Serious birders know that you could find 34 species of warblers in the Times News coverage area.
The variety does make it a real challenge to properly identify them. But, most of our warblers are bedecked with a variety of plumage, and some quite striking, making identification easier.
But our area can also afford you the opportunity to find 13 different sparrow species. Most sparrows are not so brightly colored. In fact, basic brown is much of their attire.
As a lifetime birder, there are many times that I have photographed a sparrow mostly so I can “pull it up” on my computer to study it further.
Only one sparrow species is a year-round resident here, the song sparrow. They nest in our yard every year and are regularly feeding at or around our feeders all winter.
One other sparrow, the house sparrow, is actually not a sparrow species at all. (Actually, a type of weaver finch.) It is probably the most common introduced bird at your feeders, a parking lot near a fast-food restaurant, the outdoor garden centers of big box stores, and of course around barns or farms.
In fact, the house sparrow is totally associated with human activity. They will not be found in the middle of the Bethlehem Watershed, or on the Broad Mountain, or anywhere far removed from human habitation.
I have included photos of most of the sparrows that you can find right here in our region. I do suggest that if you have great interest in birding that you purchase one of the great bird guides to assist you with so many small passerine birds to identify.
Test Your Outdoor Knowledge: True/False One of the chief threats to many of our sparrow species is the cowbird.
Last Week’s Trivia Answer: All but a few counties in Pennsylvania host black bears whose state population is now about 20,000.
The white-throated sparrow is one of the easiest of the sparrows to identify. It has a bright, white throat, and note the bright yellow lores near its eyes. These sparrows arrive in our area about the last week of September and remain here near your feeders until the first week of May. BARRY REED/SPECIAL TO THE TIMES NEWS
Chipping sparrows are just at home in your front yards as in a fence row at a farm. Our smallest sparrow arrives here about mid-April and heads for southern wintering areas about mid-September.
Fox sparrows, aptly named for their deeper colored plumage, are spring and fall visitors. Look for them about Easter time (maybe for a week or two) and again in late September. They stay close to the ground and usually in thick cover.
Bearing the typical sparrow plumage, the song sparrow is the only year-round sparrow located in our region. Look for the brown breast spot to help identify it. It is a very vocal sparrow, singing through early spring and often well into October
One of my favorite, but hard to find sparrows, is the swamp sparrow. Oneof my usual spots along Lizard Creek hosts a few each year. Probably if this area had more wetlands, swamp sparrows would be more common.
Probably because they are only in our area for such a short time, I really enjoy finding one of the prettiest sparrows, the white-crowned sparrow. Look for them from about May 1 to May 12 each spring as the dandelion flowers ripen into the white seed heads, which they relish. They breed to our north and west, and we are just a brief feeding area for them.
Unfortunately, one of the casualties of feeding our growing human population, the grasshopper sparrow is getting harder and harder to find. It is a chunky, short-tailed sparrow that nests on the ground in hay fields. More frequent mowings have hurt this sparrows and meadowlarks’ populations. The male often sits on the tallest weed stalk or fence post to sing and then, in a short flight, drops back into hiding.
One of the more reclusive sparrows is the savannah sparrow. It too likes short grass fields and sometimes damp pastures. It seldom flies and runs in short bursts ahead as you attempt to get a “better look.”
Found only in our region through the colder months is the tree sparrow. They appear here about the time the chipping sparrows leave our region to head south. They are very similar, with the russett crown and white breast, but have the distinctive breast spot. White-throated sparrows outnumber them at my feeders by about a 6-to-1 ratio.
Sparrow by name but not by classification, the house sparrow is the most numerous sparrow in our communities. The male and female are very different (sexual dichromatism) in coloration compared to the other sparrow species. The male house sparrow has the black breast plate.
The female house sparrow is a light brown color overall. Remember, they are aggressive at defending their nest areas and were one of the reasons the eastern bluebird populations crashed. But you’ll only find them in close association of people. They are the town sparrows of Lehighton, Nesquehoning, Palmerton, Parryville, etc. Look for them flying around the garden areas of the big box stores.