Yesterday morning, I went up to the aptly-named Sparrow Farm in East Montpelier for a repeat visit to a spot where I picked up five new County birds yesterday. The area is a fine combination of wetland, farm fields, and forest and has a nice variety. It’s a favorite mountain biking trail but early in the morning, no one is around. I got another FOY as I ended the outing by crossing a large hayfield. Perched on a clump of last fall’s hay was a small brown bird, indistinguishable through the binoculars. It let the dog and I get closer and I could hear and see it singing — sort of a buzzy call. It was a pretty Savannah Sparrow.
Later, I went up to the airport to do a little work on my plane and then took a walk with the dog to check out grassland birds there. A sparrow came flying across the runway and perched on the perimeter fence not far from our position. It was my second SASP of the day.
So, now I am looking for White-crowned Sparrows which have been reported in the County. There’ll likely be a few other species, like Vesper, that I will watch for as we head toward summer. It really helps, this time of year, when the sparrows sing, to help me sort out those little brown jobs.