“All birds look like sparrows to me. There are big sparrows, small sparrows, and gaily colored sparrows. But they all look like sparrows. Last summer I realized this was a know-nothing attitude, so I bought two bird books. They were filled with every conceivable kind of sparrow.” Andy Rooney
It’s 4:45 am. A bare hint of light is visible in the eastern sky. I am awake. My alarm is set to go off in 15 minutes, but I can’t wait for it. I rise quickly and head to the coffee maker. The percolating sounds of water over grounds accompanies my morning rituals; wash face, brush teeth, several yoga stretches and a few minutes of meditation. It’s chilly this morning, so I dress in layers, fill my cup and add a dash of creamer. I put on my rubber boots to guard against ticks, grab my clipboard and out the door I go.
It is a happy time, this early morning twilight, and best of all, the birds are singing. I arrive at Belwin Conservancy’s Stagecoach Prairie and quietly exit my car. This is the time of migration for most songbirds and a wonderful opportunity to chronicle which species use Belwin lands as a stopover site or nesting habitat.
It has been my privilege and joy to conduct bird surveys from late April through early June every year since 2010. There are nine monitoring points at this site, each in a different part of the property. When I arrive at each point I stand to acclimate for one minute, listen and tally for another five minutes and then move on to the next spot. Each point has some specific species associated with it. For example, the open prairie on the southern end always has at least one meadowlark singing while the wooded area on the north end typically resounds with the wood thrush song. The constant across all points are the magical and musical songs of the sparrows.
The name sparrow derives from the word spearwa which literally means flutterer. These LBB’s or little brown birds are generally small to medium sized with many colors of tan, cream, brown and black—some with stripes, some with spots and some with reddish crowns. They are primarily seed and ground insect eaters which accounts for their stocky, pliers-shaped beak. They can be found running along the ground, scratching in the dirt on trails, perching in low branches on shrubs or making quick flights from one grassy hummock to the next. Most nests are built either on the ground or low in the branches of small shrubs. They are fun to observe as they go about their business of living and even more fun to listen to. Regardless of my mood, they always bring a smile to my face and a lightness to my heart.
Of the many different birds here are a few of my favorites:
Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla):
This sweetest of sparrows, as the name implies, flourishes in old fields, prairies and meadows. They can most easily be identified by a pink bill, rusty cap, two white wing-bars and clear underparts. The song reminds me of a ping pong ball going faster and faster and faster,
Swee-swee-swee-wee-wee-wee-wee. They prefer to nest on the ground or in very low vegetation. Look for them singing on exposed perches several feet off the ground.
Clay-colored Sparrow (Spizella pallida):
These bold-colored birds sport a distinctive white crown stripe down the middle of their head. Dark cheek patches, clear underparts, dark brown moustache and a striped body complete the coloration. Their song is a series of several short low-pitched insect-like buzzes – buzzz-buzzz-buzzz. They prefer areas that have a good shrub component as they nest in the lower branches and sing from the exposed upper branches.
Henslow’s sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii):
A very secretive bird, these sparrows stay low to the ground and generally run or skulk from place to place as opposed to flying. You can hear them in parts of the prairie that have not been burned. They prefer a deeper thatch ground cover and will nest in a small depression, often at the base of a clump of grass. Their song is insect-like and very unobtrusive. A short tsi-lick, tsi-lick is all you get, so stopping often and listening intently is a pre-requisite for finding this species.
One of the most telling characteristics of this bird is its posture. Instead of sitting upright on a branch, they stay long and low on blades of grass. They have dark brown crown striping, a dark moustache, and a full on stripey body.
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus):
While not a member of the sparrow family, this bird is conspicuously present at Stagecoach. Closer to a bluebird in size, they are easily identified by their upright posture as they perch on tall grasses or woody vegetation. Look for their white-tipped square tail, bold black upper body feathers, pure white under body feathers and large head as other identifying characteristics. They are known as aerial insectivores, swooping out from their perches to grab flying insects like beetles, wasps, grasshoppers and robber flies. These birds like scrubby areas with open space for hunting and trees or brush in which to build their nests. Their song reminds me of a scratchy 33rpm album that has been left out of its cover too long.
Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis):
We can’t talk about birds at Stagecoach without mentioning our beloved bluebirds. These birds are some of the first to arrive in the early days of spring and nest in the houses along the trail. A cavity nester by behavior, as land use changed and snag trees disappeared, so bluebird populations dwindled. The creation of bluebird houses, such as the ones at Stagecoach Prairie, have done a magnificent job of bringing back this most lovely of songbirds.
A Final Thought
Habitat loss is the greatest danger faced by many of our native grassland birds. All the birds mentioned are called obligate prairie species and could not survive and thrive without the restored landscape that is now here. When we walk in any of these public places, it is good to remember that we are visiting the homes of these precious plants and animals. Human behavior can have a big impact. Please do keep your dog on a leash. Many of the birds can nest very close to the trail and a roaming dog has the potential to cause nest abandonment. We want the experience of hiking here to be a pleasurable one for all, including the critters that call it home. The work of Belwin Conservancy and other places like it in restoring, reconstructing and preserving our wild lands is absolutely imperative if we are to keep the diversity of native plants and animals into the future.The work to maintain any restoration is not a fleeting thing, but a long view for many years to come. We deeply appreciate your support for all things wild and free and hope to see you on the trail.
Photo credits: Field sparrow by lwolfartist, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Clay colored sparrow by Cephas, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Henslow’s sparrow by Nina Koch. Eastern kingbird by Nina Koch. Eastern bluebird by Nancy Klinger.
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