Sparrows!
The birds that many dismiss as Little Brown Jobs-LBJs-are a real joy to host at your feeders. I'm not referring to the invasive House Sparrow, which is actually not a sparrow at all, but to the surprising variety of migrant sparrows that pass through in spring and fall and are easy to attract with just a little care.
All sparrows eat seeds during migration, and as a result, the sparrows I have been able to attract in my yard include Song, Swamp, Lincoln's, White-throated, White-crowned, Harris's, Fox, American Tree, Savannah, Chipping, Clay-colored, and Dark-eyed Junco. Normally, some of these species can be difficult to identify when skulking in shrubs, but with a good feeder setup, you can learn all of these species as they busy themselves around your feeders--often without the aid of binoculars.
1. Provide feeders that sparrows like. Most sparrows are not clinging birds. While you can get some like Chipping Sparrows to perch on baskets or tube feeders, sparrows tend to prefer open platforms as they are adapted to foraging by scratching on the ground with their feet. In addition to a platform feeder, I usually offer some seed directly on the ground in small amounts daily. Take care to regularly rake up accumulated hulls for sanitation and to make it easier for the sparrows to find the fresh seeds.
2. Offer a variety of seeds. If you stick to good old black oil sunflower seeds, you will surely attract some sparrows. But a real favorite of sparrows is millet, which is nice as it is one of the more inexpensive seeds. (If you use millet on platforms or on the ground, you'll also draw plenty of Mourning Doves.) Since I enjoy the variety sparrows provide, I get good results by making a mix using plenty of millet with lesser amounts of sunflower, safflower, and nyjer.
3. Provide cover. Whether they are at your feeders or in a thicket somewhere, feeding sparrows can attract the attention of hawks, cats, and other predators. If you can place your feeders within 10' of a dense shrub or evergreen tree, your sparrows will be safer and more comfortable feeding. If you lack trees near the area you would like to attract sparrows to, they are perfectly happy with a loosely-constructed brush pile.
4. Sparrows enjoy bird baths. We have a short, small birdbath about 15' from the feeders. Sparrows tend to be the most frequent visitors, but other species that are feeder-shy like Yellow-rumped Warblers also add to the variety!
5. Get to know your sparrows. This is the best part! You'll find that certain sparrows like White-throated, Chipping, and Dark-eyed Juncos are reliable in large numbers. I love the excitement of finding the lone black-bibbed, pink-billed Harris's Sparrow in the flock or spotting a rusty, streaked Fox Sparrow doing its double-footed chicken scratch among the juncos. You will even be surprised to note the amount of variation within individuals of a species. We have sometimes hosted juncos with unique individuals that we could pick out over the course of several days until they finally moved on!
The birds that many dismiss as Little Brown Jobs-LBJs-are a real joy to host at your feeders. I'm not referring to the invasive House Sparrow, which is actually not a sparrow at all, but to the surprising variety of migrant sparrows that pass through in spring and fall and are easy to attract with just a little care.
All sparrows eat seeds during migration, and as a result, the sparrows I have been able to attract in my yard include Song, Swamp, Lincoln's, White-throated, White-crowned, Harris's, Fox, American Tree, Savannah, Chipping, Clay-colored, and Dark-eyed Junco. Normally, some of these species can be difficult to identify when skulking in shrubs, but with a good feeder setup, you can learn all of these species as they busy themselves around your feeders--often without the aid of binoculars.
Another joy of focusing on sparrows is that they arrive before many other birds in the spring, and leave much later in the fall. In much of the Midwest some species will remain all winter and species like Chipping Sparrows are willing to eat seed when few other birds are interested in feeders. So they command all of your attention at times when the feeder action might otherwise be slow. Better yet, sparrows tend to really congregate at feeders when the weather is at its worst. I remember a blustery, snowy April day a few years back when I enjoyed hot chocolate and a yard just alive with EIGHT species of sparrows at once!
Here are a few tips for enjoying sparrows in your yard:
2. Offer a variety of seeds. If you stick to good old black oil sunflower seeds, you will surely attract some sparrows. But a real favorite of sparrows is millet, which is nice as it is one of the more inexpensive seeds. (If you use millet on platforms or on the ground, you'll also draw plenty of Mourning Doves.) Since I enjoy the variety sparrows provide, I get good results by making a mix using plenty of millet with lesser amounts of sunflower, safflower, and nyjer.
3. Provide cover. Whether they are at your feeders or in a thicket somewhere, feeding sparrows can attract the attention of hawks, cats, and other predators. If you can place your feeders within 10' of a dense shrub or evergreen tree, your sparrows will be safer and more comfortable feeding. If you lack trees near the area you would like to attract sparrows to, they are perfectly happy with a loosely-constructed brush pile.
4. Sparrows enjoy bird baths. We have a short, small birdbath about 15' from the feeders. Sparrows tend to be the most frequent visitors, but other species that are feeder-shy like Yellow-rumped Warblers also add to the variety!
5. Get to know your sparrows. This is the best part! You'll find that certain sparrows like White-throated, Chipping, and Dark-eyed Juncos are reliable in large numbers. I love the excitement of finding the lone black-bibbed, pink-billed Harris's Sparrow in the flock or spotting a rusty, streaked Fox Sparrow doing its double-footed chicken scratch among the juncos. You will even be surprised to note the amount of variation within individuals of a species. We have sometimes hosted juncos with unique individuals that we could pick out over the course of several days until they finally moved on!
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What type of bird is that?
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