birdwatching

Hate the Game, Not the Sparrow

My intrigue for the House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) was born, err… hatched from sheer opportunity. Several years back, I repurposed a cheap guitar that was missing a few strings and hung it up under our covered deck to serve as a decorative accent. Ella broke out her paints and created a nice, folky design that flowed well with the rest of the décor on our deck. As it would turn out, the missing B and G strings allotted for just enough clearance for a mated pair of adult sparrows to limbo their way through its small, 1” opening. All things considered, I can’t say that I blame them for picking this spot!

Also out of happenstance, the guitar was hung just outside our kitchen window. The hours spent washing dishes and prepping meals, afforded us the luxury of having a front row seat as the pair began constructing their nest within the guitar’s sound hole in early February. Tirelessly the male would fly off, scouring the neighborhood, in search of nesting materials to bring back and hand off to his maiden whom would remain perched on the guitar’s neck, patiently awaiting his return.

Well, it wasn’t soon thereafter that we were greeted with the constant chirping of their first brood whom fledged the nest, ahem… guitar, roughly 2 weeks later. Well, that was cute now, wasn’t it? Kudos to the ‘rents! Great job guys!!

But immediately he was back at it. Gathering nesting materials, bringing them back to the female who now, instead of being perched on the guitar’s neck, spent her days dragging debris and grasses from the sound hole and flying off with it. I also noticed that this time the male, who was now arriving at times when the female was away from the nest, would take the nesting materials inside and fly out a short time later empty handed. It would seem that he too was now playing a role in nest construction. A few weeks later, chirping. A few weeks later, fuzzy headed young perched all over the rails of our deck being taught the curriculum of what it takes to be a proper bird. Again… so cute. What an experience. Nature, I see you!

 

Then, more nesting material was being gathered. You see where this is going? Wash, rinse, repeat. What began in early spring, greeted May, and was now steamrolling its way through early summer. We were well on our way to amassing a small army of LBJ’s (Little Brown Jobs as sparrows are often referred to) on the deck of our suburban/rural-ish home.

This behavior, this fecundity, is what has accounted for the House sparrow’s, an “invasive” species, exemplary success in setting up permanent residency here and just about every other continent on the globe! It should be stated that this original family of sparrows has went on to remain with this guitar every year for the past 5 years. The typical lifespan of House sparrows in the wild is 4 - 5 years, so I am optimistic that being monogamous and mating for life, the same OG’s are still roaming the wilds of my back yard today! One would think that the unorthodox location of the guitar, the constant foot traffic it receives from large dogs and humans, all would be a deterrent, but as history has told us with this species, it is the primary reason for its success.

On August 21st, 1886 a short time after the House sparrow was introduced into the United States, Dr. W.H. Bergtold, of Buffalo, N.Y. observed:

As regards the number of broods and young reared by a pair of Sparrows in a year, I wish to make a statement and put forth a theory that I have never seen advanced before. I have repeatedly examined nests of this bird containing nearly full-fledged young, two or three young in more or less advanced stages of development, and several eggs of various degrees of incubation, some being nearly fresh, while others were about to break through. I gather from these facts that the Sparrow, at least in some cases, lays and continues to lay a succession of eggs so long as the weather is not too cold; and as the young attain a sufficient amount of strength they are expelled from the nest. Assuming such to be the case we can easily see how much of the incubation work is taken from the parents and thrown on the young, who by their bodily heat and proximity, readily take up such duties (quite unintentionally, I imagine), and also how much work can be given to the proper maintenance of a generous food supply for both the old and young.

This constant stream of outpouring Sparrows accounts for the rapid manner in which this species multiplies.

Albeit an astute observation by Dr. Bergtold, the House sparrow was new to science at the time and not a lot was known about it. Although such cases as witnessed by Dr. Bergtold may occur, it certainly is not the rule, as it is certain that in most cases all the eggs are laid before any are hatched, and all the young leave the nest at about the same time as I have witnessed myself on multiple occasions.

Moreover, it is not necessary to resort to such a theory to account for the rapidity with which the sparrow increases. It is a hardy, prolific, and aggressive little bird, possessed of much intelligence and more then ordinary cunning. It is domestic and gregarious in habit and takes advantage of the protection afforded by its proximity to man, thus escaping nearly all enemies which typically prey upon our native birds.

Its fecundity is amazing, and is reflected in the table I have created below. Of course, the actual increase of the House sparrow is a small fraction of the total shown in the table. But, if we were to reduce the number of young produced per pair to just six annually, assuming that half are male and half are female, factor a lifespan of five years for all, then we would expect to see an increase of 33,614 birds from the first mated pair during this five-year period. There has; however, been a twist in recent years. Duh, duh, duhhhh…

Sparrow Progeny.jpg

Despite thriving during the hundred plus years since introduction into the rest of the world, House sparrows have begun declining rapidly in parts of North America, Australia, and their native Europe where they are now red listed as a species of high conservation concern. Across the whole of the United Kingdom and much of Northwestern Europe, sparrow populations have declined by more than 60 percent from the early 1970s to the late 1990s. Some of the reasons cited are loss of nesting habitat, diminished food items i.e., weed seed and insects, pollution caused by industrial growth, and natural predation. The latter, I would argue is a key influence as I have had evidence of predation strewn through my backyard on countless occasions. Although neighborhood cats permitted to run at will has always been a concern when it comes to our native bird species, local hawk populations have skyrocketed in recent years and can now be seen in almost any city/town, at any time of the day, perched prominently on a power line or radio tower, scouting its next meal.

Yes, I will agree that the males will sometimes “flex” too hard and too often when trying to defend their territory. They also sing incessantly during springtime when trying to garner the attention of a mate. I have even felt the hit in the wallet as the little army of sparrows I quickly amass in my yard consumes way more than their fair share of bird seed. Despite all of this, I have grown rather fond of these bold little birds and their willingness to share their social dynamic with me.

Most of us live hectic lives that don’t allocate as much time as we would like to spend outdoors in nature. Given the chance, the House sparrow will provide a front row seat to the natural world that is always present right outside your window. All we have to do is sit back and take it in!

Just Do Something!

"When some remote ancestor of ours invented the shovel, he became a giver – He could plant a tree. When the axe was invented, he became a taker – He could chop it down. Whoever owns land has thus assumed, whether he knows it or not, the divine functions of creating and destroying plants."

-Aldo Leopold

As most of us have started to settle back into some semblance of “normalcy”, we are still within the throes of a worldwide pandemic. Government shut downs and social isolation have spawned record unemployment, political disconnect, civil unrest, and our ever-more-present-with-each-passing-year-friend global warming. When all hope seems lost, we as conservationist and land managers MUST dust off our boots, get back out there, and carry on with the work.

A Time When No Matter How You Choose, You Are Certain to Offend Someone

A reasonable person would assume that when you utilize your own time, money and resources to do something, ANYTHING for the environment, it would be warmly received by all, correct? Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this is no longer so Chappies and Chappettes! I recently had a conversation with the Senior Project Director of a major organization here in the US. It wasn’t until I had this conversation that I truly understood the gravity of the situation. I had pitched to him an upcoming “statement tee” that I planned to release and offered to include their organization on the campaign. For those of you that are not aware, a statement tee is a t-shirt that carries a bold statement on the front. Its intent is to stand out and deliver a message about something that you support. The campaign required no work or capital from them aside from lending their logo to the design. In return, a portion of all proceeds would be donated to them for their participation. We have done this in the past with other organizations and although our contribution doesn’t amount to anything that would make or break a company, every little bit helps right?

The idea I pitched focused on a certain demographic within their industry. A group of people that have been overlooked so to speak and haven’t received the proper recognition that they deserve. It is also a growing demographic that is performing exciting work for both science and the industry. My idea was met with caution and concern. Although being supportive of the idea on a personal level, he was concerned that if they backed this campaign, they would endure backlash from the other sector of their industry that wasn’t included. Despite not agreeing with his assessment initially, after pondering it for a bit, I couldn’t dispute his concerns seeing as to the current state of the world and the cancel culture that we now reside in.

It’s All Gone to The Birds

The hew of the European ax resulted in grassland bird species expanding their range into the midwestern and eastern states of North America during the late 1800s as forests were cleared for early, agrarian endeavors. Horned Larks (Eremophila alpestris) spread eastward from Illinois and Wisconsin beginning in the 1870s, and had reached the New England states by 1891. Other species that expanded their range eastward included the Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) and Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus).

Showing up to the party fashionably late, the Henslow's Sparrow (Centronyx henslowii), also expanded its range; however, its population boom coincided with the period of farm abandonment in the early 1900’s as these same settlers expanded further west. Grassland birds like the Upland Sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda), Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum), Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis), Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna), and Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorous), were likely already present in the Northeast prior to the large-scale forest clearing that had prompted the arrival of the aforementioned species.

From this data, it can be postulated that some forest bird species were without a doubt displaced when the forests were cleared. This displacement resulted in habitation by several new grassland species which after several years of farms being abandoned, were forced to seek refuge elsewhere as early successional species moved into the developing, scrubby habitat. Do you see a pattern?

Choose Wisely or Else!

So, from a conservation perspective, which direction should we go and which species should we target as we reshape and manage our landscapes? It has been suggested that the ideal habitat might be a landscape with scattered, small openings such as those that were created by native peoples. Another target could be 1966, when the United States Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) began the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS). Data from the BBS could be used to target specific grassland bird populations and implement management practices that cater to the species with the most rapid declines. For example, BBS data for Savannah Sparrows and Eastern Meadowlarks, show consistent, region-wide declines in the Northeast from 1966-1996. Similar trends for other species are the basis for the concern for grassland birds in regions with continued declines. If you support this approach, then you would de-emphasize late-successional forest species, which are already present, and focus your efforts on grassland bird recovery.

A case in point is the Bobolink, which since 1966 is declining at rates approaching 2% every year throughout their entire North American breeding range. In the Northeast, per BBS data, Bobolinks are most abundant in the St. Lawrence River Plain; which supports up to 17% of the world's population of Bobolinks. Even though the St. Lawrence River Plain was dominated by deciduous hardwood forests in pre-Columbian times, cultivation during the last 200 years has created a vast agricultural grassland in which climate and poor drainage have enhanced the value of the region to grassland birds such as the Bobolink and Henslow's Sparrow. In this case, a rational argument could be made for a management target date set in the late twentieth century, with an emphasis on enhancing grassland habitat. That approach is being undertaken by the USFWS in its St. Lawrence Wetlands and Grassland Management District, where the Partners in Wildlife program restores old fields to grassland habitat, which are then maintained in an early successional stage by private landowners.

Embrace What Feels Right to You

Upon purchasing our initial acreage (7+ acres) the land was 65% scrubby, early successional growth with the remaining 35% being fragmented, forested, what I would call “islands”. The southern border to our property (55+ acres) is 75% rolling, hay pasture with the remaining 25% being fragmented, forested islands. To the south of that is 50+ acres of 100% forested habitat. This collective 112+ acres and then some, was initially one parcel that operated as a pastured cattle operation dating back to the 1800’s.

In July 2020, we were able to acquire 11+ acres of the rolling pasture which adjoins to the south end of our property. When considering a long term, management plan, weighing out the recent data trends, we embraced a grassland habitat restoration. In doing so, we are certain to displace some of the resident, early successional species but these same birds have more of that habitat nearby within agricultural and residential land. The smaller islands of forested habitat will require selective cuts to open up the tree canopy to create a non-interrupted plot to make it more appealing for grassland birds. In doing this, we will also displace some resident forest dwelling birds but these birds have larger spans of forest to choose from within the bordering acreage.

In conclusion, I am of the firm belief that doing something is better than doing nothing. I also believe that over analysis often leads to paralysis which leads to nothing getting done. Pick a plan, conduct your research, implement said plan and carry out the work that achieves the ideal habitat that YOU desire, and brings the most value to YOUR life.