Harris's Sparrow

Sunday morning, I got an unusual visitor to my bird feeder.  This Harris's Sparrow popped up as I was making breakfast.  I did a double take.  (Momentarily forgetting about the oatmeal boiling on the stove.)  I mentally reviewed the reasons that this was not a male House Sparrow.  (Primarily, the black cap, among other characteristics.)  Then I tried to snap pictures with my cell phone, with no luck.  Then I tried take photos with Joy's camera, but the flash kept going off, and I was in no state to figure out how to change the settings with this bird sitting there.  Of course, the bird was gone, and I was let with awful pictures and a memory.  I went to get my good camera, in case it came back.  Then it did, and I unloaded a photo barrage on it.  The lighting is bad, but I'll take it.  It was quite a prize for a feeder and yard bird.  The Harris's Sparrow winters in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and migrates north to the tundra.  I don't know how one ended up here.  There are occasional Indiana records.  Check out their range on EBird.  

American Tree Sparrow and Chipping Sparrow

I haven't had much experience seeing these two species side-by-side. Traditionally, the American Tree Sparrow is here in the winter, and the Chipping Sparrow is here in the summer. Initially, I have found myself having to do double-takes to confirm which visitor is at my feeder. Three CHSP and two ATSP have been hanging out here for about a week.  It was a challenge to get them both in one shot, given their activity and focus depth.  To make it worse, the ATSP bullied the CHSP off the feeders.

Side-by-side, the ATSP is much larger. Even though the ATSP is on the back of the feeder in the top picture, it looks larger than the CHSP.

The ATSP has a bold gray feathers for its 'eyebrow', that almost projects higher than the crown. Plus, the red is more bold on the ATSP.

The 'thumb print' on the breast is sometimes clear on the ATSP. The CHSP looks pretty nondescript to me this time of year.

The bi-colored bill on the ATSP is a sure distinction, if you get a good enough look. The above picture shows this best.

Hawk Ridge

We stopped by Hawk Ridge on the north side of Duluth on Labor Day.  The view alone was worth the stop.

The serious hawk watchers sat on a little platform, which commanded quite a view of the ridge line and shore.

All of the volunteers were fairly disappointed with the migration that day.  Sharp-shinned Hawks seemed to be the most numerous while we watched.

In conjunction with the watch, they were also banding the migrants.  They brought this juvenile Sharpie out for us to see.

It was nice to see these tiny hawks up close.

The lookout point

They had several feeders set up around the point.  The Black-capped Chickadees and White-throated Sparrows were regulars.  This Lincoln Sparrow stopped by, giving me a nice look.

Spring Sparrows

I was walking through a fallow field in Marion when I saw a brown tail edged with white disappear into the vegetation. I did a little stalking, wondering if there could be a longspur. Nope, a Vesper Sparrow watches me from behind cover. Vesper must have felt confident that my camera couldn't focus through the vegetation and sat still, but somehow I got lucky.

Sometimes I can be too quick to dismiss a sparrow as just another Song. I was birding along the Sugar Creek when this guy popped up. After doing a double take, I realized that I had a Swamp Sparrow.

Their song is very different, plus the unstreaked breast stands out. It took some positioning before I managed to get a picture of this shy bird.

I was standing in my backyard with my binoculars, when I noticed a sparrow watching me from my neighbor's shrub. I kicked myself mentally for not having my camera. I went and got it. By that time, this Lincoln's Sparrow had flown to the grape arbor.

For about several days this week, the White-crowned Sparrows were thick in our backyard, visiting at the feeder and eating dandelion seeds.

They disappeared as quickly as they came. I am glad I got to see and listen to them while they were here. To me, they look like they are wearing a bicycle helmet.

Mount Scott Rufous-crowned Sparrow

Last Saturday, Laney and I took a trip to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge near Fort Sill Oklahoma. The afternoon was warm and the scenery was wonderful.

If we had more time, we would have walked to the top. As it was, we explored around the summit. Here you can see Laney taking in the view.

The refuge looked like a great place to spend more time exploring. As we were hiking, I heard a sparrow singing. I was hoping to find a Rufous-crowned Sparrow at the refuge.

Laney and I worked our way closer to the sparrow. We got a nice long look, as the sparrow was more interested in singing than us.

The Rufous-crowned Sparrow is a southwestern sparrow, with the refuge being on the eastern edge of its range. Overall, the refuge seemed to fit more with the southwest than with the prairie ecosystems.

Laney was more interested in the cracks of the boulders and looking out for squirrels, though.

Snow Buntings

Today was a beautiful, sunny cold afternoon. There is still some snow cover, so I decided to stop by Mount Comfort Airport to see what might be happening. I had seen one Snow Bunting here last week, and thought I might get lucky. Sure enough, a large (~50) flock was feeding on the cracked corn along 500W. Shortly after I parked, the flock eagerly returned. Their calls sounded contented; the -10F windchill didn't seem to be of concern. Of course, there were Horned Larks in the mix, plus a handful of Lapland Longspurs. When I had last posted on Snow Buntings (five years ago), I had tagged them with my "Sparrows" tag. Now they are considered to be a in their own family with the longspurs (Calcariidae).

Dark-eyed Junco

While not necessarily showy, I like having Juncos at my feeder. I intentionally spill some of the millet on the ground for them to enjoy.

American Tree Sparrow

As best that I can tell, there is only a solitary American Tree Sparrow that hangs out at my feeder. I don't believe I have seen more than one at a time. He is a faithful visitor, and spends quite a bit of time in the area. When at the feeder, he will sit for many minutes, 'dominating' the feeder. The House Sparrows seem respectful of him, though he is much smaller and doesn't seem particularly feisty.

Wrap-up of Kansas Birds

While birding the dusty backroads of Gray County, I was pleasantly surprised that there were actually birds in the open fields. One of the most common birds was the Western Meadowlark. If not the most common (probably Horned Larks), then they were the most vocal.


Vespers were up there in abundance. These 'little brown birds' are actually fairly good sized for sparrows. They would virtually disappear when they landed on the bare ground.


Trees were so scarce that there was pretty stiff competition for nest space. Here a Great Horned Owl and nestling keep a careful eye on me.


A Western Meadowlark got caught almost facing the camera. They seem to have a sixth sense about which way to face if I have a camera out.


A Vesper Sparrow sits on a barbed wire.


Wind turbines along the horizon, making use of the constant wind. A brochure I saw claimed that Dodge City is the windiest city in the United States.

Kankakee Sands BioBlitz 2012

This weekend was the Kankakee Sands BioBlitz 2012 in Newton County, Indiana. It was a wonderful opportunity to see the land, learn about the flora, and spend time with other biologists. The weather was good, sunny with a breeze; the ticks and other pests weren't too bad, and tons of flowers were blooming. I didn't take near as many pictures of some of the amazing flowers as I should have, but I spent a lot of time taking notes and trying to absorb it all. Of course, I did not force myself to stay focused on only plants.

Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata) was blooming abundantly in the wetter areas of the sand prairie at Unit D.

This Carrion Beetle (aka Burying Beetle or Sexton Beetle) caught my eye while walking through the sand prairie on Friday. These insects bury the carcasses of small animals. Apparently, they can release an awful smell when picked up, but I was not chosen. I did make sure it didn't crawl up my sleeve, though. This individual is possibly Nicrophorus marginatus.

Old Plainsmen (Hymenopappus scabiosaeus) was just about done blooming on the edge of the sand blow-out.

This strange little plant was something I had never seen before. Sand Jointweed (Polygonella articulata) was blooming in the sand blow-out.

I was taken aback when I spotted these Lark Sparrows Friday evening. Since these are prairie birds, I do not think of them in Indiana. I found out later from TNC staff that they breed on site.

We found a Fowler's Toad as we were heading in for the day on Friday.

I am pretty sure that this little fellow sitting in a willow clump is an immature Orchard Oriole.

The State Endangered Henslow's Sparrow welcomed everyone to the headquarters on US41. These birds serenaded us all day long, trying to get a song in edgewise with the Grasshopper Sparrows and Dickcissels.

Lobelia spicata confused us the first day when we found several plants in fruit, but not with flowers.