house sparrow

Mothering

/ Rebecca / 9 Comments

I spotted these three juvenile house sparrows sitting on some branches of a bush in my yard.  They were sunning and preening and eagerly awaiting their mothers return.

Her arrival caused quite a flurry of activity as each juvenile vied to get the next morsel of food that she brought.

After feeding time, her departure left the juveniles looking a little lost and forlorn.

Here is a short video of the mother sparrow feeding the juveniles.

“(24/7) once you sign on to be a mother, that’s the only shift they offer.” ~Jodi Picoult

Sweet sparrow family

/ Rebecca / 10 Comments

I’ve enjoyed watching this little family of house sparrows fluttering around the backyard this week.  Right now, the baby birds are sticking pretty close to the mother  even though they are big enough to pick up the sunflower seeds themselves.  You can tell the babies from the mother by the yellow lines around their mouth.

“That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet.”  ~Emily Dickinson