American Tree Sparrow (Spizella arborea)
Here is an American Tree Sparrow (Spizella arborea) that I photographed during my hometown Christmas Bird Count in Stratford, Connecticut yesterday, part of a flock of perhaps 15 individuals that were staying mostly out of sight. I made sure to take the photo because it was feeding on Common Reed (Phragmites australis), one of the most notorious non-native invasive plants in North America. American Tree Sparrows are well-known as seed eaters and can often be found at the top of weeds and grasses, but I do not personally remember seeing them feeding on the “phrag” before. I wonder...
Read MoreWhite-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys)
If you’re out and about enjoying fall foliage, heading to a farm or a pumpkin field, or spending time in other agricultural, grassy, weedy areas you may be about to see many White-crowned Sparrows like this autumn one. Here in Western New York we can find them in the dozens during the peak of migration. I remember – thanks to my eBird checklist – that I saw 41 of them at the Jamestown Airport this past May. I know there were likely many more present there. See if you can beat that total on a fall birding day!
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