A Sadness of Sparrows - Arapahoe

[Jared Del Rosso]

Okay, the sadness is mine, not the sparrows -- but there's something about encountering flocks of Vesper Sparrows and Lark Buntings in Centennial (where they do not breed) here in August that is bittersweet. I love seeing the birds, but it means summer is nearly over and too soon for my liking many of our breeding birds will be long gone. (That said, this year's heat and drought can't be gone too soon.)

Lark Buntings at deKoevend Park in Centennial yesterday (August 18). Vesper Sparrows around various open spaces and trails this week, too. 

Also:

A Bullock's Oriole at deKoevend yesterday. Not that uncommon, but they barely breed in my self-imposed, hyper-local birding area. I know of only one breeding spot.

A Calliope Hummingbird giving its weird display sound, like a toy laser gun to my ears, in my yard. I have my feeders down right now, but a few hummingbirds are visiting the many flowers on my one miracle plant -- a Desert Willow, practically the only thing really happy this year -- and a few agastaches. (Agastache cana, my second favorite to the more popular Agastache rupestris, seems much happier in my yard, year-over-year.)

- Jared Del Rosso

Centennial, CO