Chipping Sparrows and "Wild" Worms
clever...@gmail.com
If you look closely, you can see a native green caterpillar, along with the two mealworms supplied by me, in this chipping sparrow’s bill.
On a number of other occasions one has come in preloaded with a native worm and topped off with the mealworms I provide before flying off to feed their fledglings in the case of one pair, or nestlings for another pair. At least 90% of their dozens of daily visits they arrive empty-billed, though, and depart with two to five mealworms. One bird came in with a green caterpillar, landed on my hand, dropped the green worm in my hand and traded up for the two mealworms in my hand and then waited around for more, eschewing the worm it carried in, before departing. When it came back, I offered it the green worm and one mealworm but it took only the mealworm and left the wild worm behind. The next chipping sparrow was not so picky. When it came in and I had one mealworm and the green worm in my hand, it didn’t hesitate to take both and fly off.
When I’m not around, they presumably catch and provide native worms to their young, although I wonder about one of the birds. Sometimes when I’m busying myself in the kitchen or living room, I’ll glance at the window feeder and see it sitting on the near edge, inches from the glass, watching me as I move around the room, waiting for me to extend my hand out the window with mealworms. Yesterday I was carrying on a phone conversation from my rocking chair, which is positioned in front of the window feeder, when it came in, hopped to the near edge and fixed its beady little eyes on me. Nearly ten minutes passed and I finally broke, telling the caller that I had to go feed a bird. I did so, and only then did it fly off. Patient bird.
Steve Wilson
Isabella
clever...@gmail.com
This chipping sparrow showed up with four pint-sized “wild” worms this morning…
…and left with those, the two mealworms it added here plus the one in my hand, for a total of seven worms.
I’m going to claim this as the world record for number of prey items carried by a chipping sparrow at one time – not that anyone else is keeping track.
Steve Wilson
Isabella, MN
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Catherine Brown
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clever...@gmail.com
Who knows? I’m past the point of being surprised by them. I know that they’ll come to the sound of my voice. They can be on one side of the house when I’m out of view around a corner and if I call out, at least one of them knows to seek me out for a handout of mealworms.
