I think that the House Sparrow Passer domesticus, must be the most adaptable bird living in America. Originally introduced from overseas, it is now the most widely seen bird in cities in America from shore to shore. You find them everywhere you find people and food.
On a recent trip to Texas, I observed them in several places, making their homes among the people and the city landscapes.
Our first sighting was the pair that decided to live in the LOVE'S sign where we stopped to get gas and food.
They had built a nice nest in the opening of the "e" and were busy courting while people wandered in and out of the doors right below them.
Making "love" at the LOVE'S.
I have seen signs on buildings at this time of year that have a nest in every nook and cranny of the letters. As long as the business owners don't clear them away, they happily go about their lives in the middle of the most public places they can find.
The second encounter was at the parking lot next to our motel
In this parking lot of a Chinese restaurant, a small flock of House Sparrows had found an empty ice cream cone and were determined to eat as much of it as they could. I think this group were nesting in the dense landscape bushes around the restaurant. You see them outside of any fast food restaurant picking up stray french fries, dropped pop-corn or other goodies. Makes you wonder if they ever get any healthy food!
"What!....no ice cream?"
My third photos came from another gas station on the way home. A pair were busy setting up house-keeping in the housing around a security camera mounted on the building. A camera on the other corner of the building also had a male hanging around.
I saw the female fly in and out of the housing a couple of times while the male sat there and chirped away, so I assume her nest is safely tucked in the back of the housing.
This is typical behavior of these birds. Any store sign, any crevice, any light housing, any vent on a building becomes a prime nesting site for them. My favorite Mexican restaurant has a pair in every light mounted in the eaves of the building.
When they live away from the cities, they are aggressive at home feeders and drive away a lot of other songbirds.
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5 comments:
An eagle eye you have !!!!!
They will nest about anywhere. Around here, they have become a bit of a nuisance.
Well spotted.
They have a nest on our front porch...I should have tore it down but it was there before I knew it. They are thick around here.
cute photos. we had swallows and house sparrows that make their nests under the signs of our little town's grocery store.
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