365Caws is now in its 14th year of publication, and was originally intended to end after 365 days. It has sometimes been difficult for me to find new material, particularly during the winter months, but now as I enter my own twilight years, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to provide daily posts. It is my hope that along the way I may have inspired someone to a greater curiosity about the natural world. If so, I can rest, content in the knowledge that my work here has been done.
Saturday, November 28, 2015
Tie-Tack Sparrow
Day 46: Summer or winter, Tie-Tack Sparrows are frequently seen at my feeders. Ooops! That would be Song Sparrow, Melospiza melodia, identifiable by the convergence of reddish-brown feathers centrally on the breast, i.e., the "tie-tack" reference in the whimsical name I use for these charming little birds. Novice birders often mistake them for a female Purple Finch, but the tie-tack should end any mystery. Easier to identify by its voice, Song Sparrow is true to its name, singing a complex series of single notes and trills.
Contrary to popular belief, recent observations world-wide are proving that the females of many species are also singers, at least those which live outside urban environments. I can't vouch for Song Sparrow, but there is never a shortage of bird-song in my yard.
Labels:
bird-song,
birds,
contorted filbert,
Harry Lauder,
Melospiza melodia,
Song Sparrow
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