Brandon's Big Year in Birding: Little Brown Birds

American Tree Sparrow

What do you think of when you hear the word sparrow? For me, I immediately think of the House Sparrow. Growing up, I remember my dad cursing their existence due to the fact that they devour every type of feed he put out. That may be why the man cares very little for sparrows. Gulls, shorebirds, and sparrows. If they're hard to ID, he's not a huge fan. I will say, however, that he appears to be making more of an effort this year.

I do share my dad's frustration. Not only are they difficult to tell apart, but they also rarely stay out in the open for very long. When they do, you feel blessed. Earlier this year I got my lifer Grasshopper Sparrow. I had pulled off to the side of Wilkins Road by the airport to look for this species. I kept hearing what I thought were Grasshopper Sparrows, so I played the call on my phone and one flew up and out of the tall grass and landed a few feet from my drivers side door. Hallelujah!

Nelson's Sparrow

According to Kenn Kaufman, October and November make up the prime time for sparrow migration. Unfortunately I did very little birding in the month of October, and missed out on birds like Nelson's Sparrow, pictured here by Tim Thompson.

Sparrows are a pretty diverse group of birds. You've got little guys like Grasshopper and Henslow's Sparrow, and then you have relative giants like the colorful Fox or White-throated Sparrows. They are not just little brown birds people!

My dad loves warblers. They must be his favorite type of bird. For a partially color blind individual, I suppose it's because with warblers, even he can see some of those tropical colors. But I think if he took his time on sparrows he would learn to enjoy them as I have. Colors are nice, but patterns are fun too. With sparrows, one must pay attention to the patterns. Does it have a cap? Does it have breast stripes or a stick pin? Notched tale? There are many different ways to describe sparrows. One of my favorite things I heard this year came from Greg Miller when he took us on a tour around Millersburg, Ohio. I believe we were looking at Savannah Sparrows, (Correct me if I'm wrong Greg :) and Greg described them as "tater tots with wings." I liked that almost as much as how my dad told me how to ID Chimney Swifts when I was little. "They look like a cigar butt with wings." It's true...they really do.

Despite the fact that I haven't had a new bird in nearly 3 weeks, I am still enjoying this year immensely. With that said, however, would it kill a Snow Goose to land in my front yard just long enough for a few photos. I mean really...is that too much to ask? Happy birding everybody!