We could only see her from the top since we were looking down on the nest from the sliding glass door in Barb's kitchen. Since the deck hasn't been constructed, yet, we had an unobstructed view.
This is a photo I took a year or so ago of a chipping sparrow on our bird feeder.
See that black line through the eye area? That's the identifying feature according to the All About Birds website.
When we were looking down at the nest, we could see the rusty colored feathers on the mama's head.
The second photograph in THIS LINK shows a chipping sparrow nest with four little eggs...they look
Thank goodness for Google search. This was fun. Now we just have to wait to see if the little eggs actually hatch.
Jack tells me that there's another nest down in our lakescaping but the eggs are white. I'm going to have him show me where it is and try to get a picture of that, too. Fingers crossed that it's still there.
Hoping for the success of the eggs--whatever they may be!
ReplyDeleteI saw a Chipping Sparrow in my front yard the other day. I thought it was a Lincoln Sparrow at first, but it had the identifying line as you noted.
ReplyDeleteMakes me want to explore the reaches of the yard to see if we have any nests to accompany our birds.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Betty...will let you know what happens.
ReplyDeleteHi Leah! They are really pretty little birds, aren't they? It's fun trying to identify them.
They move so quickly that it's hard to figure out what they are, plus male and female coloring is different in each species which trips us up yet again!
ReplyDeleteLove birdwatching but I don't know a whole lot about it. I have a book that I use to identify. it's a lot of fun (for the aging!! LOL) No, seriously I have friends who are much younger who watch birds too.
ReplyDeleteIdentifying the birds we see is about as much fun as spying them in the first place.. and then there's photographing them. You get top points for finding eggs to boot!
ReplyDeleteYou are right, blueviolet...the little rascals are really fast!
ReplyDeleteI hear ya, Janell. It's a learn-as-you-go pastime that's more appealing the older you get, I think. Oh well...
Well, thanks, Hilary. I wish I could peer into that little wren house we have...no clue as to what's happening there. I think we missed the wood ducks' "jump", too. Dang it.
Ah hah! I think that I now know what type of birds have moved into my vent which is for a roughed in fireplace. They sound lovely but they're going to have to find a new place to reside, I'm going to be getting new shingles sometime this summer so hopefully they'll be old enough to move by then.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE your photo, what did you do with it? It looks like a painting!
Enjoy your day!
Well, we're all getting an education today. I didn't know that Chipping Sparrows laid blue eggs. I'm sorry you may have missed the Wood Duck jump. Hopefully, you'll be able to document the hatching of the baby sparrows.
ReplyDeleteGood detective work. I hope they hatch so you can have fun taking photos of the hatchlings (and sharing them here, of course!)
ReplyDeleteGood for you for taking the time to figure that out! Keep us posted on the Chipping Sparrow's progress.
ReplyDeleteI wish we could have birdy nests in our yard, but with 3 kitty cats, we don't encourage birdy babies.
ReplyDeleteI hope your little birdies are hatched, too, by the time you put your shingles on, Darlin. And I'm sure they will be. Thanks, too, about the photo. It's kind of hazy looking because I most likely shot it through our window screen. Which is how I get a lot of my bird photos...they don't know you're there so you can "sneak up" on them!
ReplyDeleteLinda, it took quite some time before I found out what kind of eggs those are! And I am sorry, too, about missing the wood duck jump. They're cautious about it because of possible predators. Maybe next year.
Thanks, Janie...we've been so busy lately that I haven't had time to check on them. I'll call Barb tomorrow to see if there's an update.
Thanks, Elizabeth. At first I thought they were house wren eggs but they're not blue so I just kept digging. Thank goodness for the internet!
I totally understand, Pam...birdies are probably picky about choosing nesting spots near kitty cat houses! And I do love kitty cats...