Just as the list's discussion has turned to the apparent decline in numbers
of Zonotrichids, and two days after I posted my January "yard" list, with
no sightings of either white-crowned or white-throated, a single
white-crowned sparrow has appeared under my south-side feeders. This is a
very dark-breasted individual, with an accordingly very flashy white crown.
It really popped out from the throng of house finches.

It is the first white-crown sparrow I have seen here since around
Thanksgiving.

I have had discussions over the years with a number of birders about these
species. Many have observed that white-crowned and white-throated sparrows
favor feeders that have good cover of underbrush or just plain brush
nearby. This corroborates with my own experience. At our farm, I noticed
greater than usual numbers the winter after the massive windstorm of June
29, 2012 (the derecho). Many large black locust trees from the adjacent
forest fell into our back yard, clobbering the small outbuilding we call
our wool shed. It took me until the following spring to clear all the tops
from a pile 5m or so from our backyard feeders. We had a lot of
white-throated sparrows the winter of 2012-2013, and quite a few
white-crowned sparrows as well.

So I wonder, have any of you reporting lower numbers of these species had
any changes to the surroundings in the past year? Just an interesting
thought...

Bob Evans
Geologist, etc.
Hopewell Township, Muskingum County

______________________________________________________________________

Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
Please consider joining our Society, at www.ohiobirds.org/site/membership.php.
Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.


You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
listserv.miamioh.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]