I had forgotten to think about the first bird of the year today, but now
that you mention it...

The first bird I saw this morning was a Song Sparrow pecking at the gravel
in the drive. Later, I saw a Robin in the yard. Those are the ONLY two
birds I've seen all morning. Very quiet on this cold (mid 20s), still day.

My little yard flock of House Sparrows appears to have sufferred
significantly higher than normal winter mortality this year, for reasons
unknown. I've hardly seen them the past couple of weeks and when I do it's
usually only 2 to 4 birds. A couple of days ago, a House Sparrow flashed by
me with a robin-sized bird tailing it by a few inches. The sparrow was
squeaking in alarm. Sharpie? Shrike? Maybe that would explain the sparrow
decline.

Kelly Cassidy
Pullman, WA