch. The siskin is heavily streaked, unlike the goldfinch, and the hints of yellow in the wing and tail give it away.

# 9 - Song Sparrow - default sparrow - head pattern and heavy streaking, compact shape, strong lateral throat stripe.

#10 - White-throated Sparrow - white striped adult showing prominent white throat and yellow lores.






I hope to post additional photos on Monday and Wednesday, with ID on Friday, unless other birding intrudes along the way.

Good birding.

Grosbeaks, Finches, Sparrows

Birders in southeastern Vermont have been excited by two (maybe three) Blue Grosbeaks in Vernon. A southern species rarely encountered this far north, they were probably brought north on one of the recent nor'easters.

Blue Grosbeaks (female or juvenile)

The juveniles (or females) were among a large mixed flock of sparrows( White-throat, White-crowned, Song) and juncos. Here is a nice size comparison between the Blue Grosbeak and the White-throated Sparrow ...

Blue Grosbeak (l) with White-throated Sparrow (r)

In my backyard, there have about 10+ Evening Grosbeaks, uncountable numbers of Dark-eyed Juncos and White-throated Sparrows, and a few adult and juvenile White-crowned Sparrows. A few Chipping Sparrows also linger, almost all of them juveniles ...

Chipping Sparrow (juvenile)

 Last year the winter finches were almost totally absent. Predictions have not been much better for this year. To my surprise, and delight, Pine Siskins  (close relative of goldfinches) appeared on Monday (12+) and have quickly taken to the largess of my bird tables.

Pine Siskin - with American Goldfinch (rear right)

But the highlight in the backyard is the Fox Sparrow which arrived on Sunday and continues to scratch for seeds, of which there are many on the ground (say "thank you," Mr. Fox, to the Blue Jays).The Fox Sparrow is a transient; one paused very briefly during the spring. I also had a very brief encounter with one on the Gaspe Peninsula in June. This beautiful, and large sparrow, is a treat to have visiting in the yard ...

Fox Sparrow (red-taiga)

 This has been a good year for sparrows and finches in the yard. Note that the Fox Sparrow is surrounded by White-throated Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, and Purple Finch ...

Fox Sparrow (c) with sparrows, juncos, finch

Good birding!!