American Tree Sparrow
I certainly don’t have anything as exotic as a Varied Thrush visiting my yard, but last weekend before I took off on the owl excursion, I managed to get pictures of an American Tree Sparrow who seemed not only to know he was the only one of his species foraging in my space but also recognized my awareness of him, and did not disappear on account of it.
I first thought I spotted him out the back window, which, between the screens and the frames, is a pretty lousy view, so I decided to go out with the camera to test the light for my later adventure and maybe get a photo of whoever was out there.
(The yard was blissfully free of the Gray Squirrels who are aggressive feeder-raiders. I love my Fox Squirrels, that have better manners.)
Fox Squirrel
Dark-Eyed Junco
One of many Juncos…
and a female Cardinal…
Female Northern Cardinal
Lo and behold, it was indeed an American Tree Sparrow and after a few minutes of clicking away watching him forage, I got the picture below.
“You lookin’ at me?”
Then he flew into a tree and “challenged” me again.
I don’t think this is a new species for my yard, but I am almost reluctant to check, because then I tend to wonder what else I might have been missing while I’m away at work. I’m just glad to have had this encounter with the visiting American Tree Sparrow.
I agree, Lisa, it’s always great to get up close and personal with new birds. When that happens to me, I always watch in anticipation of maybe seeing it again. 🙂
Thanks for the comment, Bob. The Tree Sparrow now appears to have moved on, but I have to remind myself to keep sifting through the common for the unusual.
Me, too. 🙂
I haven’t seen any Tree Sparrows on our farm yet, but it’s possible there’s been one or two in the mix that I just didn’t see. I did get a good shot of a White-throated Sparrow recently – they have a beautiful song that I can’t wait to hear again.
I love White-Throated Sparrows. They were my first true sparrow I saw in Chicago years ago when they were hanging out with House Sparrows. We have some wintering in the Chicago parks. I think I heard one trying out his song a little a couple weeks ago. I love their songs too, although they often sound a little tipsy to me. I call it “songs” because I’ve heard a lot of variation on the same theme.
Remarkable photos and what you can find new in your backyard..thanks for sharing..
Thanks, Syl. It all depends on the bird, I think they all have different personalities and every situation is unique. This bird was extremely cooperative.