Showing posts with label Eurasian Tree Sparrow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eurasian Tree Sparrow. Show all posts

Thursday, March 23, 2023

National Bird Holidays and Awareness Days- 2nd Quarter

 

male cardinal
Male Cardinal

This review will introduce you to a few of the bird holidays and awareness days for the second quarter of the year.  I have found bird watching and bird photography to be a wonderful pastime.  In addition to sharing some of the second quarter bird days, I will share a few of my photographs in this review.  All photos were taken in my backyard.


April 8- Draw a Bird Day

Draw a bird day started in the UK in the 1940's.  A young girl wanted to cheer her uncle who was wounded in the war.  When she visited him in the hospital she asked him to draw a bird.  When he finished she laughed and told him that he wasn't a great artist but then she hung the drawing on the wall.  This cheered her uncle so much that she would have him draw a bird each time she visited him, and soon his walls were full of bird drawings.  The other soldiers and nurses in the hospital were all cheered by the bird drawings.  This was the start of the holiday.

You don't need to be a great artist to participate in "Draw a Bird Day", just sketch a simple bird and spread the joy.  
April 8th is "Draw a Bird Day".  To help you with 
this project you might want to order this book.



April 29th- National Go Birding Day


National Go Birding Day is a national holiday that is celebrated on the last Saturday in April.  It is a day to celebrate our feathered friends.  The Earth is home to over 10,000 different species of birds.

Some of the activities you might like to do to celebrate the day include:
  • Take Photographs
  • Visit a Nature Reserve or a Park
  • Share your Photos and Videos on social media.

sparrows in the cold
Sparrows on Deck Chair all Puffed up in Cold

May 4th- Bird Day


This holiday is the largest holiday in observance of our avian friends.  It is always held on May 4th and the US Library of Congress states that it was first observed on May 4, 1894.  This is a widely celebrated Bird Day and is often celebrated in conjunction with Arbor day.  Both days are focused on conservation and education.

female cardinal
Female Cardinal

To celebrate Bird Day you may want to learn more about birds.  There are lots of sites on the internet where you can learn facts about birds or you may want to look for a bird book on Amazon. Here is one for you to consider.



May 14-World Migratory Bird Day


This holiday is an international holiday that is celebrated on the 2nd Saturday in May.  It celebrates the many miles many of our feathered friends travel each spring and fall to avoid the cold and snowy weather.  They travel thousands of miles from their breeding grounds in North America to their winter homes in Central and South America.

I am always fascinated by the migration of birds as I see the skies full of them heading south in the fall and then both north in the spring.  The one bird that I find particularly fascinating is the hummingbird.  These very small birds travel from our area in mid Missouri down to Central America for the winter months.  In about April we see the first ones heading back to our area.  I always put my feeders out about the first of April to be ready for them.
hummingbird on feeder
Hummingbird on our feeder last year.


June 20-National American Eagle Day


eagle

National American Eagle Day is celebrated each year on June 20th.  That is the day that in 1782 the eagle was added to the official seal of the United States.

Here is some information I found on Eagle Day.

Celebrating American Eagle Day


The first American Eagle Day was proclaimed by President Bill Clinton in 1995. Since then 41 American states have made the day an official observance. From 2007 onwards, the US Senate has also passed resolutions to mark June 20 of the year as American Eagle Day. The American Eagle Foundation is at the forefront of organizing and sponsoring events on this holiday.

American Eagle Day is an observance, which means that businesses, stores, and government offices are open.

On this day, conservation and educational organizations hold public outreach programs such as lectures, workshops, and informational sessions to raise awareness about the importance of preserving and protecting bald eagles and other wildlife.

The holiday is sometimes known as Bald Eagle Day or National Eagle Day.


Here is a link to the site where this information is located American-Eagle-Day


For a review on the bird holidays for the first quarter of the year, go to https://www.reviewthisreviews.com/2023/01/national-bird-holidays-and-awareness.html


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Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


Thursday, January 11, 2018

Review of Facts on the Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Eurasian Tree Sparrows photo by mbgphoto

Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Distinguishing Features

The Eurasian tree sparrow is similar to the house sparrow but with a few distinguishing features.  The most notable one is the black patch in the middle of a pure white cheek.  You can see that feature in the photo above.  These birds also have a rich chestnut colored crown and nape.  Both sexes are similar and the young birds are just a duller version of the adult birds.  

I had seen these birds in our yard for several years and did not realize they were different from the house sparrows until I took some photographs and started to study their features.  Since they are only in a limited region of the USA I did not find them in my pocket field guide to birds and had to do a bit more searching online to find more information. 


History in USA

Eurasian Tree Sparrows were first introduced in the USA when 20 birds were brought to St. Louis, Missouri from Germany.  It is said that these birds probably would have multiplied and spread except that the House Sparrow was introduced to the US at about the same time.  The House Sparrow is a tougher bird and kept the Eurasian Tree Sparrows from spreading.  Today you mostly find these birds around the St. Louis area, although you may find them in other parts of Missouri, Illinois and southern Iowa.  We live about 40 miles west of St. Louis and have quite a few of the birds in our yard year round.  They seem to stay in some of our low shrubs around our house.  They are frequent visitors at both our finch feeders and our wild bird feeders.  They also like to visit our birdbath.

More Information

If you would like to read more about these interesting birds, I would suggest the following link where I gathered much of my information. Audubon Field guide   At this site you can also listen to the calls of the birds.
Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Eurasian Tree Sparrows on lighthouse feeder photo by mbgphoto

Bird Guide

I find this bird guide to be  valuable tool for identifying birds in my backyard.  It did have a small blurb on Eurasian tree sparrow under the heading Old World Sparrows.

                                                               


Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


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