Check Your Sparrows

There are a lot of cute little sparrows in the trees right now, hopping around, singing to attract mates,  and building nests. Like the chipping sparrow above. Click to enlarge.

I heard it singing its cheerful trilled song before I looked up and saw it. The song sounds like this: click here to listen. The bright rusty cap and black eye stripe are diagnostic.

Note the beak full of nesting material. I wish it a successful nest. And remember to check your sparrows -- they might turn out to be chippers!

Chipping Sparrow

I just spent a week in the pine lands of southern New Jersey. Chipping sparrows there started singing at dawn and kept on until the sun set. I saw dozens of them. This one was gathering material for a nest. 

The chipping sparrow, Spizella passerina, is easily identified by its red cap, gray face, black stripe through the eye, and white eyebrow and throat. Click on the photos to enlarge. 

Spring is slowly waking in the woods. Click here to hear the chipping sparrow sing.