Harry - Regarding the nocturnal House Sparrows, here's my two cents...

We frequent the Burger King in Eldersburg (mighty kids meal, chicken
tenders, choc shake, cheeseburger on the side), and as my son does not like
French fries, and they are not particularly healthy, I frequently feed them
to the roaming band of House Sparrows that hangs out between the fast-food
place and the bank and pizza place next door.  You might say I've adopted
the little guys.  

Anyway, on at least one occasion (and I think probably twice), I have been
to the Burger King well (say two hours or so) past sunset and been greeted
by the familiar chorus of the chirps of House Sparrows.  In the well-lit
parking lot, the birds were flying around the area, chumming for fries, bits
of rolls, etc., as if it was the middle of the day.  I also thought it
rather unusual behavior, and don't remember seeing them do this elsewhere.

Mark

-----Original Message-----
From: Maryland Birds & Birding [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Henry Armistead
Sent: Tuesday, January 25, 2005 10:22 AM
To: 
Subject: [MDOSPREY] nocturnal House Sparrows

"Rigby's Folly", Armistead property on Ferry Neck, Talbot County, MD, near
Bellevue (or thereabouts).

The night of Jan. 21/22 I drove from Philadelphia to Rigby and back between
8:50 P.M., Jan. 21, and 3:30 A.M., Jan. 22.  One or two compelling reasons.

It was 18 degrees F. when I arrived in Talbot County.  The Pump House was a
toasty 52 degrees.  One doe near the road just south of Royal Oak at 11:51
P.M., where I see them the most on these night trips and where I fear a
collision the most, although I've had collisions on Route 301, 50, 13 and
Egypt Road.  Just past midnight I could see in the moonlight that the
entire cove was frozen.  Out on Irish Creek a small group of Tundra Swans
was calling, 3 different calls, as evocative of the winter wild, and as
beautiful, as anything I know.  One of the short calls they utter reminds
me of the sound a small thrown rock makes when it first hits rather thick,
hard ice.  

Preoccupied with some CDs my daughter gave me for Christmas (Schumann's
symphonies) I'd failed to monitor the weather forecasts until well past the
point of no return.  On hearing that snow would start around daybreak I
decided to get out of Dodge, coffeeing up at the sleazy Fast Stop across
from Easton airport.  But on the way out, at 12:16 A.M., a Great horned Owl
was flying just over and parallel to Bellevue Road near Royal Oak.  Good
view and I'm glad it missed the wires and that I missed it.  

Stop at the Middletown, Delaware, Wawa, for more coffee where at 1:56 A.M.
there are 3 House Sparrows feeding on the sidewalk right in front of the
store.  I approach them close enough to see they're 2 females and a male. 
They flush and fly out to one of the service bays to continue foraging.  At
the Cambridge, MD, Wawa several times I've seen House Sparrows out and
about over an hour before it starts getting light (e.g., 6 feeding there at
5:35 A.M., January 19, 2004, a day when sunrise would have been c. 7:15!). 
Now I'm starting to wonder if they do this all the time.  If any of you
have witnessed nocturnal behavior by these "Burger Kinglets", I would
really appreciate hearing about it.  Please!  

"House Sparrow" by Peter E. Lowther & Calvin L. Cink (Birds of North
America no. 12, 1992, 20 pages) makes no mention of this sort of behavior
other than to note (p. 4):  "At night, sparrows may take insects attracted
by lights."  Nice as these BNA accounts are, some of the ones on
well-studied birds such as House Sparrow and Piping Plover seem a little
short.  Lowther himself mentions that one 1988 study indicated there were
4,800 citations concerning the genus Passer.   

3:04 A.M., a nice-looking Red Fox on Flourtown Road in Whitemarsh Road
right across the street from a big development near Joshua Road.  On the
way down the red neon sign of Ardmore Tire on the Blue Route reads 8
degrees c. 9 P.M.; on the way back it is down to 2 degrees c. 2:55 A.M. 
Beautiful blizzard Saturday in Philadelphia at 10:30 A.M.  More goldfiches
and juncos at the feeder than at any other time this winter, plus an errant
red-wing.  At times like this I wished I lived in Talbot County with some
well-stocked feeders (and cupboards).  Of course, I wish I lived there
anyway.  

Sun. Jan. 23.  While shovelling out 6 flocks of Canada Geese go over, high,
headed south.

Tue., Jan. 25, A cardinal singing here. the first bird song I've heard so
far in 2005.    

U. S. News & World Report, Dec. 27, 2004-January 3, 2005 issue.  As part of
its cover story, "50 ways to improve your life in 2005", on pp 78-79, the
41st way is to "Become a birder."  Nice, and thank you, but too bad the
accompanying photograph will inspire no one.   

Best to all.-Harry Armistead, 523 E. Durham St., Philadelphia, PA
19119-1225.  215-248-4120.  Please, any off-list replies to: