I am sharing a few House Sparrow photos that were taken while I was staying with my dear friend, Steve Creek, in Arkansas. The photos were taken from his deck.
Male House Sparrow perched on a bluebird nest box
I know. There are a lot of people who don’t like House Sparrows, some even despise them. While I despise the harm that these introduced sparrows can cause for our native birds, I can’t hate them. They didn’t ask to be here in North America. Nope. They didn’t come here on their own. They were brought here by humans.
Watching this species try to take over one of Steve’s bluebird nest boxes was frustrating. My frustrations weren’t directed at just that single bird; they were also directed towards the long-dead people who brought this species to our shores.
When I push my bias against these birds aside, I can’t help but notice how lovely their plumage and markings actually are. The bright rusty brown in contrast with the black feathers of a male in breeding plumage is quite eye-catching!
House Sparrows are currently on the decline in their native countries. It’s almost a shame that we can’t capture thousands of them and ship them back to their native lands.
Unfortunately, that would only work if their native habitat wasn’t already being ruined. And it is.
An ecological mess was made when these birds were brought to North America. Here we are, around one hundred and fifty years later, and sadly, messes are still being made in regard to this species.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my House Sparrow photos plus facts and information about this species.
Nice series of pics. I’m a bit surprised that house sparrows weren’t indigenous to the US. These sparrows may be an annoyance to some but I can guarantee that they aren’t as bad as parrots. Years ago people in Pasadena [Calif.], thought it was cool to own exotic birds and their fowl du jour were parrots. Well, typical of the entitled mentality, some folks quickly grew tired of their [high maintenance] birds so they released them into the outdoors. Over the years these parrots have reproduced by the thousands and now dominate Pasadena. The racket they make is deafening. They are a tremendous nuisance to the city but not much can be done about it. All things considered, I’ll take the sparrows. Thanks Mia.
Beautiful photos. We are partial to them at my house. Lucky and Leggy were remarkable birds. One was imprinted, Lucky, and the other had two crippled legs, Leggy. We had them flying freely though out our house for 12 years. We learned so much from them and all mourned their passing. House sparrows are in decline in the US also. We use to have huge flocks at our house, now small numbers at the feeders. According to one source house sparrows have seen an 84 percent decrease since 1966.
They are imports here too – and their numbers have dramatically declined. Which I mourn.