Subject: Brown headed cowbirds
Date: Aug 6 16:12:07 1999
From: Michael Hobbs - Hummer at isomedia.com


----- Original Message -----
From: Jo Powell <jhpowell at iea.com>


> Hi, all:
>
> Over the past few months I have had quite a few song sparrow fledglings
> showing up at the suet blocks. A couple one week, then one or two younger
> ones the next week and so on during June and July. About 3 weeks ago a song
> sparrow kept coming to the block with two fledgling cowbirds it was trying
> to feed; those are really BIG babies. The song sparrows have obviously been
> quite successful here (outside Spokane - rural area/stream/brush) but are
> also being parasitized. Are they usual victims? It seems to me someone on
> Tweeters posted something about seeing a song sparrow feeding cowbird
> young. The second part of my comment/question is about Spotted Towhees.

I reported on a Song Sparrow feeding a BHCO chick at Marymoor last year. I'm
pretty sure I've seen one this year too (I can't find my notes right now
either). I have never seen a Towhee feeding a cowbird. Perhaps they are big
enough to eject the egg?

== Michael Hobbs
== Kirkland WA
== hummer at isomedia.com