Date: Sat, 17 Jan 2015 17:08:37 -0500
From: Annette Meredith
Subject: Anyone seen any house sparrows?
I write children’s non-fiction books and I am currently nearing completion on a book on common backyard birds. There is one problem; despite the house sparrow being the most common bird in the world, I do not have any in my backyard, even though I have seen over 30 other species here (that’s probably why – house sparrows tend to displace native birds).
So, if anyone out there has seen a house sparrow, or more probably, a few of them together, I’d love to hear from you. I live in Siler City, but don’t mind driving out of town. Please note that white-throated, chipping and song sparrows are also found in NC and look very similar – I already have photos of those. Check on the allaboutbirds site or the audubon site if you think you’ve seen some but aren’t sure. The little guys I’m looking for are a nondescript brown (female) and the male has a very distinctive black bib and gray and brown head. They are often seen pecking at crumbs in the outdoor seating areas of restaurants in summer, but this time of year they have to go elsewhere for food. If you have feeders out, they may be coming to them. Email me a pic if you’re not sure. Thanks!
Annette Meredith