Birding is never a quick walk. To be able to listen and see as much as one can, it involves slowly moving at nature’s pace. And a sparrow can never be just a sparrow. In Banff NP along we can see as many as 20 different types of sparrows. And a few others that don’t have a sparrow in their name, but are part of the same family. When most people think of a sparrow, they are thinking of the House Sparrow. A European species that was introduced to North America in the 1850s. Spotted just about anywhere humans reside.
But in the spring and summer we get to see many other types of sparrows. Like the white-crowned, song, lincoln’s, savannah, white-throated, chipping, clay-coloured, and the Fox Sparrow to name a few. So when birding and you see what looks to be a sparrow moving on the trail looking for food. You want to stop and make sure you identify them. In my case, a few weeks back, it was the Golden-crowned Sparrow among the White-crowned Sparrows. It was not calling, just moving at the edge of the trail and flew up to perch on the willow branch as I stepped closer. I don’t get to see this species that often. I slowly moved, so as not to scare it away, but at the same time I had to act fast as hikers were coming my way on the trail. Just as I got the rare picture, the hikers unaware of the sparrow came through and the bird went into hiding. The memory and the pictures will do until perhaps next year I see one again passing through the area.
