A Very Nearly Tea

Yesterday, I awoke to find my feeders overwhelmed by sparrows. It is not uncommon for us to have 40 to 50 house sparrows at a time but luckily they mostly prefer eating the cheap seed we throw on the ground for them and the juncos. As I watched the scurrying, hopping and squabbling of this mass of birds, I realized that these weren't house sparrows. We had over 40 American Tree Sparrows under the feeders with more in the bush waiting. These little guys are native to Canada and Alaska and breed on the tundra. When I observed that perhaps the weather was about to turn colder, my daughter asked if they could be getting ready to migrate home. Good thoughts from my little one. Perhaps it is a mixture of both since temperatures dove last night with a wind chill below zero.

A dog ran through the back yard, startling our spectacle and sending the flock into the pine tree. (They are getting used to the activity around our house and usually don't stray far when startled. Sometimes, a brave soul will even stay on the feeder until just before I reach it while I'm out filling the feeders.) Two flew straight into the window. The first one stood on the ledge for a minute, staring into the window, trying to figure out what happened. When I leaned over and he saw me, he flew off immediately. No harm seemed done. The other, however, landed back in the snow twitching his wings.

The largest danger to this little guy was not the unlikelihood of any actual injury due to the collision. He hadn't hit that hard. It was the likelihood of either being found by a predator or succumbing to shock. When I went out, he let me pick him up without so much as a flutter, although he was standing upright and seemed alert. I brought him into the house, and my children found a cardboard box and a blanket. The best treatment in such a case it a warm, dark place to hide until the bird has calmed down. I admired his beautiful chestnut stripes as I placed him in the box and covered it with a blanket.

After about ten minutes, we heard some scuttling in the box and my son carefully carried it outside. My daughter removed the blanket and we returned inside to watch. The little sparrow immediately hopped up to the edge of the box and looked around. His flock was gone and he just hopped around the edge, looking at everything. Finally, a few juncos landed and a few more American tree sparrows flew into the pine tree. He seemed instantly attracted to their sounds, looked up at the tree and flew into it. He rested on a branch for awhile and finally joined his feathered brethren as they flew on to another feeding location.

It reminded us of Matthew 10:29: Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.

Often times, we meet unexpected obstacles and fall to the ground. The greatest danger is not generally the obstacle we struck, but our stunned reaction to it. And sometimes, the best treatment is to temporarily seek shelter where the distractions and stimuli are minimized.

Don't forget the Great Backyard Bird Count. If it really does warm up this afternoon, we will be off to a forested area for our first count session!

Related Tags: American tree sparrow, Great Backyard Bird Count, FeederWatch, birding

Regarding animals and the weather, I'd have to say Sam Gribley's nuthatch would have been a good forecaster. Here, the score is:

As is often the case when I'm reading blogs, The Common Room's observations on 'minding animals' left me thinking about other, related subjects. I couldn't help but think of "My Side of the Mountain" when young Sam Gribley shares with us how you perceive the weather differently when you are in it and subject to its changes. Animal behavior changes dramatically with the weather, and the more you 'mind the animals' the more you can tell when the weather is about to change for the worse.

This morning, as I looked out at my feeders, I had a feeling that the bright sunny day and melted snow was not indicative of the weather for the day. Thirty eight goldfinches, the largest group I have ever seen at one time, were lined up at the feeders. Our finch feeder serves eight at a time, and normally when more arrive, the remainder wait patiently in the bush for their turn. But today, the finch feeder was full, the hopper was busy, there was a fight going on in the platform feeder and the ground was alive with fluttering finches looking for dropped seeds.

As I write this, the sky is darkening and snow is beginning to fall. The wind is howling. And just a minute ago there were 45 goldfinches at our feeding station.

Many of my readers know we are participating in FeederWatch this year, and, among other things, we have enjoyed witnessing how the activity level at our feeders changes according to the weather. The nicer it is, the fewer birds we have...unless a storm is coming. Then we can hardly keep the feeders full. For anyone who missed joining FeederWatch this year or thought it was too much of a commitment, the Great Backyard Bird Count is coming up February 16-19. No registration is necessary and you can watch birds from anywhere you like. They only ask that you commit to watching for birds for at least 15 minutes, but you can watch longer if you choose.

During the last snow storm, we made an attempt at photographing the hustle and bustle at our feeders. The pictures are sort of dark because it was cloudy, snowy and they were taken through a window.

Here is my favorite, the Dark-eyed Junco. Juncos are migratory birds, and winter here while our wimpy native birds head further south. They feed exclusively on the ground, making them rather inconspicuous unless there is snow cover.


This little American Tree Sparrow is one of North America's native sparrows. He is a new visitor for us. I first noticed him because he was feeding differently. House sparrows sweep with their beaks while eating, which can be annoying when they are at your feeders. They spray the seeds everywhere. But our native sparrows uncover seeds by hopping back and forth, scratching with their feet. I had never noticed this behavior before, and then noticed the different color on his head and was able to identify him. He is also a winter visitor to Nebraska.


Last but not least is this monster of a sparrow. He looks like he is on steroids. You can't tell the size here, but we knew we had something interesting when a sparrow the size of a cardinal showed up. I hadn't a clue what it was. I knew the Harris' Sparrow was quite a large, native sparrow, and one which I had looked forward to hopefully attracting to our feeding station. A little research confirmed that this big guy is a juvenile Harris' Sparrow. This is most assuredly his first migration south! Soon he'll be flying home to his native tundra in Northern Canada.

Hopefully you'll take some time to check out the Great Backyard Bird Count! Let me know if you decide to participate. Happy birding!

Related Tags: FeederWatch, Great Backyard Bird Count, birding, birdwatching, homeschool, education

We are enjoying our bird project, and the official FeederWatch program has not even begun, yet. Now that we have new windows and our sunroom remains a comfortable temperature despite the temperature extremes outdoors, I am looking forward to moving the bulk of our education out there so we can keep on eye on the feeders. Previously, my son would run and check every so often and report back to us on the activity. He is only three and getting quite good at identifying our birds...he recognizes goldfinches, sparrows and robins at the moment. Our favorite is the little nuthatch that visits us several times per day. I'm assuming it is the same one, because they are highly territorial. Anyway, he loves hanging upside down. So although he could easily perch on the feeder "properly" to take a sunflower seed, he prefers to hang from the top and snatch up a seed. He then carries it to a nearby tree, wedges it in the bark, and cracks it open.

The other bird we really enjoy visiting is our "gray finch." Now, there really is no such thing. But gold finches are supposed to be in their winter plumage right now. They all look something like this, with some degree of variation in shading and brightness:

But not this regular visitor. I keep calling it a her because her colors are duller, but I really don't know. At first, I did not know what "she" was, because she didn't match anything in the bird guide. However, she is the same size and shape as the other goldfinches. She comes and goes with them in a small flock of five or six birds. And her markigs are the same. Here is the best photo I have of her (she is near the back of the bath). On the edge of the birdbath, you can see a "normal" goldfinch. He has his feathers puffed up from the cold. Someone should tell him not to bathe in ice water!


Our newest visitor is this little guy, an Audobon's warbler. They don't normally come to feeders, but this one wanted a bath. And if that goldfinch above thought the water was cold, he should have talked to this guy. He bathed in a hole in the ice that the robins had pecked out! This isn't a picture I took, but is from this site.


We finally had a small group of dark-eyed juncos, a popular winter visitor in Nebraska. I'm hoping yet to see that favorite of feeder birds, the chickadee.

Related Tags: homeschooling, home school, FeederWatch, birding