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A Sparrow Season Surprise Guest

11/4/2024


We are quickly closing in on the end of the year. Every year seems to move a little quicker. On the other hand, every year seems to have a little something special to offer. This year, it offered up a Harris's Sparrow for sparrow season. That is hard to complain about.


The birds (there were two) were reported early in the week. It was a very long week of waiting. Finally, I was able to leave work early enough on Friday to make the trip to Lye Creek, also known as The Burn. The Burn is under new management these days. Clint Murray passed and graciously left the land to Shari McCollough. I could not think of a more fitting person. She had already volunteered a lot of her time to helping keep the place in shape while Clint was alive. Now, she is 100% dedicated to maintaining the land and keeping Clint's legacy alive. She is putting in a lot of work in out there, and the sparrow just might be proof of that. She has erected a small feeding station that she maintains daily; offering both feed and water for the birds that call Lye Creek home. The two Harris's Sparrows had been showing up there regularly all week.


By the time I arrived on Friday evening, only one bird was being seen. It would briefly show, feed on the ground, hop up to feed on a stump, then jump over to the bird bath and disappear after a drink. You would get about 30 seconds with the bird, and then it would go away for 10-20 minutes. I kept hoping it would perch up somewhere. Shari, being a great photographer, had already managed some beautiful shots of the bird perching and singing. I would not be as lucky this evening. I headed home and made plans to return the following morning.


I was up and at The Burn before sunrise on Saturday morning. A chilly fog was draped over the place, and I was hoping it would not be a problem. It was not. The biggest issue was me. I setup too far off light angle, for some reason. The bird continued its standard behavior. People came and went. I sat there and held out hope. Around 10:30, the bird finally came in and flew up to perch. It let out a couple of faint whistles and then bombed back to the ground and disappeared. After nearly 4 hours of sitting out in the cold, I figured this was about as good as I was going to get. I put up my chair and headed back to the car.


The Harris's Sparrow was not the only bird to photograph there. Shari had just mentioned that she had an "Oregon" Junco last year. Not five minutes later, one popped out into view. The are tons of White-crowned and White-throated Sparrows to see. There is a tiny Song Sparrow that looks a lot like a Lincoln's Sparrow that pops by pretty regularly. It fools me every time. There is at least one Lincoln's Sparrow there, as well. The typical "woodland gang" (White-breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, and Downy Woodpecker) call the woods there home and come to feed periodically. House Finch and Eastern Bluebird are in the area as well. A few Pine Siskin are hanging out on the trail; although I never managed to see them. Ring-necked Pheasant croak out calls from the field and a Bobwhite whistled out its name from the wood line a few times. It is a beautiful and active place, and the feeder setup makes it easy to enjoy.


Sunday, I slept in a little. With the late start, I headed over to Eagle Creek Park. It was quiet there. I checked the fields for sparrows and hand a handful of Song Sparrows. I checked the sanctuary in time to watch a couple dozen American White Pelican glide in and settle down on the sandbar. A small handful of gulls were present, but I did not walk down to ID them. I decided to head home; making a stop at Central Park in Carmel along the way. It was a lot more active there. The big excitement, from the people I ran into, was the family of Mute Swan on the pond. There were also a handful of Green-winged Teal. They were not overly excited about having pictures taken. The celebrity Wilson's Snipe were not to be found, but I did have some distant views of some Rusty Blackbirds. Other than that, there was nothing unusual there.


I am not sure what next weekend will bring. It looks like a wet, cold week. It might be a good weekend to sit at home and dream up travel plans for next year.


Thanks for reading,

Mike



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