The song sparrow is one of those birds that I see everywhere in Portland and don’t think much about.
It’s small, brownish at first glance, and doesn’t do a whole lot to get my attention other than provide a nice musical backdrop to the lush Portland neighborhoods when I’m walking the dog.
Until I look at one through the lens of a camera.
And suddenly I am looking at a work of art. Brilliant hues of reddish brown painted across wings and tail feathers. A spattering of speckles and stripes across an icy white chest. And slate blue pants with creamy cocoa trim? Yes please.
Song sparrows are downright beautiful.
And expressive.
This sparrow was being particularly loud and acting agitated. Turns out there was a cat prowling around in the brush. Song sparrows often nest on or near the ground in shrubs. I didn’t see a nest, but I presume that’s why this bird was so freaked out.
I got to be the hero.
Song sparrows in my area are residential, meaning that they live here year round. They feed mostly on the ground, eating seeds and fruit and insects. They sometimes flock together in the winter, and pair up late winter to early spring to nest and parent the young, but other than that, they are solitary birds.
And sometimes they are burbs.
Thanks for being a bird nerd with me!
