Of Sparrows and Phoebes

 

Sparrows are a confusing lot, yet, this is the time of year when they become a focus.  As we get ready for Christmas Counts many of us are boning up on these LBJs (little brown jobs).  As fall migrants they are already giving us practice.  With my group’s last field trip, our first challenge was a sparrow identification.  From a distance we made one guess only to be proven very much incorrect when the bird in question joined two others of the same species in a nearby brush pile.  Savannahs they were.

One bird which travels through our area twice a year as a migrant is the Eastern Phoebe.  Its song is distinctive and its posture and behavior leaves nothing to doubt.  It is a joy to see them as well.

 

Photographs courtesy of Bill Ravenscroft.