(February's a great time for wrens and sparrows, don't you agree?)
Love the little balls that are actually birds. And you should too, who's not to love these cute little wrens and sparrows?
(Y'know something that gets me? People who put up birdfeeders just for squirrels makes me 😠😠😠)
(Squirrels are basically little balls of malice disguised as a cute little furry thing. Make sure they cannot get into your feeder before you put too much food in it, or you'll go bankrupt for little happiness, unless, of course, you are one of those people who sets up birdfeeders just for squirrels. In that case, I'm happy you'd go bankrupt. (only joking, I hope nobody who reads this blog is a person who is overly attached to squirrels, so much so that they set up birdfeeders just for them.))
(The nerve! It even says in the title: Birdfeeder! Tsch.)
(that got me off track quickly. Oopsie!)
(*Without any more ado, transition to the main meat of the post.*)
Carolina wren
~CAROLINA WREN~
Thryothorus ludovicianus
Where they are found: Eastern US, but more prominently in southeast.
Favorite foods: Suet.
Will also eat: Sunflower seeds.
How to identify: "Little ball of wren." Honestly, it's not hard, except at a distance. you can always look at the white stripe above their eye, their buff belly, and the way they hop around. Their diverse calls are also a benchmark.
As I was saying, the different calls of the Carolina wrens are benchmarks, and I always go to the window to see them when I hear them. I'd say the most memorable is a sort of chirrup - but nevermind, here's a little clip of it.
House wren
~HOUSE WREN~
Troglodytes aedon
Where to find them: basically everywhere in the US, and basically everywhere in South America, as well.
Favorite foods: ??? (bugs?)
Will also eat: ??? (does not come to feeder.)
How to identify: Looks trickily similar to a Carolina wren, but doesn't have some of the characteristics (e.g. White stripe, buff belly,) as the Carolina wren does. They also have a unique song, which can alert you to its presence. (It's similar to the Carolina wren's, but it's also different.)
Song sparrow
~SONG SPARROW~
Melospiza melodia
Where to find them: The whole of North America, and some of Mexico
Favorite foods: ???
Will also eat: Sunflower seeds
How to identify: Small bird that looks remarkably like a chipmunk. Dappled body, much like a house finch's. Unique song.
Here's the song in an audio clip; I quite like it.
I hope there are song sparrows in heaven.
White throated sparrow
~WHITE THROATED SPARROW~
Zonotrichia albicollis
Where to find them: Everywhere in the US, but more particularly in the East
Favorite foods: Sunflower seeds
Will also eat: ???
How to identify: Their white throat and yellow eyelashes. Honestly they look like old men with white beards.
White crowned sparrow
~WHITE CROWNED SPARROW~
Zonotrichia leucophrys
Where to find: North North America, but they do travel down into the US.
Favorite foods: ???
Will also eat: Cracked corn
How to identify: It looks like they're wearing a black hat with a white S on it. Doesn't really look like any other type of sparrow.
Chipping sparrow
~CHIPPING SPARROW~
Spizella passerina
Where to find: North America.
Favorite foods: ???
Will also eat: Thistle [Nyjer seeds]
How to identify: Slate-colored bird, with brown cap on top. Has a particular call, but I don't remember what it is. Obviously the cutest sparrow.
And that is it for my post on NW sparrows and Wrens! I hope you enjoyed.
(Also, sorry if the spacing is off, blogspot was giving me trouble.)
Which is your favorite Sparrow or Wren? Aagh that's a hard question. What's your favorite bird call? Please tell me in the comments!
Ah, I know many of these birds. We have chipping sparrows and house sparrows all around. We also have a bird feeder, which is also visited by the resident neighborhood squirrel...much to my mother's wrath. Hence one of Skye's jobs is to chase his fat little self from the premises, a job she well relishes.
I really like the Chipping sparrows, they're just so cute. And the reason that I didn't put house sparrows in here is that they're Old world sparrows, not new world sparrows. (Translation: House sparrows originated in Europe, and were brought here by that brain-dead Shakespeare fan.)
I have some tips for keeping the fat squirrel off your feeder, if it's on a pole: Try to get a place in your yard with no high places (bushes, trees, etc.). I would suggest to keep the feeders over 8 feet away from any of these places. Don't place them even by a stump-like thing, they can get up from there (I think). Next step: Get a good baffle and install it. Our feeders haven't had a squirrel on them in ages (except when our tree grew a little and we had to move them closer to the house.)
Also, maybe you would want to get a thistle [nyjer] feeder as well, although the seeds are more expensive. If you put it alongside a regular feeder (specifically with sunflower seeds, I would suggest, although squirrels love them best), they won't go so fast, so you might only need to replace the seeds anywhere from once per week to once per month. (Goldfinches love thistle [nyjer] seeds, and they're so pretty in the summer, too.)
There are a few types of seeds that squirrels don't like so much, namely Safflower and Thistle [Nyjer]. These, however, are not as superpowered as sunflower seeds or peanuts. (Crows, jays, titmice, wrens, all of these love peanuts.) (I would stick with sunflower seeds, though, as they are the best.)
Then again, if Skye really enjoys it, let 'em come! (Anyway, the squirrels will come to the ground to eat the fallen seeds anyway, so Skye can still chase them if you put up a baffle & such.)
Though I agree with your consternation over 'squirrelfeeders', I am forced to disagree about your assessment of their general character. Squirrels are intelligent, ingenious, and adorable. If you don't believe me, look up Mark Rober's two Squirrel Maze videos, you will LOL. Having just taken a science course on birds, I am constantly amazed at their flight, song, and basically everything else. House sparrows have to be my favorite, having stayed at several houses where they had set up their little homes.
I have seen the maze videos, and I do agree that you do have a point. However, as this argument is based on opinions, both of our opinions are true. (And anyway, how could I LOL over my second least favorite creature?)
I know, right! (I believe you took the same course as me.) They're just so unique!! Ever since then, I have been in love with birding. (It's such a wonderful subject!)
House sparrows are essentially everywhere, so I'd be surprised if you hadn't seen any. (In fact, they live on 6 of the 7 continents!) (I didn't talk about House sparrows, though, did you mean something else?)
Ah, I know many of these birds. We have chipping sparrows and house sparrows all around. We also have a bird feeder, which is also visited by the resident neighborhood squirrel...much to my mother's wrath. Hence one of Skye's jobs is to chase his fat little self from the premises, a job she well relishes.
ReplyDeleteI really like the Chipping sparrows, they're just so cute. And the reason that I didn't put house sparrows in here is that they're Old world sparrows, not new world sparrows. (Translation: House sparrows originated in Europe, and were brought here by that brain-dead Shakespeare fan.)
DeleteI have some tips for keeping the fat squirrel off your feeder, if it's on a pole: Try to get a place in your yard with no high places (bushes, trees, etc.). I would suggest to keep the feeders over 8 feet away from any of these places. Don't place them even by a stump-like thing, they can get up from there (I think). Next step: Get a good baffle and install it. Our feeders haven't had a squirrel on them in ages (except when our tree grew a little and we had to move them closer to the house.)
Also, maybe you would want to get a thistle [nyjer] feeder as well, although the seeds are more expensive. If you put it alongside a regular feeder (specifically with sunflower seeds, I would suggest, although squirrels love them best), they won't go so fast, so you might only need to replace the seeds anywhere from once per week to once per month. (Goldfinches love thistle [nyjer] seeds, and they're so pretty in the summer, too.)
There are a few types of seeds that squirrels don't like so much, namely Safflower and Thistle [Nyjer]. These, however, are not as superpowered as sunflower seeds or peanuts. (Crows, jays, titmice, wrens, all of these love peanuts.) (I would stick with sunflower seeds, though, as they are the best.)
Then again, if Skye really enjoys it, let 'em come! (Anyway, the squirrels will come to the ground to eat the fallen seeds anyway, so Skye can still chase them if you put up a baffle & such.)
Faramir
Though I agree with your consternation over 'squirrelfeeders', I am forced to disagree about your assessment of their general character. Squirrels are intelligent, ingenious, and adorable. If you don't believe me, look up Mark Rober's two Squirrel Maze videos, you will LOL. Having just taken a science course on birds, I am constantly amazed at their flight, song, and basically everything else. House sparrows have to be my favorite, having stayed at several houses where they had set up their little homes.
ReplyDeleteI have seen the maze videos, and I do agree that you do have a point. However, as this argument is based on opinions, both of our opinions are true. (And anyway, how could I LOL over my second least favorite creature?)
DeleteI know, right! (I believe you took the same course as me.) They're just so unique!! Ever since then, I have been in love with birding. (It's such a wonderful subject!)
House sparrows are essentially everywhere, so I'd be surprised if you hadn't seen any. (In fact, they live on 6 of the 7 continents!) (I didn't talk about House sparrows, though, did you mean something else?)
Faramir