I have a comfortable backlog of photos, but always welcome good ones to put in the queue. So send along your pix, but again, the good ones.
Today we’re featuring Backyard Wildlife: the beauty that we might miss because it’s quotidian. First some photos by Anne-Marie Cournoyer in Montreal:
House sparrow (Passer domesticus; male and female):
Sexual dimorphism in sparrows—male and then female:
Fluffy baby sparrow, still following its parents around and begging for food:
American robin (Turdus migratorius):
White-crowned sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys):
Common grackle (Quiscalus quiscula). [JAC: Grackles are such cool-looking birds with their sleek shape, prominent eyes, and blue-violet heads].
From Randy Schenck in Iowa.
The Indigo Buntings (Passerina cyanea) are back and this one would say that the photo puts on a few ounces.
Here’s a Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger) as he sits on a gargoyle in the front yard:
Nice photos.
The English Sparrows, unfortunately are invasive species in North America. They do a lot of damage to other cavity-nesting such as bluebirds.
Lovely! It is very interesting to see comparisons like male and femxle sparrows. And I agree that the grackle is lovely. They have their charms in varieties too, since the femxle is also striking in her way.
The fox sqrll is cool. I see melanistic ones around here, concentrated in certain areas.
Without a size comparison available, how does one identify this as a Fox rather than Eastern gray squirrel?
It’s good to see excellent shots of the European House Sparrow. Growing up in London they were everywhere – cockney sparrers – alas you are lucky to see one these day. I learn here they are clinging on in the US.
Clinging on wouldn’t be the word for it. They are ubiquitous. And an invasive species that crowds out many native cavity-nesters such as bluebirds, tree swallows, etc.
I have witnessed in my own yard an English Sparrow destroying the young of a bluebird pair. I don’t have a good feeling for them at all.
I have a couple of nice pictures of a Red-headed woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) that I took today. If you want them what e-mail do I send them to?
Garry J. VanGelderen, Penetanguishene, Ontario.
Jerry’s email address can be found by googling him or by clicking on the Research Interests link on the right sidebar above. 🙂
As I understand it, the English Sparrow isn’t a sparrow at all, but rather a member of the weaver finches.
Very nice, Anne-Marie and Randy!
Lovely work. The blue bunting is my favouritest of birds.