"Spending time with" sparrows is a great way to describe how to observe them. The feeling of intimidation that identifying sparrows presents to a new birder starts to melt away when you hang around these birds. Their charm is infectious, and the ease and enjoyment of watching them makes learning the finer points come naturally. With the exception of marsh and grassland species, they are often cooperative and not too off-put by our presence. They have a lot of personality, which becomes apparent as you get to know them better.
Thanks for your informative presentation. Notes: 1. I see white crown sparrows in Alexandria, VA, in Fleet Industrial Park, along the railroad tracks. sometimes there are two of them. I see them all year long. 2. I use Peterson's Field Guide, Fifth Edition, 2002. 3. I feed the birds at the site commercial songbird seeds containing a large proportion of sunflower seeds. The feeding "station" is a large chunk of flat-topped asphalt. It is sequestered among evergreen and deciduous trees and bushes, with good overhead cover. I often see hawks circling. 4. The birds that arrive are, depending on time of year: Male and female towhees, male and female cardinals, male and female house finches, blue jays, a red-winged black bird, grackles, starlings, a red-bellied woodpecker, downy woodpeckers, doves, &c. 5. In the past, and hopefully as it warms: Rabbits, & chipmunks; squirrels are regulars. 5: Birds that have rarely shown: Cowbirds, black-birds that I've been unable to ID, and a large brown finch that I can't ID, and a wren (Carolina?). The Peterson has a large section on sparrows, but I don't have much luck using it to ID some of the sparrows.I enjoy the sparrows for their feistiness, the way they suddenly in, and out as suddenly, without any sudden stimulus. They love to drink from the water Steve and I provide, and lately, with the drier weather, the group dust-bathing. Occasionally there will be a brief spat between a couple of them.
Nice sparrows for sure! The ones that ARE terrible is the House Sparrow, here in Canada anyway! They are an invasive species! If we feed them here, they take over your yard and feeder and no song birds birds come around! Lived here for 26 years, new neighbor moved in, put out a feeder in summer and that was it! Next thing ya know there were about 20 House Sparrows first day, then 40 the next! I talked to her, she did not know that and took down her feeder! But....they decided to nest in our big Spruce tree first time ever the last two years! Missed my song birds and watching warblers eating aphids in Aug. off other trees in my yard! House Sparrows do not allow other birds around at all! So glad all sparrows are not like these annoying ones! Great video!!
I thought this video was going to be about eliminating English sparrows from the North American continent. They are an invasive species released by a bunch of Shakespeare enthusiasts a couple hundred years ago. They also released the European starlings. These birds have cause environmental catastrophe to native birds. Boy was I wrong. I had no idea there were so many different kinds of sparrows.
"Spending time with" sparrows is a great way to describe how to observe them. The feeling of intimidation that identifying sparrows presents to a new birder starts to melt away when you hang around these birds. Their charm is infectious, and the ease and enjoyment of watching them makes learning the finer points come naturally. With the exception of marsh and grassland species, they are often cooperative and not too off-put by our presence. They have a lot of personality, which becomes apparent as you get to know them better.
Thank you! Great video
Very nice, thank you. Generally helpful. Birding 40 years and sparrows are still sometimes challenging.
Thanks for your informative presentation. Notes: 1. I see white crown sparrows in Alexandria, VA, in Fleet Industrial Park, along the railroad tracks. sometimes there are two of them. I see them all year long. 2. I use Peterson's Field Guide, Fifth Edition, 2002. 3. I feed the birds at the site commercial songbird seeds containing a large proportion of sunflower seeds. The feeding "station" is a large chunk of flat-topped asphalt. It is sequestered among evergreen and deciduous trees and bushes, with good overhead cover. I often see hawks circling. 4. The birds that arrive are, depending on time of year: Male and female towhees, male and female cardinals, male and female house finches, blue jays, a red-winged black bird, grackles, starlings, a red-bellied woodpecker, downy woodpeckers, doves, &c. 5. In the past, and hopefully as it warms: Rabbits, & chipmunks; squirrels are regulars. 5: Birds that have rarely shown: Cowbirds, black-birds that I've been unable to ID, and a large brown finch that I can't ID, and a wren (Carolina?). The Peterson has a large section on sparrows, but I don't have much luck using it to ID some of the sparrows.I enjoy the sparrows for their feistiness, the way they suddenly in, and out as suddenly, without any sudden stimulus. They love to drink from the water Steve and I provide, and lately, with the drier weather, the group dust-bathing. Occasionally there will be a brief spat between a couple of them.
Nice sparrows for sure! The ones that ARE terrible is the House Sparrow, here in Canada anyway! They are an invasive species! If we feed them here, they take over your yard and feeder and no song birds birds come around! Lived here for 26 years, new neighbor moved in, put out a feeder in summer and that was it! Next thing ya know there were about 20 House Sparrows first day, then 40 the next! I talked to her, she did not know that and took down her feeder! But....they decided to nest in our big Spruce tree first time ever the last two years! Missed my song birds and watching warblers eating aphids in Aug. off other trees in my yard! House Sparrows do not allow other birds around at all! So glad all sparrows are not like these annoying ones! Great video!!
Great presentation. I learned so much. Thank you!!
Thank you! I'm out on west coast, and this is very helpful.
White crowns just arrived here--north of Burlington. Double the length of the song sparrow.
This is great and quite interesting.
This is so great Bryan! thanks for sharing online!
I thought this video was going to be about eliminating English sparrows from the North American continent. They are an invasive species released by a bunch of Shakespeare enthusiasts a couple hundred years ago. They also released the European starlings. These birds have cause environmental catastrophe to native birds.
Boy was I wrong. I had no idea there were so many different kinds of sparrows.
This guy has a lot of good information,,i just could not finish watching the video,,,,to bad hes really only talking to people in vermont.