Morning Surprise
One of the things I’ve been doing more often is shoot photography early in the morning because is cooler and I can see more variety of birds, these make quick stops to get some seeds and move on. When ever it rains most birds take shelter and when i ends they mob the feeders.
I had a surprise this morning when I saw a House Sparrow for the first time in my backyard. It’s not a new bird for my list but it’s new for my backyard list of birds. It was not immediate that I ID this bird, I knew it was a sparrow but not the kind of sparrow. After seeing the pictures I shot I was able to ID and did verify it by searching in guides and the internet to be totally sure. The reason I had to search was because this bird is young and non-breading, not displaying the usual characteristic plumage of the House Sparrow.
Text and photographs © HJ Ruiz – Avian101
H.J. Ruiz - Avian101 
The juveniles and this time of year — keeps us birders on our toes! Great photos HJ. 🙂
That’s right! Thank you Jet! 🙂
Lovely to get a new bird for your backyard list.
Oh yes! It’s a great satisfaction! Thanks Susan! 🙂
How sweet, HJ! House Sparrows in India are soon becoming rare in the urban areas and have now been given the status of ‘State Bird’ of our capital New Delhi. A lot of efforts are being made here to bring back these gregarious and chirpy little birds and we do our bit by hanging artificial nests and placing seed and water bowls in our balconies (as advised by my avian vet) to encourage their visits. I love these birds and even the cats enjoy watching them from inside! Lovely photographs, HJ, one difference is that the house sparrows in India do not have yellow beaks. 🙂
The House Sparrow that I’m featuring in this post is a juvenile and doesn’t have the adult breeding plumage. The beak will turn black and it will grow a black hood and black throat. That should be about similar to what you see in India. I’ve seen them in South America, Middle East and North America and look the same. Thanks A.! 🙂
We are surrounded by young house sparrows at the moment so I am glad you got at least one.
Thanks Tom! 🙂
I have completely enjoyed your photography since I discovered your blog…I appreciate every photo!
Thank you very much for your kind words! 🙂
This is one of our common birds in Australia, well, our area anyway. Lovely photos HJ! 🙂
Thank you very much Barbara! 🙂
It’s always fun to get a new visitor to our yards! Nice photos, H.J!
Yes! Thank you Amy! 🙂