Part of being a “Bird Watcher” whether professional or an amateur is to be able to identify the birds that you are watching. There are many times only tiny details separate the identity of one bird from another. Then there are different features that determine whether the bird is a male or a female.
A beginner bird watcher must use their bird guide a lot at the start, but gradually as you watch birds you instantly recognize more and more birds. And soon you have a long list of birds that you have seen and you know quickly the type and the sex of the bird.
I have a small simple bird guide book that I purchased at Wild Birds Unlimited called Birds of Louisiana & Mississippi by StanTekiela. I have mentioned this book before because I guess of all my bird books I have used it the most. It has 1 page descriptions and photographs of the common birds of these two states.
Because of its simplicity and size I have purchased this book for my grands so they could easily look at and identify the birds in their own yards. It is also a good way to let them know the new bird that I have seen because I can tell them to turn to the same page that I am on in my book to view a certain bird. Then we often have a lively discussion about that bird as they read the characteristics and descriptions of the bird.
Some birds are easy to identify and are either male or female, but the sparrow has many varieties. And the thing about these little birds is that their coloring is pretty much the same, but it’s in the details that you have to sort through to determine the type of sparrow that can be a challenge.
In my MS & LA bird guide book it lists 5 sparrows in MS, but just in North America there are dozens of different types of sparrows! These small birds are very active and have interesting personalities, but they don’t stay still very long for you to observe the minor changes in details of their appearance.
Many times unless I have been able to capture a photograph of one of them, I would not be able to tell anyone what type of sparrow they were. And it has often been through those photos that I have discovered that I have captured one that I haven’t seen before.
The different markings on a bird are called “field marks.” As you begin to know the field marks of a sparrow the easier it becomes to identify the different varieties of sparrows. In MS the five varieties that are common are: Chipping Sparrow, House Sparrow, Song Sparrow, White-Crowned Sparrow and the White-Throated Sparrow. Until I began this article I did not know that the Dark-Eyed Junco is also considered a sparrow. The Slate Dark-Eyed Junco is the one commonly seen in MS.
Many professional birders are not very keen on sparrows. In fact, long years ago I posted one to have identified on a birder’s identification site, I was amazed at how some people became quite hostile about their very existence. It really surprised me that a small bird could evoke such feelings. They consider them an invasive species.
There are so many sparrows in this world that during olden Bible times, they were considered almost worthless - 5 sparrows for 2 pennies - meaning they threw in 1 bird free of charge. God lets us know that they are important to Him. The song says - “His eye is on the sparrow...” God cares so much that He knows if one of them falls to the ground. Matthew 10:29.
“Look at the birds of the air...” Matthew 6:26. God uses the birds to calm our spirits so we can realize that if He cares so much for tiny birds and what they will eat, how much more He cares for us. My photos are on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest - “Birdie of Mississippi”
E-mail: birdieofmississippi@gmail.com My Blog: http://www.birdieofmississippi.blogspot.com
