Wintering Sparrows

A few weeks ago, as I walked out to my truck to begin my morning commute, I heard a familiar sound that marks the end of summer in my mind. It was the sweet song of the white-crowned sparrow, a species that we have in abundance, but only during the fall and winter months. We are fortunate in that the white-crowned sparrow continues to sing through the winter. So during the darkest, coldest days you’ll likely hear its unique song echoing through most of the habitats in our region.

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While the white-crowned sparrow is the most obvious winter addition in the family of birds known as sparrows, we see a significant influx in several of its members. Given our ample grassland, chaparral and great habitat otherwise, our region is a reliable spot for wintering birds to bulk up on their primary winter diet, seed.

Chipping sparrows do something of a vertical migration, coming down from their breeding habitat of Ponderosa and mixed-conifer forest to fan out into the lower elevations all winter, when they tend to flock up and so may be associated with mixed groups of sparrows. Chipping sparrows are on the small side and easy to spot, with their clean gray breast, rufous-colored cap and bold black stripe running horizontally through the eye.

One of my personal favorites, the Lincoln’s sparrow, is a challenging bird to see and identify. They tend to be solitary, but can be found in small mixed flocks as well. Lincoln’s will be found almost exclusively within a few feet of the ground. They love thick collections of shrubs and other plants, only perch in view for short stints, and are constantly on the move. Your best bet at detecting one is by ear first, then homing in on it from there. Listen for a soft “bzzzt” in the lower foliage and investigate further. The species is covered with streaks and other fine markings that can be a bit hard to take in at once. I tend to focus on their cream-colored breastband overlaid with small black streaks. Another great field-mark is the cream-colored malar stripe extending at a 45-degree angle down and away from the base of the beak.

As you venture further into the grasslands, the Vesper sparrow can be a rewarding find. Grassland birding can be quite difficult because so many species are right at home disappearing into the tall grass, making even brief glimpses very difficult. Your best bet to see a Vesper is along a dirt road, where they like to feed along the margins. Often your identifying mark is the bright white feathers that make up either edge of the tail. This is easiest to see in flight, like spotted towhee and junco, which have similar markings. If you get them in view on the ground, they have a very distinct white eye-ring and bold white malar stripe.

Also in grassland habitat with scattered shrubs, be on the lookout for the gregarious Brewer’s sparrow. Like the chipping sparrow, these guys are on the small side, and at first glance are relatively unremarkable in appearance. But when you study them you’ll find that their overall gray color palette consists of fine streaking that’s most obvious on the top of the head. Look for the small beak and clean white malar stripe as well. Brewer’s can be a challenging species to identify the first time, so pay attention to the details. Similar to Lincoln’s, they don’t tend to perch in the open for long, so you have to be quick!

We can find all these sparrows in our region during any given winter, but every year brings potential for several sparrow species that can be considered rarities.

Probably the most common of these is the eastern North-American counterpart to our white-crowned sparrow, the white-throated sparrow. They are so similar in appearance and behavior that white-throated sparrows are most often found associated with flocks of white-crowns. The distinct white throat is a dead giveaway, though.

Recently we heard a report of a fox sparrow at Granite Basin Lake, and they have been reported there in years past as well. This is a large, stunning sparrow usually seen solitary in the low brush and shrubs. There have also been a couple of even rarer sightings of clay-colored sparrows lately, so you never know what will show up!

Grassland and chaparral birding during the winter can reveal a new appreciation for areas that we often take for granted. You may find some cool wintering raptors, and perhaps a rare sparrow while you’re at it. Have fun!