sparrows at Ponquogue

October is sparrow month. I often like to say that our place has a good variety of habitat but that we lack classic sparrow grasslands or grassy edges. Strictly speaking that isn't really true. Although our "front lawn" -- the rapidly disappearing open space/meadow in front of the house -- hardly qualifies, the marsh is actually a kind of grassland. The dominant plants in the marsh proper are Spartina alterniflora and Spartina patens and we also have plenty of Phragmites australis and all three are grasses. And we do get the so-called marsh sparrows in the marsh: Saltmarsh (the most common), Seaside, Nelson's (in migration and winter) and even LeConte's (once; a veritable vagrant). Our common breeding sparrow, the redoubtable Song Sparrow, uses the marsh edges and sometimes ventures into the marsh itself to feed.

But the big influx of sparrows in October is marked by the arrival of large numbers of Swamp and White-throated Sparrows which along with Song Sparrows (some of which are undoubtedly new arrivals) feed in the bushy edges of the marsh and sometimes move further up into the woods where they will stay all winter. The White-throat even sings on warm days and it has one of the prettiest songs of any bird consisting of a melodic note or two followed by a bouncy rhythm. It also has a very noticeable loud 'chink' for an alarm call. Swamp also has a soft, warbler-like (or Phoebe-like) chip that is very recognizable. They are our most common sparrows at the moment.

Another sparrow that is rather common in migration and winter is the Chipping Sparrow but it isn't much noticed because (1) it is here all the time (it is a common breeder), and (2) it loses its distinctive red cap and white eye stripe in its non-breeding plumage and has a rather non-descript look. A less common sparrow at this time of year is the striking White-crowned Sparrow, one of the biggest and best-marked of its tribe (although most of the White-crowns that we see are young birds that have red-and-gray stripes instead of black-and-white stripes). Savannah, Field, Grasshopper and Vesper Sparrows, all breeders on Eastern Long Island, also turn up in migration and sometimes winter as well but take a little searching. Savannah is most common on Dune Road and in wintertime you can see its rare cousin, the Ipswich Sparrow which is a larger, plaer version of the Savannah. American Tree Sparrow is a northern breeder that winters here in some numbers.

Among the better sparrow finds are Fox Sparrow, and Lincoln's Sparrow (like a Swamp but more neatly marked and streaked), both seen in migration from time to time. Among the rarities that wander regularly to the East Coast, count Clay-colored Sparrow, Lark Sparrow, Henslow's Sparrow (a declining grassland species which formerly bred on Long Island and still turns up now and then) and Harris' Sparrow. Closely related to the sparrows (some people count them as sparrows even though they don't look 'sparrow-y') are the Eastern Towhee and Dark-eyed Junco, the former a local breeder and fairly common migrant, the latter a common migrant and winter bird. Finally, among birds that are not sparrows but look like one, I might mention the Dickcissel which does occur here in migration.

Over the years I've managed to spot and/or identify quite a few of the above list, mostly in and among our high tide bushes (Iva and Baccharis as well as Phragmites) which are currently in seed and attracting good numbers of sparrows, warblers, goldfinches and other birds. But this is tough sparrow birding. You see the bushes twitching and catch a bit of movement. But what is it? It is a real struggle to catch these birds in the brief instants that they perch out in the open on one of the bushes. Sparrows are hard enough to identify if you get a good look but they are also quite shy. The best local places to look for sparrows (and have a fighting chance to figure out what they are) are on Dune Road between Ponquogue Bridge and the Inlet. The road going to the old Ponquogue Bridge and the adjacent parking lots have a variety of sparrows at this time of year. Although they are flighty, they tend to return to the grassy edges where they can be studied at length. Patience is the prime requirement.

Eric Salzman