Suburban Sparrows

Yesterday my yard held no less than seven different Emberizid sparrow species.  (These are North American sparrows including juncos and towhees but excluding House "Sparrows" which are a different family, Passeridae.)  Birders will understand the value of this total, but let me make a few comparisons to put things in perspective for the non-birders.  When I was a kid I kept a bird list for my parents' yard.  In 15+ years of living there and watching birds I recorded just nine sparrow species.  After I got married I moved to another location for about four years. This location had definitively better habitat, but even here I recorded only eight species during my entire time living there.  At my current location I have recorded nine species in just three and a half months, including the seven yesterday alone.

Why?

Then answer is simple.  There is a wet area measuring about 20' by 20' in which I have allowed the grass and wildflowers that others would call "weeds" to grow to about knee height.  Nearly every sparrow I have recorded in the yard has used this section for foraging or cover.  My previous location had no such area and my parents' house had only a temporary habitat of this type when the garden had reached its wildest in early fall.  I have had three separate Lincoln's Sparrows in the section of the yard this fall.  Bird-saavy readers will know this is an uncommon species at best and many birders don't see three of them in an entire season.

It's the Field of Dreams mentality that says "If you build it, they will come."  In this case the adage is true.  Creating the correct habitat will draw the species that use it.  Without a doubt these birds would not appear in my yard, or at least not remain in my yard long enough to be readily observed, if not for the grassy patch. Consider that most yards in America could have a grassy patch, or a brushy patch, or a group of trees added to it in its least-used corner.  Image the value these patches could have for wildlife, particularly migrant wildlife who require stop-over habitat for cover and food.  Most lawns go unused 80% of the time, only occasionally playing host to a barbecue or party or a dog or game of catch.  If all of those homeowners who under-use and over-care for their lawns sacrificed a small corner and allowed it to grow wild or replaced it with native shrubs or wildflowers it could be a great asset for wildlife.

My backyard habitat will get a major upgrade next year when I will have access to my first complete growing season on the property.  My focus will revolved around adding understory plants in one region and replacing exotics with natives in other areas.  Without question, however, the grassy area will remain and even expand as I remove Japanese Knotweed and allow the grass to replace it.  The sparrows of this fall have convinced me this patch is too valuable to replace.