We added another bird to our backyard list (and our life list) yesterday -- a Clay-Colored Sparrow. According to Sibley, these birds often intermingle with chipping sparrows, whom they resemble somewhat. The facial markings easily distinguish them from the latter, at least during the spring when they are breeding. These are migratory birds in our area, nesting in the far northern US and in Canada. Chipping sparrows nest across the US, including in Missouri.
Elly had just returned from her trip to Phoenix, and we were enjoying a glass of wine at our kitchen table when this little bird showed up. I didn't have enough light to get a great picture because it was cloudy and the bird was a bit farther away on our driveway. This was the best shot I managed. The "clay" markings were a beautifully delicate bluish-gray color. This visitor brings our backyard list to 49.
2 comments:
Neat -- you and Elly are lucky to share a (few) common interest(s).
Sparrows are one of the reasons I wanted to be a "bird watcher". I wanted to be able differentiate between the "little brown birds".
Waxwing: True sparrows -- that is native American species called sparrows -- are among my favorite birds. The common house sparrow, which is actually an invasive species from Europe, is probably my least favorite bird. :-)
Elly and I share many interests, including bird watching, gardening, cooking, wine, and reading. We both love dogs. We have similar taste in music, movies, and art. We both prefer to spend our time at home. Consequently, when we're not at work we spend almost all our time together. We rarely go out to eat. We never go to bars. Some people would say this sounds really boring, but the truth is we never have enough time to do everything we want to do.
On the other hand, we have any number of couple friends who don't have many common interests, spend much less time together, but nevertheless seem very happy. I guess it just depends on what people expect and want. Relationships are complicated.
Fiske
Post a Comment