Although it was later than the recommended time of "first thing in the
morning," I visited Mae and Stanley Houff's yard this morning at 9:30. Using
my car as a blind, I parked on the left side of their driveway and looked
down along the fence line to the feeder and watched the grassy area beneath
the feeder. Three or four White-crowned Sparrows were feeding there and
within about five minutes the Harris's Sparrow flew in and joined them. It
is certainly a standout bird among the White-crowns because of its heft,
buffy cheeks and tight necklace of streaks on its upper chest; the area of
white on its throat seemed smaller than I expected from looking in advance at
Sibley and at James Rising's "The Sparrows of the United States and Canada."
The whole area is bird-rich; several male cowbirds were strutting their stuff
before a female under the fence as I drove up and there was a good bit of
avian traffic rocketing through the trees. I suspect the area is food-rich
enough that birds don't have to wander far to find sustenance, and that the
Harris's Sparrow likely cycles back in to the feeder area along with
White-crowns and White-throateds often during the day. I have heard of it
being seen in early afternoon as well.
If you were to stand inside the Houff's kitchen window you would be high
enough to look down on the birds under the feeder and the view would be less
obscured by clumps of grass, but even without seeing its underparts through
my low car's windshield, I had no trouble identifying the bird. The Houffs
are competent birders and delightful people, and will welcome other birders
most hospitably. Call them first at 1/540/234-0494.
John Irvine
Harrisonburg, VA
You are subscribed to VA-BIRD. To post to this mailing list, simply send email
to va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx. To unsubscribe, send email to
va-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
