Q1: Yesterday I watched a crow begging from another, doing the classic
rapid wing
flutter that fledgling birds use to do to get food. Though the feeding
seems like it
could be courtship, the begging does not seem right. Does this mean that a
year-old
bird is still taking food from its parent?

Q2: I frequently leave work late at night, and I have heard a single
white-crowned
sparrow singing long after dark (between 9 and midnight) on five separate
occasions.
Though all five were relatively close together, I suspect by their
separation of up to
150 yards or more that I am listening to at least two individuals, and
possibly three.
Is this typical of white-crowned sparrows? Has anyone seen any research to
suggest
that a bird could be fooled by a well-lit office park into thinking that
dawn was
approaching? I'd be particularly interested to know whether people in rural
locations
with very little ambient light have white-crowned sparrows singing at night.

Jim McCoy
jfmccoy at earthlink.net
Redmond, WA