| Most of the twenty or so species of sparrows we see during the course of the year are migrants or winter visitors. The majority pass unnoticed, keeping to the seclusion of brushy areas and weedy fields that provide cover and food. The few hardy species that remain have learned to frequent our feeders.
The winter view from my desk is often distracting. Hundreds of birds, often fifteen different species, are hulling the sunflower seeds and picking at the cracked corn and suet in a frenzy of enthusiasm. Cardinals and Goldfinches are the most abundant. On the ground, Juncos, Song Sparrows, Mourning Doves and even more Cardinals are busy, and a single, rusty-capped little sparrow with white wing bars, a tree sparrow.
This sight brings back memories of my first encounter with the tree sparrow in a weedy field near my old home in North College Hill. I learned that tree sparrows are winter visitors from the north, arriving in November. It wasn't until years later that I learned their name is a great misnomer. While photographing on the arctic tundra, some 400 miles above the tree line, we found the Tree Sparrow one of the most abundant nesting species. Their little nests were snuggled in the mossy hummocks, often in a somewhat sheltered spot where a few stunted willows managed to survive and attain a height of a foot or so. We found dozens of nests, all of which were lined with the white breast feathers of willow ptarmigan. Their summer diet seemed to be 100% mosquitoes, considerably different from their Ohio bill-of-fare. I couldn't help wondering whether any of the birds I was photographing might visit my feeder in a few months.
Length: 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 inches
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