Subject: Re: baby song sparrow
Date: Apr 21 20:09:52 1996
From: Christopher Hill - cehill at u.washington.edu




On Sun, 21 Apr 1996, Betty Estes wrote:

> Our first baby song sparrow showed up in the yard yesterday
> (April 20). Actually, it was in the feeder, begging an adult to feed
> it. Today, we've seen it in the feeder alone, feeding itself. We
> haven't kept track of when babies appear, but this seems early.

I'm not sure what is "normal" timing for song sparrows here in Washington,
but the earliest birds in Discovery Park, Seattle were just starting to
launch fledglings in the past week or two, so your record is in synch with
the Seattle birds. Most of the local song sparrows seem to be on eggs
now, so the big pulse of youngsters should be flying within a week or two.

A coworker on song sparrows tells me that the earliest she has ever seen
young out of the nest is April 1.

Chris Hill
Everett, WA
cehill at u.washington.edu