There must be more to the process of nest building than we realize, if the behavior of this little guy is any indication. There he sat, firmly perched on a branch of one of the birch trees out my kitchen window, his building supplies clutched abeak, for a good ten minutes. I don't know why he needed that long pause in the construction of this year's love nest. Maybe he was just tired of all those trips, lugging one strand of grass after another. Maybe he was debating on the best placement of this particular component, weighing in his little bird brain the avian version of feng shui. Whatever his reason, it gave me ample opportunity to haul out the digicam and record the work break -- and be grateful all over again for the magic of zoom.His meditation must have been intense because a lightning-fast flyby by a pair of courting swallows didn't even raise a blink of his little eyes. The swallows are, in my opinion, the feathered equivalent of the Blue Angels, with their spectacular aerial acrobatics. In this instance, demonstrating their mastery of precision flying, they darted in tandem, threading their way in and out of branches and around our studious nest builder as though they were laying down invisible embroidery in the air.
Perhaps one of you knowledgeable Coffee Mates can answer my burning question: what kind of bird do this little guy be? I was thinking some kind of sparrow but I can't find a single picture that matches his appearance -- and I've pored over dozens. Nary a one with the distinctive black throat patch and the reddish-brown strips flaring out from the eyes. It's a puzzle.
If someone doesn't come up with an answer, I'm just going to have to pass him off as one of those Whatsit birds. Doesn't hardly seem polite.
10 comments:
That's a truly beautiful bird, Dee. Sorry, I can't help you with a name, being a foreigner and all. I'd probably call him a Merrycan Redcap Finch if I wuz there. :-)
Not to worry, John. Darlin' Ava clued me in with a private note and I further verified her expertise by Googling "house sparrow" and looking at the kajillion images. Which made it clear why identification can be so tricky -- only a few of the photos looked like my fellow.
But if you wuz here, I'd be Merrycan whether I was wearing a Redcap or not. (grin)
Anyhoo, it's official, Coffee Mates. House Sparrow it is.
I think I found him! He's in breeding plumage (all dressed up for his date, doncha'no). Look here and see if you think so:
http://www.paulnoll.com/Oregon/Birds/Home/birds-Sparrow-House.html
Oh, poop. You beat me to it! If I hadn't spelled my user name wrong when I tried to publish my comment, I'd have gotten there first. ::pout::
:)
Cool, Wolfie! Yuppers, he's definitely wearing his dating clothes. Maybe that explains why he takes those long work breaks. Doesn't want to muss himself up.
Well doggone it I was going to say a sparrow variety but I was also going to ask why you didn't ask him to turn around so you could get a better feather photo. :-)
And after all the hunting I did for my bird book! I was going to tease and say Lapland Longspur. To much black on its head. lol
We need to buy bird books. That's all there is to it.
Someone has already told you what species the bird is. But being the avid birdwatcher that I am I have to confirm it. Yup, it's the pesky little house sparrow. An Old World sparrow. I say pesky because this little bird was brought over from England and introduced for pest control. Now they are the most common bird all over North America. Since it is a non-indigenous bird it is legal to destroy their nest and eggs and to kill them. Not that I would kill them but I hate how they run off other nesting birds in their territory. Especially bluebirds.
He's purty, even if he isn't a native species. How lucky you were to get such a long audience with him.:)
OKOK, it's the 23rd now, and I am missing you again. You didn't tell us you were flying away with the birds.
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