Savannah Sparrows

Yesterday morning, I went up to the aptly-named Sparrow Farm in East Montpelier for a repeat visit to a spot where I picked up five new County birds yesterday.  The area is a fine combination of wetland, farm fields, and forest and has a nice variety.  It’s a favorite mountain biking trail but early in the morning, no one is around.  I got another FOY as I ended the outing by crossing a large hayfield.  Perched on a clump of last fall’s hay was a small brown bird, indistinguishable through the binoculars.  It let the dog and I get closer and I could hear and see it singing — sort of a buzzy call.  It was a pretty Savannah Sparrow.

A Savannah Sparrow at the Sparrow Farm.

Later, I went up to the airport to do a little work on my plane and then took a walk with the dog to check out grassland birds there.  A sparrow came flying across the runway and perched on the perimeter fence not far from our position.  It was my second SASP of the day.

At the E.F. Knapp airport in Berlin, VT.

So, now I am looking for White-crowned Sparrows which have been reported in the County.  There’ll likely be a few other species, like Vesper, that I will watch for as we head toward summer.  It really helps, this time of year, when the sparrows sing, to help me sort out those little brown jobs.