The month of April could be told in sparrows.
That rusty-capped little sparrow you may have seen this past month in the local parks, the Chipping Sparrow, is currently traveling north from Mexico and South America, stopping here on its long migration journey. It breeds in late April and May.
The Chipping Sparrow trills loudly, first a little slowly and then building into crescendo. It forages on insects and seeds and is often found in the open forest with clearings.
I found several Chipping Sparrows one day last week on the Peninsula, that small yet fertile territory between the Harlem River and the larger Salt Marsh. It’s a curious place, with a few picnic tables, the Little League fields, and the Inwood Nature Center. The peninsula affords excellent views of the Henry Hudson Bridge, Spuyten Duyvil Creek, and the Palisades.
Some birds such as the Eastern Kingbird seem to prefer the Peninsula to other places in the park, and I know of one highly territorial Northern Mockingbird who would refuse to live anywhere else.
Many sparrow species have come through the park lately, sometimes causing much head scratching among birders for the correct identification. I’ve personally seen a Fox Sparrow up on the eastern ridge, several Savannah Sparrows in the fenced marsh regeneration area, a few field sparrows, and a swamp sparrow. White-throated Sparrows are common and significant in song. The song award in general, though, belongs to the Song Sparrow.
There’s also the ubiquitous House Sparrow that lives and thrives here all year long, attempting every spring to build a nest under my air conditioning unit.
The Dark-eyed Junco is classified as a New World sparrow, a group of seed-eating passerine birds. The juncos have been abundant in the area for the past few months. The Eastern Towhee is also a large New World sparrow. They just recently showed up.
Cover: Chipping Sparrow on the Peninsula. Inwood Hill Park. April 22, 2024. 9:58 a.m.
Sightings
April 2024 sightings, now concluded, ended with a banner day on Monday, April 29. A high migration event brought many warblers, vireos, kinglets, and thrushes to Inwood Hill Park.
Recent posts
- Scaling the Heights with the Black-and-white Warblers
- The Sparrows of April
- Celebrating the Orioles
- The Return of the Yellow-rumped Warblers
- The Double-crested Cormorants of Spuyten Duyvil
Birds of Inwood 