House Sparrow

We get a lot of House Sparrows to our backyard feeder.These are perched in our backyard plum tree waiting for their turn at the feeder. I suspect these are the most common sparrows around here and one of the most common birds in the city. I really enjoy them in the spring when they bring the fledglings to the feeder and give them lessons on how to crack sunflower seeds (and feed them so they don't starve for want of success.) That's a male House Sparrow in the center of the photo surrounded by females and/or juveniles.

July Choices!

As I wrote last week, "Every year I put together a calendar for friends and family, of photos I have published on this blog for the last year or so. However, it's always difficult to make decisions about which photos to use. I am hoping visitors to this blog will help out. Every day for the next few weeks I will publish two or three photos from a given month and hope that comments and choices made by visitors will help me make a final decision which photos to use in this year's calendar. As an incentive, I will offer an online downloadable/printable file of the calendar to anyone who helps me make a choice."

Thanks to everyone who has given me their opinions so far, and it really helps when you give reasons for your preference.

Below are my favorite July 2016 photos. There are three to choose from today. July is a good time to get out and enjoy the outdoors and these photos reflect the fact that Victoria is surrounded by lots of parks and forest land. The top two photos were taken in July 2016. The bottom photo was taken in July 2010. Which one do you prefer?

Backyard Boss (This bird was at the top of the pecking order in out backyard flock this year.)

Summertime in Saanich (Fern took this lovely photo)

Sooke Potholes (The Sooke Potholes are a favorite spot Victorians go to on hot summer days.)

Backyard Boss

We get a lot of House Sparrows to our backyard feeder. I've only recently learned that there is a hierarchy within sparrow flocks. Above in the center is a male House Sparrow, easily recognizable by the black bib under his beak. His place in the hierarchy is reflected by the size of that black bib and since the above bird's is the biggest I saw this morning I am assuming he is the boss. However, variations in the size of the bib may also only reflect age. The other birds in the picture are female House Sparrows or juveniles.

Good Morning!

Here is what I see most mornings now when I go outside. This lineup of House Sparrows and about 50 of their friends and relatives are waiting for me to fill the feeder so they can have breakfast.

House Sparrow

This is a House Sparrow (Passer domesticus), according to Wikipedia, "...the most widely distributed wild bird..." on this planet, though one that has not graced the pages of Victoria Daily Photo in the past, a regrettable omission. Part of my self-imposed discipline as a neophyte birdwatcher is to learn to recognize all the nearly indistinguishable little brown/gray birds that flutter around in the background of our lives here. There are about a half dozen kinds of sparrow around here and a bunch more close relatives such as the Chickadees. The other local challenge is sorting out the gulls - many different species look quite similar and I still can't tell one from the other with any confidence.